• Welcome To ShotTalk.com!

    We are one of the oldest and largest Golf forums on the internet with golfers from around the world sharing tips, photos and planning golf outings.

    Registering is free and easy! Hope to see you on the forums soon!

Approach shot?

ernesttbass

Banned
Banned
Aug 10, 2020
143
10
Country
United States United States
There’s no right or wrong just preferences !

Lofted wedge high shot? Or low iron low shot?

no water or sand in front, just a large round green flag in the middle slight ramp on the front.
 

TEA Time

Grumpy Gilmore
Staff member
Admin
Mar 23, 2011
7,847
7,292
Portland, Oregon
Country
United States United States
I prefer a high wedge unless I'm into a stiff wind. Also depends on how well the greens are holding and how soft the aprons are and how many beers I've had.
 
OP
E

ernesttbass

Banned
Banned
Aug 10, 2020
143
10
Country
United States United States
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #3
Lol! As the beer count goes up the wedge degrees go down, good one!
 
OP
E

ernesttbass

Banned
Banned
Aug 10, 2020
143
10
Country
United States United States
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #5
It’s me! It’s me! It’s Ernest T!

and the T stands for tee time!
 

limpalong

Mental Ward Escapee
Supporting Member
Oct 18, 2006
13,821
13,653
I forgot!
Country
United States United States
One of the best chippers in our group uses a 6-iron from anywhere near the green. Another uses a 7-iron. I use a 52 degree wedge for most chips. If I am short-sided or need to loft over a trap, it's the 56 degree. When the greens are a little shaggy and there is lots of green, I might use a pitching wedge.
 
OP
E

ernesttbass

Banned
Banned
Aug 10, 2020
143
10
Country
United States United States
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #8
Hoge just hit a high approach shot and it rolled off the back of the green Gooch hit a low trajectory shot rolled right up on the green close to the hole! Sweet!
 

Louie_T07

Well-Known Member
Sep 19, 2008
1,648
1,204
Sarnia, ON
Country
Canada Canada
I have invested some of my time at home with the kids during this pandemic to reading and in some cases re-reading a few of my favourite golf books in my collection. One I’ve spent quite a bit of time with because I can practice in the backyard is Dave Pelz’s Short Game Bible. Focused entirely on the “game within the game” this book covers everything for shots coming from within 100 yards of the hole.

So much like my chipping answer, my approach shot decision making process depends a lot on the situation I’m presented with. First is yardage, knowing my number will give me two clubs to pick from. Next is how can I get to the hole; come in high and no roll out, or is there room for me to come in lower with a hop and some roll out (then I can take advantage of the greens contours as well.) Deciding that gives me my club and the swing I need to make. One rehearsal swing to feel my swing and sell myself on it. Make a confident swing!

Also important to note; I have become really quick at doing all this. It’s taken some time and a little practice, but it becomes habit and you get quicker. Plus a lot of this can all be done while other players are playing their shots.
 

limpalong

Mental Ward Escapee
Supporting Member
Oct 18, 2006
13,821
13,653
I forgot!
Country
United States United States
@Louie_T07 If more people who play this game would concentrate on their short game... as it sound like you do... the game would become unbelievably easier. You young flat-bellies may be able to outhit me by 50 yards... or more... off the tee. Within 100 yards... I'll kick your butt!! Why? Because I play 7 days/week and concentrate on my short game. As age takes its toll on distance, the short game is how we seniors can continue to compete.
The short game is difficult for the weekend player to maintain. Feel. Touch. Club choice. Confidence. Being able to change your short game as greens dry out during a round. Keep doing what you are doing!!!! At your age, and with a young family, you are making the correct decisions about priorities! It ain't golf!!!! You will have time for golf when you are happily retired and entertaining grandkids. In the meantime, when you do have the opportunity to play this often frustrating/rewarding game... you will enjoy it more by having honed your short game.
 

Louie_T07

Well-Known Member
Sep 19, 2008
1,648
1,204
Sarnia, ON
Country
Canada Canada
@Louie_T07 If more people who play this game would concentrate on their short game... as it sound like you do... the game would become unbelievably easier. You young flat-bellies may be able to outhit me by 50 yards... or more... off the tee. Within 100 yards... I'll kick your butt!! Why? Because I play 7 days/week and concentrate on my short game. As age takes its toll on distance, the short game is how we seniors can continue to compete.
The short game is difficult for the weekend player to maintain. Feel. Touch. Club choice. Confidence. Being able to change your short game as greens dry out during a round. Keep doing what you are doing!!!! At your age, and with a young family, you are making the correct decisions about priorities! It ain't golf!!!! You will have time for golf when you are happily retired and entertaining grandkids. In the meantime, when you do have the opportunity to play this often frustrating/rewarding game... you will enjoy it more by having honed your short game.

