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The following articles were written by Dr. Feel, President and CEO of Feel Golf; one of the leading thinkers in the realm of the short game. He is the creator of the Feel Wedge line, one of the best wedge lines in the world.

Which Loft to Use and When

Which loft do I use and when do I use it?

What’s my best scoring distance for each?

How to manage my in-between “club” approach shot?

 

First, the most important point is to learn your own wedge swing. A wedge “swing” uses 70-75 percent of your power. Trying to “overcook” a wedge is similar to using a putter as a driver — it is just a bad idea. Never try to POWER a wedge if you want to score — remember, only 75-percent of your full effort. It’s accuracy that counts, not the amateur statement we’ve all heard at one time or another, “Gee whiz, I can hit a 56-degree 130 yards?” The real question is, “Did you score?”

 

The second point to learn is what distance and accuracy each wedge will give you. I’ve seen Tour players with considerable differences in wedge distance from one player to another, but each will stick to the distance and the accuracy they need. It’s true that many golfers can hit a wedge much farther than this, but

without accuracy, what’s the point? After all, it’s the score that determines whether or not you make the cut. Nowhere on a scorecard does it ask how far you hit the wedge or far the putt was that you made, only the number of shots up and down.

 

LEARN YOUR WEDGE DISTANCE:

Go to a driving range and measure each wedge and its distance accurately. Hit shots to the 125-yard marker. Then try the 100-, 75-, 50-, and all the way down to the 25-yard marker. Make yourself a chart for each wedge. After the full wedge swing at 75 percent and determining the club’s full length and the distance, choke down ½ inch and repeat the entire distance process. After this drill is charted, choke one more inch down again and chart your distance. It is so very important to know how far each wedge will fly with the 75-percent swing.

 

LOFT:

Very seldom will the actual loft on a wedge determine the distance needed for you. Never take a wedge loft as verbatim. The best way is to hit your wedges is to first determine the distance traveled for each and then bend your loft if necessary for your preferred distance. If you’re lucky enough to have a lie/loft machine or know of someone that does, change the loft 1-degree for every 3 to 5 yards needed up or down. Now go hit it until you have your wedges dialed in. Check the final loft and write it down on your chart for future reference.

 

When changing wedges, use the loft that’s on the club strictly for reference only and start the “dialing-in” process again. Never assume this 56-degree wedge is the same as another 56-degree wedge — it won’t be.

Why do you think Tour players show up days ahead of time for practice rounds? One reason is so they can provide their landing spots in the fairways. Secondly, they can determine their wedge distance and landing spots on the green and finally practice putting from different areas. If you have the luxury, repeat the entire process into the wind and also from downwind.

 

Once you have this dialed in, now take this knowledge to the course. For example, the truth is most amateurs are ALWAYS short or very long on their approach shot with wedges. Add the spin rates of today’s golf balls and if you land 20-feet short, add the spin and you might be facing a 30- or 40-foot downhill putt.

 

So, when playing be sure to take into account the distance to the pin, not just to the center of the green. Let’s say you are 80 yards out and your 56-degree flies 80 yards on a calm day. The pin is 15 feet past center, and it is a bit uphill with wind coming at you. That shot is only going to fly maybe 70 yards, so you may be facing a 50- or 60-foot putt! Drop down to the next loft, either 54 or 52 or even a ¾ swing on your pitching wedge, and go for the flag or your predetermined landing spot. Another point to remember is if you have bunkers guarding the front, you should always take one more club. When a bunker is guarding the green, depth perception can be tricky. Take the bunkers out of play — better to go long than short in other words. If you are in between clubs, take the lower loft and choke down just a little bit in order to decrease the distance of the shot. One half-inch should shorten the shot by five yards.

 

So essentially, a club you can hit 80 yards can easily be adjusted down to 75 by simply choking down on the club without any change in your swing. The point being is that with just a little practice, you can develop the skill to hit each of your wedges three or four different distances by simply choking up or down on the club while using the same swing.

