17 Aug 2010
This article, written by Ozzie Carlson, appeared in the Bergen Record 2010 series
Scoring From ½ Wedge Distance
One of the questions I am most often asked is how do I feel and control distance from less than a full wedge shot away. My first answer is don’t put yourself in the “throw-up zone.” You need to avoid those 30 to 70 yard shots by laying up to a more comfortable full wedge distance.
This past week I had the great pleasure of playing golf with two of my former Ramapo players. James and Brian’s 300+ yard drives consistently split the fairway, but often left them at less than full wedge distance to the green. Recognizing that perhaps they shouldn’t have hit driver, they asked, now that I am at less than ideal distance, what should I do? What I have found to hold up in the heat of battle is the following method of feeling and controlling distance, trajectory and spin – so you can get close enough to one-putt.
Think of your left hip joint (left pivot) as the center of a bicycle wheel (right handed golfers) and your arms as spokes attached to the center of the wheel at the elbows. Now think of your clubhead as the rim of the wheel. To get your clubhead to travel through an arc, simply turn the center of your wheel – the left pivot – away from and through to your swing target, or intended finish position.
How far and how fast you turn your left pivot away and through to your intended finish position will determine the length of your swing arc and the amount of clubhead speed you deliver. The more speed you deliver the farther the ball will go, and conversely.
There are teachers who suggest that you gauge the length of your backswing to control your distance, but I have never found a player who uses that method to be any good, particularly under pressure. That would be like trying to drive your car to somewhere while looking backward over your shoulder. Good Luck!
The beauty of feeling your arms merely as spokes in a wheel is that your elbows stay connected to your left pivot (the center of your wheel) rather than wandering around on their own. When they stay connected (turn together), you will consistently make solid contact. No more chunking and sculling these difficult shots.
The art of learning to control your distance is coming to understand and feel how far and how fast to turn your hips. So start each shot by asking the golfer’s question: where do I have to finish to land my ball at that precise distance.
Then, simply focus on your intended finish position (now you are driving your car with your mind on where you are going), and turn your left pivot away from and through to there. Always observe your finish position so that you can learn from each shot; i.e. did I swing “connected” to my intended finish at pendulum speed, did the ball land where I expected?
Using this method you will soon learn the feel of motion required to land your ball at different distances. And more importantly, your clubhead will naturally be accelerating at impact, so you have the benefit of gravity and centripetal force keeping it in the arc for you.
In the 40 – 70+ yard range, simply choke down on the grip of your wedge, narrow your stance and adjust the speed of your left hip spin to control how much speed you deliver. By focusing on the speed of your hip spin and feeling “connected” at the elbows, you will find that your hands/arms/shoulders can relax sufficiently to develop “touch.” When James and Brian develop touch, look out world!
Golfstruck – Better Golf – Right Now!
