Wedges are known as the scoring clubs in your golf bag, so it's important that you feel confident whenever you need to use one. If you can dial in your wedges, you will have a lot of putts for birdies and pars.
Dwight is a left handed golfer and has been hitting his wedges to the left. That means his clubface is open at impact. If you're a right hander and your club is open at impact, it's going to go to the right. If you're having the same problem as Dwight, it means you're losing a lot of opportunities to knock the ball close to the pin. There could be a few different reasons why this is happening and I'll share them all with you today.
Hey Surge,
You have great online lessons, maybe you can help me. I dislocated my right shoulder many years ago playing baseball so took up golf about 16 years ago. Up until about 3 years ago I could hit my wedges very well. Not sure what happened but lately I get up to the ball and hit my shots to the left. I am left handed. Can you tell me why and how to fix it? It drives me crazy!
Thanks,
Dwight
Many things could cause you to push or slice your wedge shots. My first thought is that Dwight may be getting his wedges a little laid off during his swing. This can happen when your front knee kicks in too much during the backswing. Make sure that you're maintaining your knee position so this doesn't happen.
The reason you don't want to get the club laid off is because it causes you to get back behind the ball, so you don't have time to square the club up at impact. We (vertical swingers) don't square the club up with the body like rotational players. Instead, we square the club up by using the bump so that our shoulders are in relatively the same spot as they were at setup.
I'll go over a few other issues that could be causing you to flub your wedges in today's video. I think it will certainly help your short game. That way, you can start knocking it close and shooting lower scores!
Keep it vertical!
The Surge
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Comments
My DRiver
Hey Surge,
I like your daily vedios and they have really helped me. However, my driver gets me into a lot of trouble and I don't remember you ever touching on the proper drive which does not slice or hook. You always use a 7 iron and I don't have much trouble with my irons. Most of my drives have a slight slice and once in awhile a big slice. Help...I'm 73 and have a 16 H-cap.
Gary
Driver
Typing "driver" in the search bar gives you these dailies.
http://swingsurgeon.com/search/node/driver
Driver
Gary,
Actually Surge has talked about the driver dozens of times. I will tell you how to access over a dozen topics on the driver and especially the slicing of it.
Go to the top of this page and you'll see where it says login/log out. Just below it is a small blank space with a tiny magnified glass. Type in Driver. Or you could type in Slicing driver or anything else golf related and many topics on it will come up. Happy reading and watching Gary. This huge library of free lessons is available 24 hours a day, world wide.
I leave you such a page for example;
https://www.swingsurgeon.com/search/node/slicing%20driver
Notice that I typed in Slicing driver. 7 pages came up. that's 7 pages with an average of 10 subjects concerning slicing the driver. Hmmnn............... that's close to 70 daily discusions related to slicing the driver or how not to.
Additionally... we have a
Additionally... we have a video devoted to the driver which you should check out being you don't have it. https://www.swingsurgeon.com/shop/products/ppgs-driver-swing
Remember the daily video isn't meant to give you complete instruction, it's only tips to assist! :-D
Wedges
I go through times of good wedge play to poor wedge play. Generally it is only when I get to the higher lofts that I have difficulty and in that 50-75 yard range.I My current gap gives me 100 yards (-/+5). From 40 and on in I am golden unless I need to hit a high flop with a 56 or 60*. That's currently my least favorite to face. Favorite? Fairly low bump and run from 40 on in. From short distance and chipping range I actually expect to chip in and it seems I do at least once per round.
Though Surge gives a tad of great advice in todays daily, I need to go back to the instructional vids on pitching and wedge shots from Kenny Knox periodically.
Interesting watching the worlds best also struggle at times. Seems Phil is either amazing or hits wildly poor flops. My strategy is to avoid that situation by not short siding myself and or have to come over a green side bunker from short distance. The new Alien wedges have helped but I can still thin or chunk those bears. Much practice is needed in any case.
The other day on the way to my 37 for 9 I faced just such a shot. 45 yards over a trap to a pin only 12 steps on. With prayer and rare precision it landed softly and a 10 foot slider was made to save par. Used the 60* Alien. Thanks Terry M:) Sometimes it all works. Other times it feels like my hands are two stubs welding a violin that I have no clue how to play. What a game.
Have a good week end all and I hope some of you get out and "go play"!
blood in the water.....
I hope most of you (if you have Golf Channel) watched the WGC from China. It was amazing stuff.If you didn't see it, it's on again as a replay right now!
If you don't want to know the result don't read the rest of this.......
The final group featured Dustin Johnson, G Mac and Poulty. From the first tee Graham and Ian were like sharks who smelled blood in the water.
They birdied the fist hole and Dustin bogied. Game on! Wow what a watch it was as G Mac and Poulter went on a birdie fest and Dustin was one over after 7 holes. Then Dustin birdied 8&9 and it was a battle back and forth until the 16th hole and Dustin had a chip in eagle. Awesome and very much like match play.