Your Short Game - Chipping

[Rbaumgolf]

John,
Do you prefer to use "one" club around the green for chipping or do you prefer to use "various" clubs based on the length, etc.

What do see see most out on tour

[john riegger]

i prefer to use the club needed for the particular shot.i do see a lot of players just using one club.it mainly depends on the golf course we are playing.when there is alot of rough ,i usually just use my 60.the eruopean players use more different clubs around the greens.course design in the u.s. makes a player use a flop shot more.plus on the tour with hard fast greens,the tour softens the area around the greens.rarely can a player bump and run a shot on tour.

[tobell]

John,

Do most guys on tour try to eliminate one side of the course by favoring a particular shot pattern? Do you have a particular go-to shot? It’s my impression that back in the 1970’s and earlier it was common for you guys to let the course dictate the shot—draw, fade, etc.—whereas today PGA tour players seem to stick with their dominate shot as much as possible. Is the logic work it both ways miss it both ways versus work it one way miss it one way? Thanks for your thoughts.

[john riegger]

i am old school.i am trying to get away from trying to curve the ball.with todays equipment it is harder to work the ball.your right the young guys just hit it hard high and straight.the guys that have been around for a while seem to play the shot as needed.honestly it has to do more with the situation and if the player feels comfortable playing the shot.
so far the first2 events of the year i have not tried to do to much in the way of curving the ball.you have to remember everybodys style is different on tour.

[Fred Brattain]

John, I am older school than you . But it seems to me that, as much as I enjoy watching the young lions, having grown up watching the real shot makers like Trevino, Palmer, Player, Nicklaus, Watson, that maybe the pro game has lost a little with the newer equipment. We had a conversation the other day among a batch of us who are not tour players, but are golf professionals and the consensus was that most of the young guns would get their lunch eaten by the old guys if they had to play on the courses of the 60's and 70's with the equipment of that era. What is your take on this?????

Obi WunPutt ( who still believes in being able to turn it either way)

[pluthb]

The best short game players alter speed and trajectory for the shot at hand. In order to do that you need to use more than one club. Did you notice how Phil "simplified" his short game last year by avoiding the lob shot? Have you noticed how many different shots Tiger plays?

I suggest getting really good with your most lofted club first then start playing around with different trajectories.

[john riegger]

i totally agree with you on that one.i was one of the last players to stop using wooden clubs.i still use v grooves in my wedges

[john riegger]

pluthb
i think i am well past that but thanks for the insight.my short game is pretty simple,it is all in the imagination

[pluthb]

My response was more for Fred than you John. I know you need all the shots in your arsenal and could hit lob shots with your 3-iron if you had to.