Hitting Wedges From Inside 100 Yards
One of the hardest things to do for an average golfer is the distance control from within 100 yards. Players who do not know any better have a tendency to pull out a single club (whether it's a pitching wedge or a sand wedge) and use that stick for distances of less than 100 yards. However There's an easier way.
You want to set yourself up with the proper gear before anything else. Pick wedges that are spaced evenly apart, and buy at least three wedges. You must also discover how much loft is on your pitching wedge. For instance, I have got a pitching wedge that has got a loft of 48 degrees, a gap wedge at 54 degrees and a lob wedge at 60 degrees.
After setting yourself up with the right clubs, the next thing you need to do is to learn 3 separate swings: the half, the 3/4, and the full swing. Imagine your hands as the hands on a clock. What would the positions of the full swing be? Most likely near 11:30 or so. That would imply your 3/4 swing should get you close to the 10 o'clock position and the half swing would leave you around 8:30.
To guarantee the acceleration as you strike the ball, you need to slightly follow thru further than you took the club back.
The step after that is for you to take yardages. Hit 10 balls and average out the distance that each one went, with each wedge and each position. The simplest way to do that is to do test your distances out on the actual green, because if you do this on a driving range then you won't get the same bounce and roll on your shot and so your measurements won't be completely as accurate.
Thereafter, you could have 9 different numbers for 9 different distances varying from around 30 yards to 120 yards. This should help you control your distances and give yourself a better chance at getting up and back down when having to use distance control.
Of course, adding a fourth wedge will also give you three extra numbers, bringing your total distances mastered up to 12. Having 12 different and correct distances you know that you can hit within 100 yards will enable you to get close with the varied distances that you are facing out on the course. If you practice on your game and hit crisp wedges, you shouldn't have more than a 10 foot putt after your approach.
You want to set yourself up with the proper gear before anything else. Pick wedges that are spaced evenly apart, and buy at least three wedges. You must also discover how much loft is on your pitching wedge. For instance, I have got a pitching wedge that has got a loft of 48 degrees, a gap wedge at 54 degrees and a lob wedge at 60 degrees.
After setting yourself up with the right clubs, the next thing you need to do is to learn 3 separate swings: the half, the 3/4, and the full swing. Imagine your hands as the hands on a clock. What would the positions of the full swing be? Most likely near 11:30 or so. That would imply your 3/4 swing should get you close to the 10 o'clock position and the half swing would leave you around 8:30.
To guarantee the acceleration as you strike the ball, you need to slightly follow thru further than you took the club back.
The step after that is for you to take yardages. Hit 10 balls and average out the distance that each one went, with each wedge and each position. The simplest way to do that is to do test your distances out on the actual green, because if you do this on a driving range then you won't get the same bounce and roll on your shot and so your measurements won't be completely as accurate.
Thereafter, you could have 9 different numbers for 9 different distances varying from around 30 yards to 120 yards. This should help you control your distances and give yourself a better chance at getting up and back down when having to use distance control.
Of course, adding a fourth wedge will also give you three extra numbers, bringing your total distances mastered up to 12. Having 12 different and correct distances you know that you can hit within 100 yards will enable you to get close with the varied distances that you are facing out on the course. If you practice on your game and hit crisp wedges, you shouldn't have more than a 10 foot putt after your approach.