Why can I hit long irons but not wedges?

[finesse57]

I just started playing golf this year and have a problem with ball contact. I have practiced with the longer irons 4 to 6 mainly. Now today I found when using the PW and SW I either miss the ball or top it. Can someone please let me know what is going wrong? That is should I bend my knees more, change back angle or push my ass out? I'll check back tomorrow for any recommendations.

Thanks in advance.

[inthehole]

always helps to bend the knees a bit - be sure to take a solid practice swing to make sure you're just touching the turf, then you'll know your set up is alright - sounds like you just need to find a comfortable set up - stroke is the same as the other irons.

Originally Posted by finesse57

I just started playing golf this year and have a problem with ball contact. I have practiced with the longer irons 4 to 6 mainly. Now today I found when using the PW and SW I either miss the ball or top it. Can someone please let me know what is going wrong? That is should I bend my knees more, change back angle or push my ass out? I'll check back tomorrow for any recommendations.

Thanks in advance.

[erock9174]

Check the swing path or divot and make sure you are coming inside out across the ball.  At the beginning of this year I had the same problem with making solid contact with clubs 8 - PW.  I found out after a range session that I was taking the club back too inside and consequently coming over the top on the downswing, (with flying right elbow) and outside /in across the ball.  This also led to alot of pulls when I actually did strike the ball.

To fix it, I did the old towel trick.  Put my golf towel under my right armpit and made sure it did not fall out throughout my swing.

The ensures that your right eblow does not fly out on you throughout the swing.  Immediately started making better contact.

Granted, it feels awkward but gives you a sense of keeping that right elbow tucked in and low on the downswing

[RPMPIRE]

I've had this problem a while back. The problem for me was on my long irons, my arms were hanging straight down or just a touch out but not by much. When I got to my wedges, I noticed my arms would start hanging inside closer to my body making it very hard for the club to come back into the original position.

In my case, make sure your arms are hanging so there is enough room to clear your hips. Good simple drill is to take your stance without a club and just dead hang your arms. This is where your arms should be. Good luck!

[mrchi]

Thanks for the tip, I think coming from over the top is my problem with my wedges as well (shoulders opening too quickly?). Gonna try the path correction!

Originally Posted by erock9174

Check the swing path or divot and make sure you are coming inside out across the ball.  At the beginning of this year I had the same problem with making solid contact with clubs 8 - PW.  I found out after a range session that I was taking the club back too inside and consequently coming over the top on the downswing, (with flying right elbow) and outside /in across the ball.  This also led to alot of pulls when I actually did strike the ball.

To fix it, I did the old towel trick.  Put my golf towel under my right armpit and made sure it did not fall out throughout my swing.

The ensures that your right eblow does not fly out on you throughout the swing.  Immediately started making better contact.

Granted, it feels awkward but gives you a sense of keeping that right elbow tucked in and low on the downswing

[finesse57]

Thanks guys.

I have noticed now that when I get into position that my arms are further away than the dead arm drop so that along with keeping back angle the same and bending my knees a little more than I do with the long irons, I hope, will bring me the consistency I get with long irons. Sounds obvious now you say it but I wasn't taking test swings, touching the turf, before going for the strike.

My divot is a bit closer to me(still after the ball) when using long irons though as the ball was going straight I didn't question it. I'm taking it that by taking the backswing too inside I should make sure that when the club is at the highest point the grip/handle should be pointing closer in to my body, where usually it is pointing at the ball.

Thanks again, it's appreciated.

[ggolokin]

ball posistion, posture. need to get those checked out. then you need to compress the ball.. hard to explain it without seeing/showing it.

[finesse57]

Originally Posted by ggolokin

ball posistion, posture. need to get those checked out. then you need to compress the ball.. hard to explain it without seeing/showing it.

Yeah. I have a 30 min lesson booked for tomorrow to get a pro to take a look, the same one who told me to create a big radius and hit straight forward., hammering a nail style. I'm starting to think it was just using 4 and 6 irons constantly on the range that left me in this situation. I played 18 yesterday and the problem seems to have gone (three or four tops across woods and irons) though rightly or wrongly I am not creating a maximum radius and am hitting down more with my three wedges.

[finesse57]

Just for closure.

Turned out I was trying to help the wedges to help the ball up. I knew I'm not supposed to [causing reverse pivots] instead I was leaving my hands behind the ball at contact. Opening my stance a little more helped avoid the unconscious problem.