April 20, 2020 | Graves Golf

Some of you may have read this “similar” article before and even rated your wedge game in the past.

Whether you have done so in the past, or have never rated your wedge game, I strongly suggest doing again (or for the first time).

This is something I recommend doing routinely – as the higher your rating, the higher your potential for great scoring.

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Assume many of you watches the “big boys” (and ladies) play in the weekly PGA, LPGA or Senior PGA tournaments.

As you watch these tournaments, how many times do you think you heard the announcers mention spin…. whether shots into the green, pitch shots to the green, flop shots, etc… it is mentioned again and again and again, as it is critical to be able to put backspin on the golf ball to stop it on greens.

As golf course maintenance improves and the golfer’s expectations of greens increase, greens have become harder and faster over the past years. Think of greens 15 to 20 years ago compared to today’s greens…. it is more important than ever to be able to create spin on the golf ball to be able to score.

So, I decided to write a practice tip that will let you rate your wedge game potential. This rating will show you where you currently stand (potential to create spin/have a great wedge/scoring game) and will also show you where you can improve your wedge game.

There are 9 areas – each is to be rated on a scale of 0 to 3.

Keep a running count and finally a total of the 9 areas.

Creation of Spin:

The 3 major factors that affect spin are:

* Angle of approach and speed to the golf ball.

* Type of wedge (metal) the club(s) is made of.

* Type of golf ball you are playing.

1. How much Divot do you take when you hit a pitch or wedge shot?

0 – No divot,

1 – Bruise/scrape the grass,

2 – Take a divot but not every time,

3 – Take a divot (need to replace grass or fill in with sand) every time.

2. How much Speed to you create (how far do you hit your pitching wedge (typically club between 40* and 46*)?

0 – Hit pitching wedge (40* to 46* wedge) less than 60 yards

1 – Hit pitching wedge 60 to 90 yards

2 – Hit pitching wedge 90 to 120 yards

3 – Hit pitching wedge more than 120 yards

3. Do you carry a Lob Wedge (58* or lower loft) and Sand Wedge (54* or lower loft) in your golf bag?

0 – No, I don’t carry a Lob or Sand Wedge (or don’t know).

1 – I carry only a Sand Wedge

2 – I carry only a Lob Wedge

3 – I carry both a Sand and Lob Wedge.

4. What type of Wedge (Lob and / or Sand Wedge) to you hit?

0 – Cast wedge (or don’t know) (Typically matches the other clubs in your bag (9 iron, 8 iron…)

1 – Forged type wedge (soft metal) with old grooves

2 – Forged type wedge (soft metal) with new grooves

3 – Forged type wedge (soft metal) with new grooves with other factors adding to spin (spin milled, rusty, etc..) –

Typically wedges made in past 2 to 3 years.

5. Were your wedges fit to you for length, lie angle, shaft flex, grip size?

0 – No, or I don’t know

1 – Some of them are, others are not.

2 – Partially fit (maybe grip size, not lie angle, etc..)

3 – All wedges were fit to me for length, lie angle, shaft flex, grip size, shaft weight, etc..

6. What type of Golf Ball do you play?

0 – Play any ball I find…. no one in particular

1 – Hard Golf Ball (2 piece golf ball) i.e Callaway SuperSoft, Titleist DT, Taylormade Burner Soft..

2 – Medium Soft Golf Ball – (typically 3 piece ball) – i.e Callaway ERC, Taylormade Project A, Titleist NXT..

3 – Soft Golf Ball (4+ piece golf ball) – i.e Callaway Chrome Soft & (X), Titleist Pro-V1 & (X)…

Next, need to factor in swing fundamentals:

7. Is the toe of the wedge up when the club is parallel to the ground in backswing?

(Set up like you are going to hit a pitch and stop when the club is parallel to the ground in the

backswing – the toe of your club should be pointed up.)

