This is a topic that will irritate you, but make your handicap go down.

[larrybud]

On 6/30/2021 at 5:11 PM, hoganfan924 said:

This reminded me of Golfwrx'r "Larrybud," who used to have a golf league partner that would always brag about how he could hit a SW 120 yards.  Problem was, he only drove it about 220-230  LOL.  Just shut that face down and play it off your back foot and hit 120 SW!  LOL  Anyway, my numbers for a full swing are (from most recent TM4 fitting (carry)):

 

PW 47 deg. Miura CB-1008 (about 125 - can push it to 135 max. no recent TM data)

Driver: 258 (New TSi2 - still waiting 8 weeks later for it from Club Champion) ☹️ My Nike Covert II tour averaged 244 in the same fitting.

 

 

That guy would literally lose his balance and spin out hitting SW just to "prove" a point. lol

 

Driver, 225.

PW, 110.

I know I could  get another 8 or 9 out of the PW if I "go for it" (provided I make solid contact) but rarely do I try/have to do that. I can't count how many 2" choked down 9 irons I hit to hit a ball 120.  I also don't "back off" anything.

Maybe Monte can chime in about some guys hitting "super flops" from 40 yards when they have no business doing so 😉

 

Edited August 12, 2021 by larrybud

[Paddy_2_Iron]

On 11/28/2020 at 7:20 PM, MonteScheinblum said:

First things first.

 

1.  How far do you hit a decent driver under normal conditions?

2.  Under normal conditions, what distance do you pull a PW from?

 

Carry 210-230

Carry 115-125

Edited August 12, 2021 by Paddy_2_Iron

[Lefty_3Jack]

Arccos tells me my driver "smart range" is 252-274.  The "smart range" for the PW is 120-140.  If I've ever hit a PW 140 there was a lot of wind behind me.  Summer conditions right now I'd put a solid driver strike at 265+ and I'd feel comfortable hitting a PW 120-130yds.  

[Paddy_2_Iron]

11 minutes ago, Lefty_3Jack said:

Arccos tells me my driver "smart range" is 252-274.  The "smart range" for the PW is 120-140.  If I've ever hit a PW 140 there was a lot of wind behind me.  Summer conditions right now I'd put a solid driver strike at 265+ and I'd feel comfortable hitting a PW 120-130yds.  

 

This trips me out my PW 45 degree is close to your but my driver numbers are no where near yours.  At best 240 carry in the middle of the face.  

[Barfolomew]

290-320

PW 110-140 for different situations

 

But I was guilty this week of hitting wedges too hard..... and it cost me!  I even enjoy clubbing up but I was a dumbass and forgot too lol

 

This thread reminded me not to be a dumbass everyday and take a day off once and a while

[ZA206]

I'm late to the party but here are my driver and 46 deg PW numbers depending on the shot I'm trying to hit:

Driver = 270-285 carry

PW = 120-135 carry (ideal yardage is 125-130)

 

 

[cbrwn425]

Driver: 285-300

PW: 150

[Socrates]

I've been all over this theory and have put it into practice, but I got a little carried away and found I was scrubbing off too much distance from my irons.  Had to ramp up the club head speed a bit so that I was only taking off a few yards from a shot rather than 10-15.

 

Before: PW 140.  Now: PW 130-135  Can go as low as 120-125 but not as consistent with accuracy.  Might have to put another Gap wedge into the bag to cover that yardage.  Maybe take out the putter since I'll be putting it so close, I can just pick up. 😬

[Jay28]

Driver 245-270 with a 259 measured average (total yards).... up by a LOT fairly recently.

PW 125, 80% effort swing which is all I ever do with wedges...got to be really careful because if I swing too hard the PW range is from 100 with a duff to 145 with a perfect strike. No good.

 

Edited August 13, 2021 by Jay28

[liquorandpoker]

On 11/28/2020 at 5:51 PM, MonteScheinblum said:

The thread on punch shots made me think of  discussing this.  So I just wanted to get some examples to show how golfers hit their wedges way too hard and too far and it makes it more difficult to manage distance because trajectory and spin are not consistent.  Almost without exception, golfers over the handicap of 0 improve their proximity when they hit more club,  with a shorter backswing, with less speed and keep trajectory and spin down on most shots.  
 

There’s no world long wedge contest, they are made for accuracy not distance.  You ever notice how higher level players have much shorter swings on wedges than driver?  Most of you know that even though I’m an old fat man, I can carry a driver 3 bills without much trouble, yet my PW is 130-135.  140 is NEVER a PW unless there is an extenuating circumstance.  

 

Whenever I have this discussion with people, here are the comments I get and what I respond.

