Thinning Wedges

[brightonrock]

Recently I had some real issues with my driver, shanking and duffing everything, eventually diagnosed by my coach as being caused by a really inside takeaway. I worked really hard on the range concentrating on getting myself on plane and have made some real progress. However, in the time I've been doing that I've neglected my short game a bit and I've now developed a huge tendency to thin my wedges when I'm hitting a full shot. Playing a high pitch shot or chipping in and around the green from less than 70 or so yards I'm ok, but if I'm trying to hit a full lob 80 yards, a full sand 90-odd, or my gap 100-odd, I seem to blade it through the backs of greens, or worse into trouble at the front of them. Does anyone have any tips for hitting purer full shots with the wedges? I worry that my work on plane with the longer clubs has indirectly affected what I'm doing with the shorter ones, as previously sub-120 yards was my absolute forte and even as a high handicapper I felt confident I'd be in the hole in three shots, maximum. Now I'm putting myself in some tricky up-and-down positions and having to gamble on longer approaches as I don't feel confident coming in with anything less than a pitching wedge.

[awmgolfer]

Work on half shots with your wedges, make sure more of your weight is on your front foot, ball in the middle of your stance. I personally tend to keep a narrower stance, the closer I am to the green the narrower it gets. Right at the edge of the green my feet are only 3-4 inches apart.

Check out both of these clips from Phil Mickelson's Secret of the Short Game, great video if you can get it. I have always had a decent short game but I have been working on these techniques he talked about which ended up just being a few small adjustments and it's tightening up my short game even more. I also use this technique when teaching all the kids on the golf team and works wonderfully.