Pop And Drop Or Chop And Roll?
One of my favorite parts of the game of Golf is the short shot around the green. These can make or break your scoring and need just as much practice as your drives, long irons and putts. Let's imagine the scenario that you have had a sweet drive which whistle-sailed from the tee and landed square in the middle of the fairway. You then extract a mid-range iron from your bag and drop the ball just short of the green. Upon reaching the ball you realize that it's one of those hairy short shots that can be very hard to decide which route to take. You have landed a few inches from the edge of the green in grass that is a little too long to allow the use of a putter. It's time to make a crucial decision.
1. Do I Pop and Drop?
2. Do I Chop and Roll?
These are two distinctly different types of shot using two very different clubs. One must also take into account the condition of the green.
Is it flat or bumpy?
Is it wet or dry?
And if it's wet, how wet is it?
Or adversely, if it's dry, how dry is it?
How far away is the pin?
How much green is there behind the pin?
So having taken all the factors necessary into account, it is now time to play the shot.
1. The Pop and Drop.
The Pop and Drop is played using a sand wedge with the face of the club as open as possible. Your stance should be a little lower than a normal swinging stance and a little more like a putting stance. The shaft of the club will be leaning back at about an angle of 60° which may feel a little awkward for a while, but once you get used to it and see the results it brings, it will quickly become more comfortable. Now, the backswing and follow through for this shot should be of equal length depending on the distance of your shot while retaining the 60° angle with the club at all times. This shot gives a lot of height and little roll after the ball lands. In fact if played properly there should be almost no roll, hence the name.
2. Chop and Roll.
The Chop and Roll is played using a 7 iron. ("WHAT, ARE YOU CRAZY?" I hear you say. Yes a little, but that's beside the point.) So, taking an identical stance to the Pop and Drop shot, only this time the club shaft should be tilted forward at an angle of 45°. Again it may feel like advanced yoga for a little while but it takes time to get familiar with these club positions. Remember to keep the shaft at 45° during the shot and again the backswing and follow through should be of equal distance depending on the length of the shot and moistness of the green. (You need a little more gusto on a very wet green as the water acts as a brake mechanism.) The only difference between this shot and the other is that you need to give a little chopping motion against the ball and ground on contact. This must be very subtle and should not be a stop or affect the follow through. I tend to prefer this shot because the chop allows the ball enough height to get over the grass but the ball then rolls along the green as if it had been putted. It's also worth noting that if I add a little Chop to the Pop and Drop I then get a Chop and Drop which puts some "backspin" on the ball.
Once these short shots have been mastered they will become an integral part of your game, reduce your average and bestow a wonderful feeling of satisfaction.
1. Do I Pop and Drop?
2. Do I Chop and Roll?
These are two distinctly different types of shot using two very different clubs. One must also take into account the condition of the green.
Is it flat or bumpy?
Is it wet or dry?
And if it's wet, how wet is it?
Or adversely, if it's dry, how dry is it?
How far away is the pin?
How much green is there behind the pin?
So having taken all the factors necessary into account, it is now time to play the shot.
1. The Pop and Drop.
The Pop and Drop is played using a sand wedge with the face of the club as open as possible. Your stance should be a little lower than a normal swinging stance and a little more like a putting stance. The shaft of the club will be leaning back at about an angle of 60° which may feel a little awkward for a while, but once you get used to it and see the results it brings, it will quickly become more comfortable. Now, the backswing and follow through for this shot should be of equal length depending on the distance of your shot while retaining the 60° angle with the club at all times. This shot gives a lot of height and little roll after the ball lands. In fact if played properly there should be almost no roll, hence the name.
2. Chop and Roll.
The Chop and Roll is played using a 7 iron. ("WHAT, ARE YOU CRAZY?" I hear you say. Yes a little, but that's beside the point.) So, taking an identical stance to the Pop and Drop shot, only this time the club shaft should be tilted forward at an angle of 45°. Again it may feel like advanced yoga for a little while but it takes time to get familiar with these club positions. Remember to keep the shaft at 45° during the shot and again the backswing and follow through should be of equal distance depending on the length of the shot and moistness of the green. (You need a little more gusto on a very wet green as the water acts as a brake mechanism.) The only difference between this shot and the other is that you need to give a little chopping motion against the ball and ground on contact. This must be very subtle and should not be a stop or affect the follow through. I tend to prefer this shot because the chop allows the ball enough height to get over the grass but the ball then rolls along the green as if it had been putted. It's also worth noting that if I add a little Chop to the Pop and Drop I then get a Chop and Drop which puts some "backspin" on the ball.
Once these short shots have been mastered they will become an integral part of your game, reduce your average and bestow a wonderful feeling of satisfaction.
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