 

The most important part of the wedge game is having a confident feel for the distance, same as if you’re throwing a ball underhand from one person to another. And it never enters into your mind how far or how hard you must throw the ball for the distance in-between. The mind automatically gauges the distance and can do the same for your wedge game.

 

For distance control, always refer to the distance to your landing spot onto the green. First, check a yardage marker for distance. Once the yardage is in your mind, simply swing the wedge and let your mind control the needed distance, same as you did when throwing a ball back and forth. Trust your mind to do it correctly and have the confidence to trust that it will.

 

Practice this with three different “choking down” positions with each wedge loft, and you’ll be surprised how accurate you can become. You should NEVER think mechanics during the wedge swing, or for that matter, any swing unless you’re in the deep dark jungle and trying to escape. If you practice going to these different “choking” positions, you will see better yardage control, scoring and feel in your game, as well as having another 12 clubs or so to score with.

 Grip

 

TO SUM UP:

The wedge swing is a free and relaxed arm swing only. Right foot (for right-handed golfers) will come off slightly by itself after impact. There’s very little body involved, as the body will simply follow the swing.

Keep your back to the target during the downswing without any tension and allow your body to simply follow through without any thought. Just swing smoothly and your arms will follow your shoulder line as the ball flies nice and true to your target. (right) To have a good divot, think of the ball as a piece of rope that you can cut into two pieces with one sharp blow. Practice wedge shots with your feet touching. This will give you the feeling of the arm swing only. If you are trying to “hit” the wedge versus swinging the wedge, you’ll go off-balance. The right arm takes the wedge away on full shots, which guarantees being on plane. Always use a lower loft than you think, and if necessary, grip down on the shaft for in-between shots. Wedge lofts should have a distance of 12 yards or so between lofts and by gripping down a half-inch, it takes three to five yards off the shot. So if you have four wedges, you essentially have 12 or more different clubs in your bag. As always, I recommend adding as many wedge lofts as you can fit into your bag and learn to play each. Once this is accomplished, your scores will surely come down. Possible lofts, as suggested in last lesson, include 46-, 52-, 56-, 60-, and a 64-degree wedge, which all allow you to take a full driver swing on each shot.


Short Game Tips

In this lesson, we will focus on the following points of your golf game:

• How to read the green before your wedge approach shot,

• When to use different wedge lofts,

• When to use a 7- or 8-iron from 75 yards out

• What is the “Sucker Pin”

So you have been to the range, tested your distances and practiced with your feet together with a 75-percent swing. Many Tour players will use this “feet together” drill to establish tempo.

Now, let’s take a look at using your head and your “sticks” to learn how to makesome birdies. But first, let’s talk about the sucker pin! We’ve all heard the word and some even know the drill. You are coming in, and the pin is placed just a few feet beyond a bunker, or on a crown near the edge or perhaps even tucked in a corner near water. You want to be close, but are you willing to risk it?

A SUCKER PIN CAN BE:

a) A pin that’s tucked behind a bunker,

b) A pin that is on a small crown just a couple of paces from the edge, so the ball trickles off the green onto the fringe,

c) A pin on an area around the hole that looks flat but has a subtle double grainbreak or

d) On a fast down-grain, similar to an airplane runaway.

Are amateurs unnecessary risk takers? From my place in the booth, the answer seems to be always YES but should be a resounding NO. Why? The amateur may try the once-in-a-lifetime 10-percent shot versus the 90-percent safe approach. It is simple — why risk a high number when you can hit safely to the middle and get down in two? The likelihood of you getting close enough for a one-putt is just not in the cards, but a bogey or worse is certainly ready to happen as you stand over your shot. The water hazard or bunker is certainly in your mind, and the risk may be more prominent in your thinking than it really is.

