Any wedge masters around?

[TN94z]

Once you get your wedge distances down, Pelz suggests that you write them on a little piece of paper and tape that paper to the club. That way when you get your distance, you can pull the club that has that distance on the paper and there will be no doubts in your mind if it is the right one.

[CalBoomer]

Not real sure about the consistency, but the distance is just trial and error. You really just have to find a flat hole with no wind, and a GPS or rangefinder, and hit balls into the green with different types of shots and see what happens. Over time you will just remember. You can go as far as write down the main distances and pull it out when you have a shot when your not sure. 90% of it is just feel. You need to be able to have a distance and know what to swing for that distance.

This is how most pros really deal with these situations. "Feel" is a termed used by folks who don't know what they are actually doing, can't express what they are actually doing, or haven't thought about what they are actually doing.

[Jay-Bird]

Go hit a bucket of 90 balls. Hit all of them with your wedges. Learn what feel s right - and get comfortable hitting each wedge in your bag. Forget about trying to hit "50%" or "75%" of a shot. A good wedge game must be feel-based. If you're caught up in trying to hit a certain percentage of a full-swing you'll get too mechanical and open yourself up to a higher probability of error. Practice, practice, practice. Practice trajectory, practice spin, practice distance - practice FEEL.

[Paddymaster]

Go hit a bucket of 90 balls. Hit all of them with your wedges. Learn what

Your right, I should just go mego-wedge practice. I hardly practice them. Thanks mate!

[ryohazuki222]

No one's mentioned anything about the equipment issue itself. Generally, I don't think equipment makes a difference. However, for me personally, changing wedges almost single handedly solved my problems.

I started with a Tom Watson AdamsGolf wedge set of 52, 56 , 60. I determined I didn't like all the choices and in the end used the 56 for everything. While I played them all, I had my 52 going 90ish yards at best (and inconsistently) and I could NOT push it 100+. My 56 was stuck at 60-75. And all those shots were not easy shots. I considered it more luck than skill if they worked out.

I changed from using the 56, to using the 54 Z TP in my sig. It's customized to be longer and more upright (I'm tall) among various other things. Now I can push the 54 110-120. And hitting it at 100 yards is by no mean a stretch or difficult. And I'm still not taking some monster swings at the ball.

So in my case -- contrary to my personal beliefs regarding equipment and sports -- changing wedges honestly fixed my problem.

[Big_M]

one day...scratch that... one shot I'm a MASTER of the wedge, the next shot, I'm such an IDIOT (to quote Phil). I am working on being more consistent... problem is simple, I need to spend more time practicing the short game. I CAN hit a lot of shots, and sometimes I think that is a detriment to me. I have improved since going from PW, GW(53), SW(56), LW(60) to just PW, GW(52), LW(58). I also tend to favor Utley's approach over Pelz... Pelz is just too mechanical for me as I am a "feel" type player.

[Paddymaster]

No one's mentioned anything about the equipment issue itself. Generally, I don't think equipment makes a difference. However, for me personally, changing wedges almost single handedly solved my problems.

It may make you happy to know that I plan on getting a 54 degree wedge. I have a 58 right now.

[Zeph]

Go hit a bucket of 90 balls. Hit all of them with your wedges. Learn what

I see this, the only problem is you have to get this feel for every single shot. In a clutched situation, doing what you always do is what will get you up and down. Of course you need feel, but I also believe strongly in having a set of distances you know you can hit. When you stand over the ball on the 18th of a tournament you know you can hit the 54º far enough with a half swing.

Feel is important, but I don't want to rely my wedge game 100% on it. I'm just not good enough to have the feel present all the time. I'm not Phil or Tiger.

[iWALK18]

Not a master yet, just a young padawan learner, but I have another suggestion:

about a year ago, I was having the biggest issue with getting any distance and consistent distance out of my wedges. I bought a 50* gap wedge to fit my 45* pitching wedge. PW distance was 130y, and my 50* was only giving me about 90. I was so frustrated and confused. The problem, it turns out, was how i swing and my ball position.

