Build Your Swing Around Your Wedges

[The Recreational Golfer]

ks8829 left a thought on a post to the "Fairways hit, Putts/hole, and GIR goals for a mid handicapper?" thread about developing his full swing by means of his wedge game. I am a true believer. Years ago my teaching pro said when he was getting ready for a tournament all he did was hit pitches and get some putting in. I have since developed a deadly pitching game, and extended that swing through the rest of my bag. I hit the ball very straight most of the time.

Has anybody else gone this route?

[RossOliver]

I used to practice like that - focusing most of my time on my wedges through to 9 iron, but found that my 3/4 irons suffered. Now I mainly practice with my 6 or 7 iron and I find I keep a decent swing throughout all my clubs if I am hitting my mid-irons well...

-Ross

[Randy4h]

Dave Pelz says that your wedge swing and your full swing are 2 different animals. The full swing will give you constants distances for each of your clubs, if struck solidly. The wedge swing is variable, to give you a number of different distances for each wedge. These can they be utilized to suit the situation at hand. A 60 yard shot could be accomplished by a 60*, a 56* or a PW depending on the wind, elevation, green slope. Practicing those different shots probably won't help your full swing much.

In getting ready for a tournament, your pro no doubt wanted to hone his short game putting as that is the first thing to go away when not playing a lot. And it is the most important factor in scoring. I imagine his full swing was OK with just a few buckets.

[WUTiger]

For high handicappers like me, I suggest the following priorities:
* Short game (chip, pitch, and putt)
* Tee shots - Get in into the fairway!
* Full shot, irons and FW woods.

If you blow it on the tee box hole after hole, it's difficult to score decently.

An added benefit of working on chips and pitches is that you can "feel the ball" on the clubface better than full shots. I find it a good way to check alignment, grip, smooth takeaway, and other things.

[OJsakila]

ks8829 left a thought on a post to the "Fairways hit, Putts/hole, and GIR goals for a mid handicapper?" thread about developing his full swing by means of his wedge game. I am a true believer. Years ago my teaching pro said when he was getting ready for a tournament all he did was hit pitches and get some putting in. I have since developed a deadly pitching game, and extended that swing through the rest of my bag. I hit the ball very straight most of the time.

Classic golf practice starts from the cup backwards, ending at the tee box. You are thinking fine. Keep it up. Your driver is a "swing-fault-magnifier." How you hit balls from the tee, (with a driver, of course), will show you the largest errors in your swing..this is basic math. The further the ball can go, the further it can go left or right as well. Different theorists will tell you differently about how to practice but that does not make it wrong neccessarily...however, your thought processes are fine here. Good luck. Keep trucking.

[RC]

Great wedge play is no doubt critical, but the wedge swing plane is a lot steeper than longer irons, and especially woods. When you play a lot of 450 to 475 yard par fours, having a swing built around your wedge is not particularly the best approach. Some time back, a top level touring pro told me to practice my 4, 5, or 6 iron the most when working on full swing irons on the range. He said hit lots of wedges and long irons too, but hit the mid irons the most. I am not recommedning that for everyone, but that is what I do now and I think it helps me. I also hit a lot of wedge shots from 40 to 110 yards just to refine those "tweener" shots. Some other fine players advocate hitting every club in the bag about the same amount. I hit the driver the least on the range, but driving is probably the most reliable swing in my bag. That would not be true for everyone, so I don't think there is a "one-size-fits-all" recommendation for building and improving your swing when it comes to choosing clubs to hit the most. This does not mean total time spent practicing... I still think the short game should get equal time with full swings. My 2 cents...

[The Recreational Golfer]

The responses so far have been quite thoughtful. I’m coming back to explain more fully what I had in mind, because I believe strongly in its value, not because I think anyone is misinterpreting.

I mean to build the principles of your wedge swing, the things that allow you crisp contact and razor-sharp accuracy, into your full swing with the longer clubs.

It doesn’t mean you’re going to be swinging your driver like you’re hitting a 70-yard pitch. It will be a full-sized, full-bodied driver swing that respects the size of the club and the swing modifications you have to make to swing a driver (swing plane being one of them), but with the principles that lead to an accurate swing built into it.

The benefit, in my experience, is that you learn to come into the ball with the clubhead square and in line and with the appropriate trajectory no matter what club you hit. This is why the pro I mentioned told me he did it. It wasn’t necessarily to get his short game working well, though that’s not a bad thing. He told me it was to create a model for the rhythm of his full swing and to school himself in what he wants to feel as he swings through the ball with the longer clubs. Hitting pitches was how he made his full swing smoother and more accurate.

I had a driver fitting once. The pro told me to bring my pitching wedge, too, and warm up with that. The first drives I hit were really nice shots, effortless. Then I started to slip into a power game, seduced, as many of us get, by the power potential of the monster in my hands. All it took was a few more swings with the wedge to get back to making smooth passes at the ball with the driver, and hitting shots that went straight and as far as I can hit them.

So I’m just sayin’ . . . I believe a person needs to build their swing on a bedrock foundation they can always come back to, and this is the major part of mine. It’s simple and it works. My wife is learning how to play and it works really well for her.

[Fourputt]

ks8829 left a thought on a post to the "Fairways hit, Putts/hole, and GIR goals for a mid handicapper?" thread about developing his full swing by means of his wedge game. I am a true believer. Years ago my teaching pro said when he was getting ready for a tournament all he did was hit pitches and get some putting in. I have since developed a deadly pitching game, and extended that swing through the rest of my bag. I hit the ball very straight most of the time.

I live by this philosophy too. The tempo is the same for a short pitch as it is for a full swing, so it can be just as beneficial as a range session, with the added benefit of helping your short game at the same time. I warm up for tournaments on the chipping green.

Just for anyone who cares, Dave Pelz doesn't have all the answers about the short game. He has one style, but not the only one that works. I don't like his method, and I don't generally listen to anyone preaching from it.

[Nike Markiie]

For high handicappers like me, I suggest the following priorities:

Im working the wrong way and I notice it. My short game is horrible. I need to spend less time on the range and more time on the putting greens for sure.

[jamo]

Between 145 and 90 yards is my strong point, this I don't practice them as much. I would rather build around my driver, because any problems with your swing are amplified with the driver.

I do agree that the 30-50 yard shot is a whole different animal, but I on;y really practice that distance when I play a course.