Do you have a different swing with wedges 100 and in?

[pma531]

As the title states, do you guys find yourself having a slightly different swing with your wedges than your 9 iron plus?

Edited April 3, 2023 by pma531

[hckymeyer]

Depends on the shot.  If I'm hitting a full shot then no, it's pretty much the same.  Typically from 100 in though I'm dialing something back so that is going to change the swing a little bit depending on what you are trying to accomplish.

The pro at my course gave me some good advice a while back.  Practice a full swing and a 3/4 swing with each wedge.  That should give you 4-6 "stock" distances depending on how many wedges you carry.  Then choke down an inch or two and do the same thing, That should give you another 4-6 "stock" distances.  Now you've got 8-12 distances you are comfortable with, without having to manipulate your swing.  After that it's getting creative and practicing the touch shots.

[Kenny B]

My PW is 48º and I will make full swing with it; I also make partial swings.  I never make a full swing with my 54º and 60º.  I almost always flight my SW and LW low/mid for control and that, for me, is 1/2 and 3/4 swings.  

[Swood1994]

Once I get below my 8-iron I use all types of “swings”. I’ve come to love a sawed off punch 9-iron. When it comes to my wedges including my PW (46°) I look at my swing points as a clock for yardages. For example, hands at my hips is around 50% so that would be a 50-55 yard shot with my 58°. So if my address over the ball has my hands at 6-o’clock. Then 7 is 25% of my stock yardage, 9-o’clock is 50%, 11 o’clock is 75% and then full. Sounds a little crazy but something that’s worked well for me over the years.

[cnosil]

I guess my question is what is considered a “different” swing?   Mechanically a distance wedge shot even though it is a partial swing has the same basic mechanics as a full swing.   Finesse shots most likely have different mechanics but they are typically shots that are about 30 yards and in.   If we were to look at the feel side which is what many people above seem to consider as “different” then most people will have different swings since we aren’t always hitting a stock full shot.  

[RickyBobby_PR]

Not different swings but different swing lengths and if needed different effort levels.

from 7i down thru wedges I will choke down varying amounts to achieve a shot trajectory to control distance and spin. 
 

I never full swing my sw or lw 

[Stuka44]

11 hours ago, pma531 said:

As the title states, do you guys find yourself having a slightly different swing with your wedges than your 9 iron plus?

This is what I do.  At 60-100 yards I am making a "regular" swing full take away wrist hinge, follow through, with 52 degree, just less force 3/4 or 1/2 swing.  I should note that 100 yards is a full 52d, swing for me.  Once I get inside of 50 yards I am using a no wrist hinge, just shoulder turn, kind of a modified putting stroke.  50-40 yards PW, 40-30 AW, 30-15 52d, SW for closer.  Obviously this is situationally dependent.  If I have to go over a bunker, or am short sided to the pin, then I will use more loft, from further back etc. 

[CFreddie]

On 4/2/2023 at 7:20 PM, hckymeyer said:

Depends on the shot.  If I'm hitting a full shot then no, it's pretty much the same.  Typically from 100 in though I'm dialing something back so that is going to change the swing a little bit depending on what you are trying to accomplish.

The pro at my course gave me some good advice a while back.  Practice a full swing and a 3/4 swing with each wedge.  That should give you 4-6 "stock" distances depending on how many wedges you carry.  Then choke down an inch or two and do the same thing, That should give you another 4-6 "stock" distances.  Now you've got 8-12 distances you are comfortable with, without having to manipulate your swing.  After that it's getting creative and practicing the touch shots.

This is great advice - never thought about applying this across multiple wedges (typically only do this with my gap). 

[pma531]

“Different” is hard to explain as it’s more of a feeling. I guess it’s the feeling of engaging/driving the shoulders less as I don’t need the power?

Never thought about choking up to fine tune the wedges. I guess I’m working on tuning too much to not suck haha

[EZlife007]

I would say yes. Basically, I think of anything less than 115 yards as a pitch. I stand a little closer to the ball with my feet only about two club widths apart and then think of clock face swings like others have mentioned. My 100 yard shot would be a full (ie 10 o'clock in my mind) swing with my 50* wedge (I average 103 carry with this shot). I love this shot because it flights the ball in lower and the ball stops right around its carry number. Andrew Rice has a lot of great chipping and pitching content on YouTube and I try to emulate his methods. 

[cnosil]

11 hours ago, pma531 said:

“Different” is hard to explain as it’s more of a feeling. I guess it’s the feeling of engaging/driving the shoulders less as I don’t need the power?

Never thought about choking up to fine tune the wedges. I guess I’m working on tuning too much to not suck haha

So you make the same length swing for all shots and control the speed of the club; you mention shoulders, for distance variation?    This is a viable way to control distance but as you see in this post and general instruction most people will leverage shorter swings, different stances (how close they are to the ball, ball position, width of feet), and choking down on the club to control distance.  

[David Leighton Reid]

From 110 yards in, I use a 3/4 swing, with 9 iron to LW, depending on the distance.  

[Lee Stanek]

I don't think so but definitely feel more in control on my wedge swings than other irons.  I find I have better weight shift and I think its because my swing is more compact.  

[DiscipleofPenick]

Just shorter for the most part. Though for 40 yards and in, my pro showed me a nifty little shot played off the front foot.

[pma531]

7 hours ago, cnosil said:

So you make the same length swing for all shots and control the speed of the club; you mention shoulders, for distance variation?    This is a viable way to control distance but as you see in this post and general instruction most people will leverage shorter swings, different stances (how close they are to the ball, ball position, width of feet), and choking down on the club to control distance.  

