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Wedge Distance Control

Jun 27, 2017 | 9:22 AM

Try these wedge distance control tips if you often struggle to hit your wedge shots close and you lack consistency from inside 100 yards.

You’re already on the back foot against fellow golfers if you don’t have a club between your sand wedge and pitching wedge.

This gap of around nine degrees will make it very difficult to control shots between 50 and 100 yards.

Putting in another wedge of around 52 degrees between the two (commonly known as a gap or approach wedge) will give you far more options and better control.

Then, the biggest pitfall to avoid when playing shots with your wedges is to make a full swing. By producing a three-quarter swing on the way back and on the way through, you’ll keep control of the flight.

Work on a three-quarter length swing with all three of your wedges and build up an understanding of how far each club, on average, goes. This will give you a strong arsenal for attacking the flag from a range of yardages.

Top wedge tips:

  • Having a gap of 9 degrees between your sand wedge and your pitching wedge leaves you with far too big of a yardage gap.
  • Adding a gap wedge to your bag, with a loft of around 52 degrees, will give you a lot more options and more control.
  • The biggest thing to avoid when hitting your wedges is making a full, 100% swing.
  • By utilising three-quarter length swings on the way back and way through, you’ll be able to keep control of the flight far better.
  • By practising hitting this type of shots with all your wedges, you’ll gradually build up an understanding of how far each club goes on average.
  • You’ll then be equipped with a far more varied arsenal of shots to enable you to attack flags from a wide variety of different yardages.