Wedge HELP! - I keep hitting 3 quarter wedge shots heavy!

This year I'm playing some great golf but there's a big hole in my game... I'll put a drive out there really well, and I'll be hitting a short wedge into the green and it's like I hit the shot fat 3 out of 4 times!

It's super frustrating, knowing that I should be putting shots like this within 10 to 15 feet, even closer on some attempts and should be getting good looks at birdie chances, but instead I'll either settle for par or take a bad bogey on occasion... all when I'm within like 60 yards. Any tips on how to hit these shots?  I just started playing them a little further back in my stance and it's helped a little, but it still happens quite a bit. More than it should.

Any tips would be awesome... Thanks guys! Either way, I'm hitting the range soon to sort this out... lol

Hi,

If you are hitting your wedge shots heavy it means that your weight is not on your left side at impact. It is nearly impossible to hit any shot heavy if your weight is on your left side at impact. You could try a couple of drills to help:

1) Try putting about 10% of your weight on your left side BEFORE you hit your shot (so at address). You should be doing this anyway for chip shots and short/mid range pitches. When you swing try to maintain that weight on your left side.

2) Try pausing at the top of your backswing with your wedge and then make a small LATERAL movement with your left hip so that weight is shifting onto your left side. This must be a lateral movement and not a rotation of the lower body(it feels like a lean towards the target). Make sure it is a small lateral movement and not a lunge - you should feel the weight shift to your left side. Make sure that your upper body does NOT rotate/unwind when you do this. Your hands should only come down a few inches or so (and remember with no rotation). Swing back to the top and repeat a few times then swing back to the top and hit the ball as you would normally. Make sure when you are hitting your wedge shots (particularly during the drill) that you are POSITIVE through the ball. Don't decelerate through the ball as this can also cause you to hit the ball heavy.

3) Find a heavy object like a table leg or something that you can sit your club behind. Set up to the table leg as though it is a golf ball. Don't take a backswing but instead push your hands and body forward into the table leg quite hard so that your weight goes onto your left side and your hips have slightly rotated and your hands are ahead of the ball. This is the feeling of the perfect impact position.Keep repeating this so that you train your body to experience the correct impact position. It is a very common misconception that the impact position is the same as setup but this is VERY wrong. If your body is positioned like in the table leg drill then you will never hit the ball heavy and in fact will rip any shot!

Hope that helps!

On wedge shots I find choking up to the lowest part of the grip increases accuracy and would probably help with not hitting them fat.

You could also try opening the face some which should allow you to use the clubs bounce more and prevent that leading edge from digging in.

Best of luck!

One of my favorite shots IF I maintain my height; thus arc at / through impact. I have tendency to slightly squat to load the quads on / during the downswing.

Ha yes how silly of me! I meant 10% MORE i.e. 60% on the left and 40% on the right as appose to the 50/50 at set up.

Quick Thoughts:

Get 90%+ weight on front foot at impact

You are coming in too steep

Check your side tilt on downswing

Still Head

Not enough use of lateral extension of hips and then shallowing out with the turn - turn the butt.

Check the wedge grind

for me, its all about tempo (especially on the back swing) ... smooooooooth it out & you'll make better contact ... especially for the feel shots like you're describing