Wedge game was disappointing today - Any advice?

[xilez]

Played well today off the tee, but when I got within 75 yards i struggled.  Often chipping to try and save par, I was struggling to execute a solid chip shot. I seem to not be hitting the ball hard enough, if I was 35 yds from pin i would only execute a easy swing, often chipping it up and only 10 yds away. I got nervous when I walked up to the shots, often thinking "dont crush this ball too hard". Any tips or ideas for knowing how hard to swing the club?

[kpaulhus]

I dont like to think "dont crush this ball". I use the "swing smooth and firm".

[gjsuicide]

I struggle with this as well.  Surely you are decelerating the club head before you strike the ball which almost always ends with a poor result.  You have to trust your club and not be afraid to hit it to hard.  You must be firm with your stroke and use the loft of the club to keep the distance short.  If you hit it too hard at least you still give yourself a chance to land it on the green or even hit the flagstick.  Id rather hit it 45 yards when I was aiming for 35, then to hit it ten and barely advance the ball.

BTW how much do you practice these shots?

[xilez]

I guess I practice them as much as I can, whether it be in the yard or at the range. However, on the course I struggle with convincing myself how hard to swing the club.

[Lizzyboy]

I think the solution is practice and experience.

Sometimes I am so in tune to my swing and feel and other times its like I never hit a ball.

Like anything, the more you do it, the more consistent you will be.

If you hit 1000 balls from 75 yards, you would probably be very good from 75 yards....so would I.

[CuppedTin]

Short Backswing, Hinge and Hold and Accelerate through...

[Fatphil]

don't beat yourself up too much...the pitch shot is difficult because the margin of error is much less than hitting a big 460cc driver off a tee into a wide open fairway.  A pitch requires you to make a proper golf swing to a very defined target.  Just because its a short shot does not mean that it's easier to execute.  Take your wedge to the chipping green (grass NOT mats) with a few hundred balls a couple of times a week...within 6 months time you will learn more about the golf swing than double the effort on the driving range.

[imtomtomim]

Originally Posted by kpaulhus

I dont like to think "dont crush this ball". I use the "swing smooth and firm".

This is it.  Positive thoughts.  Negative thoughts are actually contrary thoughts and one idea is actually 2 or more.

"Hit the ball over there"  Total confidence and commitment.

[Chrepper]

I hate to be "that guy," but I utlize the techniques that Tiger Woods published in his book.  There are great pitch and punch techniques for that range.  You can probably find it online.

[luu5]

I had same type of problem today with short irons. I made a practice swing next to ball and I scrape the grass an inch ahead of the ball. Then I moved to the ball and hit two inch behind. Made me slightly mad.

I guess I will get me those 1000 balls and spend few days hitting those with wedges.

[Yukari]

What works for me is trying to imagine a clock face and limiting the back swing to 7 'o clock, 8 'o clock...etc. depending on the distance.  I practice this on the range.  When I am on the course, I don't think about the "distance" per se, but think about which clock position I need to be in on the back swing.  Works like a charm.  It also works for the green side bunker shots too.

[Grumpter]

I used to struggle with the same distances. I would have much rather been 125 yards out than 75. I would either decelerate a 3/4 backswing or try to muscle through a swing guessing at where I needed to take the backswing. This caused much inconsistency with my shots.

The breakthrough for me came when I changed my thinking from "how hard do I need to hit this" or "how much do I need to take off the shot" to simply "how much of a backswing do I need". I practiced taking backswings where my left arm was parallel to the ground then tried a swing at roughly 6 inches below that. The key for me was swinging normally (accelerating at the speed of a normal shot), not decelerating or trying to muscle through the shot. By taking a normal shot (left arm parallel to ground) I was able to get the feel of the acceleration I wanted for the shot with the backswing 6 inches below that. Alternating back and forth until I felt comfortable.

Once you get the first In between shot down it's easier to then decrease the backswing yet another 6 inches or so. Find the spots in your backswing that you feel are 1/4 swing, 1/2 swing and 3/4 swing. Once you know how far those go you can fine tune even more by going slightly over or under a 1/4, 1/2 or 3/4 swing.

