How to Hit Partial Wedge Shots - Learn your Tweener Yardages

[AbsoluteTruths]

Ok. I was referring more to the backswing length.

For a 3/4 pitching wedge, you're taking it back this far and hitting it 30 yards?

No, I was taking 1/2 to P2 and 3/4 to P3.

[iacas]

No, I was taking 1/2 to P2 and 3/4 to P3.

A2 is my 1/4 swing.

A3 is a bit longer than my 1/2 swing.

My 3/4 swing is when my shoulder is about to touch my chin or so.

My full swing is my full swing.

I have a hard time believing that you swing your PW to left arm parallel and hit the ball only 30 yards. I can throw a ball softly underhanded 30 yards.

I finish with what feel like "full" follow throughs though obviously if it's a 1/2 swing it's still gonna end up shorter than if it's a 3/4 or full swing. But my acceleration rate feels the same for the downswing… I just have less distance and time to accelerate. So the clubhead is going slower.

[dchoye]

I was thinking that my chipping around the green I take the shaft up to parallel to the ground at the most Up to p2 in morad position For longer pitch shots take my arm up to p3 in morad position Arm parallel to ground. How does that sound ?

[AbsoluteTruths]

A2 is my 1/4 swing.

A3 is a bit longer than my 1/2 swing.

My 3/4 swing is when my shoulder is about to touch my chin or so.

My full swing is my full swing.

I have a hard time believing that you swing your PW to left arm parallel and hit the ball only 30 yards. I can throw a ball softly underhanded 30 yards.

I finish with what feel like "full" follow throughs though obviously if it's a 1/2 swing it's still gonna end up shorter than if it's a 3/4 or full swing. But my acceleration rate feels the same for the downswing… I just have less distance and time to accelerate. So the clubhead is going slower.

Thanks @iacas I will give it another try tomorrow in a field near me. I did this first testing in my front yard so I probably took some

zip out of my swing for fear of neighborhood damage.

[onkey]

After mulling over this for the past year, I finally invested some time to figure out my distances.  I still haven't dialed them in as well as I would like, but they are getting close.  I can't get over just how effective this method is.  I no longer need to get the "feel" for a shot.  I get the distance, check the chart and use the appropriate swing/club.  It's so much easier to strike the ball cleanly and accurately when you are not taking a full swing.  I no longer get disappointed when I think I hit the right shot only to come up well short and long because my eyes, brain, and muscles haven't "felt" the right distance.

[bm85]

Anywhere I can go to get this A1-A2 information? Feel out of the loop when reading about positions.

[Missouri Swede]

1 hour ago, bm85 said:

Anywhere I can go to get this A1-A2 information? Feel out of the loop when reading about positions.

Try looking in the Big List of Golf Terminology (about half way down, Positions or Alignments in the Golf Swing)

[iacas]

2 hours ago, bm85 said:

Anywhere I can go to get this A1-A2 information? Feel out of the loop when reading about positions.

Or, since I've made them acronyms, just hover your mouse over them.

A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 A6 A7 A8 A9 A10

[mvmac]

4 hours ago, iacas said:

Or, since I've made them acronyms, just hover your mouse over them.

A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 A6 A7 A8 A9 A10

[saevel25]

Nifty 

[9wood]

I have learned to control the distance on my wedge shots simply by how much back swing I apply. For instance, using my 56 degree wedge my back swing goes back to the 8 o'clock position which in turn is then followed through to the four o'clock position for a 20 yard pitch. This method works best when you apply the same amount of follow through to the shot as you did back swing. For further distances you can have your back swing go to the 9 o'clock or 10 o'clock position depending on the distance you want the ball to fly. A little practice will determine the amount of back swing you need to apply to various shots.

[onkey]

This thread has had a huge impact on my scoring.  Thank you @mvmac for starting it.

[TN94z]

On 10/29/2014 at 11:34 AM, iacas said:

BTW, here are my wedges.

 

( @newtogolf will note that I have numbered my wedges 1, 2, and 3. Always have. )

 

 

I cut those into three strips and tape them beneath my grip on my wedges. To hit a shot, say, 70 yards, I first pick the trajectory I want (as every club can go that far), then based on these, grip down a little and/or make the appropriate length swing.

 

It's that simple.

I know this is old, but is there any rule that says you can't use these labels during tournament play? It would be a good idea for my 14 year old.

[mvmac]

7 hours ago, TN94z said:

I know this is old, but is there any rule that says you can't use these labels during tournament play? It would be a good idea for my 14 year old.

It's legal, you're not altering the club in any illegal way. Basically the same as having a book or piece of paper in your pocket to note your distances.

[TN94z]

1 hour ago, mvmac said:

It's legal, you're not altering the club in any illegal way. Basically the same as having a book or piece of paper in your pocket to note your distances.

That's what I thought. Thanks!

[BC-to-MI]

Old thread here but bumping it because it is something that made a massive difference in my golf game. I wanted to get some input from people about an issue I've been having. When I'm trying to take a bit of yardage off one of my partial wedge shots (for ease, let's say a 3/4 swing is 75 yards and I need something between 65 or 70) I tend to try and just choke down on the grip a little bit and go for the same swing feel. My problem is that I tend to thin these shots. Sometimes I get away with it because I get more spin on the ball, so they fly a bit longer but check up almost immediately, but not always.

When you choke down, do you adjust the swing at all or is there something you do with ball position that might help (moving it back in the stance a nudge, standing even closer to the ball, etc)?

[Shindig]

54 minutes ago, BC-to-MI said:

When you choke down, do you adjust the swing at all or is there something you do with ball position that might help (moving it back in the stance a nudge, standing even closer to the ball, etc)?

I count this shot as my 3/4 shot with a wedge. 

For the past several months, I haven't hit a 100% shot with my 7-iron on down, other than a few on the range as part of one of Erik's challenges.

Also, there's no obligation to use the wedge itself, by the way.  If I'm 65 yards out, I can flight a sand wedge ... or hit a half with my pitching wedge.  I do the latter.

[p1n9183]

Full GW= 110
Full SW= 100
Full LW= 90

Half GW= 80
Half SW= 70
Half LW= 60

After opening the face of the club.. and an out to in swing

Half GW= 50
Half SW= 40
Half LW= 30

Less than 30 yards it´s just feel.