Pitching Wedge

**Dent** · April 28, 2007

My friend has a problem and i decided to post this for him since he doesnt have a computer so he can get some advice.

My friend has a set of Top-Flite Tour somethings.. I dont know specifically what they are called but I was wondering if anyone was having the same problem he is.

My friends pitching wedge is definatly messed up. He was having alot of trouble getting loft along the greens and such even when putting the ball at his front foot. Im pretty sure its the loft of the club but he is hitting his Pitching Wedge 150-160 yards. We did a test and hit from the white 150 marker on our home course and he nailed the green. We also did it from a 170 marker and he was 10 yards short.. Im sure its the loft but why is this with this set?

Does anyone else have the same set and have the same problem?

**lamebums** · April 28, 2007

Without actually seeing a video of what's going on, my best guess is that he's hitting it thin, two or three grooves below where he's supposed to be hitting the ball. I've had wedge shots go 150 yards or more when I do this, and the ball will only rise up about half as far as it should. (I normally hit a wedge 115 or so, tops)

Secondly, he could be hitting flyers, but that only usually happens when you're in the cabbage.

**Dent** · April 28, 2007

Well hes smokin it dead on and its getting good loft 150-160. I can tell his hitting it nicely because hes taking divots or brushing the fairway nicely. I can try and get a video on sunday.

**jb1982** · April 28, 2007

Well hes smokin it dead on and its getting good loft 150-160. I can tell his hitting it nicely because hes taking divots or brushing the fairway nicely. I can try and get a video on sunday.

I used to do this too. I had a very strong grip and would hit a draw with all my clubs (right down to a lob wedge)!! This also delofted the club to add the distance. I've since changed to a neutral grip and a little steeper swing plane and cut my distances down a bit. I now hit my wedg 130 instead of 150 but it has no roll and I'm more consistant. I don't know if that's what your friend is doing but it might be worth looking at.

**Dent** · April 28, 2007

ill tell him to try that. if that doesnt help i dont know what will. thanks for the help.

**smlxl** · April 29, 2007

How far does he hit his 9 iron from the same set? Assuming that he has consistent gaps between his clubs, there's nothing wrong with hitting a pitching wedge 150 -- some people would love to be able to. :) He'd probably need to de-loft the club quite a bit to do it... but as long as it's controllable, consistent and in line with his other distances he should be fine. If the distance of a 9 iron is about the same (or less) than his wedge, the loft probably is out of wack and he should get it adjusted back.

Either way, I'm a big fan of having a gap/fairway wedge in the bag these days. Since pitching wedges are now in the 45-47* range, I think it's crazy not to have a 50-52* to fill-in before the sand wedge. Mine is the club I lay up to, and it's great for pitches around the green that need a bit of loft and then run out. Fortunately, there's no rule that says you can only pitch with a "pitching" wedge. Your friend might want to experiment with some higher lofted clubs if he's not getting the trajectory he's looking for.

X20_Tour · May 1, 2007

Your friend might want to experiment with some higher lofted clubs if he's not getting the trajectory he's looking for.

Yes. Also, moving the ball closer to his front foot will only lower the trajectory. Doing that will force him to top the ball and send it superman'ing over the green, and possibly into some old ladies on the next tee.

He can try opening up the club face, and aiming a little to the left to compensate for the opened up face. That works for a lot of people. Lefty does something, albeit more extreme, called the flop-shot. He has a video of it posted on callawaygolftv.com. Is your "friend" Spider-Man?

**$2 Nassau** · May 1, 2007

I guess I'm missing the boat here. So he's "smoking" his PW dead on with solid contact and it's going 150+ yards? How is this a problem?

If that is the worst of his golf problems I'd say he's in pretty good shape.

**seattlemudder** · May 2, 2007

Watch your friend across from him - I bet you that he's really leaning his PW forward with his hands and delofting it and turning it into a 8 or 7 iron. If he then hits it crisply, walla! 150 yards...

**cutshot878** · May 11, 2013

Originally Posted by $2 Nassau

I guess I'm missing the boat here. So he's "smoking" his PW dead on with solid contact and it's going 150+ yards? How is this a problem?