Perhaps unfortunately for myself, although I definitely see it the other way around. This was a realization I made in life, well before I even found the game of golf. In my youth; I was cut from my share of rep teams because I was the smallest guy on the blue line. I wasn’t suppose to be a very good softball pitcher because I didn’t have the strength “needed” to be good. Truth be told I did just fine at both!! My father and I worked for hours in our yard, don’t know how many times I hit him in the shins with wild pitches. But I learned all kinds of different pitches to mess with batters and so then my fastball looked way faster. I was also a really good skater in hockey and because of my size, I was hard to knock over or get around. I won a few assist titles and sportsmanship awards along the way. I obviously didn’t make it pro by any means, but my youth sports career was full of a lot of fun and great friendships. Into my teen years when you sorta outgrow organized sports and the old man tells you to get a job, my best friend and I both got jobs at a course some of you may be familiar with now. TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley. That was my very first exposure to the golf course world. It was just called Osprey Valley at that time and the second two 18 hole courses were just being built/opening. As a perk of our job we could play one 18 hole round a week on the original course the Heathlands, but first you had to go out and play some holes with Bob McClure who was the pro at the time. If Bob said you could be trusted out on the course alone, you had earned the weekly round. I’m not even sure if we had surpassed our probation before my friend and I went out with Bob. I remember it like it was yesterday, and obviously I’ve been hooked ever since!! Bob insisted on seeing our clubs before we even got to the carts. He took both our Drivers out, he took out a few of our irons each and my friend’s 60 as well. He told us we didn’t need many clubs to learn anyway and could have them back later. My set consisted of a borrowed 3w, 5w, 5, 7-PW, SW & putter. We drove out into the middle of the course, couldn’t even tell you what hole it was, but we stopped at the forward tees. Bob walked up to the tee 5i in hand and proceeded to tell us, “take a look at that fairway fellas, its pretty narrow out there, there’s not much room to miss out here. This is links golf!” Bob was so cool!! He then told us, “there are five different tees on each hole and I can play from each one with this 5 iron. It’s not about how far on this course, just find the fairway and go from there.” He then struck a perfect tee ball out into the middle of the fairway. Told us to grab two balls each and see what we could do...

Both of us put both our balls way into the fescue by the way, but that last part of what Bob said has always stuck with me. “Find the fairway and go from there!” Maybe it was learning on a links style course where hitting the fairway was imperative and missing them was death or maybe Limp, I’m just an older soul trapped in this young flat bellied-dad bod. But it was very clear to me early on I wasn’t going to be a long hitter, but I could do a lot about being accurate. I worked hard at it, noticing over time that as the accuracy increased my distance would too. But the biggest improvements to my score came from improved course management and meeting Pelz through his books. Learning about and working on my short game, understanding it more the more I work on it. Isn’t just an advantage seniors can take advantage of. Even now in my mid-30’s, I’m hitting the ball probably the longest I ever have, but I’m still out driven by the majority of my playing partners. I don’t let it bother me, the closer we get to the green, the better I get!! And thank you for the kind words Limp, I do think I’m doing the right thing for my kids and family right now. They may keep me home off the course today, but in a year or two maybe a little more, I’m going to have a mean scramble team!!
 

