Getting creative around the greens
Chipping can be frustrating. Thankfully, we have multiple wedges in the bag for all different greenside scenarios. But are you using yours correctly?
Equipment
Chip or putt?
How many times have you come up short of the green and thought you’d putt the ball rather than risk thinning a chip shot through the short grass?
Chipping, and short game in general, is an aspect of the game that many golfers struggle with. It demands a softer touch and a discerning eye to judge the pace of a chip shot just right. It requires a lot of vision and creativity as there’s always more than one way to chip around the green.
Some golfers can’t get their feel just right when hitting soft chips, and as a result it’s easy to thin the ball, hitting it much harder than you intended without getting any height on your shot.
It can be tempting to reach for your putter when you’re plagued with visions of thinning the ball. But a putter doesn’t cut well through thick grass, and you may well duff your putt short.
Which would be your course of action if your shot was just off the green, a chip or a putt?
Chip or putt?
Hitting short chips can be a challenge, but reaching for the putter can give you a false sense of security. This is a club you use primarily for carefully controlled, soft strikes, so it can be very hard to measure how much power you’ll need away from the green.
As we’ve just mentioned, longer grass will also be a huge obstacle for a putter, and will most likely have your stroke dying against the grass before your club even makes contact with the ball.
The latest PING golf wedges are built to help prevent you from thinning your chip shots too. The face on the S159 wedges features rigid grooves to have you cutting through turf and popping the ball in the air with ease.
Bump-and-run
Gaining confidence in your short game and owning your chip shots can be one of the most rewarding feelings in golf. Here’s a fact, if you can putt a golf ball, you can hit a bump and run with a golf wedge.
Through making slight adjustments to your setup, you’ll be able to hit an easy, low wedge shot known as a bump-and-run. You’ll want to stand closer to the ball and position the shaft more vertically in your stance. Keep your arms straight as you swing through the ball with a pendulum movement.
With pressure placed primarily on your left side, you’ll drive the ball forward to create the motion necessary to bounce the ball along the green. This is an excellent approach to chipping if you want to take away the problems faced with having different lengths of grass between the green and semi-rough.
PING golf wedges
We’ve already alluded to how the S159 golf wedges from PING have razor-sharp grooves on the clubface. The whole face structure features wheel-cut grooves that give you excellent spin and control on your strikes. With an elastomer insert in the steel clubhead, making contact with the ball feels springy and responsive. Available in over 25 loft & grind combinations, with 6 unique grinds and in 2 distinct finishes, you’ll find exactly the kind of wedge to compliment your game with the S159.
Should you feel you want even more forgiveness on your wedge shots, the ChipR wedge is a fantastic alternative. With MicroMax grooves for better spin control and a high-MOI construction, this club has been built to help you hit the ball consistently and with greater accuracy. The shallow face height is built more like a putter, giving novice players greater confidence when they’re standing over the ball, and a cambered sole helps cut through rough and fringe turf.
Golf is a very challenging game, but the secret to success is getting lots of practice in with the right gear in your hands. If you think it’s time you sharpened up your game with some new golf wedges, we’re in the pro shop and ready to help you come to grips with some new kit.
