One of the biggest misconceptions in the wedge game is that you have to do something special with your hands to control the ball. