If you struggle with wedge play and can’t land a ball where it should, this article is for you. In it, I will highlight the top five mistakes golfers unknowingly commit that cause issues with the distance. 

If you are familiar with any of the following mistakes, you have issues with your wedge play.

1. The first one has nothing to do with hitting the golf ball; it’s all about what happens before, i.e. shot assessment. For example, players often try to hit the pin if they have to hit a 100-meter mark. If the pin is only 2 meters onto the green and it has a bunker, water, or something similar right in front, and if you mishit, the ball might land on the rough area, which would be hazardous. 

2. If you position the ball too far back in your stance, your club will come down too steep, resulting in de-lofting, causing you to mishit the shot and not get the distance you went for.

3. Irregular weight distribution throughout the swing. Players who shift weight on their back foot in a wedge play can’t hit the right shot. The purpose of a wedge is to make a downward strike where it hits the ball first and then the ground. Moving weight onto our back foot encourages the low point of the golf swing to be too far behind, which results in duff or thin.

4. Players use a club with too much loft, and they try to hit too hard to the potential of what they can do, not the average. 

The drill

1. Before hitting the shot, you must think about a safe zone, a buffer area near the marker where you want to land the ball. Use a yardage book or google maps and figure out where is a safe spot on every single hole. In case you mishit, you would still have a chance.

2. Place the ball in the center of a narrow flared stance and shift some pressure onto the lead side.

3. Shift about 60 or 70 percent of your weight onto your front foot when setting up a wedge shot. By doing so, it’ll hit the ball first and then ground. 

4. If you want to control the shot, take a club with less loft, and avoid hitting too hard. 

5. Position the ball towards the center of the stance and lean a little to the left side. Make sure not to hit too much down on the ball. And don’t aim for the pin.

Watch the full video here: