Conference 7.286::golf

       Frank,

            Are you trying to guide the ball?  The bad shots you mentioned
        (you know..the s_ word) are usually a result of tensing up, trying
        to guide the shot to the pin.  More proof is that on the practice
        tee you are hitting the shot well.  You probably are taking a nice
        full easy swing on the practice tee, but when you get out on the
        course, you are reducing that swing trying hard NOT to make a 
        mistake.

            The solution?  Try taking the full swing approach out on the
        course with you.  If you are 75 yards away, choke down on the
        pitching wedge and take that full easy swing.  If you are 50
        yards away go to the sand wedge. Look for bigger targets. Don't
        aim at the pin, but for a big chunk of green that you feel 
        comfortable that you will hit even if you are slightly off-line.

            If you have a very flat swing plane, get it a little more
         upright with these short shots too!

             And good luck!

_rick_who_has_gone_through_this_so_speaketh_from_experience

    re .0
    I've had the same maddening experience with my wedge for a while
    too. What I found out is I was doing what Rich said, trying to guide
    the ball. The way to get around it is to take your backswing like
    any other shot except you have to vary the distance back according
    to how close you are to the target.
    
    In other words take it away slow and keep your left (or front arm
    if you're a lefty) straight and make sure you make a GOOD TURN with
    your shoulders. This will ensure you come all the way through the
    ball and will help with accuracy if you are slow back and make some 
    sort of pause where you stop. Hope it helps.
    
    <TEM>

    Boy Frank, have I been there! (And probably will be again from time
    to time).  My golfing buddies consider me an excellent wedge player,
    but I have periods like you describe.      
    
    The solution for me is to deliberately *shorten* my backswing for
    the particular shot.  This forces me to accelerate right through
    the ball and after.  I try to finish with the club significantly
    higher than it was on my backswing.
    
    Two good things happen when I do this: First, the shorter backswing
    makes me feel more confident that I will hit the ball solidly and
    second, the acceleration of the club through the ball makes for
    a nice spinning shot. 
    
    Sometimes I'm short with this method, but I figure that at least
    I'm on line and not hitting my next shot from some awful place.
    I also look a little funny (short backswing, high followthrough),
    but I find that laughing is a lot better than crying.
    
    Good luck
    
    Bob
       

    Can't help but get involved with this one!!  I, too, have been there.
     And, today, I am not the greatest wedge player, but I have become
    a very acceptable short shot player, which has helped me reduce
    my handicap into the lower single digits.  Here is what works for
    me.  Oddly enough, it has nothing to do with mechanics.  My mechanics
    are solid, and it sounds like your's may also be solid.  I now am
    very careful to figure the EXACT distance to the hole.  I then set
    a mental image of the swing necessary to hit the ball that far,
    and take a few easy practice swings within that mental picture.
     Then, after addressing the ball and establishing my alignment,
    I swing with the mental picture of the hole as my only thought!!
     For some reason, this procedure shortens the swing automatically
    and permits an accelerating clubhead, something that is absolutely
    critical.  Let me know if you try this out, and how it works.
            

Hmmmmmmm.  How about short wedge shots *less* than say 10 yards...

I can do all right with wedge shots over 20-30 yards away - a smooth
and easy full swing gets me I want to go.  But forget the real short ones!

I've read (and seen) that short wedge shots are more in the wrists...and
I remember somewhere in here Mike (Raspuzzi) said it's like knocking a
wedge under the ball.  I've tried this approach, but can only manage making
them about 20% of the time.  (A par 3 course makes for good practice here.)

Any other recommendations - other than practice, practice, practice....

Thanks,
Dan - a first year golfer (best I've managed is 48 for 9 holes)

    Ref;   .5 the short wedge shot
    
    Try to remember 1 key swing thought when hitting this shot and all
    "half" wedge shots:
    The shorter the shot, the shorter the backswing. The follow thru
    will remain the same. I try to relate it to tossing a ball underhand.
    If you wanted to toss a ball 20 yards, you would only go back so
    far with your hand. If you were to toss it 80 yards, you would go
    back a lot further but the follow thru could be the same. Its a
    similar principal that works with the wedge.
    
    Good luck on the course
    I hope this tip has helped.
    Ken
    

    Regarding .5   Boy I have had more than my share of bad shots here!
    
    A member of the course where I play who is excellent with the short
    game gave me a lesson here.  It is kind of two-fold but it has been
    working for me.
    
    1.  For the real short chips, A. Imagine the line to the point of
      where you want the ball to land, B. Use a putter swing,
      C. Arms tight and NO wrist D. Follow through as you do on the
         putter.
    
    2. For the approach that is flat to the hole, I use a 7 iron, close
       the face and run the ball to the whole ie: (say that I am 25
       feet out, flat surface to the hole, address the ball as you would
       with the wedge, imagine that landing spot ahead of the hole,
       close the face, and use the putter technique for the stroke,
    
    With these two thing in mind I have managed to take strokes off
    the game, keep better concentration (not worrying about getting
    there with the short iron). A feel better in general.
    
    Try it, it may work for you....
    
