hitting off hardpan

[bobblehead]

How do you hit a ball off a hardpan lie?

Had 2 lies on hardpan yesterday and both times, i hit it fat which cost me at least 3 strokes and a chance to break 80

[jeffc]

if its a mid or long iron i try to pick it. if it's a wedge, i first say a prayer, then hit it.

[mpare]

At least for me, the key to hitting off hardpan is to pick the ball as clean as you can, much like hitting out of a fairway bunker. In order to minimize unneccessary lower body movement, which can cause me to hit the ball fat, I take an extra club and hit at 80%. This works for me.

[bobblehead]

both times with a wedge

so would you choke down and put the ball back in the stance

[jeffc]

depends on the shot. take a wedge with minimal bounce (e.g. not your sand wedge). I play most of my wedges back in my stance (except for a flop). It's a tough shot, the key is to commit to it. The less loft you can take, the better as well. I agree with mike above, if its a longer shot, take more club and swing easy.

[BC MIST]

if its a mid or long iron i try to pick it.

If your ball was in a shallow divot, would you pick it, as well? It seems to me that there is a better chance of good contact with a slightly descending swing arc, hitting the ball first, than an arc that is flat at impact, where skulling the ball or, hitting it "fat" and bouncing the head into the ball, has a better chance of occurring. To me it is similar to playing out of a shallow divot or hitting my 13* FW wood from a tight or bare lie where I just hit down and take a "divot."

From hard pan around the green to a pin close to the near side - pray first and then use the least loft possible. Play the odds and play for a bogey instead of risking the skull and an extra stroke.

[bobblehead]

First case - I was about 100 yards and had to hit over a group of pine trees so i was using my gap wedge

Second case - I was 110 yards and use my PW...I could have bump and run on the green but chose not to.

Both these wedges have low bounce. I have to admit I did not commit to the shot after seeing the lie...I guess I will have to practice these kind of shots.

[jeffc]

If your ball was in a shallow divot, would you pick it, as well? It seems to me that there is a better chance of good contact with a slightly descending swing arc, hitting the ball first, than an arc that is flat at impact, where skulling the ball or, hitting it "fat" and bouncing the head into the ball, has a better chance of occurring. To me it is similar to playing out of a shallow divot or hitting my 13* FW wood from a tight or bare lie where I just hit down and take a "divot."

From hard pan around the green to a pin close to the near side - pray first and then use the least loft possible. Play the odds and play for a bogey instead of risking the skull and an extra stroke.

Not sure how I would hit it out of a shallow divot, it would depend on the club, the distance, the shot, etc. I can't remember the last time I was in a divot actually - it's been years.

I do know how I would hit the hardpan shot, as indicated. You may do it differently. I am not one to take much of a divot, if a divot at all so this works best for me.

[John]

I definitely try to do the opposite of picking it with mid to short irons. I get a little steeper in the swing and really drive down into the ball. Never had any issues with the hardpan.

[mpare]

If you played on some of the courses that I've been on, you wouldn't want too come in too steeply for fear of hurting your wrist. As for my original answer, when I referred to picking it clean, I assumed that the ball would, to some extent, be hit with a descending blow.

I definitely try to do the opposite of picking it with mid to short irons. I get a little steeper in the swing and really drive down into the ball. Never had any issues with the hardpan.

[Eldred]

At the range, I've been doing a bit more practice shots with hardpan, under the trees, with obstacles in front etc. This forces me to try keep the ball back in my stance and try to hit with descend blow.. surprisingly the ball flight and distance have better consistency than I expected. I just have to remember I can use this shot inside 50 yards on good lie with higher rate of success instead of those cute high flop shots that looks good if you picked it clean..

[bobcat 2]

I would simply hit the ball first than the ground. Try it off concrete, such as a driveway with an old club. Picking it clean results in a scoop with any error which means fat or thin shots. I only pick the ball clean when the underlying surface is soft and a real golf shot will not work, then a sweeping hit is needed, ie picking it clean.