Collecting your wedges? How to fix these 2 common causes

How many times have you stood over a short picture with one thought running through your head, “Don’t screw this up.”

Those three words can cause a chain reaction. Your confidence disappears, your basics disappear and suddenly you’re overthinking what should be an easy shot.

The frustrating part is that chunked wedges usually don’t happen. Most are from a few common turning errors. Once you’ve identified what’s causing your bad contact, you can make the necessary changes to start making clean, consistent contact.

Is it steep or shallow?

According to Krista Dunton, GOLF Top 100 instructor, most wedge shots come from one of two swing patterns:

The easiest way to diagnose your miss is to pay attention to how the gun feels.

If the leading edge digs sharply into the grass – producing fat shots, deep splits or the occasional skull – you’re likely to fall more.

If it feels like the club bounce hits the ground first and then jumps off the ball – resulting in a weak, wobbly shot – you’re probably not too deep.

Too steep? Think: neutral hands, little hinge

If you are used to climbing, start with your setup. Dunton explains that many illiterate people talk to the ball with their hands too far forward. This setup adjustment unintentionally closes the clubface and increases your angle to the ball.

Instead, he says he aims for a neutral setup. The first step is to check that your clubface is square. You can do this by holding the club in front of you, like you would for a grip. Next, place the butt of your grip so that it is in line with your belly button. This will put your hands in a neutral position that will not decrease your angle to the ball.

Another common problem is stopping too much for takeaway.

“If you tend to collect the club suddenly, you create another downward path to the ball,” said Dunton.

To correct this, do a few swings with relaxed wrists. The takeaway should feel more connected and around your body rather than the club being straight up.

“It should feel like a sweeping, internal movement,” Dunton said. “That position will allow you to allow the club to get under the ball.”

Too deep? Think: move forward, turn

Very shallow players tend to make one critical mistake: recoiling from impact.

Leaning back as the club enters impact causes it to exit early, making clean contact difficult. One reason why this happens is the wrong setup.

Dunton explains that many golfers position their nose too far behind the ball, which encourages them to push back through impact. Instead, start with your nose in a more focused position. An easy check point to keep in line with your shirt buttons, making sure it doesn’t slide back.

Another key to avoiding hanging back is to keep pressure on your lead side. An easy way to achieve this, says Dunton, is to feel your head move slightly forward in your backswing.

“All good short-game players on the tour, their heads go a little bit forward as the club goes back,” Dunton said. “That will keep the weight on that front side.”

Finally, make sure your throw doesn’t stop on impact. Many players who split wedges stop swinging the shot, causing them to stop and hit the turf early. To know if you are turning completely into the shot, check that your chest and hips finish where the target is.

Once you can identify where your misses are coming from, the fix becomes much easier. Crisp wedge shots are often the product of solid fundamentals – neutral setup, forward weight and commitment through impact rotation. Dial in those basics, and the contact is more consistent, even under pressure.