60 yards and in

alxmorgan

Hey,

Said I'd move here from My GPS and me so as not to hijack
So I've got 60 yards out to full wedge covered with L on the back and full through swing.
But I struggle from 60 and in.
I have played various types of shot but nothing that I am 100% comfortable with
So I am interested in what you guys do.
I know it may differ depending on scenario - so 20 yards to pin with 2 yards of green vs 15 yards of green is very different but I want to pick something and stick with it whether it be Mickelson hinge and hold or Pelz's clock face type thing

Thanks in advance
Alx

GreeBo

alxmorgan wrote: »

Hey,

Said I'd move here from My GPS and me so as not to hijack
So I've got 60 yards out to full wedge covered with L on the back and full through swing.
But I struggle from 60 and in.
I have played various types of shot but nothing that I am 100% comfortable with
So I am interested in what you guys do.
I know it may differ depending on scenario - so 20 yards to pin with 2 yards of green vs 15 yards of green is very different but I want to pick something and stick with it whether it be Mickelson hinge and hold or Pelz's clock face type thing

Thanks in advance
Alx

75m = Full, aggressive lob wedge from back quarter of stance (better accuracy to use SW and 50M swing below)
70m = Full, smooth log wedge from middle of stance
60M = arms parallel, full wrist cock, ball middle
50M = club parallel no wrists, ball middle
40M = club parallel no wrists, ball middle, hands halfway down grip
30M = club parallel no wrists, ball middle of stance, hands at bottom of grip
20M = club parallel no wrists, ball front of stance, hands at bottom of grip
<15M = open face, cut up, done by feel really.

Now I just look at GPS, determine the shot and trust it and hit it.

alxmorgan

GreeBo wrote: »

75m = Full, aggressive lob wedge from back quarter of stance (better accuracy to use SW and 50M swing below)
70m = Full, smooth log wedge from middle of stance
60M = arms parallel, full wrist cock, ball middle
50M = club parallel no wrists, ball middle
40M = club parallel no wrists, ball middle, hands halfway down grip
30M = club parallel no wrists, ball middle of stance, hands at bottom of grip
20M = club parallel no wrists, ball front of stance, hands at bottom of grip
<15M = open face, cut up, done by feel really.

Now I just look at GPS, determine the shot and trust it and hit it.

I asssume all shots are lob wedge ?
Interesting that hands down grip has that much effect.
I've tried parallel club no wrists but find it hard as lack of wrists just feels wrong - did you struggle with that at all ?

alxmorgan

GreeBo wrote: »

75m = Full, aggressive lob wedge from back quarter of stance (better accuracy to use SW and 50M swing below)
70m = Full, smooth log wedge from middle of stance
60M = arms parallel, full wrist cock, ball middle
50M = club parallel no wrists, ball middle
40M = club parallel no wrists, ball middle, hands halfway down grip
30M = club parallel no wrists, ball middle of stance, hands at bottom of grip
20M = club parallel no wrists, ball front of stance, hands at bottom of grip
<15M = open face, cut up, done by feel really.

Now I just look at GPS, determine the shot and trust it and hit it.

Forgot - what's the finish position and same with all shots ?

Also what degree and bounce we talking with lob wedge ?

GreeBo

alxmorgan wrote: »

Forgot - what's the finish position and same with all shots ?

Also what degree and bounce we talking with lob wedge ?

yeah all lob wedge.
I have my hands well in front of the ball at address, so there is wrist cock, its just preset.
I dont struggle with it too much really, though sometimes I come up out them them when I grip down the shaft, have to remember to stay down to avoid skinning it.

I really just push my hands back until my arms are parallel and then pull my hands back into the ball...its really a swing of the arms more than a body turn. One key for me is to swing slowly and wait for it, its not a power swing its an accuracy swing. After enough practice you learn to trust how far it will go with each swing and then its not much of a problem.

Swing to a full finish with them all. Quitting is a killer on there, and since its a LW swinging though that little bit harder really only makes the ball go higher, much better than a little bit softer swing.

Its a 60 degree with 8 bounce.

nocal

Obviously you should ignore everything I post as I am a total hacker....but I have improved my game in this area a lot in the last year.

Start off with one shot that you can nail e.g. a half swing sand wedge or pitching wedge. Then develop 3 or 4 shots with the one club (e.g. ankle to ankle swing, knee to knee, waist to waist). This will give you 3 or 4 distances. If you get these with a sand-wedge then the exact same shot with a lob wedge or gap wedge will give you other distances.

