Blading a wedge around the green

**ks8829** · September 25, 2010

I recently started blading my wedge around the green with great results and wanted to share my experience. I had one of the most challenging shots the other day, three feet off fringe sidehill and downhill left to right breaker and I was able to get up and down with a tap in gimmie putt by blading my wedge.

It all started when I was practicing my wedge shots and when I retrieve my balls I would use my wedge and blade all the balls back to area that I was hitting from, if you hit 100 wedge shots that mean 100 practice shots blading my wedge. I started to play with the shot and judge my distance well enough to be comfortable controlling the distance.

I have gotten up and down from around the green with the bladed wedge about 90% of the time, maybe a shot that could work for you? I judge distance by the length of my backswing and my follow through distance is always the same as well as the tempo of my stroke.

**Zeph** · September 25, 2010

How is blading a wedge easier than using a putter with a larger area to hit the ball on? Only exceptions being when the ball sits between fringe and rough or something and the lower half of the ball is covered in grass.

**ks8829** · September 25, 2010

The ideal is similar to using a hybrid or 5 wood from the fringe sometimes the putter does work as well, the blade wedge will help the ball skip over the fringe, also if the ball is against the collar of the rough is another time that the bladed wedge is used often by pros, I happen to practice this shot by accident and I am comfortable using this shot and more importantly it works for me.

**motteler621** · September 25, 2010

The ideal is similar to using a hybrid or 5 wood from the fringe sometimes the putter does work as well, the blade wedge will help the ball skip over the fringe, also if the ball is against the collar of the rough is another time that the bladed wedge is used often by pros, I happen to practice this shot by accident and I am comfortable using this shot and more importantly it works for me.

yea i think the putter is best from fringe and most pros tell you the same thing. Ive never used a 3 wood but I think most people use that if the shot requires alot of power from the fringe, it can be hard to hit your putter very hard on a long shot or go through alot of fringe. I could see the appeal of using a bladed wedge though.

**Fourputt** · September 25, 2010

Kind of like Zeph, I don't really get it except for certain very specific situations, like when the ball is on the collar but right against the first cut of rough. Most of the time there is a better option than a bladed wedge.

**golfro** · September 25, 2010

not sure how much consistency you get out of blading a wedge...but damn that sounds just about the most inconsistent solution imo.

i'll take a 9i and a soft chip over the fringe.

**ohiolefty** · September 25, 2010

I couldn't get used to this. You're upping the degree of difficulty big-time. Yes, it works now because you've ingrained a feeling. What do you do when you can't get the feeling back? What fundamentals do you go back to? How do you troubleshoot that shot? How do you know what causes certain results when you're mishitting the shot to begin with?

Bad bad bad. Why not just chip with a lower-lofted club, or learn how to make your chipping and pitching club(s) fly lower? This is not at all difficult.

**Chief Broom** · September 25, 2010

I think the point is that ks8829 inadvertently gets a lot of practice hitting this shot during his normal practice routine and as a result has gained a high degree of proficiency with it as a result. Do what works is what I say. Personally for shots of this nature I'll use my putter, but that's what I have the highest degree of proficiency doing.

**Zeph** · September 25, 2010

You can probably putt well with a headcover if you practice it enough, but that doesn't mean it is the easiest way to putt.

**jamo** · September 25, 2010

How is blading a wedge easier than using a putter with a larger area to hit the ball on? Only exceptions being when the ball sits between fringe and rough or something and the lower half of the ball is covered in grass.

I think blading is easier because I tend to get my putter stuck in the grass. That's not so with a bladed wedge. I don't use it often, though. It's a specialty shot.

**golfro** · September 25, 2010

I think blading is easier because I tend to get my putter stuck in the grass. That's not so with a bladed wedge. I don't use it often, though. It's a specialty shot.

just out of curiosity though...what specialty situation would you typically blade your wedge to achieve what result? i'm genuinely curious as to what blading a wedge can achieve that chipping with any other club can on a more consistent basis?

**jamo** · September 25, 2010

just out of curiosity though...what specialty situation would you typically blade your wedge to achieve what result? i'm genuinely curious as to what blading a wedge can achieve that chipping with any other club can on a more consistent basis?