0 – Toe of club is pointed to 9 o’clock everytime or don’t know

1 – Toe of club is pointed to 12 o’clock some of the time.

2 – Toe of club is pointed to 12 o’clock (or up) most of the time.

3 – Toe of club is pointed to 12 o’clock (up) every time.

8. Do you accelerate through the shot (in particular a pitch shot)?

(Check this position when you finish the shot.)

0 – Hands finish at waist high or lower.

1 – Hands finish between waist high and shoulder height

2 – Hands finish above shoulders some of the time.

3 – Hands finish above shoulders every time.

9. How consistent are the pitches in relationship to contact on face of club?

(Look at the mark (grass mark, etc..) on the face of the club after impact.

0 – Inconsistent, marks all over face – even shank some shots

1 – Consistently off the heel of the club (toward the heel).

2 – Some shots off middle of face of club, some off the heel of club.

3 – All shots off the middle of club face (some hit all slightly toward toe)

Before we break down each area and how we can improve – let’s go over our totals and potential:

0 to 9 points – Very little to no potential to create spin and have a good short game.

10 to 15 points – Some potential, but wouldn’t count on any spin when hitting short game shots.

16 to 20 points – Medium potential, can create and play some spin on medium/soft to slow greens.

21 to 24 points – High potential, can create and play spin on most all types of greens, still some
areas (above) to work on.

25 points + – Very high potential, unless one area (above) is low, no problem creating spin when

needed.

An interesting comment I often hear is, “I don’t play good enough to care about creating spin on my short game shots.” Could not be further from the truth. The more greens you miss, the shorter game shots you will have – and the more you will need to hit good shots that have spin when needed. Basically all short game shots should have some type of spin – some more than others. A short chip will have spin as it hits the green – allows you to be more aggressive. A pitch or lob/flop shot needs spin to stop quick and even most bunkers (sand trap) shots need spin to get close to the hole.

Let’s give a “short” review of each area above and if you scored low, how you can improve that area.

1. How much divot do you take when you hit a pitch or wedge shot?

You need to take a divot (can be small), but need a divot most every time you hit a pitch, even with a chip off a “tight” lie (lie with minimal grass). This divot should start slightly after/past the ball and is indicative of good “angle” toward the ball. You always want to be hitting down on the shot. If you cast, “flip” or release early – you will have a lot of problems taking a divot.

Fix – Work on your leverage angles through impact. Work on your hands leading the shot (getting your hands ahead of the club head through impact).

Drill – Work on the LEVERAGE BAG – one of the best, if not best, drill you can use to work on your hands leading the shot. Please review – http://moenormangolf.com/store/products/gga-leverage-bag/

2. How much Speed to you create?

Speed is a hard thing to increase (when over 30 to 35 years of age). But, can work on optimizing speed at impact. Leverage bag drill above will help.

Speed is a factor or your club being on plane (squareness of hit) vs. strength vs. flexibility. Improving one of these areas will increase speed, improving all will dramatically increase speed.

Fix – Work on improving your flexibility: http://moenormangolf.com/store/products/flexibility-exercises/

Fix – Always work on getting / keeping your club on plane (effective speed at impact).

3. Do you carry a Lob Wedge (58* or lower) and Sand Wedge (54* or lower) in your golf bag?

Most important club in the bag – your putter.

2nd most important club – your driver.

3rd most important club – your lob wedge.

Your lob wedge saves shots, helps you score, if “your friend” – the best tool to scoring in your bag. Saving shots, creating shots, allowing you to “take more risks”, etc…

Recommended to carry as many wedges as you can in your bag (within limit) – they are your SCORING clubs.

Fix – Get a lob and sand wedge.

Everyone’s bag should include at least the following wedges (to maximize the scoring part of their game).

Pitching wedge (typically matches their set (matches 9, 8, 7 iron in bag in model and shafting). – (Between 40 and 46*)

Gap Wedge (can match set (PW, 9, 8, 7 iron in bag) or can be a Mac Daddy JAWS Signature wedge. (Between 47 and 52*)

Sand Wedge – Callaway Mac Daddy JAWS Signature Wedge (54* or 56*).

