the importance of wedges

[pokerjoke]

i have just been practicing,i hit 300 balls all with my titliest vokey 60 degree wedge.a full shot 4 me is 85yrds,i also use it 4 all my chipping around the green as i love the club.i am a 12 hp but realize 2 be single figures i have 2 improve my chipping hence the practice,can anyone give me a tip that will help me get stone dead from 20-40-60-yrds thx

 

[inthecup]

Chip a ball (with whatever wedge) about 5yds, then with your next ball try and land on top of it. With your 3rd ball try and land on top of your 2nd, then 4th on top of 3rd, 5th on top of 4th and so on until your out of balls.

This for me is a good tip on trying to judge distances and where to land your shots.

Hope it makes sense.

Cheers

 

[drawboy]

Try using different clubs for chipping to give more variety to your shot making, for instance if you have no obstacles in your way try a 7/8/9/ iron instead. These clubs all have different roll out distances eg 7 iron rolls twice as far as the 9 iron so you can judge the amount of carry and roll required. By using different chips for different situations you can strengthen your armoury

 

[Tommo21]

i have just been practicing,i hit 300 balls all with my titliest vokey 60 degree wedge.a full shot 4 me is 85yrds,i also use it 4 all my chipping around the green as i love the club.i am a 12 hp but realize 2 be single figures i have 2 improve my chipping hence the practice,can anyone give me a tip that will help me get stone dead from 20-40-60-yrds thx

Keep hitting 300 balls and you'll know the answer okay.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I think you need to be varying the clubs and the distances you are hitting so you don't become reliant on one shot. Its fine to hit a LW either high or low but there will be times when its out of LW range or you have plenty of green between you and the flag and a running shot would be the higher percentage.

When I'm working around the putting green and hitting chips with everything including 58, 52 and pitching wedges down to 7 irons I put a towel down on my landing area and focus on trying to hit that spot. If the green is quiet I'll put a couple of towels down at different targets and move them closer (more lofted wedges) or further back for running shots as I vary my club.

Also, try and get a feel for say a half shot and a full shot with your wedges so that you can play the touch shots with more control and feel. Other than that I admire the dedication and your fitness to hit that many balls in one go. Remember though there is a case for less is more

 

[pigmeister]

Instead of hitting 300 balls flat out to 85yds, why not practice hitting them 40,50,60yds??????(just a suggestion). It`s feel, you don`t have to hit every shot flat out.
Why not have a lesson, i`m sure a good pro would sort you out and help you out with tip`s and practice drill`s!
You said practice makes perfect, but only if your going to practice the right thing`s. Otherwise a complete waste of time!

 

[pokerjoke]

thanku all 4 the tips,i will try them all and keep practicing

 

[TWM]

i have just been practicing,i hit 300 balls

Good Lord, 75 balls and I am whacked.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

I wouldn't use the 60* too much.
I was told by my pro that you should try to get the ball on the ground, running to the hole, as soon as possible.
ie, try more chip & runs than lob shots as a duffed C&R is less bad than a duffed lob.

I have a Vokey 60* also and I too love using it. But I have never yet hit a full one. Unless there is something tall in front of me I use my 52* for most pitch shots over 30 yds. As I was advised that I will hit it well more often.

 

[birdieman]

I have a Vokey 60* also and I too love using it. But I have never yet hit a full one. Unless there is something tall in front of me I use my 52* for most pitch shots over 30 yds. As I was advised that I will hit it well more often.

Interesting theory. I have no trouble with my 60 and enjoy using it, I also play a lot of bump and runs with 8 and 9 irons mainly.

My point however is that it is generally accepted that a 3 iron is hard to hit, a 4 iron is hard to hit also but a little easier to hit than a 3 iron. A 5 iron is easier to hit than the 4 etc.
This continues through the bag so that a wedge is easier to hit than a 9 iron.
Why is it then that many people (not me) say a lob wedge is harder to hit than a sand iron or a gap wedge? That shouldn't be the case, should it?
The lob wedge is a shorter club so you are closer to the ball which offers you more control over the clubhead.
It seems some people are just scared of the loft, why is that?
I will pull out a lob wedge with more confidence in hitting it well than a pitching wedge on a full shot.

 

[USER1999]

I think they are very easy to hit fat, and go straight under the ball (at impact the relative height of the face is very shallow). You also have to hit them hard relative to the distance you want it to go, so thin shots are punished. I have had 64s and 60s and found them a liability. As a rule, my short game is pretty good, but the highest loft I carry is 58. It may also be that you have found one with the right bounce for your conditions, but for me they are too easy to dig in. Maybe I need to try one on a links instead of a swamp.