 

1.  “I can easily hit it that far, that’s my stock PW.”  I don’t doubt you can, but why would you want to?

 

2.  “I’m a very good wedge player.”  I don’t doubt it, but you’re not on the PGA and even they are trying to be better.

 

3.  “I don’t do well hitting partial wedges.”  It’s not always a partial wedge, it managing the length of your swing better because it’s too long.

 

4.  “Tour players hit their wedges far, and high.”  Yes, but they are skilled enough and practice to manage trajectory, distance and spin...and have you every watched carefully at how many lower trajectory shots they hit inside 150 on the range and course?

 

5.  “The greens at my course are firm and I need to do that to hit it close to tucked pins.”  See Scott Fawcett’s thoughts on going for the pin.

 

Learn to hit all your short irons 2 clubs shorter than what you think you hit now with a shorter backswing.  This is especially helpful for those with excess arm swing in their backswing, but even if you go back to your full yardage, you’ll have another shot in your bag, but most will find a much better level of consistency not trying to hit short irons full (max distance).

 

An old string I hadn't seen before.  Great  advice from Monte!!

 

This is a real issue in my game and I think critical of you want to play good golf.  The game is about controlling the ball, not who can hit a wedge the furthest.  Usually the guys trying to prove how far they can hit a wedge kinda suck

[rooski]

On 11/28/2020 at 4:20 PM, MonteScheinblum said:

1.  How far do you hit a decent driver under normal conditions?

2.  Under normal conditions, what distance do you pull a PW from?

 

1.) 320-330

2.) 155

 

Given my Arccos data however, I should probably start pulling 9i from that distance, looks like I swing too hard and come up short a lot with PW. Will reevaluate distances when new irons get here. 

 

The point of the thread seems to be wedges and short irons are swung too hard and I think my data reflects that as well

Edited August 14, 2021 by rooski

[nitram]

11 hours ago, liquorandpoker said:

 Usually the guys trying to prove how far they can hit a wedge kinda suck

 

and they pay like an ATM.

[Bob M]

Great thread which I started to read months ago and should have continued following and doing!

 

Driver carry - 180 (about 190 total distance)

PW (44*) - 92 

 

Lately I have been working on 9-3 swings with my irons (7-LW) and get about 70 yards with the PW. Going forward will be following this thread and focusing on these shots. 

 

Thanks Monte

 

[Bob M]

9-hole league last night. My approach wedges (includes 9-iron) were much improved by taking one more club and swinging to 9 o'clock rather than full (which is about 10 o'clock). I had 7 of these shots last night, four of which I hit really well, one mediocre and two pretty poorly. I shot a 9-over 45 which is my best round on this nine in a long time. It could have been better because the two approaches which I muffed contributed to the two 3-putts  (recently aerated greens didn't help either).

 

Clearly there is more work to be done, but I definitely feel that I'm headed in the right direction with this approach (pun intended)!

[ShowMe]

I get better results by choking down an inch or two and taking a full swing, rather than trying to hit say a 90% shot with a normal grip.  One inch = 10 fewer yards for me.  Choking down gives me better control, too, even with the full swing.

 

That said, I also have a 50% (half-length) and a 75% (three-quarters-length) swing for wedge shots inside of 100 yards.

 

Then when you combine the choking down with the 50% and 75% swing, you get all kinds of great combinations, and excellent distance control.  You just have to be good at multiplying in your head.  lol

Edited August 24, 2021 by ShowMe

[BigTerp1524]

I worked on this at the range over the weekend. Took my 54* with 3/4ish swings working a flag at 90 yards. After I got my distance figured out with a few swings, I was ALL OVER the flag. Have never been as accurate with my wedges (full swings) as I was during this range session incorporating partial swings. Really encouraging for a high capper like myself. Now that I got my 54* figured out, distance wise, I'm anxious to incorporate that same swing with other wedges and short irons. Like @ShowMe said, it should just be a matter of doing the math as to which club to pull from a certain distance with that same 3/4ish swing.

[Marty86]

Driver: 260

PW: 120

[Bob M]

Yesterday I worked on hitting 9:00 shots with 9-iron, PW, UW and 54* using the "Target" mode of my SC100. I set "targets" at 85, 75, 65 and 55-yards respectively and hit 10-shots to each and am feeling like I'm getting this shot dialed in. 

 

@ShowMe - Great point about choking down an inch to control the distance. This is an approach that I never think of trying, but will do so next time I'm on the range. Combined with the 9:00 swing it would provide another whole set of distances!

