This week’s blog topic is about “How to Control Your Wedges.”

Many golfers run into trouble when they are forced to hit shots that aren’t full swings. Usually this falls between 30 to 75 Yards. Trying to get around this many amateurs would rather hit the full 60 degree wedge than the knock down half pitch.

So Why Is It Difficult?

A couple of reasons jump out….Firstly, everything tends to get out of synch when it’s not a full shot, the body slows down as you know a full swing isn’t required and the arms takeover. This often results in mis-strikes. Secondly, the subtle changes between hitting it 73 and 79 are hard to change from just thinking about a shorter swing, and we still often haven’t decided how to commit half way through your down swing.

Where Should I Start?

There are different ways to vary the distance of your wedge shots, I would recommend starting out by selecting a few positions in your backswing that you can relate to and with some practice can comfortably repeat.

For Example:
1. Club parallel to the floor (Lead arm 8 o’clock)
2. Lead arm parallel to the ground (9 o’clock)
3. Hands level with shoulder (10 o’clock)

This gives you a reference point to build around. I would then recommend controlling your through swing to a similar distance to match up the length, this helps control the speed and helps repetition.

Once you have this baseline I would then record your distances with a consistent ball position and weight in your stance and find something that repeats.

For The Advanced Player

For subtle changes for the better player, you can start to work down the grip to take off yards, begin to build some different launch angles in by varying the shaft lean at impact or moving the ball position, and really start to get a feel for the amounts of spin put on the ball and how it will release.

Wedge play really is an art form that can have a huge impact on your game. For the higher handicap just having something repeatable that can get you on the green and getting down in 3 every time from inside 80 yards will have a massive impact on your scores. For the better player these are the scoring clubs for a reason and can create some birdie opportunities or really get you out of trouble. Make sure you reach out if you want to dive into this area in more detail.

– Coach Tim