Sharing My Wedge Matrix - Full, 2/3, 1/3 Swings

[khalespace]

With SkyTrak at home, I am able to get better yardage with my clubs. Here is my wedge matrix. Each data point is an average of 5 shots. I have collected data on 3 different days. The bottom numbers are the average. This has been really helpful in breaking 90 two times in a row.

I know some people have full, 3/4 and 1/2 but I like full, 2/3 and 1/3 better. I don't hit full shot with my 52 degree wedge as I have had a few disasters with it. Do you use a wedge matrix and how is your experience? If you run into similar yardage with different clubs and back swing lengths, do you prefer the shorter swing with the longer club or the other way around?

 

Edited May 6, 2021 by khalespace

[mohearn]

This is bsically the Pelz method, yes?  I do similar, however I don't think I have enough separation between my 1/4 swing vs my 1/2 swing.  Mostly I get too much yardage out of my 1/4 swing.  I have a bit of tape with the yardages written on it on my club just below the grip.

 

Best feeling, once I shot the pin with my laser and it was 65, so... pulled my 52 degree which had 63 yards (for 1/ backswing) on it. One hit, one bounce, bingo.  I thought I had discovered the holy grail, but found out quickly, golf is hard. But I digress...

[pganapathy]

I probably should do something similar, and used to play other wedges earlier (SW and even LW if needed), but I now only play my PW for all shots in, unless I need to hit a high flop type shot and then use the SW or LW based on lie.  My method of figuring out how to hit the shot is feel and a visual guide to distance.  I guess it isn't good but I don't practice or play regularly enough

[mohearn]

I have gone mostly by feel, but I am in process of trying to be more quantitative.  For example,, around the green, I used to look and say to myself, hmm...looks like about a SW, maybe a 52 degree... all feel. 

 

Lately I've been trying to quantify:  Let's see, want to land it here, let it roll out to the hole.  So I have one part carry, two parts roll. so choose PW (for example).  Then on another shot, maybe I have one part carry, 4 parts roll, so I choose a 9-iron.  My target is changing from a sort of fuzzy "leave it around the hole" to a specific "land it exactly here".  

Not sure if that makes sense.

I think it's helping but still a work in progress. 

 

[billchao]

46 minutes ago, mohearn said:

I have gone mostly by feel, but I am in process of trying to be more quantitative.  For example,, around the green, I used to look and say to myself, hmm...looks like about a SW, maybe a 52 degree... all feel.

Around the green is mostly feel, but partial wedge distance mapping is for longer shots, like 40-100 yards out.

[Bob M]

12 hours ago, billchao said:

Around the green is mostly feel, but partial wedge distance mapping is for longer shots, like 40-100 yards out.

Agreed. Sieckmann refers to these shots as "Distance Wedges", but they are essentially shorter full swing motion shots. For me 30 or so yards from the pin is the line at which I will probably hit more of a full swing motion from A2, but depending on the shot, I can also use a pitching action from this distance. For these shots I use a 56* sand wedge. 

This past winter I did a similar matrix for 9-SW on a simulator, but "on course" am learning that it needs significant refining and expanding (to include 8-iron). In the near term (once I have tightened up my mechanics), I plan to find a field or some time on a fairway to revisit. 

[Shindig]

I love the way you printed this;  I really should get mine written down.

Especially since I go from memory.

Quarter swing, 58: 20 yards;  56: 25 yards, 52 wedge 30, UW 35 yards, PW 45 yards.  I never take both the 52 and the UW in the same round.

Half swing:  58 ???, 56 35-40 yards, UW 50 yards, PW 60 yards. 

Three-quarter, unknown

Flight shot:  PW 105 yards, UW 90 yards, 56 or 58 (and 52 when carried) it's a gamble at best and I really should learn how to hit a wedge on a full or near-full swing.  That seems like a good skill to have, especially as I'm getting closer to par-5s in two now and have wedges in sometimes instead of a short iron, and for other reasons. 

[khalespace]

I plan to collect more data perhaps 20 to 40 shots each, record actual data of each shot rather than average of 5. With the data, I will calculate the variances to compare for the same shot distance between 1/3 swing shot with a less lofted club vs 2/3 swing shot with a more lofted club to see which one has smaller variance.