Golf Question

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Hey Guys, a quick golf question.. I picked up a set of Cleveland Launcher irons, along with a Cleveland Launcher 5i hybrid, a Cleveland Hi-Bore XLS 10.5 driver, a Cleveland Classic 1 putter and a Nike golf bag. I'm a bit confused about the Laucher irons.

The Launcher set consists of: 4 through 9, P and D. The P I know is my putting wedge. What on earth is the D? It looks very similar to the putting wedge. Could this be a sand wedge?

cheers,
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[02audionoob]

"P" is for "pitching" wedge. In the Launcher irons it is a 45-degree loft. "S" is "sand", which is 55 degrees. "D" is between the two, so apparently it stands for "dual".

http://www.leaderboard.com/GLOSSARY_DUALWEDGE

http://www.clevelandgolf.com/US_launcher-irons__launcher_irons__viewProd_irons.html

[elapsed]

Doh! I'm still learning to golf (and all the terminology that comes with). Pitching wedge, got it. So I guess I should ask, will I need a sand wedge as well? Or can I get by with the dual wedge? Also when would a chipper come into play?

[02audionoob]

The sand wedge is essential for advanced golfers, but often difficult to hit for novices and intermediate golfers. It puts the most spin on the ball of the wedges, so it can bite on the green the best. Its high loft will also allow the golfer to flop the ball onto the green if hit with a bit more of a sweeping swing. It often has a slight flange shape to the bottom, which helps it bounce through sand, thus the name. For a pro golfer, though...they don't spend much time in the sand, and yet they almost all use sand wedges or wedges with 55 to 60-degree loft.

I think mostly what a dual wedge can do for you is save a club. USGA rules limit the golfer to 14 clubs. Since you don't have a 1, 2 or 3 iron, you're not likely to hit the 14-club limit. In Canada, the limit might be different...and in fact, most recreational golfers probably don't count their clubs. The short answer on that one is...you can do without a sand wedge. You can even do without a dual wedge. Of all three wedges, I would keep only the one I can hit most accurately with a half-swing...perhaps a better strategy than thrying to learn to hit all three...just a thought. Taking a full swing with a sand wedge can get dangerous...although I admit I do it.

The chipper is a club with a low loft, designed to be used when you have short shots off the green with the luxury of smooth turf between you and the hole, and lots of green to work with. The chipper doesn't require you to swing down at the ball and put spin on the ball to work correctly. You can just give it a relaxed swing, perhaps striking downward on the back of the ball and perhaps not, depending on what you need the ball to do. To use it, you can just visualize where the ball should land in order to roll to the hole and then give it a gentle swing with a little wrist and try to hit it there.

This picture is how you hit a wedge...straight at the hole.

[ForeverAutumn]

Doh! I'm still learning to golf (and all the terminology that comes with). Pitching wedge, got it. So I guess I should ask, will I need a sand wedge as well? Or can I get by with the dual wedge? Also when would a chipper come into play?

I've been golfing for about three years now and I just got a sandwedge and a chipper this year. Up until now, I always used a pitching wedge in the sand and it worked quite well. So you should be fine with your dual wedge. Getting out of sand is hard no matter what club you use. A friend of mine won the sandwedge in a tournament and she already had one, so she gave it to me. I wouldn't have gone out and bought one on my own at this point.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my new chipper. I've never been very good at short chips using my pitching wedge. I always hit too hard and too far. The chipper allows me to get just enough loft to get from just outside the green onto the green and then gives the ball enough roll to get it within putting distance. You hit the chipper just like a putt, but with just a little more force to get the loft. It took me a little practice to get the hang of this club, but once I got it, it became my favourite club.

[jrhymeammo]

Doh! I'm still learning to golf (and all the terminology that comes with). Pitching wedge, got it. So I guess I should ask, will I need a sand wedge as well? Or can I get by with the dual wedge? Also when would a chipper come into play?

elapsed,
Nice clubs. They should work for your game, even if you start hitting in low 80s. But clubs are much like audio and other hobbies, you just gotta find what you like.

I know that you are very stylish man, so don't even fool around wit a chipper.
If you must use it, you should only use it around the fringe, but I find P or 9 to work much better. If you must use a Dual or sand wedge, keep it behind your stance to decrease the loft. I don't know how far you hit, but I find S-wedge to be a must have for 100 yrds in...

Cleveland makes some great wedges, but those blade types are too hard for beginners to use in 40+ yrd range. Since you are getting acquinted with the game, you may want to get a matching S-wedge for bigger sweetspot.

