Pitching wedge, sand wedge, and lob wedge should be used 90% of the time. I don't recommend doing a whole lot with the eight and nine with exception of 40 foot and above running chip shots or greens with a lot of contour at that distance. Why?
Because you must learn that trajectory, not spin, is what makes you a great short game player. hitting the same trajectory shot all the time by mixing clubs does not teach the FLW all it wants to know.
At address pre-select the amount of shaft lean for the given shot. For instance the higher the trajectory the less the lean, the lower the trajectory the more the lean.
So balance and ball position are set.
Let me see if I got this. Trajectory is based on the amount of shaft lean. Then with FLW at impact position, that would define your ball position (i.e. more aft to accomodate more lean, more forward to accomodate less lean)
Could you use the amount of bending in the right wrist to determine the trajectory? More for lower shots, less for higher shots. That allow one to adjust that variable, and the others (ball position, shaft lean, etc) before you address the ball.
Could you use the amount of bending in the right wrist to determine the trajectory? More for lower shots, less for higher shots. That allow one to adjust that variable, and the others (ball position, shaft lean, etc) before you address the ball.
I got into a discussion with an AI on another forum about this. He had had some short game lessons with Stan Utley and said Stan did not like the ball position to be moved around in the stance as this had an effect on the plane of the stroke leading to other adjustments needed to being made. He altered the trajectory by the degree of bend in the right wrist at impact rather than altering ball position.
"Hue...sorry! When I had my lesson with Stan he advocated using one club for all short game shots. He used a Ping 60 deg LW. He liked it because of the bounce configuration. His distance control was based on feel. The lesson I had was concerning all short game shots up to 100 yards.
For pitch and chip shots where he wanted to change trajectory he would manipulate his left wrist position at impact. Applying it to The Golfing Machine, Stan would perform varying degrees of angular hinging as this will alter trajectory."
"Interestingly, Stan controlled trajectory by varying the left wrist position at impact. This is different from angular hinging. For his cut shot, he set up very square and performed the above motion. For all his shots, the ball was not moved around much. He typically utilized a static ball position."
On his bunker play
"Hue...Yes he did. Stan, like mostly all shots, played from a very square alignment position. Stan attacked on a very shallow angle of attack which was primarily setup by the width of his stance and low hand address position. His weight distribution was approximately 60 percent of his weight on his left. Stan used his Ping Eye 2 - 58 deg sand wedge. This particular SW has 13 degrees of bounce and a tour grind with heel and toe relief.
Stan did not loft the clubface like advocated today. The ball position was neutral to forward. To get a feel of how began his backswing, address a ball. Now hinge the club so that the clubshaft is vertical directly in front of you..do not let the arms swing back. Now, allow the pivot to provide the rotational motion. The feeling is that your hands are "staying at home" while the club is getting vertical by virtue of the hinging wrists. When Stan performs the shot there is a definite "thud" of the bounce being properly utilized. Like all shots, he maintains a planal relationship.
As for controlling distance, Stan did not have a scientific approach. His experience dictated the proper length of the swing for the appropriate distance."
Stan's lob shot
"Concerning the lob shot, Stan would actually set in a slight cup at address. He would actually set the shaft rearward leaning which has the effect of lofting the clubface. He would then maintain that wrist relationship throughout the motion. As for the address, he setup so that he had a very shallow angle of attack. He would make use of the reduced bounce in the heel of the sole."
...trajectory, not spin, is what makes you a great short game player.
A simple truth not often considered. Thanks, VJ!
In Tom Watson's book about the short game, he says that he does not like spin because...the amount and effect of spin is less predictable than trajectory control.
VJ:
Great info on swinging short shots. I don't believe I have read anyone write about rotation when describing a chipping and pitching motion on these forums.
Unfortunately, I have ingrained a steering motion after practicing thousands of repetitions of 12-5-1 and 12-5-2. Are you familiar with Brian Manzella's Up the Wall, Down the Wall, Swing Left of the Wall Swing? This works great with full shots. I am wondering if your method of constantly rotating the chest is the same as swinging left.
I don't know if it is the same as swinging left or not. With an open alignment 10-8-B address you would swing more left than you would with a square alignment 10-9-A. As a player I don't get the sensation of swinging left though.
I am not famaliar with the up the wall, down the wall, manzella drill. I would love to know more about it. So through it on.
I believe that your utley lesson in TGM terms is this:
1. use an extreme sweep load where the wrists set immediately without much arm motion.
2. Turn your pivot (chest, belly button, Accumulator #4) through the ball.
3. Ball postion at or near low point depending on height needed.
4. For manipulation of the clubface to alter trajectory during the takeaway the left hand can swivel as the swinger would on the start up or it can not swivel as the hitter would on the start up.
5. utlize a two barrel stroke with #2 and #4.
I would love to know if this is close. It is one helluva way to play your pitches around the green.
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