There may be no handier shot in golf than the high, soft-landing wedge from 50 – 120 yards. During most rounds, you'll inevitably face a handful of situations that require it. Fortunately, the high wedge is one of the easiest shots to execute. The wedges, after all, are designed to lift the ball high in the air. (The low wedge shot is more difficult for most golfers, including low handicappers.) Hit the high wedge any time you've got a flag in the front part of the green, tucked behind a hazard, or when you need to stop the ball quickly on firm greens. Here's the basic setup and swing:
If you're not sure which wedge to choose for a shot – maybe you're between a sand wedge and a gap wedge – go for the less lofted club and swing a little harder. The extra clubhead speed will add height and backspin.
How to Hit High Wedge Shots Your wedges are designed to hit the ball high. With plenty of loft and the ability to create backspin, a well-struck wedge shot should climb high up into the air with ease. Of course, that 'well-struck' part can be a little bit tricky. Also, while a standard wedge shot will fly rather high, an advanced golfer will also know how to hit the ball even higher on command. High shots tend to stop quickly, and stopping the ball quickly with your wedges will allow you to attack even difficult hole locations. In this article, we are going to take an in-depth look at the topic of hitting high shots with your wedges. As you will see, it isn't necessary to swing the club extremely hard in order to hit the ball high, and you probably don't need to overhaul your technique. In addition to explaining what it is that makes the ball fly high, we are also going to look as some basic mechanical adjustments to make this outcome more likely. Additionally, we will talk strategy to highlight some opportunities to use your high wedge shots effectively. While learning how to hit your wedges higher on command, you should remember that it isn't always going to be necessary – or even a good idea – to hit your wedges high into the sky. In many cases, playing your wedge shots lower to the ground will be the best course of action. Why is that? Simple – keeping the ball down makes it easier to control your distance properly, and distance control is the biggest challenge you face when playing a wedge. There will be times where it is necessary to hit the ball high, of course, but there will likely be even more times when playing the ball low into the green is the correct decision. When trying to decide whether to go high or keep the ball low, you will need to think about how the shot is going to stop. On firm greens where a big bounce can be expected, it is more likely that you will want to pick the high route. Bringing your wedge shots in high on hard greens can lead to a more vertical bounce, meaning the ball won't move forward as far before it comes to a stop. However, when you are playing a course with relatively soft putting surfaces, you can afford to bring the ball in lower, knowing that the bounce is not going to be much of an issue. Every wedge shot you face is different, so taking the time to analyze the situation in front of you before making a swing is the best way to optimize your results. All of the content below is written from the perspective of a right-handed golfer. If you happen to play left-handed, please take a moment to reverse the directions as necessary.
Five Benefits of High Wedge Shots In golf, it is important to be very specific and directed about the things you work to improve in your game. You only have so much practice time available, so it is important that you spend that time wisely. If you decide to spend your practice time working on things that are unlikely to help you play better golf, you will be stuck in neutral with regard to your performance on the course. All golfers want to improve over time, and intelligent practice can help you do just that. With that said, it is important to understand the potential benefits of any shots you plan to practice before actually getting down to work. Knowing what you stand to gain is the best way to give yourself motivation, and the best way to confirm that you are working on an important piece of the golf puzzle. Below you will find a list of five benefits which can be enjoyed when you use high wedge shots effectively on the golf course.
There are plenty of opportunities to use a high wedge trajectory on the golf course. This isn't going to be a shot that you play on every hole – or even in every round – but it will be quite handy when it is called for. Use the instruction provided in the rest of this article to learn how to hit high wedge shots on command and your overall game will improve as a result.
The Basic Technique As you would expect, you are going to need to make some fundamental changes to your swing if you are going to move your low ball flight higher up into the air. However, you should note right away that you don't need to completely change your swing technique to hit higher shots. In fact, it would be a mistake to do so. Your swing is your swing, and it shouldn't be changed radically from shot to shot just to alter your ball flight. Instead, you should be looking to make very minor adjustments which will help you to produce a variety of shot types. In golf, subtle changes in technique can lead to big changes in shot pattern, so don't think you have to overhaul what you do just to hit a high ball. So what are the keys to hitting your wedge shots high in the air? The following list will tell you just about everything you need to know.
There isn't anything confusing or complicated about what you need to do in order to hit your wedges high. If you are able to swing through in a balanced manner while using your right hand aggressively, the job should be done – the ball should shoot up into the air sky high before dropping down gently onto the putting surface.
The Role of Your Equipment When you think about your golf equipment, you probably do what most golfers do – you think first and foremost about your driver. It seems that the majority of golfers are really only concerned with their driver when it comes to gear, even though there are 13 other clubs in the bag (and other gear, as well). If you are going to be a well-rounded, consistent player, you need to worry about every piece of equipment you use while on the course. In the case of high wedge shots, it is really two specific parts of your bag that you need to pay attention to – the wedges themselves, and the golf ball. With regard to your wedges, they should be in good condition with relatively fresh grooves. You don't always need to have brand new wedges in your bag, but they really shouldn't be old and worn, either. Old wedges will not have as much groove depth left on the face, and worn out grooves will not allow you to produce as much backspin as you could with newer clubs. If you play a lot of golf, it is probably a good idea to replace your wedges every year – if you are an occasional player, every two years should be good enough. Assuming you have good wedges, your attention should turn to your golf ball of choice. Again here, we are concerned with the ball due to the importance of spin rate. Using a golf ball with a hard cover is going to prevent you from spinning your wedges at a high rate – and it will be nearly impossible to hit high wedge shots as a result. Hard golf balls may fly pretty far from the tee, but they aren't much use when trying to control a wedge into the green. Unfortunately, hard golf balls tend to be the cheapest one on the shelves. That means that if you want a golf ball which will spin at a high rate, you are going to need to pay a bit more for a softer cover. Do you need to buy the most expensive ball on the shelves? Absolutely not – but you shouldn't be buying the cheapest ball, either. For most golfers, picking a ball from the middle of the available price range is going to be the best plan. Unless you play at a high level and regularly shoot in the 70s, there is simply no need to spend the money required to play with a tour-level ball.
When to Keep It in the Bag If you follow the advice provided in this article on swing technique as well as equipment, you should be hitting high wedge shots in no time at all. That's great – but it's not the end of the story. Once you are hitting those high wedge shots, you need to learn how to pick the right spots to use them. It isn't going to do you much good to hit the ball high if you do so at the wrong time. The list below highlights some of the situations when it would be best to opt for a lower flight.
Adding a high wedge shot to your arsenal is a great way to become a better overall golfer. Sure, this isn't a shot that you will use as often as your driver swing or your putter, but it is still going to come in handy quite frequently on the course. Each time you add a new shot to your game, you become a better overall player. Good luck! |