As a "sweeper" of the golf ball, I had the ball up in my stance, so instead of getting any real hit on the ball i ended up sort of scooping under it. The result was a high wedge shot, but I got no distance. I'm much much more consistent with my wedges when I keep the ball well back in my stance. This de-lofts the club a little, ensures better contact/keeps me from hitting it fat, and helps the club face get some grab on the ball. Try it and see if it helps.

Also, I avoid a full hard wedge shot like the plague, especially with a lob wedge. If you hit a lob wedge thin, a full shot of 80 yards goes 140... disaster. Swing 3/4 whenever possible.

[Jay-Bird]

I see this, the only problem is you have to get this feel for every single shot. In a clutched situation, doing what you always do is what will get you up and down. Of course you need feel, but I also believe strongly in having a set of distances you know you can hit. When you stand over the ball on the 18th of a tournament you know you can hit the 54º far enough with a half swing.

If you're trying to tell yourself to "swing this 50%" - especially when the pressure's on, best of luck.

I know what my swing will do when I'm not over-thinking it. If I can rely on my swing to get me to the hole, I'm going with it, everytime. I'm not saying that I don't know my distances, on the contrary, I know exactly how far I hit my wedges, and obviously I dial them down when hitting shorter/softer/more finesse shots - or what have you; but to think in my head - about percentages of a full swing - it's a recipe for disaster, for me anyway.

[Zeph]

Not 50%, but taking a 50% backswing.

[TN94z]

Not 50%, but taking a 50% backswing.

I see what you are saying and it falls in line with Pelz. You aren't referring to "swing this club 50% of my normal swing." By saying 50%, that is about the same as saying 9:00(example). Swinging "50%" in some peoples' mind tells them to swing with 50% of their full swing power and many times causes deceleration.

I think that is a good way to do it also. Even with those shots, you have feel. You just know that your 9:00 wedge is going to go 65 yards or whatever. I personally think that is the most conistent way for your distances.

[Zeph]

That's what I meant yes, I also used 1/4, 2/5 and 3/4 when explaining this, someone else brought % into the equation.

As I said back then, having the same tempo is vital. If you swing faster and slower, using different lengths won't tell you anything since the speed will determine where the ball end up.

[Canuck]

depending on the situation you are in on the golf course sometimes a helpful tip can be to take a pw insted of a sw and make a nice smooth swing (adjust swing according to distance) clubing up can help to control distance rather than forcing a sw to work.

A good drill that can help is to hit the range and find a flag or target around 75-120 yards and take a little extra club and start working on distance control. learn how to control your shots and spin. Then go up a club, so if you were using a pw switch to a sw and work on the same drill. Hit like 100 balls with each wedge and you should start to gain control and the reps will help to burn it into your head. Hope this helps and good luck.

[lumpuckeroo]

I agree with having a consistent tempo. If you go after your wedge shots hard but then go to a 3/4 swing and go easy you are setting yourself up for a disaster. If you go hard on full swings, go hard on partial swing, if you swing easy on full swings, swing easy on partial swings.

[Paddymaster]

I can see the positives with having a consistent way to get distances. Its something you can rely on even if you aren't playing your best. I think you can combine these with feel. Cause you can think of the 75% but you can also just feel the "feel" of the 75% back swing. Good way to combine tech and feel.

[CalBoomer]

One different piece of advice from all the good advice on this post. After hitting 50 balls with one club, just about anybody can get into a groove. On the range, practice mixing in wedge shots amidst other iron shots and drives. Or imagine yourself playing holes. Only when you can keep your consistent "feel" or "technique" or whatever in the midst of such change on the range will you be able to take it to the course.

[Paddymaster]

One different piece of advice from all the good advice on this post. After hitting 50 balls with one club, just about anybody can get into a groove. On the range, practice mixing in wedge shots amidst other iron shots and drives. Or imagine yourself playing holes. Only when you can keep your consistent "feel" or "technique" or whatever in the midst of such change on the range will you be able to take it to the course.

So I think it just comes down to me practicing. I dont practice my wedges enough