Texas Wedge or Chip?

@Matt Kelton my ball position changes based on the shot. But I personally prefer hitting lower pitches that are back in my stance.

think of it this way, there are 4 variables that change on every short shot.

1. ball position - far Forward- highest flight, far back- lowest flight,

2. grip strength - weakest grip (face super open) for highest flight. Strongest grip (face closed) for lowest flight.

3. swing path (alignment) - way open (left) for highest flight. Closed for lowest flight.

4. Amount of speed - a function of both height and carry distance. I feel a given speed that matches the other variables to crest proper distance control.

Every shot is a mixture of these four variables. Usually changes go together. As an example, if I hit a flop shot (softest shot I can hit): ball is forward, grip is super weak so the face is wide open, alignment/swing path is way open. Swing has to be faster to get any distance with those alignments.

As I want to bring the flight down, the ball moves back, the grip gets stronger, path/alignment moves from wide open toward closed.

Btw - This is related to one of my other practice ideas for the winter. If you swing to 1/3 swing (7 o’clock), 1/2 swing (9 o’clock), or 3/4 swing (11 o’clock)…there are differences in distance for every club. The same concept applies to pitching and chipping. I use my 54 and 58 degree wedges exclusively. But if I was coaching someone else, instead of playing shots to the extreme low side, I would always just go up a club). If I look at launch conditions for my low running 58, it may be the same as a medium p wedge). So it would be far easier to always play off the middle where grip, swing path are always the same and simply change clubs 9, 8, 7 to get the same launch. This is my plan for winter from 150 yards in. I want to dial in length of swing for different carry distances across multiple clubs. Traditionally, I know my 1/2-3/4 swing with any club is the same carry distance as the full swing with club below. But need to make those swing lengths and distances more precise. That’s why I am going to practice with the dewiz. Same concept applies to pitching and chipping. For someone learning now, that would keep chipping far simpler. For me. I have played so much that I know exactly how my ball comes off the face for my 2 wedges. If I pick a 9, I don’t know exactly how much speed to give it for a specific shot. Said another way, I don’t know how hot the ball comes off the face. However, if you start practicing that way, you can get really good at judging distances with less lofted clubs. That would make the short game technique much easier. For me, my simplicity comes in carry distance. Seems like I typically play courses where greens are rolling about a 10. That makes it really predictable if I play to carry the ball half way with half roll or carry 3/4 with 1/4 roll. It lets me play my lower spinner shots. On a LM, it is really interesting to see which shots generate more spin. It also demonstrates how important the ball is for hitting shots. Example, let’s say I am hitting 20 yard pitches. My vice pro or pro-V might be spinning at about 5000 RPM’s. A mid tier ball will only spin at 2500rpms. So, I can’t hit the low spinner shot with a mid ball. It has to be the premium high spin ball. So the ball will dictate the shots I can hit into greens. If I am playing a supersoft as example, I would play 1/3 carry and 2/3 rollout because to hit the spinner shot I have to manipulate too many things to be consistent. When we talk about short game, chipping and pitching, the ball can’t be overlooked (nor Can clean grooves on the club). In fact, that was one of Goalby’s tricks. If he wanted to hit a low runner, watch him before hitting, he would smack his wedge in the ground so the face was filled with dirt. He wiped off the loose dirt, but kept the grooves filled. Now he could hit a shot with very little spin. I can’t remember who showed him that trick, it was probably Sam Sneed or Arnie (but can’t remember who he said he got that from).

Great feedback! I know what I need to spend time on this Winter. I really appreciate the insights!

@Russell Hogue, PhD - A lot of folks are intrigued by the low spinner chip that hops a couple of times and checks up. They see it all the time on TV and want to have it in their bags, but they just can't seem to execute it and end up with blades or chunks when trying. I speak about this in the Chipping course, but if you care to share your technique in a separate post it may be helpful to many here. Thanks!