limpalong

Mental Ward Escapee
Supporting Member
Oct 18, 2006
13,821
13,653
I forgot!
Country
United States United States
Perhaps unfortunately for myself, although I definitely see it the other way around. This was a realization I made in life, well before I even found the game of golf. In my youth; I was cut from my share of rep teams because I was the smallest guy on the blue line. I wasn’t suppose to be a very good softball pitcher because I didn’t have the strength “needed” to be good. Truth be told I did just fine at both!! My father and I worked for hours in our yard, don’t know how many times I hit him in the shins with wild pitches. But I learned all kinds of different pitches to mess with batters and so then my fastball looked way faster. I was also a really good skater in hockey and because of my size, I was hard to knock over or get around. I won a few assist titles and sportsmanship awards along the way. I obviously didn’t make it pro by any means, but my youth sports career was full of a lot of fun and great friendships. Into my teen years when you sorta outgrow organized sports and the old man tells you to get a job, my best friend and I both got jobs at a course some of you may be familiar with now. TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley. That was my very first exposure to the golf course world. It was just called Osprey Valley at that time and the second two 18 hole courses were just being built/opening. As a perk of our job we could play one 18 hole round a week on the original course the Heathlands, but first you had to go out and play some holes with Bob McClure who was the pro at the time. If Bob said you could be trusted out on the course alone, you had earned the weekly round. I’m not even sure if we had surpassed our probation before my friend and I went out with Bob. I remember it like it was yesterday, and obviously I’ve been hooked ever since!! Bob insisted on seeing our clubs before we even got to the carts. He took both our Drivers out, he took out a few of our irons each and my friend’s 60 as well. He told us we didn’t need many clubs to learn anyway and could have them back later. My set consisted of a borrowed 3w, 5w, 5, 7-PW, SW & putter. We drove out into the middle of the course, couldn’t even tell you what hole it was, but we stopped at the forward tees. Bob walked up to the tee 5i in hand and proceeded to tell us, “take a look at that fairway fellas, its pretty narrow out there, there’s not much room to miss out here. This is links golf!” Bob was so cool!! He then told us, “there are five different tees on each hole and I can play from each one with this 5 iron. It’s not about how far on this course, just find the fairway and go from there.” He then struck a perfect tee ball out into the middle of the fairway. Told us to grab two balls each and see what we could do...

Both of us put both our balls way into the fescue by the way, but that last part of what Bob said has always stuck with me. “Find the fairway and go from there!” Maybe it was learning on a links style course where hitting the fairway was imperative and missing them was death or maybe Limp, I’m just an older soul trapped in this young flat bellied-dad bod. But it was very clear to me early on I wasn’t going to be a long hitter, but I could do a lot about being accurate. I worked hard at it, noticing over time that as the accuracy increased my distance would too. But the biggest improvements to my score came from improved course management and meeting Pelz through his books. Learning about and working on my short game, understanding it more the more I work on it. Isn’t just an advantage seniors can take advantage of. Even now in my mid-30’s, I’m hitting the ball probably the longest I ever have, but I’m still out driven by the majority of my playing partners. I don’t let it bother me, the closer we get to the green, the better I get!! And thank you for the kind words Limp, I do think I’m doing the right thing for my kids and family right now. They may keep me home off the course today, but in a year or two maybe a little more, I’m going to have a mean scramble team!!

Awesome story!!! "Never belittle a ball in the middle!" 200 in the fairway is far better than 250 out in the trees.
My story is almost polar opposite. Very overweight... just plain fat... early in life. Made fun of all through school. Hated sports. Was "made" go out for sports simply because they didn't have enough kids to fill out teams. Was nothing but the tackling dummy in football. Was almost happy when I broke a leg during the summer between junior and senior high school years. Had an excuse not to play sports!
Worked hard early married years and, even then, never had an interest in watching or playing sports. Visited wife's relative in Minnesota in the early 80's. Two of her uncles were going to play golf and asked me to come along. Cowboy boots. Sleeveless western style shirt. Kool menthol 'smokes' in the snap shirt pocket. Huge Caterpillar belt buckle. But I went along and waded through the goose poop with them. They let me try to hit a few and I didn't do that bad. Returned home and the company I was working for hired a new guy whose office was close to mine. He was a golfer. I had an old S&W K15 Combat Masterpiece .38 Special. Took it to a local pawn shop and traded for a set of old MacGregor golf clubs... bag and all. Got hooked and have played golf since. And... am no longer fat!!!!!:D
 

Louie_T07

Well-Known Member
Sep 19, 2008
1,648
1,204
Sarnia, ON
Country
Canada Canada
Kinda amazing isn’t it? How two so vastly different beginnings end in such a similar fashion... Maybe with a few minor subtleties as well along the way. All thanks to this whacky game. Pretty cool, I think anyway!!

I went through a fat phase as well, after sports ended for me, the couch and video games with salty snacks were the go to thing for me. And I’ve never owned a firearm, my first set was obtained through a trade for a bottle of whiskey, I wasn’t even old enough to buy yet.
 

🔥 Latest posts

Top