When your touch and feel are good you will be able to take one of your standard shots and take a few yards off or add a few yards by giving it a little less or a little more. I started off last year with a pitching wedge half shot. As I got better at it I was able to go to my sandwedge - so now a waist-waist swing will be my 50m shot. I can get 40m by doing the same shot with a lob wedge and 60m by using a pitching wedge or giving the sandwedge a little more.

40m and in for me is purely play the simplest shot possible but I kind of have a 25m lob wedge and 30m sand wedge shot down - same shot just different clubs. From less than that it is all about the lie of the land and where I need to try to land the ball to get it close.

heavyballs

I myself wouldn't suggest using the same club esp a LW for all those distances as greebo mentioned in his post.
I use a gap wedge for 80% of shots inside 60 yards,only use a LW when really needed.
Also,suggesting to use a full follow through for shots of 20 yards etc is madness imo.Follow through should be similar to backswing.

GreeBo

heavyballs wrote: »

I myself wouldn't suggest using the same club esp a LW for all those distances as greebo mentioned in his post.
I use a gap wedge for 80% of shots inside 60 yards,only use a LW when really needed.
Also,suggesting to use a full follow through for shots of 20 yards etc is madness imo.Follow through should be similar to backswing.

You wouldnt suggest to use the same club but yet you use your GW for 80% of them? Isn't that kinda a contradiction?

If I used a club with less loft then naturally the distances would change and I would have to start using a shorter backswing, parallel is a nice, easy to find swing length for me hence I use that, a lot.

Finally, my measurements are all in metres but I dont see why you would have an issue with a full follow through, it promotes acceleration in the downswing (which is never a bad thing) and helps you commit to the shot. I would guess that at least 50% of pitches are messed up though players failing to accelerate. Perhaps you have some image of the club smacking against my back on a 10m pitch, suffice to say its not, but the follow through is definitely longer than the backswing.

heavyballs

GreeBo wrote: »

heavyballs wrote: »

I myself wouldn't suggest using the same club esp a LW for all those distances as greebo mentioned in his post.
I use a gap wedge for 80% of shots inside 60 yards,only use a LW when really needed.
Also,suggesting to use a full follow through for shots of 20 yards etc is madness imo.Follow through should be similar to backswing.

You wouldnt suggest to use the same club but yet you use your GW for 80% of them? Isn't that kinda a contradiction?

If I used a club with less loft then naturally the distances would change and I would have to start using a shorter backswing, parallel is a nice, easy to find swing length for me hence I use that, a lot.

Finally, my measurements are all in metres but I dont see why you would have an issue with a full follow through, it promotes acceleration in the downswing (which is never a bad thing) and helps you commit to the shot. I would guess that at least 50% of pitches are messed up though players failing to accelerate. Perhaps you have some image of the club smacking against my back on a 10m pitch, suffice to say its not, but the follow through is definitely longer than the backswing.

Oh i forgot the golden rule,don't go up against a mod.

You said,"swing to a full finish with them all",would you not agree that was bad advice?

Also,you said full follow through promotes acceleration,for a 15/20 m pitch,its all about feel.You can still have acceleration and still hold off the finish at parallel or a bit further.

GreeBo

heavyballs wrote: »

Oh i forgot the golden rule,don't go up against a mod.

Actually the golden rule of boards is dont be a dick...

For your own reference, its typically more productive to make a point in an argument, the toys out of the pram approach is not that endearing...

soundsham

Bit of pot and kettle there ^^

60 yds and in is GW for myself
Only use lob wedge if I have to fly a bunker or play to a raised green
Very hard to say a 45 yd shot is a 3/4 lob wedge
It would depend on the pin for me
If the pin was say 25 on or close to the back what I would be playing is a pitch and run
Using anything from an 8i to a GW depending on slope wind etc, to play to a part of the green and let the ball run to the flag
A bad pitch and run shot will be better than a bad lob shot 90% of the time in my opinion
It's a feel shot

GreeBo

soundsham wrote: »

60 yds and in is GW for myself
Only use lob wedge if I have to fly a bunker or play to a raised grew
Very hard to say a 45 yd shot is a 3/4 lob wedge
It would depend on the pin for me
If the pin was say 25 on or close to the back what I would be playing is a pitch and run
Using anything from an 8i to a GW depending on slope wind etc, to play to a part of the green and let the ball run to the flag
A bad pitch and run shot will be better than a bad lob shot 90% of the time in my opinion

Maybe I wasnt clear, but I'm not hitting a lob/flop shot, I'm just using a lob wedge...I chip and run with my LW sometimes, if required.

