By: Fred Altvater
Once you have striped a drive down the fairway with your Weapon of Mass Destruction, do you routinely find the green, or are you forced to make a miraculous recovery from the fringe, rough or bunker, to avoid making a bogey, or worse?
Everyone knows the old saying, “Drive for show and putt for dough.” But, what about the stuff in between? Although an accurate wedge shot isn’t as impressive as a 300-yard drive, it counts just the same and is more important to posting low scores.
So, why do I see guys on the range immediately grab their drivers and start banging away?
From 100 yards and in do you have a “go-to” shot? Are you on a first-name basis with your Sand Wedge, Gap Wedge, Pitching Wedge and 9-Iron?
How much time do you spend on the range practicing shots from 150 yards and in?
A few years ago, when Jason Day was the No. 1 player in the world, I had the opportunity to ask him how much time he spent working on his short game. He replied that, when he wasn’t playing in a tournament and only practicing, he devoted a total of three hours strictly to chipping, putting and shots from 150 yards in. Of that, he spent 1 ½ hours on his wedges alone.
The next time you head to the range take a few cones, or stakes and arrange them at 10-20 yard intervals and find the club that best works for you at each 10-yard interval.
Many ranges have yardage markers positioned on the range at 100 and 150 yards, but to properly dial in your wedges and improve your short game, you must have a precise swing for those in between yardages.
Zach Johnson was a member of the Drake University golf team and his coach quickly realized that Zach was never going to be a long hitter. To be competitive he had to become a strong wedge player. The coach built several two-foot by three-foot wooden targets and arranged them at 10-yard distances on the range. Zach was required to hit the target a certain number of times, in every ten tries. For years, Zach led the PGA Tour in short game accuracy, which allowed him to earn over $44 million on tour.
Early on, I work with my students to develop wedge shots for 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 yard distances.
The game becomes much easier and your enjoyment quotient increases exponentially. You will also be surprised how quickly your scores will decrease and your handicap will become more respectable.
Take a tip from Jason Day and Zach Johnson, hit a few less drivers on the range and learn to love your wedges.