    Monty

    } " all I can think of is the 10% of the wedge shots I've muffed,.."
    
    I feel that 363.4 comes closest to what has worked for me for 
    a long time...you have to see a positive image of the shot your
    going to hit, then hit it...
    
    going to hit then just hit it..anytime I don't see the shot first
    shot then just hit it..negatives=bad shot every time

    Sometimes, I see very lazy half-wedge shots. People take a bigger
    swing than necessary and wind up quitting on the shot and either
    hitting it fat or shanking (yes, I did use the "s" word).
    
    Try taking a shorter swing and hit the ball firmer. Also, be conscious
    of your wrists. If you don't roll your wrists, you risk shanking
    (there's that "s" word again) or hitting a "chilly dip". A chilly
    dip is a shot that felt like you hit it well but it flies well to
    the right of the target and very high (right of the target if you
    are a righthanded golfer).
    
    I good drill to try and make sure your wrists are rolling is the
    one armed drill. Swing the club entirely with your left arm. It's
    usually the right hand that prevents the wrist roll.
    
    Mike

    All I can say is ALWAYS FOLLOW THROUGH. If it is a short chip don't
    stop after contacting the ball. 
                                                 
    The shorter the chip the father I choke down on the club and still
    make a swing at the ball. I do decrease the length of back swing
    but I always think about following through..  
    
                                                    Jeff

    
    I have been working on this for a while and have a couple of points
    to mention.  If you put your hands a little forward of the ball
    and roll your right hand over a little more rather that straight
    down the shaft it will help too!

    A rule of thumb a pro gave me once for chipping and pitching around the
    green:
    
         5 iron = 25% travel in the air, 75% travel on the ground
         7 iron = 33% travel in the air, 66% travel on the ground, 1% ??
         PW     = 50% travel in the air, 50% travel on the ground
         
    It is more of a good "rule of thumb" for chipping than pithcing and
    conditions of the green are a factor.
    
    Once I learned this and I started watching the pros on t.v., it really
    seems to be true.  Now if *I* could only do it... sigh...  :-)
    
    +- Mark

    very quickly:
    	I agree with follow thru, acceleration at impact
    	Use 5 thru PW plus sand wedge depending on lie and approach
    to green 363.12 is good guide if you can land it on the green.
    	Try 2 pitching wedges; 2nd without flange.
	I have hands forward and concentrate on hitting ball before
    ground.  Position of feet is important especially if ground not
    flat.
    	Bob Charles Lefty book was good on chipping.

    Well, I thought I'd better report on the results of reading and
    heeding all the excellent advice I received in response to my plea
    for help with my pitching wedge.
    
    Sigh...maybe I'd be better off if I traded it in for a 10-iron!
    What I really need is a shrink. I have no [major] problems with
    any other club in the bag; but when I reach in and pull out the
    wedge, my brain turns to cement. Example: Last weekend I hit a
    perfectly fine 9-iron to the green; then, for the fun of it (hah!),
    I tried to hit the wedge from the same spot, using (I thought) the
    same swing. Result? Unspeakable...rhymes with "clank." My wife,
    who was observing, told me later that I quit on the shot; and that
    I was quitting on ALL my wedge shots.
    
    It's a mental problem, clearly. I have lost all confidence in the
    club, and, for the rest of the season I may just leave it out of
    the bag. Maybe next spring I'll be cured of whatever ails me, and
    be able to hit a wedge shot with smoothness and confidence...
    
    Thanks to all who offered suggestions. Believe me, it wasn't for
    lack of desire or trying. In fact, it's probably just the opposite!
    
    Frank

    One thing that has helped me on wedge shots (I used to do exactly
    the same things as you) is to keep your feet as flat as possible.
    In other words, don't raise up on your left toe on your backswing,
    but do raise up on your right toe in the follow through.
    
    I found that I was raising up and topping the ball all the time.
    The wedge needs to get under the ball...so you want to stay
    as stable as possible during the swing.  I also found that 
    "relaxing" helps, too.  I was always pushing the ball one direction
    or the other, so relaxing kept me from trying to guide the ball.
    
    Chris (who_finally_hits_some_decent_wedge_shots)

    Further update re wedge-a-phobia: It may be premature to say it,
    but I think I've turned the corner. The past couple of rounds have
    produced wedge shots far superior to those of the preceding few
    weeks. As in many things, confidence is the key: Believing that
    I'll hit a good shot helped me relax, which helped me maintain a
    good swing tempo and steady head, which helped me "finish" the shots.
    As a result, the ball is airborne (rather than skittering off across
    the grass in a random direction), carries close to the nominal
    distance, and is much more pleasant to watch!
    
    I don't really know how/why this transformation occurred, but suspect
    it was the spinoff effect from another change I made to my swing:
    I'm now *strongly* emphasizing the pause at the top, making certain
    that I'm conscious of a real stop prior to initiating the downswing.
    This has added 10 to 20 yards per club to my distance, and helped
    in achieving consistent direction as well. At any rate, Saturday's
    round was a lot more fun than others of recent vintage. Again, thanks
    for all the encouragement and sound advice.
    
    Frank