For me a true flop/lob shot is where I have 10/15m over an obstacle and nowhere for the ball to run out. Thats a Mickelson, open the face, full swing, head down and hope shot.

Its a completely different swing/trajectory than what I've laid out above.

GreeBo

heavyballs wrote: »

Oh i forgot the golden rule,don't go up against a mod.

You said,"swing to a full finish with them all",would you not agree that was bad advice?

Also,you said full follow through promotes acceleration,for a 15/20 m pitch,its all about feel.You can still have acceleration and still hold off the finish at parallel or a bit further.

Since you have edited your original post, I will reply to the edits here.

1) no I wouldnt agree its bad advice. I dont think anyone has ever hit a bad shot by having too long a follow thorough, the opposite is not true.
2) I disagree its all about feel. Its all about feel if you dont have a swing that you know goes 20M +- 1M. The whole point of this exercise is that its not about feel, its about learning specific shots for specific distances.
You wouldnt (ordinarily) choose a 5 iron and try to feel what a 120M shot was, you choose the club/swing that you know goes 120M.
3) Why would you be trying to hold off the finish in this scenario? Thinking about this is a great way to decelerate into the ball imo.

bustercherry

I agree with Heavyballs, the follow through should be the same length as the back swing to help promote a smoother swing tempo (also the more compact a swing you have, the less there is too go wrong). If you have to hold off your swing, then you are swinging far too hard for these shots; and also your momentum should not carry you too a full finish either, otherwise it's forced IMO. Further if you have a full finish it will promote the club face closing, which in turn will make the ball release more on landing.

I think telling people to accelerate through the ball is bad advice for finesse shots. It as all about maintaining a smooth tempo through impact. You could be decelerating at impact and as long as you keep turning through the ball, the shot will be fine. I have a few drills, I use before I play, that focus's on the feeling of deceleration in pitches and chips. Might not work for others but for me it helps to get my short game tempo and rhythm sorted quickly, as I have tendency to swing too hard for these types of shots.

ssbob

Have to admit I am really struggling myself lately with the wedges in hand, anything inside 80 yards really lets me down, hitting an awful lot of fat wedges from 70 yards and coming up short, also when pitching from 20-40 yards I am landing in the right place but just too much release on the ball. Honestly don't think I spend enough time practicing short game to give out about it though.

FixdePitchmark

GW / LW / SW / PW.

I have to say if i'm being honest, I dont practice enough to have all them clubs, it is amateurs trying to do what pros do, they have 4 hours a day to practice short game.

Sometimes I think I would be better off with just one club, sure I never even had a SW till this year, I think we can fool ourselves with all the clubs, most are not good enough or have the time for all the shots. People go on about a Phil, he has a short game area out his back and years of practice and skill.

I've been trying to simplify by playing one club from 60 yrds in. Not great, but know shots that work every time, not fat or thin.

The way a ball rolls with every club is different , so without hours of practice it is hard to have feel for 4 or 5 clubs.

hades

I'm starting to work on the short game specifically over the ast few weeks and i've set myself a few targets and drills that i'll work on over the winter months. Over the summer i was petrified of the chip/pitch/lob shots and just resorted to a bump and run with my 7 iron everytime.

From most of my research last week,
Everything goes back to the type of player you are, you have in two main schools of thought, i'd refer to Michelson's Hinge and Hold technique which accelerates through the ball at impact. And then we have Strickers more classic, easy through the ball with minimal breaking of the wrists.

What i've found myself is that the Hinge and Hold is great for around the greens, but for further out shots, say 30m plus, is to use Strickers approach.

I mentioned on the Golf Pschology thread that i've started listening to the Golf Smarter podcast, in that they also mention about not trying to "power swing" your wedges, that the club will do the work itself. I think this is a Peltz theory, but not sure.

Anyhoo, some practice last wednesday on these, and my short game was a marked improvement playing last saturday. I'll give a perfect example, on one approach to the green i was around 70m out, i was going downhill so a 60 degree wedge would normally by my shot of choice. I went with a 52 and took a nice easy swing, remembering my "no power swing" advice. The ball flew to the pin and ended up around 8 ft away. Delighted. I knew i could've hit the green with the 60, but i would be forcing the issue and could've pulled it very easily.