Lob Wedge – Callaway Mac Daddy JAWS Signature Wedge (58* or 60*).

4. What type of Wedge (Lob and / or Sand Wedge) to you hit?

If you hit a pitching wedge 90 yards or more it is recommended to have STEEL shafted FORGED type sand and lob wedges (even gap wedge for some).

You want steel shaft for weight (helps in high grass, sand, 1/4 or 1/2 shots, etc.) and added weight will increase spin.

All major companies carry forged type wedges – email or call us if you have questions.

Fix – Get a forged NEW sand and lob wedge.

5. Were your wedges fit to you for length, lie angle, shaft flex, grip size?

If your wedges are not fit to you, they are potentially doing more harm than good. A wedge too upright (lie angle – or toe of club off ground) will cause perfect swing/path to pull the ball to the left (for right handers). A club too flat – will cause ball to go to the right. A grip that is too big – limited feel in the shot.

Fix – Get wedges that fit you. If you want your fittings, please go to: http://moenormangolf.com/clubs/free-club-fittings/

6. What type of Golf Ball do you play?

The softer / more layers the golf ball – the more spin you can create.

Also – you need to play the same type of golf ball, at least around the greens. It is almost impossible to have good “feel” in the short game if you are always using different golf balls.

Fix – Experiment with different golf balls – see what you like. Talk to your local pro (most are trained……) about the new golf balls on market. Soft/feel golf balls are not always expensive.

7. Is the toe of the wedge up when the club is parallel to the ground in backswing?

It is essential you swing the club (club head) properly on plane to get maximum / correct spin on the golf ball. Check this position often.

Drill – Most who have problems with the toe up position have grip issues (grip too strong, etc..)

Others problems can be back swing issues, etc..

Fix – Work with GGA Grip Training Club

8. Do you accelerate through the shot (in particular a pitch shot)?

A majority of golfers who have difficulty pitching decelerate through the shot. A divot with deceleration will cause fat shots, short shots, club head twisting. Most, instead of fixing acceleration, work on hitting less divot (not good….).

Drill – Work on “mini” golf swing with short back swing and longer through swing.

Fix – Continually work on shortening your back swing in a pitch and chip if you are decelerating. Shorter the better…..

9. How consistent are the pitches in relationship to contact on face of club?

Most often this is a path (swing path) issue. A pitch is a “mini” golf swing.

Drill – Work on your golf swing – (very small) and work up. Start small (short shots) and work up.

Pitch 20 yards or less, check the face for marks. Don’t get longer unless consistent with

short shots.

Fix – Start small and work up. Don’t rush…. the more “deliberate” you are with small shots and then work longer only when short shots make consistent contact, the faster you will get better.

Summary –

Highest potential in your short game/pitching to create spin and ultimately score better (much better):

You play fitted (to you) forged wedges (sand and lob) and the same (type) soft (multi layered) golf balls. You create a divot every pitch, marks on club face are consistently in middle, toe of club is up when waist high every time in back swing and your hands finish high (on finish).

This is the 11th part of a series of practice tips titled “Tips for Improving”.

In those practice tips we discussed how we work with our students to create new habits rather than breaking old habits. It is essentially impossible to break bad habits (our mind/body is not set up that way) … but we are set up to be able to create new habits and ultimately make changes/create new movements, etc. we want.

We talked about a book we strongly recommend – The Little Book of Talent / 52 Tips for Improving Your Skills by Daniel Coyle.

It is described as a manual for building a faster brain and a better you. It is an easy-to-use hand book of scientifically proven, field tested methods to improve your skills – your skills, your kids’ skills, your organization’s skills – in sports, music, art, math and business. The product of five years of reporting from the world’s greatest talent hotbeds and interviews with successful master coaches, it distills the daunting complexity of skill development into 52 clear, concise directives.

