How to Play Those Touchy 50-Yard Wedge Shots Without Fear (Ep.41)
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Turn a Weakness into a Strength
I used to absolutely fear a 50 yard wedge shot in golf tournaments. I’d do all I could to avoid them. Mostly that meant laying up to 100 yards leaving a full wedge into the green.
While that might be a good way to avoid embarrassment, it’s not the way to become the best player you can.
A Turning Point in My Wedge Play
At some point, I read Dave Pelz’s Short Game Bible. and my golf life changed forever. With some basic practice, I was able to turn my biggest fear into a huge strength.
Instead of worrying about skulling shots over the green or laying the sod over the ball, I was thinking about holing those same half wedge shots.
Your First Step Toward Confidence
The first step is to get to know a basic half wedge shot, and how far the ball tends to carry. Do this the next few times you hit the range.
Grab your favorite wedge…perhaps your 56 or whatever. Hit about 20 balls with a swing that takes your hands back to 9:00 (about hip height) and follows through at the same height (3:00 position on a clock).
Try to swing with the same relaxed rhythm and repeat the same motion every time. Note the CARRY distance that the shots tend to fly.
Do this for a few days with each of your wedges, and you’ll effectively be adding new clubs in your bag. This is the beginning of learning exactly what kind of swing and club produces these short range shots with precision.