[Bob M]

Today I did Monte's 2/3s drill with an 8-iron  and PW with a small bucket. For me, 2/3s of my full swing distance with an 8 and PW are about 72 and 60 respectively and my goal was to focus on making a smooth swing and good contact, while keeping to these distances.  Great drill for the full swing motion!

[BigTerp1524]

This has been a game changer for me. Have been working at the range dialing in distances with my wedges up to my 9i with a left arm parallel swing. Didn't take long to get it dialed in. 54* left arm parallel is about 80 yards for me. A little shorter or longer I take a little shorter or longer backswing. Fairly easy to figure out the distances with other wedges and my 9i from there. It's helped off the tee on par 3's where, for example, a full 8i is called for but instead I'll hit a 3/4 swing 7i. This will take more work to get dialed in versus approach shots with wedges and short irons, but overall much more control and consistency versus trying to get all you can out of a particular club. Shot my best 3 rounds of the year over the weekend with an all time low round score for me. A lot of it was helped by incorporating these swings throughout my rounds. Thanks @MonteScheinblum , you never cease to amaze!!

[ewaldbeukes]

275m Driver

136m Pitching Wedge

 

(*distances at altitude so about accurate to sea level yards)

 

Pretty accurate with my PW but part of my goals for this year is to build out a wedge system with my 50, 54, 60 degrees along the lines of what Monte has mentioned. Trying to dial in using the bounce properly and then getting the partial back and through swings grooved. Need to get working in the next 4 weeks before my golf trip to the coast! 

Edited October 4, 2021 by ewaldbeukes

[gripandrip]

Great discussion

 

DR: 270 ish

PW: 125 (stock)

 

I can hit the PW further, but found exactly what this thread is discussing. It's so much more consistent and accurate at 125 yards. Same holds true for longs irons as well. I can bash my 3 iron longer than I do now, but strike is less consistent and less accurate. 

[gripandrip]

On 8/23/2021 at 6:08 PM, ShowMe said:

I get better results by choking down an inch or two and taking a full swing, rather than trying to hit say a 90% shot with a normal grip.  One inch = 10 fewer yards for me.  Choking down gives me better control, too, even with the full swing.

 

That said, I also have a 50% (half-length) and a 75% (three-quarters-length) swing for wedge shots inside of 100 yards.

 

Then when you combine the choking down with the 50% and 75% swing, you get all kinds of great combinations, and excellent distance control.  You just have to be good at multiplying in your head.  lol

I struggle with the chocking down on the club. Not sure why.... I'm open to any suggestions, but I find I can control distance better with just reducing swing speed and length of swing. 

 

[MonteScheinblum]

7 minutes ago, gripandrip said:

I struggle with the chocking down on the club. Not sure why.... I'm open to any suggestions, but I find I can control distance better with just reducing swing speed and length of swing. 

 

I’m not a fan of choking down.

[ThinkingPlus]

2 minutes ago, MonteScheinblum said:

I’m not a fan of choking down.

Why?  Just curious, not trying for some kind of gotcha assuming there even could be one in this case.

[MonteScheinblum]

1 hour ago, ThinkingPlus said:

Why?  Just curious, not trying for some kind of gotcha assuming there even could be one in this case.

Choking down changes your posture and changes the lie angle of the club.

[ThinkingPlus]

11 minutes ago, MonteScheinblum said:

Choking down changes your posture and changes the lie angle of the club.

Thanks.  Appreciate the reply.

[lefthack]

Driver is about 220

PW is 110-120

 

I have learned to full swing my 52 pretty well, but my 56 is a feel club. My short game is a hot mess of feel and clock work. It's getting better.

Edited October 5, 2021 by lefthack

[dbleag]

I would have never thought about this, but it's looking like we hit our PW about half the distance we hit our Driver.

 

Approximately.... I'm 240-ish yards for Driver and 120 yards  for PW.

 

Is anyone tracking the answers?

[ewaldbeukes]

On 10/4/2021 at 4:56 PM, ewaldbeukes said:

275m Driver

136m Pitching Wedge

 

(*distances at altitude so about accurate to sea level yards)

 

Pretty accurate with my PW but part of my goals for this year is to build out a wedge system with my 50, 54, 60 degrees along the lines of what Monte has mentioned. Trying to dial in using the bounce properly and then getting the partial back and through swings grooved. Need to get working in the next 4 weeks before my golf trip to the coast! 

Actually focused on my trip hitting nice 3/4 flighted wedges with L,S,G,P and what a weapon.

 

Even though my distances weren't perfect to start (hadnt practiced) just gave it a whirl and worked really well. Narrowed the stance to stop myself hitting it too hard, ball flights a 9-3 ish or whatever you are comfortable with...

 

Thanks for re-planting this seed @MonteScheinblum