The ability to hit wedge shots close to the hole with some regularity is certainly a key skill in the game of golf. Although many golfers know this most still lack the understanding of how to improve this area of their games and the discipline to make it a consistent part of their practice routine. Here is some guidance on how to go about developing Elite wedge play in your own game.
As with any part of the game the first step is to find out where your skill set is. A great way to do this is to go through a PDI full assessment and see what the results tell you. Then you can formulate a plan to improve and hold yourself accountable to working on these areas consistently. A great way to work on wedge play is to select a range of distances such as 50 to 75 yards and work up in 5 yard increments to identify what length swing with which wedge goes how far. As you work up through the range take notes on the club used and the length of swing used.
At the highest level players have multiple options at any given distance so that they can have the ball react different ways upon landing. Rory spoke about this the week of the US Open at LA Country Club. He explained how he used a simulator to work on carry distances and had 3 options for any given distance based on how much spin he wants to the ball to have when it lands. This takes a tremendous amount of practice to not only have a sense of how to do this but to actually become proficient enough to pull off the exact shot that you want when it counts.
Elite wedge play is undoubtedly a key to lower scores and is something you can develop with the right kind of plan. Get started on finding out where you are, put the time in practicing, and before you know it you will see those scores drop.
