Sand wedge from the fairway

How do you play this shot. I am having trouble. 100 and in(from the fairway) I play an SW. Problem is I am playing the shot like I play my PW, I pinch it against the turf and I continue to hit it fat. I asked my paying partner today and he told me make sure I hit ball first. I believe him but I think that I want confirmation. Any suggestions?

Well I would say that you are doing it right. Thats the way I play mine, just like a pitching wedge....

What is the bounce angle on your sand wedge? If it is low that may be why it is digging into the ground so easily and why you hit it fat.

Sounds like your playing partner gave you good advice. If you are hitting fat, a little more bounce in your wedge MIGHT help. But if you hit the little ball before the big ball, you won't have problems with the fat shot.

One more thing. I realize this might open a whole bucket of worms. But trying to hit the sandwedge from 100 yards might MIGHT be causing some of your problems. If you can hit the sandwedge from 80 or 90 yards, but start having problems at 100, you might be swinging too hard and swaying off of the shot. If that was the case, go with a GW/AW. One hundred yard sandwedges are for really good players, or guys with really strong lofts on their sand wedges. JMHO

Good Luck!

Not sure what the bounce is it is a hand me down club. What should it be?

I thought about getting a GW/AW but never did that. I always thought that 100 yds was a gray area for me. The PW is 45* the sand is 56*. GW/AW should be 50*?

Yup. I'd think about 51-52*. I've always found that the GW/AW leans a little toward the PW in distance. That's just my experience. Right now my 50* hits just 7 or 8 yards short of my 46* PW. Either way, you might want to pick one up in an X-20. If you mainly use it for full shots, a matching AW is an awesome tool. Check Callawaypreowned.com for the price and availability.

Close your stance slightly and play the ball more back in your stance for wedge and chip shots. I open my stance and I play it in line with my back heal (could be different for yourself). Play around and find where the club is at the bottom of it's arch and will hit the ball first.

If you want a great read on short game I suggest Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible. With that said, being a 30+ index, I assume you don't have a consistent or correct swing. Spend the money and take lessons. I did a few years back and have every year since and I went from shooting 110+ down to low 80's, high 70's.

Put the ball a little back in your stance and make sure you are hitting down on the ball. This will ensure you get the ball first and get proper contact and ball flight. The range always helps...try to hit the hundred yard sign with a bucket of balls

Not just a bucket, five buckets! I'm no short game expert, but once I started dedicating time to practice this I became much better an much more confident.

I don't like to take a full swing with the wedges, but sometimes it's neccessary. I put the ball back in my stance, open up slightly and keep my weight forward. Take a compact and short backswing, focusing on continuing the swing down through the ball and have a long follow through.

Zeph...that's a scary statement...you're starting to sound like me......

Hah, if I only started swinging like you...

Short game and putting is one of those things that's fun to practice. And the driver.

Wedges from the fairway (provided they are full shots) should be played with the same swing that you use on your other short irons. I didn't see the loft of your wedge listed, so I have to assume it's a 56* club. It's hard for most average players to push that club to 100 yards. More like 70 or so would be more appropriate. The average player, IMO, needs to have a PW (45*), GW (50*), SW (54*), and LW (58*) in their bag. (These are just my lofts...yours might be different) This eliminates those huge gaps in yardage in your short game. I prefer 4* steps in my wedges. Some use other gaps and do an excellent job with them. In my experiences, most players will do better with a PW and 3 additional wedges. Even if you have to pull the 3 iron out to make room for them. Not to be critical, but if you are struggling to make solid contact already...why should you handicap yourself by having too few clubs and then having to try to "manufacture" shots around the green?

And there is NOTHING wrong with playing wedges that match your other clubs. Instead of following the herd and buying Vokey, Cleveland, or other brands, you can do just fine (for now) with wedges that are offered by the manufacturer of your irons. While they might not spin the ball as much, and aren't as versatile, they ARE usually easier to hit and have a wider sole which results in less digging and fat shots. You can get better, more versatile wedges later on when you are capable of utilizing them appropriately.

Some good advice here from Hidalgo!

I'll be honest... I've never been very successful with my SW from anything but greenside bunkers. I carry the 52° and 58° wedges for the rest of my short game needs. The 52° is my go to club from 90 yards in unless I need the softer landing of the 58°. I have a slight gap between my PW and GW, but I have learned to accommodate for that, so my current wedge spread works for me. The best way to find what works for you is to try and find a way to demo different wedges, and practice those shots as often as possible. The only way to really know what you need to buy is to learn exactly what you can do with what you have.

Exactly. The sandwedge from the fairway will be your favorite shot after you learn to hit it right. Take dead aim, play the ball a little back and swing with a purpose. Swing aggressively, but under full control.

Play with your gaps until you find the proper spacing. Once you have that your arsenal will have more than doubled in size (being able to choose the right club for the right situation is key).

Good luck and stick with the game. It is worth every moment of practice and sweat. A few lessons here and there are crucial.

They don't call it the greatest game for nothing!!!!


Sounds like your partner steered you right....just like StacyE's advice.

Sounds like you are really asking a lot for a 56 to go 100yds. A smooth PW may be a better option with your current sticks.

Normally, players with higher handicaps have a harder time hitting a full wedge/SW. Club up and take a more controlled swing, this will improve your accuracy and it will be easier to control the spin of the ball. I don't hit a full SW often because it spins too much. Hope this helps.

Your playing partner gave you a simple but good answer. From a 100 out with a sand wedge in the fairway you need to make good flush contact with the ball first then ground and preferably control the trajectory and spin by not hitting a really high shot. I would probably play a 3/4 wedge with a bit of lag. Here's a video you might like by Hogan playing the same shot. (Assuming I link the YouTube video correctly).