I think what my little bit of waffle above proves is that there is no one set theory or swing to use, look at what works for the boys on tour and try and see what you can take from them and use in your own game.

hades

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

GW / LW / SW / PW.

I have to say if i'm being honest, I dont practice enough to have all them clubs, it is amateurs trying to do what pros do, they have 4 hours a day to practice short game.

Very similar to yourself, i had PW(46), 52, SW(56), 60, but noticed i never used the 56. I've taken it out since and replaced it with a 5wood. Seems to get a lot more use too.

Mr. Larson

hades wrote: »

I'm starting to work on the short game specifically over the ast few weeks and i've set myself a few targets and drills that i'll work on over the winter months. Over the summer i was petrified of the chip/pitch/lob shots and just resorted to a bump and run with my 7 iron everytime.

From most of my research last week,
Everything goes back to the type of player you are, you have in two main schools of thought, i'd refer to Michelson's Hinge and Hold technique which accelerates through the ball at impact. And then we have Strickers more classic, easy through the ball with minimal breaking of the wrists.

What i've found myself is that the Hinge and Hold is great for around the greens, but for further out shots, say 30m plus, is to use Strickers approach.

I mentioned on the Golf Pschology thread that i've started listening to the Golf Smarter podcast, in that they also mention about not trying to "power swing" your wedges, that the club will do the work itself. I think this is a Peltz theory, but not sure.

Anyhoo, some practice last wednesday on these, and my short game was a marked improvement playing last saturday. I'll give a perfect example, on one approach to the green i was around 70m out, i was going downhill so a 60 degree wedge would normally by my shot of choice. I went with a 52 and took a nice easy swing, remembering my "no power swing" advice. The ball flew to the pin and ended up around 8 ft away. Delighted. I knew i could've hit the green with the 60, but i would be forcing the issue and could've pulled it very easily.

I think what my little bit of waffle above proves is that there is no one set theory or swing to use, look at what works for the boys on tour and try and see what you can take from them and use in your own game.

I hear you. I was in the same boat for a long time and most of it is in the head I found.

Here comes a sort of regurgitated Dr. Rotella spiel but the best advice I could give for people suffering from devastating lack of confidence with short game shots; would be to focus on the "how" at the practice ground by all means... but when you're on the course; ignore everything you have read here, clear your head, just visualise the ball flight/trajectory you want, take a few practice swings looking at the target and when it comes to the shot, hand it over to your subconscious because your subconscious will do a much better job at taking the shot than you will. I'm spouting all this drivel because it's something that helped me and may help one or two people who struggle with this part of the game.

The idea is that if you are afraid of skulling it, under or overhitting it, chances are you probably will. If you're throwing a ball back 10 yards to your opponent after a conceded putt you don't think about how far to throw it, whether you need to take your hand back the same distance as your follow through, keep your arm straight, bend your wrists... you just throw the ball to him and you get it the right distance every time. Try really hard the next time you do that and concentrate on everything you're doing & see how hard it gets.

The bottom line is, the simplest of actions can become really difficult when you try too hard or are worried about blading it or chunking it in front of you. Next time your barber pulls out the blade to shave off your neck hair, have a conversation with him about the blade, his technique and whether or not he has to concentrate really hard when doing it and then watch him freak out when he actually has to do it. Once he starts thinking about it he gets all up tight and gets worried about making a mistake & the consequences. Usually he just does it subconsciously while talking to you about his builder and he has it done in no time. He probably doesn't even remember which side he started from when it's done. You see the same with chips and pitches. Lads take smooth, fluid practice swings that brush the grass beautifully as they are swinging with no consequences. Then when it matters in competition, they let fear take control and concentrate really hard to combat it, result is they either accelerate or deccelarate and make a bx of it (or pull the putter because they are afraid of making a bx of it).

FixdePitchmark

Mr. Larson wrote: »

I hear you. I was in the same boat for a long time and most of it is in the head I found.

Here comes a sort of regurgitated Dr. Rotella spiel but the best advice I could give for people suffering from devastating lack of confidence with short game shots; would be to focus on the "how" at the practice ground by all means... but when you're on the course; ignore everything you have read here, clear your head, just visualise the ball flight/trajectory you want, take a few practice swings looking at the target and when it comes to the shot, hand it over to your subconscious. I'm spouting all this drivel because it's something that helped me and may help one or two people who struggle with this part of the game.