I like an 8i myself. The thin ones go the same distance as the well hit ones.

 

[ColinR]

I have a Vokey 60* also and I too love using it. But I have never yet hit a full one. Unless there is something tall in front of me I use my 52* for most pitch shots over 30 yds. As I was advised that I will hit it well more often.

Interesting theory. I have no trouble with my 60 and enjoy using it, I also play a lot of bump and runs with 8 and 9 irons mainly.

My point however is that it is generally accepted that a 3 iron is hard to hit, a 4 iron is hard to hit also but a little easier to hit than a 3 iron. A 5 iron is easier to hit than the 4 etc.
This continues through the bag so that a wedge is easier to hit than a 9 iron.
Why is it then that many people (not me) say a lob wedge is harder to hit than a sand iron or a gap wedge? That shouldn't be the case, should it?
The lob wedge is a shorter club so you are closer to the ball which offers you more control over the clubhead.
It seems some people are just scared of the loft, why is that?
I will pull out a lob wedge with more confidence in hitting it well than a pitching wedge on a full shot.

In answer to your question of why is it harder to hit....

I'm not sure that it is harder to hit, just that the consequence of a miss-hit is far greater.

For example, if you thin a full blooded 7 iron, you might get 180 yards instead of 160. So you are probably going to be 10-15 yards long of the green.

If you thin a full blooded 60 degree wedge, which with a good shot you might get 85 yards, chances are you are going to get 130+ yards, so it could be you will be 35 yards past the green. On most courses, this is trouble !!

If you FAT the 7 iron, you may get 100 yards, if you FAT the 60 degree wedge you could get 15 yards !!!

Make sense ??

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I think a lot of it has to do with confidence through impact, practicing regularly and being sucked in by TV. I have a 60 degree wedge which I tend to use more in the summer where I can nip the ball better without the fear of a fat and is useful from the longer rough and bunkers around the greens. I tend to spend a lot of time working with my LW during the summer so feel confident and so tend to have no problem committing to the shot. If I put it in my bag in Winter I tend to hit it heavier and it becomes more of a liability. I think if I had the chance to work on it on heavier soil then I'm sure I'd find a way of making it work. As it is I prefer the pitch and run and not guessing on whether the ball will check too quickly or not.

I see a lot of our juniors with LW's trying to emulate Mickleson and they always seem to be trying to play a high shot even from the front of the green with no trouble to negotiate. I know its a cool shot when it comes off and even I try it from time to time if I'm on my own but surely if you are playing a competition or even a friendly match the score is the thing

 

[pokerjoke]

once again thx 4 all the suggestions of how 2 use wedges,however i didnt hit all 300 shots 85yrds i was also hitting them 20-40-60yrds but cudnt get them stone dead from these yardages,however played realy well 2day trying a chip and run and it worked well even if i had some indiferent rolls,thx again

 

[Robobum]

Crikey, there seems to be a lot of over complicating of things going on here.

I agree with Birdieman, if someone said to me to pull a club and hit a good one without warming up or practising I would grab my 60*. (If the putter was not allowed! )

Shortest shaft, biggest iron clubface, plenty of loft already there so no need to hit it hard.

On that note, I'm puzzled by the post that says you have to hit them hard?? I'd say the total opposite is the case, it's probably the only club that is more difficult to really go at.

 

[painterboy]

Pokerjoke

Have found this this approach helpful.

Hit a dozen or more balls with a half swing that feels comfortable to you (very important)and do not have any concern how far they go. Then measure how far on average they have gone. You will now have a repeatable half swing(YOUR halfswing)that will more often than not travel about the distance you expect it to go.

For instance my half swing is with a 45% wedge(gripped down to 2" from the metal) swung back with my hands to about 10 o'clock ( I don't have to think about it)and the ball goes 45/48 yards (usually!)

Once this is known you can start experimenting with different lofts and how far you swing the hands back. Cannot emphasize how important to find out how far you hit these shots, so you can repeat them with confidence.

 

[Faldo_Fan]

For instance my half swing is with a 45% wedge(gripped down to 2" from the metal) swung back with my hands to about 10 o'clock

Your hands go to 10 o'clock for your half swing????????
Blimey your full swing must be twice the length of John Daly????

 

[painterboy]

Yes my full swing (with say a driver)is a tad past the horizontal, but it's only a tad.

I did say about 10 0'clock,and it's probably more 9;30 ish. yours is obviously less than that.

The point being made is that the half swing should feel just as natural and repeatable as the full swing, which in turn gives a datum point to work other distances from.

Who's John Daly?