The 58-60 degree wedge short game

[iig0tem]

I am having a lot of trouble striking the ball firmly around the greens with the wedge. With the lofted wedge, I end up brushing under the grass. Therefor, I make a divot on the grass and the ball goes 5 feet. What techniques will ensure me minimal margin of error to get the ball up in the air with spin?

[bunkerputt]

Put your weight mostly on your front foot and keep it there.  Let the loft of the club do the work.  If your hands are low at setup, you will generally hit it higher.  Keep your lower body quiet to let the hands race through.  Opening the club and aiming your body left also gets it going higher.  If you hit it high enough, who cares about spin?  That's the point of hitting it high.  If you are working on zipping it back to impress your buddies, you need to keep the weight slightly forward, keep the shaft fairly vertical with the hands not in a forward position and hands slightly low, open your body to the target and open the clubface, swing hard and use some hand action at impact.  Swing to a high finish so it looks cooler.

[DeanS]

I've had three lessons from three different instuctors on this topic. The last one I did yesterday and it was the best. Still don't know if I got it but here are my notes:

catching raindrops:
stance open, hands forward, weight forward
club straigt back, rotate upper body
hit down on the ball => feels like hitting under the ball
hands remain forward after contact => club head is pointing upward catching raindrops.
typical forward distance is just past the front foot. => turn the body.
very much a putting stroke, maintain the "V" of the arms.

the 3 ft chip:
stand club on toe, heel up, shaft straight up, shaft forward
catch the ball on the toe using a putting stroke
ball spins and stops 3 feet out.

comes down to chipping
lower lofted club, chip & run gives most control
higher lofted club want to hit too hard.

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by iig0tem

I am having a lot of trouble striking the ball firmly around the greens with the wedge. With the lofted wedge, I end up brushing under the grass. Therefor, I make a divot on the grass and the ball goes 5 feet. What techniques will ensure me minimal margin of error to get the ball up in the air with spin?

Best advice.  Practice.  Then leave it at home when you go out to play until you have reached the point where you can hit it consistently every time in practice.  I don't carry a LW any more, and I don't miss it.  I'd rather spend my practice time on higher percentage shots with my 51° and 56° wedges.  I can do just about anything with my 56° that you can do with a 58 or 60.  Just something to think about.

[Aquaguru]

Originally Posted by Fourputt

Best advice.  Practice.  Then leave it at home when you go out to play until you have reached the point where you can hit it consistently every time in practice.  I don't carry a LW any more, and I don't miss it.  I'd rather spend my practice time on higher percentage shots with my 51° and 56° wedges.  I can do just about anything with my 56° that you can do with a 58 or 60.  Just something to think about.

Same thing.  I never have carried a 58 or 60.  Never felt like one was useful.  I can do anything with a 56 and feel like I have more control over it.  Plus it gave me room to add a 3 wood to the bag.

[P-Town Golfer]

I use a 58 for the most just around the greens but like others have said and this is what I try to do anyway. Put more weight on your front side (left foot for a right handed golfer), play the more in the middle or even towards your back foot a little, forward press a little meaning set your hands a little ahead of the ball (this is just what I do so I feel like I really hit down on the ball), also make sure to hit down on the ball and don't try to help it up at all. But I say one of the main things is to just relax and think positive.Before you hit the shot just relax your body and take a nice smooth swing and imagine the shot before you hit it and tell yourself you can do it. Good Luck.

[bunkerputt]

Originally Posted by Aquaguru

Same thing.  I never have carried a 58 or 60.  Never felt like one was useful.  I can do anything with a 56 and feel like I have more control over it.  Plus it gave me room to add a 3 wood to the bag.

I used to play a 60 a lot, still have it in the bag, but find that my 56 suits my eye better.  It's rare (maybe once a year) that I need a really high and long shot anyway.  If I need to hit it higher, I've usually short-sided it and just need a little extra height to stop it since I don't have much green to work with.  I can open my 56 a few degrees and just cut across the ball for that kind of shot if I need to.

Another thing I noticed, you mentioned striking it firmly around the greens with a lofted club.  Generally, when you open the club a lot, you are trying to hit it high and soft.  Most people will aim for the toe in this case.  You're effective contact area is decreased when the club is opened up, so it's increasingly difficult to hit the sweet spot.  Plus, hitting it off the toe deadens the shot some and lets you swing more aggressively without having to knock it out of the park.

[WUTiger]

I tried three different versions of 60* wedges, never could get much out of them. Only time: two years down near Dallas playing on very fluffy bermuda grass.

This fall I tried a 58.12, and it works much better than the 60s. I find it especially useful when the pin is tucked away on some narrow shelf, or downhill from you on slick greens, and you need to drop a dart to stop the ball.

