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punch shots

• Danowadd 72 Posts

  Sat, Aug 18 2012 10:42 PM

   I LOVE the punch shot!            It effectively "doubles" every club in your bag!

  I've been known to punch a Driver off the teebox to counter strong head and side winds.

  Example is when you are between any two clubs , say the shot is 60 yards.

  You have a 50 yard wedge,which won't get you but 54--55 yards with FTS ( full top spin).. A 75 yard wedge is too much--until you cycle through to punch with it, dropping it to a 62 yard shot .

  Trying to spin a half to three quarter punch reacts just like the real courses--the spin has little effect.

  With FBS ( full bottom spin)--the shot will come out to 62 yards..giving you a little wiggle room to back off a hair from a full swing.

  The shot still has height--but will bounce once and usually check up within a foot of the ball mark.

  The real beauty of this shot is how it seems to halve the side to side wind distances.

  A 10mph wind from right to left is about a flag stick in length you must allow for per 100 yards of forward travel. That allowance is halved when you punch it--making your approaches much more accurate.

  The shot MUST be stopped on the ding for a good result.

  Your one putt percentages will rise once you get the confidence to hit this type shot.

  Keep a close eye on this stat as you get started--28 to 35% is average. 40% plus is your goal

  What I'd really love to see is the ability to put side spin on the ball...maybe one of the WGT geeks will help us.  

  Practice this type shot on some of the C-T-T-H courses as a warm up for any Tournaments.

   Hope this helps you....Dano

• bmwruss 49 Posts

  Sun, Aug 19 2012 11:57 AM

  When I started playing, the only shots I was using were the full, pitch and chip. Excluding the obvious putter. The punch and flop were very foreign to me. As rarely as I did use them, they were totally useless because I didn't know what I was doing. I wanted to know them better and add them to my arsenal. So, I have played nine holes a few times on the practice courses using nothing but punch and flop shots only. From tee to green. I'm feeling a lot more comfortable using them now and they are big parts of my game.

• Danowadd 72 Posts

  Sun, Aug 19 2012 10:04 PM

  I personally NEVER chip a shot---it's much more likely to hang up , come up short, or scoot right off your target line.

  The flop is difficult to master until you take out the right drift that happens on a perfect  ding.

  I do this by stopping the meter as soon as it enters the blue hit zone--well left of the ding..

   I look at my breakline in reverse chip mode and pick out my line ...it has resulted in many flop in's and many saved pars. 

   

  Most golfers start a round not prepared for the conditions they will face. These are players you see in the 66-72 averages and seem to be hung up there.
  
  The “EDIT YOUR CLUBS” option is there for a reason. Wind speed--green speed and elevation should give you hints on equipping your bag and choosing a ball .

  Buy yourself enough wedges and balls to have those options of choice.

  TAYLORMADE wedges are by far your best wedges in spin and lower costs.

  I have bought and played EVERY club set WGT offers.. The R11's are good clubs--if you have the hand / eye co-ordination it takes to hit the faster ding. Lmao!!

  I like the Ping G-20's --both woods and irons. They cost less, are just as accurate and have high trajectory, and have a slower swing meter than the R-11's.
  
  I personally keep my TaylorMade 50 yard wedge ALWAYS IN MY BAG because of it’s ability to get the ball up quickly from fairway--rough or sand and still bite the green with accuracy. Mix and match your wedges to the course you are playing.

  On the low flat courses of Andy's and the Island--I use the 110 yard TayorMade--the 75 or 77 yard, and the 110 yard wedges. On the courses that have elevation changes, I'll change those up to a 115 wedge or 98 yard one.

  This is trial and error time for you to learn each hole. Some courses protect their par's very well..and some holes are so tough, I'll just go for the center of the green, get my two putts in and be happy with a par. You'll learn WHICH SIDE of the green has the least break.
  
  Only Stroke play rounds are recorded in your stats, and will help you over time to see what area of your game needs work.
  
  At Master Tiers and below, you are “Driving and wedging” your way around the course. Your stats page will show how effective you are on the course.

  Driving stats in the 70--85% range indicates if you are driving it in the fairway or rough. The GIR (Greens in Regulation) stat is just as important. Those numbers should be in the 80% + range..
  
  I sometimes hit a 3 wood off the tee---or punch a Driver to put the ball in the best position for my next shot.
  
  It’s better to hit it 250--275 yards in the fairway than 325 yards into rough. 20--25% rough can be fairly easy to recover from..40--60+ % is very tough by comparison.
  
  You lose the ability to put spin on the ball out of rough is my point.

  Balls play an important choice in that regard. I won’t give away my secrets jst yet there--but to say the Nike’s and Callaway’s are as different as night and day in both driving and putting.