How can I hit clean wedge shots every time? (Golf)?

Question

I am struggling making good contact with my LW, SW, GW. I am trying to find out if my wedge swing should differ from my iron swing. Please help. I tend to hit shots fat or thin recently.

Answer 1

When you put the ball forward in your stance it will be more of a flop and in the back will be more spin. =)

Answer 2

There are many different reasons why this may happen... Tension, lack of experience, etc... but the one constant in bad ball striking is always the same.  Keep your head down and as still as possible.  The more you move your head, the worst your ball contact will be.  Watch the pros when they chip/pitch, they never move their heads.  This helps tremendously.  Just make an effort to tell yourself to keep your head still on shorter shots.

Answer 3

You have gotten a lot of good advice in just about every one of the previous answers.  The only thing I might add is when taking that slower, shorter backswing, don't give up on the follow thru of your swing. This commonly happens with finess type shots.  Spend some time on the range.

Answer 4

Ball in the middle of your stance will be the biggest tip;  too far forward will be a thin shot, and too far back will be a skull.  Open your stance instead of closed.   Hands even with the ball instead of forward like most iron shots is also a key point.

Answer 5

If you tend to hit fat and thin shots with wedges you need practice a lot not with 3 wedges but with 1, forget a lob wedge they are really hard to hit unless you are consistant say 6-7-8 hcp stick with a PW shorter swing and remember  practice does not make  perfect.

Perfect practice makes perfect.

Answer 6

Hitting with wedges depends on the lie the ball is on. There is a lot to write about on the different manners of hitting with a wedge depending on the lie & it will not fit into this space. Look for a good video or book that outlines the different ways to make wedge shots.

And yes the swing you take (& leg stance) with wedges differ from your regular iron shot.

Answer 7

previous answer is good but i'd also like to add you want to go through a motion of "chopping down" when you strike the ball with a wedge. it gives a ball more loft. of course you should follow through. by chopping, you also hit the ball in minimal time and space, so it creates spin, allowing the ball to sit better on the green.

Answer 8

Lol

PRACTICE

Answer 9

I suggest you take a shorter back swing.  With all shots, it's important to stay down and swing through the shot.  Especially for wedges.  Try putting the ball in the back of your stance to make contact with the ball first.  You just have to work on it at the range.

Answer 10

Spine angle at set up and spine angle at impact must be about the same.

If you set up in a neutral stance ie spine is fairly straight and

1) tilt your spine even further away from the target at impact then you will hit the ground before you hit the ball.

2) tilt your spine towards the target then you will blade the ball

Little to no hip rotation.

Mostly shoulder rotation. This will actually help with judging distance.

For example imagine a clock infront of you. If you swing your shoulders to lift your arms up to a 2 o'clock position then the ball should travel the same distance every time. Once you get this then you can vary your distance by varying your arm position to 3 o'clock and 4 o'clock. You can also vary your distance by varying your wedge.

Pitch shots are an extension of the chip shot. Chip shots generally means your arms are at the 5 o'clock position.

The difference is the shoulders turn abit more to get more distance ie it's a pitch once it gets to 4 o'clock

Little hand action until after impact

Answer 11

Tension is a killer.

Loosen up your grip, focus on the back of the ball, take a nice relaxed back swing, and swing through the ball.

Don't try to do anything special.

Answer 12

Sounds like you have the same problem i had a few years back.  basically a wedge shot should not be swung full speed.  they are more finesse than power.  if you hit the ball thin your next shot is usually a fat one.  if you hit it fat next shot is usually a thin one.  i recommend going to a grass field with a bunch of balls and just hitting shot after shot at a target.  set a hat,bucket,cup whatever and just keep hitting balls.  technically what your doing is anticipating hitting it wrong so your body tries to correct it.  the old saying holds true here.  keep your head down even after the ball has been struck. this will keep your head and shoulders "on" the ball.  hope it helps.  good luck

Answer 13

Actually they do differ because the shafts are shorter. Typically when you are hitting wedges thin, you are standing a bit further back. Try getting closer and I bet that will help you immensely. If you are hitting fat, you just need to be more aware of where your ball is lying.

Answer 14

If your hitting them both thin and fat I would guess deceleration. Its the most common cause of bad wedge shots. Take the club back as short as possible and then accelerate through.

The standard wedge swing should be the same as an iron swing .. sort of .. shorter swing for shorter distances .. and you have greater flexibility for hitting different shots with wedges.