I do different length backswings. Ie: 8 o’clock, 9 o’clock and try maintain the same club head speed. Maybe the swing just feels different because it’s more of a controlled swing, and I’m not driving shoulders as hard? I think I’m crazy. Lol

Whatever I’m doing, it’s working. Broke 90 for the first time today. I did hit fat on a couple wedge shots but for the most part, definitely have a lot more control lately with them.

[cnosil]

2 hours ago, pma531 said:

 I’m not driving shoulders as hard

That is an interesting statement and everyone has their own feels and things they are doing,  but most people are probably using the shoulders too much and try to restrain from driving the shoulders hard. 

[RoverRick]

Absolutely, but I do not limit it to wedges. That is I have different length back swings with all my clubs depending on the circumstances or distance I want to hit the ball. 

1/4=knee high

1/2=waist high

3/4=shoulder high

Full=head high

Of course in reality, that may not be anywhere near the actual length of swings and it’s more of a feeling. I started this years ago after reading about the Pelz clock system. it started with wedges. 4 wedges with 4 swings is 16 set distances. I expanded this to include all 13 clubs although it is situational for me to use 1/2 or 1/4 on 9 and above. I regularly hit 3/4 shots with the other clubs. A 3/4 8 iron goes the same as a full 9 iron but lower flight and more controlled. 

However, recently I have started adjusting my angle of attack also. Same swing, same club, I can adjust the ball position and hit down on it or chop the legs off of it and vary the flight and spin thus effecting the carry and roll. 
 

I also putt from off the green with my 7 iron thru lob wedge depending on my desired carry to roll ratio. It’s actually a chip but it is my exact putting stroke. I have a putting green in my office and I chip with a 9 iron and putt a few balls every day. 

[Headhammer]

Yes, I tend to tuck my elbow into my body more and pause a little longer at the top of the backswing than with my other clubs. This seems to prevent me from taking too big a divot and launches the ball higher.

[GolfSpy_APH]

This and the I need a 90 yard club should be merged.

I love creativity 100 and in and play a variety of clubs, shots and depending on what is required or what I see for roll pit and more. It's part of what I love about golf and trying to hit shots high, low, with spin, Rollout and everything in between.

[Javs]

From 130 and in how I approach the shot depends on the conditions and the required execution. Wind, elevation of the green coupled with the slope of the green and where the ball sits. It there is slope behind the pin or on the green that will assist the shot, then I try to hit into it to get it to feed to the hole. I also try to use slopes as backstops. I carry PW, GW, 54 and 58 degree wedges. I have worked hard to learn to hit each high and low. Depending on distance I use full, 3/4 or 1/4 back swing. I also chock down various distances on my grips to control trajectory and distance. My stock shot is a low penetrating 2 hops and stop. Lastly, I use the concept of safety first from 130 and in. No attempting sucker pins. There it is a middle of the green or safest quadrant. I try to break greens up into 4 sections or quadrants in my mind. The first section is the best and second is the safest. If best and safest are in the same quadrant it’s a green light. If not, then it depends on the safety quadrant sits. Example if front right is pin and there is a bunker in front. Short is no good so, safety first. If there is slope behind. Then the safest quadrant is back right trying to hit into the slope to bring it back. Long still covers the bunker and provides a putt at birdie. I would chose a shot that ensures even with a slight miss hit it covers the bunker. Hope that made sense. 

[ZackS]

I wouldn’t say different swing but different mindset for sure. I rarely hit full stock wedges. And growing up in Texas where it’s always windy. Unless I have to hit over a tree I am always hitting punch shots with wedges. As an example the mentioned 100 yards in maybe my favorite shot. I take a pitching wedge play it back in my stance and use about a half swing. This produces a low 1 to 2 hop and stop shot for me. 

[Fred Mitchell]

I use far less hand at those ranges, more pendulum like because I can repeat it very consistently.  I control distance by club choice 1st then backswing length

[Snowmonkeys1310]

The clock method where you go from 9-to-3 (waist-to-waist) 10-to-2 (shoulder to shoulder), etc. can be very effective. You should make the time to test this out and know your distances then you should use it. By this I mean testing out 9-to-3 with all your wedges should produce different distances. 

The problem with this method is that the difference between "feel" and "real" can be very challenging. If you watch good golfers, whether it be on TV, at the course, etc. you will see them take aggressive-looking swings (>= 75%) from distances well inside of 100 yards.

If you take a little bit of time to observe what they are doing you would see they are often utilizing (1) a very weak grip and (2) a forward ball position. Jon Rahm's shot on 18 yesterday is a great example of this. All shots are dependent on lie so you won't be able to use this every time, but, when the lie allows for it, utilizing a weaker grip with a full swing should achieve a shorter carry distance straight away.

Once you learn what your stock yardage is with at swing you can make some adjustments to reduce carry yardage when the situation calls for it without having to drastically adjust the length or speed of your swing. You can do this by taking the swing with a weaker grip and adjusting either or both of the following (the links below discuss this to some extent):

• the position of the ball in your stance - the more forward the shorter the flight, and
• the loft of the club face at address

Note that when you present more loft at address you are actually aiming more to the right (if you're a right-handed golfer). You accommodate for this by opening your feet up to the target.

Another thing to note, and this goes for any golf shot, is that opening your stance effectively moves the ball back in your stance so make sure to adjust your stance to get the ball a bit more forward to accommodate for that.  

Links
https://golf.com/news/love-your-wedges-ernies-four-step-plan-to-stick-it-from-any-distance/
https://www.golfwrx.com/473942/how-to-use-the-bounce-of-your-wedge-correctly/