Even with 58* you can dig under the ball and hit the top of the clubface and launch your 5-footer. So, a couple of things I try:

• Make sure you have a floating address; don't ground the club.
• Make sure you have good followthrough w/ lefthand lead. Forward momentum prevents excess digging.
• Look at how ball is setting in/on the grass. It ball has some grass underneath it, choke up on the club. Your feet will sink down into the grass, putting you "low to the ball" which is suspended in or "floating" on the grass. If you don't choke up on the club, you end up cutting under the ball and getting high-face impact. This can be a problem with any iron shot out of the rough, but especially a high-lofted wedge.

Note to fourputt and aquaguru : For two seasons I went with PW, 50, 56/// The 58* is a new one, we'll see if its worth the hassle.

[Mr. Desmond]

Find Phil Mickelson's Short Game DVD Set -- it is gold for the short game.

[CalBoomer]

Originally Posted by Aquaguru

Same thing.  I never have carried a 58 or 60.  Never felt like one was useful.  I can do anything with a 56 and feel like I have more control over it.  Plus it gave me room to add a 3 wood to the bag.

This makes about as much sense as someone saying that they don't carry an eight iron because they can do anything with a seven iron. Most 56 wedges have increased bounce because they are (usually) a sand wedge. Now there are times when you don't want that extra bounce and might prefer to use the 60 wedge which (usually) comes with less bounce. Most pros carry the 60 or an equivalent wedge because there are things that only that club can do in expert hands. My basic opinion is that folks who don't carry the higher wedge just have not bothered to put the time and practice in that is necessary to use it properly.

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by CalBoomer

This makes about as much sense as someone saying that they don't carry an eight iron because they can do anything with a seven iron. Most 56 wedges have increased bounce because they are (usually) a sand wedge. Now there are times when you don't want that extra bounce and might prefer to use the 60 wedge which (usually) comes with less bounce. Most pros carry the 60 or an equivalent wedge because there are things that only that club can do in expert hands. My basic opinion is that folks who don't carry the higher wedge just have not bothered to put the time and practice in that is necessary to use it properly.

Well your opinion would be wrong then.  I don't carry one because I don't have any use for it. Why should I carry something that I don't need when there are other clubs I do need?  I would much rather spend my practice time with shots that I use every round, not on shots that I might need once every 5 or 6 rounds.  I got on fine for more than 15 years without one - they hadn't invented them yet.   Why should I change just because you feel it's necessary?

Your reply is just another example of golf snobbery.  A person is a lesser player if he doesn't carry a LW.  It's attitudes like yours which has bogey golfers blowing up their scores trying to use LW's when what they should be doing is learning to use a PW or GW properly.

By the way, I have 3 of them in my garage (two 58's and a 60).  I can use them just fine.  I just don't see any need, and that frees me up to carry another club which I DO need.

[boogielicious]

I think it boils down to what you are most comfortable with.  I carry a 54-11 or 54-14 and a 58-08.  I like having both for different shots and ground conditions.  When the sand or turf is really soft, I bring the 54-14.  If the sand is really hard or packed, I will use the 58 with less bounce.  I can chip with both, but usually use the 54.

[allin]

The one thing I noticed reading these posts was that almost all the focus was on pre shot set up and arms during the shot. I feel that like most shots keeping the arms relaxed and focusing on body motion is better. When on the course I find focusing on this area results in more consistent results. Lob wedge and putting are probably my two strongest areas. Of course they have to be since I only average about 220 off the tee.

[wmiller]

And then there are people like me who use a 60 deg quite frequently. Made two birdies with it and just missed another by about 2" last Sun. Pretty much any time I'm inside 80 yds and have room to pull it back, it comes out. Unless it's windy of course.

[Leftygolfer]

What you carry is all preference.  There is no right or wrong.  I like the higher lofted wedges but I've played with really good players who kill me and the highest lofted wedge they have is a 56.  I've carried a 64 and could hit it very well.

But one key for me with the wedge around the green is keeping the hands ahead at impact.  If I need to hit it higher I open the face.  I rarely will try to let the club head pass the hands before impact.  If I do, I'm trying to hit it super high.

[Dr. Slice]

I sometimes have the same problem. I will have a sand wedge or my lob wedge and every once in awhile i will get too far under the ball and just pop it up and it goes maybe 10 yards.

The reason i do it is when i release my wrists too early and dont keep my flat left wrist.

Just make your hitting down on the ball with a flat left wrist

[Cut68]

I carry a 54, 58, 64. I use all of them in different situations. Your problem may stem from the conditions of the course....... When its soft and wet, I will play most of my chips and pitches with the 58, which has a lot of bounce. Dry and hard, I will use one of the other two, where I can pinch it. The key, for me, is to make sure I am accelerating through the ball, no matter what club I'm using. Sometimes, when I'm trying to get "cute" around the greens, I will de-cellerate and get what you are describing. when I make sure I'm hitting through the ball and have the proper club, I can avoid the problem. Personally, I play  better on dry courses, but I think of wet, fluffy grass as sand. It changes my approach and helps me execute the proper swing

[ronbo25]

remember these 3 words - HINGE AND HOLD.

+1 for Lefty's DVD.