# Greenside specialty shot



## cbwheeler (Apr 9, 2007)

This is a shot you'll be faced with from time to time throughout your round. You're just a couple of feet off the green and you have short-sided yourself. You've only got about 10 feet of green to work with. Your ball is sitting down. What do you do? The thing I see most amateurs doing is they either try to take a big swing and miss hit the ball to the other side of the green or they decelerate and the ball goes about a foot.

The shot to hit here is a very special one. This is the only time you will use it, but it will save you tons of headaches and get you a lot closer to the hole.

Grab your L wedge or your most lofted wedge. Now set up with the ball in the middle of your stance and open the face just slightly. This will help to make sure the club doesn't get stuck coming down. Weight a little forward. Now all you do is hinge your wrists to get the club back, then just let it drop to the ball by unhinging your wrists. There is essentially no follow through to this shot. Because of the loft of the club, the ball will come out high and soft. It will release, but not as much as you would think.

Practice this and it will save you a few greenside strokes.


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## stevel1017 (Apr 30, 2007)

I like to play the cut lob in those cases, very similar setup, except I stand fairly open, with the grooves aimed where I want the ball to land, and then take the club back outside the line and back down outside to in. This puts some spin on the ball and helps it check up nicely


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## cbwheeler (Apr 9, 2007)

True, but a very risky shot. Remember here, the ball is sitting well down, so it's hard to get the club under it. The goal here is to minimize risk and and maximize reward, hence a less aggressive stroke that still gets the ball close or in, but if you miss it, you're still left short of the hole and on the green, not well long or over. It's pretty hard to mis this shot once you practice it.

The cut lob works if you can get under the ball, but if its mis-hit, the swing is so much more aggressive, you'll find yourself with another chip or a really long putt.


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## 300Yards (Jan 23, 2007)

I agree with CB on this one. Like he said, with the ball sitting down, and you trying to hit open stanced, you have a much higher chance of mishitting it, just becasue the ball is lower down. Now, if the ball was sitting in some nice, fluffy lie, then that's the time, I'd open my stance.


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## cbwheeler (Apr 9, 2007)

Absolutely!


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## Foster4 (May 2, 2007)

Hmm few feet off the green ....why not just put unless your talking about tall rough just off the green ? and if so if you hit a chip and do not roll your arms so the blade shuts , but you keep your arms from rolling and keeps the blade open through impact and follow through you hit a soft shot that lands soft...open the face more and swing harder depending on how high and soft you wanna land the shot...remember don't roll arms over and close face ..keep open through follow through.


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## white_tiger_137 (Mar 23, 2006)

> why not just put unless your talking about tall rough just off the green ?


That's what I'm assuming "sitting down" meant.

Good tip CB!


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## cbwheeler (Apr 9, 2007)

Yea, sitting down meaning it's hard to even get a wedge on the ball, much less a putter. Thx white tiger. I know this one has helped me quite a bit when I get those nasty greenside lies.


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## Foster4 (May 2, 2007)

sitting down could mean alot of things....should of specified sitting down "in the rough"


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## brownman (Apr 15, 2007)

*deep rough*

A shot I practiced some years ago that I called my chunk chip,I,m not saying it is a good thing but I hit into ground about 2" in front of ball very hard and it popped up


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## golfermatt91 (Jul 14, 2006)

good tip... thats a shot i use a lot but like what steve said i prob. use that a lot more.


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## cbwheeler (Apr 9, 2007)

The danger is in the mis hit there Matt. It's gonna be a much larger penalty if you mishit a big high lob type of swing than it is a little stab stroke. Keep in mind the ball is sitting well down in the rough, so its gonna be hard to get a club under it. You've gotta play to your percentages, especially around the greens.


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## golfermatt91 (Jul 14, 2006)

yea thats very true... Im a really good wedge player so I dont have many problems in that area... but I highly suggest if you do watn to use this shot you need to practice it more then just once.


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## cbwheeler (Apr 9, 2007)

Well obviously


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## white_tiger_137 (Mar 23, 2006)

Definately a shot worth learning. This is a situation that you're in way too much to ignore, and it'll save you a couple shots once you take a few hours to learn it.


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## brownman (Apr 15, 2007)

*chunked chip*

Guys,a couple of things here,1..I am not pro,I am single figure h,capper,all I can really add to this chip is that it really is easier to play this shot than it is to play a cut-up shot.make sure that the turf divot is going at intended landing spot,definitly a descending blow,pretty hard descending blow at that I might add.Practice in paddock or the like,it can be fun.


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