Collection Area Conundrum

When faced with a shot in a collection area around the green you have many options as to how to play the shot.  You can choose to take your most lofted wedge and hit it high, bump and run the ball with a 6 or 7 iron, use a hybrid to effectively putt the ball, or you can putt.  So which option is the best?  The answer depends on a few variables and, of course, which shot you play the best.

The advantage of the high shot is in predictability as you won’t have to contend with the fairway surface.  As long as you can control your landing spot and spin you will be consistent.  The drawback is that this shot is very difficult to hit off of a tight lie so you will need to be proficient at one of the other options in case the shot is just too difficult for this option.

The 6 or 7 iron bump and run can be a very useful shot especially when the grass is tight.  These mid irons allow for some feel off the clubface and the ability to get the ball rolling up the hill as opposed to landing in the hill with a more lofted club.  The drawback is that you have to get good ball/turf contact or you may be repeating the shot over again.

The hybrid bump and run is another useful option which may be more forgiving as the sole of the club will glide along the ground and help to avoid hitting the chip fat.  The drawback is that the clubface on a hybrid is much thinner and therefore does not provide the same feel for a player to control distance.

The last option is the putter which can work out very well especially on tightly mown fairways.  This takes away the issue of getting good ball contact and the feel that a putter provides as with other long putts.  The drawback is that the putt may have to be hit so hard that you may find it difficult to adjust.

These are all good options when faced with these shots around the green, but the most important thing is to choose one or two that you want to be good at and practice those.