As we all know, however, is that what the mind is focused on is most likely to happen. There you go, right into the hazard. Take a drop or two out because you are so mad and bingo — the dreaded double or triple bogey. Never take a double bogey by using poor judgment. In last week’s lesson, we determined that your 56-degree wedge is good for 80 yards. Now, let’s look at the various types of green you may be hitting onto. If it is sloped back to the front, your shot hopefully will not go anywhere after landing if you’ve learned your distance and ball-flight. So you might want to think about going one loft lower (54 or 52 degrees) to take it all the way, or even past, the pin. Or, if you don’t have to navigate any bunkers or rough en route to the pin, you might even consider bumping up to a 7- or 8-iron and let it run up by using an overgrown putting stroke, just like the European players do so well. The object is to ALWAYS keep the ball on the ground if you can.

SOME RULES OF THUMB TO REMEMBER ARE:

a) Chip when you can’t Putt

b) Pitch when you can’t Chip

c) If you’re a couple feet off the green, use a hybrid or fairway wood to putt with, especially if the fringe can grab an iron.

d) As your distance increases away from the green, various iron lofts can be used.

e) The object is to have the ball land on the green as soon as you can and let it run to the hole.

f) Practice with one or two of your wedges, grab the 6- and 7-irons, or even the 4- or 5-irons to see what distance the ball will land barely onto the green.

Now see how far the roll for each will be when just using your putting stroke. You’ll see a much better up-and-down rate and less bogeys. Now take the reverse. You’re facing a shot onto a green that’s sloped from front to the back. For this shot, you need to take it on a high, yet soft-landing trajectory. A bump and run may give it the best chance of stopping since it will check and run only a bit on landing.

You should take into account the way the greens are playing. Take a walk up to the green if you’re not too familiar with the course and check it out. Is it soft, mushy or hard, and which way is the grain running? Is it holding or are shots running away from you? Simply put, you have to think before selecting your club. It is not “just” a distance decision.

A top player in his good “A-Swing” days will have about 10 shots difference from scores on his “B-” or “C-swing” days. Once your wedge game is under control and improving, use the 10-stroke “Rule of Thumb” to gauge your own progress.

So take in these suggestions and apply them to your short game. Once they are understood, you are sure to lower your scores.

Wedge Play Tips from the Pros who build wedges

Dr. Feel Explains:
Around the green, bunkers are a professional’s friend and an amateur’s nightmare. Most professionals would much prefer to land in a bunker than the rough and with amateurs it’s exactly the opposite.

Bunker play is very simple since it’s the only shot you intentionally want to miss the ball. Most amateurs set up in the bunker with the same set up as for their other shots - which seldom works.

What to Do?

1) The Set Up:  Set up just a little farther from the ball than normal, this produces a slightly flatter swing plane to prevent a steep angle of attack and digging the club head into the sand. Then vary your ball position to find your own best ball position.
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2) Thought: In practice, swing and try throwing sand to the flag with your left arm (for R/H players) without a ball. Just make a relaxed swing with the thought of the left arm throwing sand as if it was a shovel. Now swing, keeping the lower body quiet, and emphasize throwing sand all the way to the flag with each swing. This gives you the feel for how much effort the swinging of the club is required. You should have your left arm swinging all the way through to your finish - is crucial.
3) Behind the Ball: Do not focus upon how far behind the ball to hit - your intuition will prevail if you simply let it, but typically - for those that have to know - it’s generally anywhere from <1 inch to 2-3 inches.

4) Arms Only: For green side bunker practice, place your feet together-touching and then practice using a soft and relaxed arms only swing, with the ball just inside the front foot.

5) Wrist Break: Try breaking your wrists much quicker , but softly in the swing just like you’re picking the club head up and throwing sand to the flag

6) Confidence Builder: Now place a small pebble, place the pebble (very small rock) in your normal ball position, swing and watch the rock fly out with the sand. Practice this until you have the feel and confidence, then change to a ball and use the same thoughts and motion. You now will play bunkers with confidence!