There is nothing more satisfying than piping a drive down the middle with a slight draw, right? Now you’re left with 83 yards to a middle pin and you’re already thinking about chalking down a birdie on the score card. As you approach the ball, reality sets back in and you grip the club, take your stance and hit. You catch it fairly clean and when you get up to the green the ball is 65 feet from the hole.
What’s wrong with this scenario above? It’s not only that we probably didn’t make birdie, but it’s the fact that we just hit an 83-yard shot as close to the pin as we hit our 7 iron. That shouldn’t be the case. The average proximity to the hole with a wedge from tour players is around 19 feet. The average for a 20 handicap is 83 feet. Honestly, I was most surprised that a 20-handicap hit the ball nearly 100 feet from hole from 100 yards. A 100-yard shot is a shot everyone should be decent at, no matter the handicap. If you commit to working on this shot, you will notice the good habits you learn will leak into the rest of your game and you will see overall improvement throughout the bag.
TIPS:
1. Do not hit your wedges 100% unless you absolutely have to. This means swing easier with these shots and grab a stronger lofted club to allow a less tense swing. This lowers the flight slightly and will allow for more control to your yardages
2. Grip down slightly, the shorter the shot the more you should grip down. This will allow you more control over the club now that your hands are closer to the balance point in the wedge.
3. Be more aggressive and stay committed during the shot. This is accomplished by following tip 2 and allowing yourself to bend at the waist slightly more. Bending will allow us to have a steeper angle of attack to ensure we make solid contact.