Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you play smarter, better golf.
As a high schooler, I didn’t have regular access to a driving range, but I did have access to a short-game area and putting facility. That was a big reason I became a pretty nifty player inside of 100 yards.
Now, as an adult living in New York City, the opposite is true. I can go bang balls in the simulator any time I want, but I don’t have access to any short-game practice facilities. As such, my ball striking has improved at the cost of my wedge play.
Funny how that works.
However, at the beginning of every season, I make an effort to map my wedge distances on a launch monitor, which always gives me a boost on the course. And it’s something that all recreational golfers should be doing if they want to dial in their scoring clubs.
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How to map your wedge distances
When you pull a wedge from the bag on the course, do you know how far the ball is going to fly? Most shots with these scoring clubs aren’t going to be full swings, so it’s crucial that you know how far these partial swings go.
Most recreational golfers have no idea what their numbers are on these partial swings. They may know their full-swing numbers, but for anything less, they rely entirely on feel.
I’ve been guilty of this in the past, too. And when I get on the course, it always costs me. That’s why each season I make an effort to map out my distances with my wedges.
You can be as detailed as you want with your mapping, but for me, I go to the simulator and get numbers for three different swings (what feels to me like a full swing, three-quarter swing and half swing) with each wedge. I hit five balls with each swing which gave me a good idea of my carry number for each variation. You can see my results below.
| Full swing | 3/4 swing | 1/2 swing | |
| Pitching wedge | 114 yards | 102 yards | 83 yards |
| 50-degree wedge | 98 yards | 85 yards | 65 yards |
| 55-degree wedge | 89 yards | 76 yards | 52 yards |
| 60-degree wedge | 78 yards | 64 yards | 42 yards |
My method is far from scientific, but it does supply me with a nice baseline yardage for each wedge and swing type. And now when I’m on the course, I have a much better understanding of how far my ball will fly for each shot.
If you struggle to control your distances with wedges on the course, I’d recommend you do something similar with your wedges. Once you dial in these numbers, it becomes much easier to wedge it close on the course — and save strokes in the process.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: golf.com
