Wedge Play

The old Ben Hogan Apex irons didn’t have the tradition “PW” or “W” on the pitching wedge. Instead, the sole of the club bore an “E". The “E” stood for “Equalizer.” Hogan believed a great wedge player could overcome other deficiencies in a player’s game.

Hogan’s thought was a golfer could score well despite being an average driver or iron player or putter or any combination of the three if the same player was a great wedge player. I tend to agree. I’ve played with many quality golfers who were phenomenal wedge players but lacked in other aspects of their game. The wedge levelled or equalized the scoring.

In past newsletters I have preached about distance being the key component to the ability to score. Some people misunderstand my argument. Being able to hit a golf ball far enough doesn’t guarantee good scores, but it does provide a better opportunity to score. I’m not talking about hitting 300-yard bombs off the tee, but distance does directly correlate to the ability to score. Good scoring requires more than just sufficient length.

In other words, even if you can bomb it off the tee, if you can’t hit your wedges, you lose the opportunity length provides to score.

In poor wedge players I encounter, I see several factors which lead to trouble.

1. Poor technique - there is a lot to unpack here. In general terms, poor wedge players do one or more of the following which inhibits their wedge play.

   a. Length of swing - most players take a swing which is much too long, whether the shot is a pitch or a full wedge. This causes the player to either decelerate on a shorter shot or lose control of the swing on the full shot. Developing a proper swing length for a wedge shot is imperative.

   b. Scooping - poor wedge players tend to try and “help” the ball in the air. Clubs have different lofts and lengths for a reason. They are designed to produce longer or shorter shots with the appropriate height of flight for the golf ball. Wedges have the most loft on the club precisely because they are supposed to launch the ball higher int the air. This is a simple and obvious concept, yet I see poor wedge players constantly try to scoop the ball into the air with their wedges.

   

   c. Poor set up - Most players I see play the ball well back in their stance. This is fine to produce a lower flighted shot, but the ball should not normally be past the middle of your stance. Just as the ball position is often too far back, the hand position at address is too far back. The hands should be lined up with the inside to middle of the lead thigh. This promotes a forward shaft lean which is essential to hitting solid wedges.

Ultimately, poor technique leads to poor contact which leads to poor shots. Improving basic technique and improving contact are essential to good wedge play.

There’s more on technique I could speak on, but these are the most common issues I see.

2. Distances - Most average players overestimate how far they hit the longer clubs. Usually, they include how far the ball runs out or how far they hit the club perfectly as their distance. Neither is the actual distance they hit the club. While that is bad, it’s worse when you have no idea how far you hit a wedge in the air. To make matters worse, poor wedge players have no concept of how to swing the club to produce a 30, 40 or 50-yard shot. It’s no wonder they are usually terrified of hitting 1/2 and 3/4 wedges. Rather than going to a range and hitting a bucket of full drivers, they should be hitting wedges different distances and focusing on the feel for 30, 40 and 50-yard wedges.

   I want to emphasize one other thing. I get asked how to get a shorter wedge shot to come in low with spin. You know the shot; the ball comes in low takes two hops and stops. Why are you trying to understand how to hit this shot when you struggle with a basic wedge shot? If you can hit basic wedges consistently the proper distances, then ok. But util you can hit consistent wedges, forget about trying to hit the spinner.

   If you struggle with wedges, focus on technique and distance. Make sure the ball and hand positions are good. Make controlled full swings focusing on contact and not distance. From there, spend time hitting 30, 40 and 50-yard wedges focusing on the carry distance and feel for each distance. Improve them both and watch your wedge play and scores improve.

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Being a poor wedge player hinders your ability to score. Learning to properly hit wedge shots and understanding the distances you hit different types of wedge shots is vital to improving your wedge play. Rather than beating drivers at the range, focus on improving your wedges, and you will see your scores start to drop.

As always, be thankful when you play. Be grateful you have the privilege and opportunity to play this amazing game. Now, go golf!