[02audionoob]

I've got mixed emotions about the idea of avoiding a particular club. I certainly wouldn't avoid a chipper. And if I did avoid a club, it wouldn't be because of stylishness.

But this topic makes wonder why the irons start at 4. I suppose golfers avoid their long irons in favor of woods? I guess I'm old-school...I was probably the last person I know to make the switch to a metal driver and that Big Bertha stays in the bag far more than my old persimmon Titleist driver ever did. I'd have a hard time playing a round without my 2 and 3 irons. When I was a kid, I had a set of irons that started at 4, but that was because I was hot-tempered and I broke my 3.:o

Out of all the advice you can get from your fellow golfers, here's mine...tune us out. Find a teaching pro and take lessons. No matter how good you play, it don't mean you can teach.

[ForeverAutumn]

Out of all the advice you can get from your fellow golfers, here's mine...tune us out. Find a teaching pro and take lessons. No matter how good you play, it don't mean you can teach.

I second this advice. Here's my story in a nutshell.

I married a golf fanatic. I knew this going in. I realized that if I wanted to spend time with my husband on weekends it would be to my benefit to learn to golf. I spent four years trying to learn the game and hating it. I didn’t have the money to invest in private lessons so I signed up for clinics with 6-8 other people. The lessons didn’t seem to be helping my game. Finally, I got frustrated and bored and gave up the game. But I still enjoyed hitting the driving range every now and then with friends as more of a social event.

Fast forward a few years and I’m at the driving range with some friends. There is a golf pro there doing free swing analysis. I get in line with nothing to lose. In less than five minutes, this pro had me hitting the ball better than I ever had. I signed up for lessons with him and he changed everything. Now I really enjoy golfing.

Just because someone is a golf teacher doesn’t make them a good one. If you don’t see improvement after your first or second lesson, move on to the next pro.

As for the chipper. I paid $20 for mine. Its not the kind of club that you need to spend a lot of money on. Just get one with good weight that feels comfortable to swing.

[3LB]

Funny, a golfer friend of mine once asked me, "can you really listen to three or four CDs in a day?" and I replied, "can you really watch golf on TV?"

[jrhymeammo]

I believe there are a number of reasons to not use a chipper, but we all have unique stuff that works in our game.

[jrhymeammo]

Funny, a golfer friend of mine once asked me, "can you really listen to three or four CDs in a day?" and I replied, "can you really watch golf on TV?"

Of course I'm not thinking about Golf... I thinking about BBQ.

http://z.about.com/d/golf/1/5/s/e/mini-laura_davies_lpga.jpg

[ForeverAutumn]

I believe there are a number of reasons to not use a chipper, but we all have unique stuff that works in our game.

Why wouldn't you use a chipper?

[jrhymeammo]

Why wouldn't you use a chipper?

Before I answer it, can you tell me whether you use it not?

Thanks

[ForeverAutumn]

Before I answer it, can you tell me whether you use it not?

Thanks

I use it and it works for me. But not every club works for everyone. My husband wouldn't carry a chipper in his bag because he says that he can accomplish the same thing with a seven iron.

I'm not looking for an argument, I'm just curious what the several reasons that you wouldn't use it are.

I'm still pretty new to the game myself so this kind of conversation interests me and I learn from it. If I ever find that I can hit the ball the same with my seven iron (or another club that I already carry) then I would happily take the chipper out of my bag.

Whatever your response...you won't offend me if that's what you're worried about.

[02audionoob]

I am certainly not surprised at the argument that the same thing can be accomplished with a 7-iron as with a chipper. In fact, a 7-iron seems like the better option because it can put a little spin on the ball. It gives you the option to carry the ball further without so much roll. I've never used a chipper, but they look like they'd be easy to hit and would work well on courses with slow greens.

[jrhymeammo]

I use it and it works for me. But not every club works for everyone. My husband wouldn't carry a chipper in his bag because he says that he can accomplish the same thing with a seven iron.

I'm not looking for an argument, I'm just curious what the several reasons that you wouldn't use it are.

I'm still pretty new to the game myself so this kind of conversation interests me and I learn from it. If I ever find that I can hit the ball the same with my seven iron (or another club that I already carry) then I would happily take the chipper out of my bag.

Whatever your response...you won't offend me if that's what you're worried about.

FA,
Not that I was worried about offending you, I just didn't want you to have a second thought on what you've been doing.

Here are my reasons for not using a chipper:
BTW, I'm going to make up a word as usual.