Short chips from just off the green where it would be hard to stop a normal chip, but where it would be hard to make good contact with a putter.

**Zeph** · September 25, 2010

I think blading is easier because I tend to get my putter stuck in the grass. That's not so with a bladed wedge. I don't use it often, though. It's a specialty shot.

It was mentioned fringe, and not a case where the ball was sitting down in the grass. Of course there are times blading a wedge is easier, but the everyday lie on the fringe just off the green is not one of them imo.

**ks8829** · September 25, 2010

The down hill side hill shot above the hole over 4 feet of fringe that I was able to save par with a gimmie putt says it all, I could not have made that shot with a putter or a wedge shot, Phil Mickelson maybe with a flop shot but the blade wedge worked perfectly and easily for me. I have used the putter off the fringe before. The wedge I use is a 56/11, so the bounce helps elevate the wedge off the ground as a guide. I have used the bladed wedge at least a dozen times with much success approximately 90% success rate in many cases tap in gimmie putts.

**Fourputt** · September 26, 2010

just out of curiosity though...what specialty situation would you typically blade your wedge to achieve what result? i'm genuinely curious as to what blading a wedge can achieve that chipping with any other club can on a more consistent basis?

The one shot I've seen pros use and recommend for a bladed SW is when the ball is lying on the fringe but right against the first cut of rough. It's nearly impossible to get a putter or chipping club on the ball cleanly, but a bladed SW will make clean contact and roll the ball just like a putter would. It definitely takes practice to hit the ball right on the median and roll it rather than either lofting it and coming up short or topping it and still coming up short. It is a specialty shot and not usually recommended for general use. Using a putter or playing a normal chip is a much higher percentage shot when you can make clean contact. The bladed wedge is a shot which most players should only use when actually needed.

I recently started blading my wedge around the green with great results and wanted to share my experience. I had one of the most challenging shots the other day, three feet off fringe sidehill and downhill left to right breaker and I was able to get up and down with a tap in gimmie putt by blading my wedge.

I really don't see how this would be any easier than playing the same shot with a putter. Using a wedge offers no advantage that I can see. You aren't putting any spin on the ball. All that is required is playing the correct speed and break, and for me that's just a putt, no different from any of a 100 similar fringe putts I've played this year.

**jamo** · September 26, 2010

I really don't see how this would be any easier than playing the same shot with a putter. Using a wedge offers no advantage that I can see. You aren't putting any spin on the ball. All that is required is playing the correct speed and break, and for me that's just a putt, no different from any of a 100 similar fringe putts I've played this year.

Like I said earlier, it's easier to me to blade a wedge because I tend get my putter caught up in the grass. That doesn't happen so much when I blade a wedge.

**sean_miller** · September 26, 2010

Like I said earlier, it's easier to me to blade a wedge because I tend get my putter caught up in the grass. That doesn't happen so much when I blade a wedge.

I may never use a bladed wedge for the exact scenario ks8675309 described, but I was faced with a shot last week that only had one solution - a bladed 60* wedge. I'd hit a great approach from the rough that trickled off the green against the 1st cut of rough. I could't get a club below the equator of the ball, so I made a nice smooth putting stroke with a bladed 60 degree. Thank goodness I left the stick in because it was a little heavy. I bladed in the 2-foot par putt since I've practiced that shot many times over the years.

**ks8829** · September 26, 2010

The one reason a blade wedge is easier in my mind is that you can achieve consistent distance control over the fringe or even light rought because the ball is skipping over the surface of the fringe or light rough, in other words distance control is easier to judge and the only practice you need is to know how far the ball will travel.

I am talking from my own experience of getting up and down effortlessly with this shot. You can talk about this but unless you try and practice this shot at least once you will not know the benefit when the situation arises when this is the perfect shot to execute.

I challenge everyone to at least try this shot a few times simply practicing while you are chipping at your practice green to blade your wedge back to your hitting area and simply start hitting shot this way and see for yourself, its how I became comfortable with the shot and begin using it regularly.

Thinking outside the box is what are professor always say to us in class.

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Blading a wedge around the green

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