When Brad Faxon starts talking about the short game, it doesn’t take him long to draw a crowd.
Such was the case on Tuesday’s Demo Day at the 2024 PGA Show in the US. The eight-time PGA tour winner now spends his days teaching at Jupiter Hills Club in Florida and working as an analyst for NBC.
On Tuesday, Faxon was on the ground at the PGA Show to help promote the launch of Titleist’s new SM10 line of Vokey wedges with a short-game clinic. He was peppered with questions throughout, including one about his short game advice for older golfers.
Here were his four pieces of advice:
1. ‘Bounce is your friend’
Bounce is a confusing concept for lots of golfers, but it’s an important one to understand. Titleist itself describes bounce as “the angle created between the leading edge and the lowest point of the sole or trailing edge”.
Simply put, the higher the bounce, the less likely the wedge is to dig. And Faxon says that for amateur golfers, they should almost always opt for a wedge with more bounce, because it offers more margin for error.
“I’ll always say this, but bounce is your friend,” Faxon says. “When you have a wedge that’s designed to help you, it can make you feel more confident around the greens.”
2. ‘Better setup’
Older golfers may find it harder to make certain physical adjustments in their wedge motion, but not to fear. Some of the most beneficial ones you can make happen at setup, before the club is even in motion, Faxon says.
“I always say this: getting set up better will always give you chance of making better contact,” Faxon says. “Get closer to the ball, get your feet closer together, and get more weight onto your [lead] foot. It’s simple stuff.”
3. ‘Symmetry in your motion’
During the swing itself, Faxon doesn’t want golfers thinking about too much information. But he does provide one simple swing thought that works for older and younger golfers alike: make your chipping motion symmetrical on both sides of the ball.
“I love the felling that there’s more symmetry in your backswing and your follow through, so that they’re basically the same length,” Faxon says. “That makes your wedge swing smaller and easier on your body. That way you’re controlling your speed through the size of your swing, and the loft of the club.”
4. ‘Get creative’
Finally, while older golfers may not have the time or energy to spend hours on the chipping green, you can make the time you do have more effective by getting creative with your practice. That means trying to hit different shots – high, low, draws, fades – with different clubs.
It’s a method Faxon really believes in, and even if you don’t think you’re good enough to hit different shots, the simple act of trying will improve your game more than you think.
“This helps every player get better,” he says. “It promotes their feel; their creativity; and it helps your scoring, because ultimately it helps you figure out the best shot to play.”
