Livin’ on the Wedge

Perfecting wedge shots from inside 100 yards will drive down your handicap.

Like every other sport, golf has become a statistical salad chopped numerous ways. You probably know your swing speed, ball speed and the average spin rate produced by every club in your bag.

One of the most critical and oldest stats—Greens In Regulation—remains very relevant when you consider a 10 handicap only hits one-third of greens in regulation in a given round. Moreover,during that round he or she will have a shot from within 100 yards—typically a ½ wedge or ¾ wedge—eight times. Compare this to a 25-plus handicap who only hits two GIR per round and hits a shot from within 100 or less than 16 times! 

The bottom line: improve your partial (½ and ¾) wedge play and the most important stat of all—your score—will drop.

THE PROBLEM – One of the most common reasons golfers are challenged by wedge play is inconsistent contact. Their club “bottoms out” at a different spot on every swing. For solid contact the club needs to strike the ball with negative angle of attack—also known as a descending blow—allowing the club to contact the ball first and then the turf. The divot will be on the target side of the white line.

Why do we “bottom out”?

Below are some of the most common reasons—and how to fix them:

The Powder Drill

To work on proper and more consistent contact, try this drill!

• Use baby powder to draw a straight line perpendicular to your target line
• Place the ball on the line and in the middle of your stance. For shorter wedge shots, don’t change ball position; rather, put a little more pressure on your lead foot
• Hit balls and see where your divots are in relation to the white line. The relation of the divot to the white line in the above photo is correct!
• Once you make consistent contact, work on your distances!
  • Vary the tempo of your swing (25%, 50%, 75%, 100%)
  • Discover at what tempo you make the best contact
  • Vary the length of your follow-through
  • Go through your routing=e and alternate your distances and targets every shot
• Remember to track how many greens you hit when you have your wedge in hand and average proximity to the hole.

The only Colorado instructor among the 50 Best Teachers in the LPGA chosen by the Women’s Golf Journal, Elena King is president of Experience Golf. She teaches at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora and Meridian Golf Club in Englewood. Reach her at [email protected] or 303-503-0330.

This article appears in the Fall Issue 2017 of Colorado AvidGolfer, the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it, publishing eight issues annually and proudly delivering daily content via coloradoavidgolfer.com.