[PHOTO: Jesse Rieser]
Tour pros are exceptional wedge players because they control their distance so well, but you don’t need to spend hours on the range to be pin-high more often – you just might need to adjust your technique. The best wedge players have a wide backswing with very minimal wrist set [above]. Think of Steve Stricker’s motion, where he hardly hinges his wrists. The wedge swing should be controlled by the rotation of your core, not by your hands and arms.
A wider backswing creates a shallower angle of attack and a lower, more consistent ball flight. Bad wedge players use a lot of hand action and slide their body towards the target in the downswing, which creates a steep angle and big divots. The best wedge players stay very centred throughout the swing and use the speed of their rotation to determine how far the ball will go.
At setup, lean the handle of the club a little towards the target. By doing this, you’re pre-setting the shaft lean that you want at impact so you don’t need to hinge the club much in the backswing. This is how you deliver the same loft every time. After making a wider move off the ball, stay centred as you rotate your chest and hips in the downswing. You can control the distance by changing the speed of your body’s rotation. Do it right, and you’ll hit low-flying wedges that grab next to the pin.
Mark Blackburn, voted No.1 by his peers on Golf Digest‘s 50 Best Teachers in America, has coached dozens of pros, including Justin Rose, Max Homa, Collin Morikawa, Adam Hadwin, Daniel Berger, Charley Hoffman, Alex Fitzpatrick, Matthieu Pavon and Trey Mullinax. His golf academy is located at Greystone Golf & Country Club in Birmingham, Alabama.
