Using The Right Equipment To Make The Golf Ball Check (Video) - by Pete Styles
Using The Right Equipment To Make The Golf Ball Check (Video) - by Pete Styles

So one of the biggest factors apart from swinging technique when we’re hitting this chip and pitch shot that we’re trying to get on the green and get to check is going to be having the right tools. Now, the tools we used to play golf for the ball and club so we've got to get these two pieces of equipment right if we want to see the ball land on the green and spin back like we do with the TV pros.

So the first thing is making sure you’ve got the right club. Now, we don’t necessarily have the benefit that the TV pros have of having a new wedge in the bag every week. But I think when you’ve had that new wedge and you’ve gone to the shop and you bought a wedge, one of the things you notice is how sharp the grooves feel. It really feel quite clean and quite sharp on the edges, and that’s what the guys on TV are having pretty much in their bags almost every week. Certainly every month, they’ll be getting a new wedge in the bag that ready to spin when it lands on the green. So your thing is, “Yeah, I can't change the pitching wedge every single week but I want to change it maybe every year, every two years.” I would also like to keep that wedge super clean so I get the tee peg straight path any [molder], any grass that’s in the base of it, maybe even a bit of spit on the towel to keep that club face really sharp and really clean. And then when we’re out in the golf course, we've got to be making sure that we’re choosing the relevant club to hit the pit shop with. The first thing here is lots and lots of loft. If we got loft on the face, we can hit nicely down on the back of the ball and create loads of spin loft, which actually creates the spin on the ball. There’s no point having a nine iron or a pitching wedge trying to chip the ball from the side of the green then expecting to see it land on the green 50 yards away and check back. So probably you’re going to get the most spin from your sand wedge or your lob wedge 56, even 58, 60, 64 degrees of loft will allow you an opportunity to hit down on the back of the ball and create loads of spin. So, relatively new wedge, nice clean grooves, lots and lots of loft on the wedge, and then ideally a nice soft golf ball. Golf balls were all coming in different [breeze], different shapes, different sizes, if you like, in terms of how far they go and how much they spin. But the reality is it breaks down into two categories. We’ll generally get distance balls and spin golf balls. Now, for you to hit the spinning shot onto the green, clearly, you need to be looking at the spinning ball, and that’s going to be a softer category of golf ball. So spinning a little bit more when it comes off the club face, lands on the green, checks up a little bit more. And it might even feel softer or sound softer, you know. If we were to bounce the ball down on the club face here, it would sound a little bit softer than a distance ball which is going to sound a bit clicky, a little bit harder and will go a bit further. So the softer premium golf ball, the better newer groove to the wedge, a nice clean lie, plenty of loft on the club face, and at least 20, maybe even a 50-yard pit shot that’s giving you the best opportunity to have the ball landing on the green and checking up like you see on the TV with the pros. 2016-08-17

So one of the biggest factors apart from swinging technique when we’re hitting this chip and pitch shot that we’re trying to get on the green and get to check is going to be having the right tools. Now, the tools we used to play golf for the ball and club so we've got to get these two pieces of equipment right if we want to see the ball land on the green and spin back like we do with the TV pros.

So the first thing is making sure you’ve got the right club. Now, we don’t necessarily have the benefit that the TV pros have of having a new wedge in the bag every week. But I think when you’ve had that new wedge and you’ve gone to the shop and you bought a wedge, one of the things you notice is how sharp the grooves feel. It really feel quite clean and quite sharp on the edges, and that’s what the guys on TV are having pretty much in their bags almost every week.

Certainly every month, they’ll be getting a new wedge in the bag that ready to spin when it lands on the green. So your thing is, “Yeah, I can't change the pitching wedge every single week but I want to change it maybe every year, every two years.” I would also like to keep that wedge super clean so I get the tee peg straight path any [molder], any grass that’s in the base of it, maybe even a bit of spit on the towel to keep that club face really sharp and really clean.

And then when we’re out in the golf course, we've got to be making sure that we’re choosing the relevant club to hit the pit shop with. The first thing here is lots and lots of loft. If we got loft on the face, we can hit nicely down on the back of the ball and create loads of spin loft, which actually creates the spin on the ball. There’s no point having a nine iron or a pitching wedge trying to chip the ball from the side of the green then expecting to see it land on the green 50 yards away and check back.

So probably you’re going to get the most spin from your sand wedge or your lob wedge 56, even 58, 60, 64 degrees of loft will allow you an opportunity to hit down on the back of the ball and create loads of spin. So, relatively new wedge, nice clean grooves, lots and lots of loft on the wedge, and then ideally a nice soft golf ball. Golf balls were all coming in different [breeze], different shapes, different sizes, if you like, in terms of how far they go and how much they spin. But the reality is it breaks down into two categories. We’ll generally get distance balls and spin golf balls.

Now, for you to hit the spinning shot onto the green, clearly, you need to be looking at the spinning ball, and that’s going to be a softer category of golf ball. So spinning a little bit more when it comes off the club face, lands on the green, checks up a little bit more. And it might even feel softer or sound softer, you know. If we were to bounce the ball down on the club face here, it would sound a little bit softer than a distance ball which is going to sound a bit clicky, a little bit harder and will go a bit further.

So the softer premium golf ball, the better newer groove to the wedge, a nice clean lie, plenty of loft on the club face, and at least 20, maybe even a 50-yard pit shot that’s giving you the best opportunity to have the ball landing on the green and checking up like you see on the TV with the pros.