Usually hitting a high wedge for some loft around the green, the hope with “Hinge and Pin” is to land softly on the pinning surface, then watch as it releases and rolls towards the pin.
It is the traditional way of playing close shots from the hole, and one we have all used many times before.
While “hinge and hold” is a popular short game technique, that didn’t mean we were doing it effectively. In fact, with the help of Parker McLachlin, aka Short chef gameYou can learn an updated, more modern way to play these short shots from the green.
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The old way of pressing Hinge and Comment
In the video above, McLachlin walks through the steps a player must take to update this type of shot. In his view, many golfers don’t actually “hing and hold,” but rather “hing, release, and then feel the hold.”
McLachlin continues, “If you just ‘hing and catch,’ you have to come down and get the ball; that’s where I see a lot of people make that mistake.”
The image below shows what McLachlin is referring to.
This ancient method of “hinging and holding” has the leading edge coming down on the ball, giving it a higher probability of slicing the shot.
A more modern approach to “hinge and comment”
The new approach of “hinging and hooking” requires more full-body rotation, rather than simply engaging the wrists during the swing. This allows the player more control over the club, providing some safety from scammers – as McLachlin described in the video above.
“If you remove more of that joint in the back and go more into a neutral wrist, even though I kick it, you actually run the rebound better,” McLachlan says. So my miss actually went about two feet [from the pin]against my other miss, which went up about 12 feet.”
The photo below shows McLachlin following up on the updated “Hinge and Hold” shot.
In order to incorporate this newer version of Hinge and Suspension, MacLachin says to remember these four elements:
1. Lower wrist.
2. Involve more of your body.
3. Create a wider rear end, which results in a shallower angle of attack.
4. Minimal interaction with the turf, as the club glides across the turf.
As McLachlin says, “Stack the odds in your favor.” This is what PGA Tour players do to perfection.
“If you want to stack the odds in your favor, build this nice, spacious retreat, [come] With a nice shallow angle of attack—which engages the trailing edge of the putter—so you can get a miss that can be up to two feet [from the hole]. “
If you’re interested in seeing more of Short Game Chef, Check out McLachlin’s websitewhere you’ll find even more components to help improve your game around the green.
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