[tanktwo2]

Visualize the shot you want to hit, whether a low running chip or more of a flop...become one with the ball and let er rip

[twilliams16]

Good luck with it. Mental issue

[colnago1331]

My wedge play is easily the worst part of my game.  It used to be the driver but I worked hard on this over the winter and now it's one of the best parts of my game.  So now I'm working on my wedge game.  The thing I have struggled with the most this season is the mental part of it - I don't commit to the shot because I don't trust my wedge play.  Consequently, I decelerate through the downswing and have negative thoughts going through my head during the swing (i.e. "don't hit it too hard" or "don't hit it too soft").  The past couple of rounds my wedge play has improved simply by trying to trust my shot . . . by telling myself that it's better to commit to the shot and take a good swing and have it be short or long than to not trust it and have it goes God knows where.  Next up will simply be spending time at the range dialing in my 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 wedge shots to figure out what distance each shot goes.

[inthecup]

I used to struggle with less then 100 yard shots.  This year I tried what feels to me like a half swing with my 56 degree wedge.  It is a nice easy mini version of my full swing.  Limited (1/2) backswing and thru.  This swing I have dialed into 60 yards.  I LOVE 60 yard shots to the pin because I know I can put it there.  I also know that the same swing with my gap wedge will produce around a 70 yard shot and PW goes 80.  I want to try my 9i and 8i to see if the flight is acceptable or not.  But If I get 100 yards from my 8i with this half swing that is going to be my shot from 100.  It is much more accurate and consistent.

Having the confidence of that 60 yard shot also gives me great feel for less distance.  Usually on my home course coming into a pin from less then 60 yards I use my 56 degree.  I know a 1/2 shot goes 60, it is not very difficult to figure out how to fly it other distances.

I don't like to take full swings with my wedges, nice controlled shots. This has really helped bring down my handicap this year.

[CuppedTin]

I see people struggling all the time and I truly think that 100 yards and in is the hardest part of the game. I say this probably too much but the Mickelson DVD on Short Game is the best around. If you are not utilizing hinge and hold for 80 yards and in then I seriously do not think that you could ever be consistent. Just my opinion

[WUTiger]

First of all, let's make sure we're using the same definitions:

A chip shot travels half or more of its distance running along the ground.

A pitch shot travels most of its distance in the air. (Normally the longer of the two)

Seems you may be having trouble with both chip and pitch shots.

Quote:

... Surely you are decelerating the club head before you strike the ball which almost always ends with a poor result. ...

For any golf swing - especially short shots and partial shots like chips and pitches - you need to accelerate through the ball on the downswing. Your backswing simply allows you to cock your wrists. Some people take a quick backswing, realize too many footpounds of pressure are being generated, and then try to slow the downswing. This leads to shots that come up short, or don't go much of anywhere.

Originally Posted by Grumpter

... I would have much rather been 125 yards out than 75. ...

Find the spots in your backswing that you feel are 1/4 swing, 1/2 swing and 3/4 swing. Once you know how far those go you can fine tune even more by going slightly over or under a 1/4, 1/2 or 3/4 swing.

On shorter holes, take less than a driver off the tee so you can hit a full approach shot. Most mid-cappers can handle 40 yds. on in, it's just the 40 to 100 range than can be testy.

Standard advice from the pros - either at scoring clinics or in private lessons - seems to be to vary the backswing length, but keep the followthrough solid and smooth. The partial swings are something you can practice and "get calibrated." Some people make up  a little 3 x 3 or 3 x 4 grid, giving them average distance of all three swings with each of their wedges. It takes an afternoon to prepare this, but it can help you get on target (saves time on the course, too). You can laminate the grid card and hang it on your golf bag.

If you prepare a grid card, be sure you hit the balls you play on course - range balls usually don't go as far. I prepped one card with range balls, and the first time I used it I was 5 to 10 yards beyond the flag a lot.