The idea is that if you are afraid of skulling it, under or overhitting it, chances are you probably will. If you're throwing a ball back 10 yards to your opponent after a conceded putt you don't think about how far to throw it, whether you need to take your hand back the same distance as your follow through, keep your arm straight, bend your wrists... you just throw the ball to him and you get it the right distance every time. Try really hard the next time you do that and concentrate on everything you're doing & see how hard it gets.

The bottom line is, the simplest of actions can become really difficult when you try too hard or are worried about blading it or chunking it in front of you. Next time your barber pulls out the blade to shave off your neck hair, have a conversation with him about the blade, his technique and whether or not he has to concentrate really hard when doing it and then watch him freak out when he actually has to do it. Once he starts thinking about it he gets all up tight and gets worried about making a mistake & the consequences. Usually he just does it subconsciously while talking to you about his builder and he has it done in no time. He probably doesn't even remember which side he started from when it's done. You see the same with chips and pitches. Lads take smooth, fluid practice swings that brush the grass beautifully as they are swinging with no consequences. Then when it matters in competition, they let fear take control and concentrate really hard to combat it, result is they either accelerate or deccelarate and make a bx of it (or pull the putter because they are afraid of making a bx of it).

Very good post .

FixdePitchmark

GreeBo wrote: »

75m = Full, aggressive lob wedge from back quarter of stance (better accuracy to use SW and 50M swing below)
70m = Full, smooth log wedge from middle of stance
60M = arms parallel, full wrist cock, ball middle
50M = club parallel no wrists, ball middle
40M = club parallel no wrists, ball middle, hands halfway down grip
30M = club parallel no wrists, ball middle of stance, hands at bottom of grip
20M = club parallel no wrists, ball front of stance, hands at bottom of grip
<15M = open face, cut up, done by feel really.

Now I just look at GPS, determine the shot and trust it and hit it.

What do you play off Greebo. that is alot of shots to think about. I'd forget half of them :o:(

Almaviva

For me :

- anything up to about 30 yards if the ball can land well onto, and on a flat part of, the green, its a 7 iron chip
- anything up to 40 yards where the ball must do most of the travel in the air then its a 52 degree. Up to a half swing (with a fullish finish, arms at elast horiz, club vertical or beyond. With Greebo on this one, fuller finish is alway more reliable than a short one, and I thought that was the accepted wisdom). Less than a half swing/40 yards and its all on feel - pick a spot and try to land the ball on it.
- 50 yards. The same half swinf but with my 48 degree wedge.
- 60 yards. The same half swng but with my 45 degree pitching wedge.

In fact its the 60-100 yards that cause me the grief. Full PW is 115, full 48 deg is 100-105. Full 52 is 80. So 60-80, and 80-100 leave me gaps I am not comfortable with.
13 handicapper but with a very poor driver game saved by a decent shortgame.

link_2007

Whilst I agree with Mr Larsons post, I would urge people not to try and get the barber overthinking the use of the blade when he is doing your own neck. :eek:

Mr. Larson

link_2007 wrote: »

Whilst I agree with Mr Larsons post, I would urge people not to try and get the barber overthinking the use of the blade when he is doing your own neck. :eek:

Indeed perhaps a dangerous way to illustrate a point. If he happens to hit it 'fat' you're in big trouble. Another example would be for surgery where they often have music playing, what could be percieved as a 'distraction'. They usually perform their surgery 'subconsciously' and can't afford to try too hard. It's said that they generally refuse to operate on friends/family as it would result in them "trying too hard" and thereby being more prone to make mistakes by being overly deliberate.

ssbob

Mr. Larson wrote: »

It's said that they generally refuse to operate on friends/family as it would result in them "trying too hard" and thereby being more prone to make mistakes by being overly deliberate.

Legally they can't operate on family and I am pretty sure their code of ethics would not allow them operate on friends either!

Mr. Larson

ssbob wrote: »

Legally they can't operate on family and I am pretty sure their code of ethics would not allow them operate on friends either!

I sit corrected - ok so it's back to the Barber example then!