Whether you are 10 or 100, this is an essential guide for anyone who ever asked, “How do I get better?

This book is available at Amazon.com

The last instructional newsletters (Tips for Improvement Part 1 through 10) we discussed 41 tips for improvement from staring a who you want to become, to being willing to be stupid, to finding the sweet spot, to practicing by yourself, to taking a nap…. Again, if you have not reviewed these past practice tips, would recommend.

This instructional newsletter (Part 11) we cover the next tip for improving your skills and relate them to you learning/working on your single plane swing and golf game.

Sustaining Progress

Developing your skills (and talent) is like taking a cross-country hike. You will encounter challenges, you will hit snags, plateaus and steep paths; motivation will ebb and flow. To sustain progress, it’s necessary to be FLEXIBLE one moment and STUBBORN the next, to deal with immediate obstacles while staying focused on the horizon (or your ultimate goals).

43. Embrace Repetition

Repetition has a bad reputation. We tend to think of it as dull and uninspiring. But this perception cannot be more wrong. Repetition is the single most power lever we have to improve our skills and create new habits.

The Little Book of Talent talks about Moe in this chapter:

Moe Norman was a shy Canadian who played briefly on the professional golf tour in the 1960’s and 70s. He was also, in most estimations, the most accurate golfer in history. Norman had seventeen holes in one, three scores of 59 and, in Tiger Wood’s estimation, ranked as one of two golfers in history who “owned their swing” (the other was Ben Hogan). Norman was also a likely autistic who, at a young age, became enraptured by the power of repetition. From the age of sixteen onward, Norman hit eight hundred to a thousand balls a day, five days a week, calluses grew so thick on his hands he had to pare them with a knife. Because of emotional struggles, Norman had difficulty competing in tournaments. But at a demonstration in 1995, he hit fifteen hundred drives in a row, all of them landing within fifteen yards of each other. As Woods put it, Norman “Woke up every day and knew he was going to hit it well. Every day. It’s frightening how straight he hits it.”

Embracing repetition means changing your mindset; instead of viewing it as a chore, view it as your most powerful tool. As martial artist and actor Bruce Lee said, “I fear not the man who has practiced ten thousand kicks once, I fear the man who has practiced on kick ten thousand times.”

44. Have a Blue-Collar Mind Set

From a distance, top performers, or those who are the best at their skill, seem to have charmed, “cushy” lives. But when you look closer, you will find they spend vast portions of their life intensively practicing their craft. Their mind-set is not entitled, but rather “blue collar”. They get up in the morning and go to work every day, whether they feel like it or not, working on their craft, working to get better, working to find a way to improve.

As you are working on creating new habits, improving your game, think about taking a “blue collar” approach.

45. For Every Hour of Competition, Spend Five Hours Practicing (at least)

Games are fun. Tournaments are exciting. Contests are thrilling. They also slow development, for four reasons:

1. The presence of other people diminishes an appetite for risks, nudging you away from the sweet spot.

2. Games reduce the number of quality reps.

3. The presence of games distorts priorities, encouraging shortcuts in technique.

4. Games encourage players, coaches and parents (and one self) to judge success by the scoreboard (scorecard in golf) rather than by how much was learned.

Competition is a great thing. It helps built emotional control, is exciting, is challenging, and it’s fun. But it’s also, in many cases, an ineffective way to improve skill.

One solution to this problem is to make performance a “special occasion” not a routine. A five-to-one or even a ten-to-one ratio of practice time to performance time is a good starting point.

This might even be considered when just playing a round or two if you are going to use the results to judge progress.

In the next e-tip we will discuss in depth about building new habits instead of breaking bad ones plus additional tools to help you in your “journey” to great golf.

Please watch upcoming newsletter practice tips for continuation of the tips for improving your skills/creating new habits and improving your golf game.

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