If that is the worst of his golf problems I'd say he's in pretty good shape.

He probably has a "regular" flex shaft which allows him to hit it farther. He needs a stiff shaft so he can be more consistent. This will bring the distance down 10 yards. If he goes to an X-Stiff shaft that will bring him down to a more normal PW distance of 130. He might have a forward press or maybe he plays it a little back in his stance or closes the face a little (at address) which delofts the clubface. You can turn a PW into an 8 iron or a lob wedge by closing or opening the face. I've hit my PW 150 yards downwind but I looked at it as a mistake (hitting it too high) or a swing error and not some kind of macho man glory to tell the world about.

**David in FL** · May 11, 2013

He probably has a "regular" flex shaft which allows him to hit it farther. He needs a stiff shaft so he can be more consistent. This will bring the distance down 10 yards. If he goes to an X-Stiff shaft that will bring him down to a more normal PW distance of 130. He might have a forward press or maybe he plays it a little back in his stance or closes the face a little (at address) which delofts the clubface. You can turn a PW into an 8 iron or a lob wedge by closing or opening the face. I've hit my PW 150 yards downwind but I looked at it as a mistake (hitting it too high) or a swing error and not some kind of macho man glory to tell the world about.

Given that the thread is 6 years old, and the OP hasn't posted on the forum for the last 4 years, I'm guessing your advice will be falling on deaf ears..... ;-)

**cutshot878** · May 12, 2013

Originally Posted by David in FL

Given that the thread is 6 years old, and the OP hasn't posted on the forum for the last 4 years, I'm guessing your advice will be falling on deaf ears.....

Dear Forum Leader, I typed a question in google. The question was "is it okay to try to draw a pitching wedge or do all short irons have to be cut with an open stance." After a year long odyssey of using a neutral grip (and hitting hold off fades because I was tired of hitting ugly hooks) I have slowly returned to the strong grip and a draw ball flight that has always been my primary shape. Lately it has felt more comfortable to use a stronger grip and draw everything, even my pitching wedge. The search brought me to an old thread on Sandtrap called "Pitching Wedge." When I read the thread It seemed to be mostly about how far you can hit your pitching wedge and is it a problem to hit a PW 150 yards. I couldn't help commenting on it. Even if the OP doesn't respond there is often a lively debate that can occur on an old thread. And often, the blog entry post (thread) mostly just benefits the person writing it and often allows him (through writing) to better understand the intricate details of this mysterious game called Golf.

**David in FL** · May 12, 2013

Dear Forum Leader, I typed a question in google. The question was "is it okay to try to draw a pitching wedge or do all short irons have to be cut with an open stance." After a year long odyssey of using a neutral grip (and hitting hold off fades because I was tired of hitting ugly hooks) I have slowly returned to the strong grip and a draw ball flight that has always been my primary shape. Lately it has felt more comfortable to use a stronger grip and draw everything, even my pitching wedge. The search brought me to an old thread on Sandtrap called "Pitching Wedge." When I read the thread It seemed to be mostly about how far you can hit your pitching wedge and is it a problem to hit a PW 150 yards. I couldn't help commenting on it. Even if the OP doesn't respond there is often a lively debate that can occur on an old thread. And often, the blog entry post (thread) mostly just benefits the person writing it and often allows him (through writing) to better understand the intricate details of this mysterious game called Golf.

I read your post as a direct response and recomendation to the OP. I simply wanted to make sure you had noticed that the thread had been inactive for 6 years and the OP has not been on the forum for 4 years. If you're looking to generate discussion on the topic posed above, I'd recommend starting a thread of your own. I would expect that to generate more attention and responses to your question. :beer:

**cutshot878** · May 12, 2013

Originally Posted by David in FL

I read your post as a direct response and recomendation to the OP. I simply wanted to make sure you had noticed that the thread had been inactive for 6 years and the OP has not been on the forum for 4 years.

If you're looking to generate discussion on the topic posed above, I'd recommend starting a thread of your own. I would expect that to generate more attention and responses to your question.

Thanks. I will give that (starting a thread of my own) a shot.

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