Chippering - chipping with a chipper.
Chipping will still mean chipping with irons....

As you much know, there are 2 types of lie around the green.
Chipper may seem useful around the first cut/fringe. Grass underneath is relatively short and the bottom/sole of your chipper will have less drag (better accuracy). That sounds pretty good, but if you are "chippering" from say less than 15 feet, you will more likely have better chance knocking it close with a putter. If you use a chipper, you will have to strike it dead on, otherwise you will top it and hit too far, or hit short with catching too much ground. You might think that;s same for chipping with an iron, but the bottom sole of an iron is much narrower than a normal chipper. Topping a ball with a putter is virtually impossible, and no one will chunk it after a couple of rounds.Putter from a fringe from a short distance will have more consistant control. You just need to practice a bit on your touch, but I'm confident that you'll catch on real fast.
If you find yourself outside of fringe(first cut of rough), chipper will cause too much drag.

Since a normal chipper has a loft of a 7 iron, that doesn't give you too much of a lift.
7 or similar iron is great for a purpose of Bump n Run, but each condition requires different clubs/loft. Sometimes a P is more ideal to avoid many slopes between you and the hole. It's an ideal club to carry enough distance and arrow it to make a run at the hole. A chipper will only carry about 5 feet at best and still needs to catch it very cleanly. Also, from a rough it is very hard to put spin on the ball, 37+ degrees will not spin from a rough.

Lastly, majority of putter and chipper is prone to twisting when caught off center. I think this is caused by the design of its hosel (section of the club where the shaft and clubhead meets). Irons are more rigid and less likely to twist from off-center strikes.

All in all, chipper to me has limited usage.... and for some reason most of them are constructed very poorly. But, I just did a quick google search and looks like a chipper has evolved in the last 10 years. They are starting to look more and more like a 7 wood with a shaped sole, allowing to glide easier from a fringe.

But if a chipper is working for you in your game, then keep at it. I've been using the same tiny headed 3 wood from 1994, and I know I can benefit greatly from a newer technology, but I continue to use it due to confidence and trust I have with the club.
This game is all about confidence and I just don't have the confidence like you do with a chipper. I guess that's my main reason for not using it.

Did you play this weekend? If so, how did you play?

JRA

[ForeverAutumn]

Hey JRA,
Thanks for the info. I use the chipper when I'm just outside the green, usually in the first ring of short grass. If I land in the longer "fairway" grass, I'll only use the chipper if I'm a foot or less away from the green. I find that the little lift that the chipper gives me gets me on the green with a nice roll towards the pin. My chipper looks like a putter. It's only about an inch deep so there's not a lot of drag. As I said, it works for me for now and when I become a more consistent golfer I'm happy to get rid of it if i don't need it.

I didn't get to golf this weekend. But we did play a PGA championship course last weekend. It was my anniversary gift to my husband. We played Angus Glen, south course. The Canadian Open was held there in 2002. It was a very difficult course for me and I didn't keep score. But I did hit some of my best shots that day, which was very encouraging. :)

We've rented a cottage starting next weekend and are taking our clubs with us. So I'll get a game or two in then.

You sound like a seasoned golfer. Do you get out a lot?

[jrhymeammo]

Wow. That looks like an incredible course. I would love to play there and frustrate myself. You really are a cool chick. Hubby must be a lucky man.

I used to play everyday in High School so my scores were very good, but don't get to play much now. I try to get out there 3 times a month and haven't been too lucky this year. Here in Kentucky, I can even play in December so I'm not in a rush to get the most out of this season.

I'm going to let you in on a secret. 90% of golf is determined by pre exercise or stretch. Do a light stretch and loosen up for at least 60 minutes before your round. For most golfers, first 3 holes are the hardest due to stiffness. Also, be more on your toes and never on your heels.

Have Fun,
JRA

[ForeverAutumn]

You really are a cool chick. Hubby must be a lucky man.

Thank you. I remind him of that daily. :biggrin5:

The course wasn't as scenic as I was hoping but it was challenging and immaculately kept. Even the par threes had very difficult greens to add to the challenge.

Thanks for the tips. I'll keep that in mind the next time I play. Right now my biggest challenges are not locking my left knee on the upswing and remembering to follow through. When I can get those two things right, I can really sock the ball.

[elapsed]

Hi guys, great thread! I've been away the past few weeks so I haven't had any chance to catch-up on AR. Thanks for all the advise (the best advise being of course to take some lessons with a pro)

cheers,
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