High-lofted wedges are more forgiving and userfriendly than ever. In addition to being designed to glide along the turf better, many have bigger heads and grooves from one end of the face to the other. Not only do they give you a decent result on less-than-perfect strikes, they also can add more touch to your shots around the greens. Here’s one way to take advantage of the tech.
I often see amateurs mistakenly decelerate the club into the ball because of a lack of confidence—they fear hitting the chip too far. You have to keep your speed up through impact, and one way to be more aggressive is to strike the ball closer to the toe of the clubface. This deadens the shot, so it doesn’t travel as far or roll out as much. It’s a play that is super useful if you are short-sided in high grass. Just get in your normal slightly open chipping stance, weight forward, and address the ball more out on the toe like I am in the photo at the top of this article.
Now make a healthy, accelerating swing focused on getting the club back to the ball in the same position you had it at address (below). The ball will come off soft and a little higher, stopping quickly on the green. Hitting it off the heel is terrifying, but shots off the toe are confidence-builders.
J.D. Cuban
Megan Padua Buzza, Golf Digest Best Young Teacher, Buzza Golf Coaching, Frisco, Texas.
HOT LIST INSTRUCTION: Tee It High? | Need More Speed? | Fairway Off the Tee | Hybrid vs. Wood | Irons Too Low? | Missing Greens? | Deaden the Strike | Help in the Sand
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