GreeBo

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

What do you play off Greebo. that is alot of shots to think about. I'd forget half of them :o:(

8
Just write them down if you cant remember them

ssbob

As far as short game goes, do people get good tips from pro's as I have had varying methods thrown at me by pro's in the past. I used to be really good but lately I seem to be thinking too much about it.

GreeBo

bustercherry wrote: »

I think telling people to accelerate through the ball is bad advice for finesse shots. It as all about maintaining a smooth tempo through impact. You could be decelerating at impact and as long as you keep turning through the ball, the shot will be fine. I have a few drills, I use before I play, that focus's on the feeling of deceleration in pitches and chips. Might not work for others but for me it helps to get my short game tempo and rhythm sorted quickly, as I have tendency to swing too hard for these types of shots.

I guess (for me at least) the point in having these particular shots is that they are not finesse shots. They are specific swings for specific distances.
To me a finesse shot is one that I do not have a stock answer for.
A downhill flop for example. I dont have a 20m downhill flop so I have to judge it as and when it comes up. I will take multiple practice swings until I feel it and then do what feels right.
The shots I have laid out above and not finesse shots, any more than hitting a standard full PW is a finesse shot.

I think by deceleration you are going for the "soft hands" feel. I certainly use that for finesse shots (a 5m flop for example) but if its a shot that I have a specific swing for I dont want to use feel to hit it. Feel will only get in the way.

Rabidlamb

I grew up playing pitch & putt in my early teenage years so the short game comes much simpler.
I only carry a PW & SW, I open & close the face accordingly, works well for me.

FixdePitchmark

Rabidlamb wrote: »

I grew up playing pitch & putt in my early teenage years so the short game comes much simpler.
I only carry a PW & SW, I open & close the face accordingly, works well for me.

There ya go, i had a PW only for 20 years.

Funny now, played it in bunkers and all - was very good out of them.

I think amateurs are tying themselves up in knots. Me too.

J6P

Rabidlamb wrote: »

I grew up playing pitch & putt in my early teenage years so the short game comes much simpler.
I only carry a PW & SW, I open & close the face accordingly, works well for me.

+1.. played P+P as a juvenile. Now play golf off 1

SW for anything between 10 and 65 metres.

GW for anything between 65 and 100

LW for a flop over a bunker to a tight pin.

GreeBo

Almaviva wrote: »

For me :

- anything up to about 30 yards if the ball can land well onto, and on a flat part of, the green, its a 7 iron chip
- anything up to 40 yards where the ball must do most of the travel in the air then its a 52 degree. Up to a half swing (with a fullish finish, arms at elast horiz, club vertical or beyond. With Greebo on this one, fuller finish is alway more reliable than a short one, and I thought that was the accepted wisdom). Less than a half swing/40 yards and its all on feel - pick a spot and try to land the ball on it.
- 50 yards. The same half swinf but with my 48 degree wedge.
- 60 yards. The same half swng but with my 45 degree pitching wedge.

In fact its the 60-100 yards that cause me the grief. Full PW is 115, full 48 deg is 100-105. Full 52 is 80. So 60-80, and 80-100 leave me gaps I am not comfortable with.
13 handicapper but with a very poor driver game saved by a decent shortgame.

for your gaps, have you tried using the same shot as the longer distance but grip halfway down the grip?. that's a lifesaver for me. if i try to find a 3/4 swing on the course it can get very messy indeed...

alxmorgan

Firstly thanks for all the input guys
Not everyone agrees obviously but that only stands to reason

So as Greebo was up first I decided to try his method first
So headed out to green out front and hit a few balls
Ball middle of stance, grip pointing at left hip, LW
Started with hands at bottom of grip
I went with full0ish follow-through - not hitting my back but a lot like what Pelz describes as horizontal to vertical if you ever seen his stuff
Contact was nice, high flight but thing I notice was hand positions on grip were not giving 10 metres difference in distance

In fact bottom was around 29 yards and top was around 35 yards so only 6 yards difference as opposed to Greebo's 20 metres difference

Obviously I'm doing something slightly different here but the shots did feel good and I was confident hitting them

So my next thought is if I get distances for those two shots (top/bottom of grip, ball middle, club parallel) for my SW, GW and PW then it'll be interesting and might bring me right up to 60 yards

Obviously they will have different roll-out characteristics but it will be a starting point. I have no issue using the 4 wedges as I used the same swing with 4 of them from 60 and out to get different yardages

Anyway thanks again- at least I have a a starting point and will report back more as I learn more - interesting thread