Inconsistent Wedge Play

[goheels1]

I am vrery consitant off the tee and with my mid to long irons, however from 120 in I am extremely inconsistent. I have a Vokey SM 54 and 60 degree and about 60% of the time these wedge shots go straight right or I dig a divit 3 feet deep. Does anyone else share my frustration? Any advice on how to improve my wedge play?

[taylormadefan]

I've definately been there. I've worked very hard at my wedge play with my pro and have improved immensely over the past few months.

 

How hard of a swing do you take with your wedges? Often times if you're swinging out of your shoes, your contact's likely to go down the tubes.

 

What bounce and conditions do you normally play in?

 

This probably isn't the wedges fault unfortunately. I'd get a pro to take a look at your swing.

 

Welcome to GolfWRX!

[goheels1]

I have a pretty fast swing speed and I find when I let off a little on my wedge shots my consistancy gets worse. My typical wedge shot is from bentgrass fairways and I either pick the ball perfectly for a beautiful shot, take a large divot that only shoots the ball 50 yards, or shank the ball severely right.

 

I am thinking about getting a lesson to help me figure this out but never had a lesson and I wonder if it is worth the $$. If I can improve my wedge play I believe I can easily drop a handful of shots per round (current handicap is 14).

[DeoreDX]

Diging the divot and chunking it 50 yards comes from a breakdown in your spine angle. You might be hanging too far back on your back foot.

 

Most people who hit their wedges poorly ususally do so because they are trying to scoop and "pick" the ball up and help it get in the air. Ever been to a PGA tour event? It's amazing how LOW they hit their wedge shots. It's because they normally play a punched wedge into the green. Scooting the ball back in the stance and hitting down on it making sure the divot is formed in front of the ball. By moving the ball back in the stance it helps insure you make contact with the little white ball then the big blue/green ball we call earth. It keeps the shot down under the wind and helps control the effects of the high spin. When I'm having poor ballstriking in general I will often club up and hit punched shots just to help with consistency of contact and to get a little bit of confidence in my swing.

[taylormadefan]

I think lessons may be the best bet (remember a lesson's only as good as the instructor). A shank definately isn't an equipment issue, it's a swing issue. You may be doing something differently with your wedges that's leading to inconsistant contact.

 

It's okay to take a divot with your wedges, they're made to cut into the ground:

 

However, a chunk and the divot that results from ball first contact are two different things. I think the chunk has you afraid of hitting down fully on the ball.

 

Another possible option is filming your swing and putting it up in the Golf Academy forum and letting the very knowledgeable folks on this board help you out.

[millercg]

I found that a few times I will shank a wedge shot, it's because I hit from the heel of the wedge, right at the hosel. This basically sends the ball dead right (being a righthander).

[profsanjo]

wedge play is not supposed to be played with full swings. you should make a finesse swing because accuracy is most critical in short play. i can recommend you dave pelz' short game bible. it helped and helps me to be more consistant on short distances.

[skyline90482]

whenever I chunk a wedge shot, it's because my weight transfer was bad. so I suggest paying attention to your weight transfer and making sure you keep most of it on your front leg

[zengolfer]

Good Day!!!

 

This may help....I had a buddy who was doing the straight rights, but not as deep a divot. What the pro saw was that he was rolling up on his toes on his downswing. To combat it, he asked the guy to roll his toes under his foot (Picture curling them up) and then take an easy swing.

 

Worked for him. Give it a rip, and let us know!!!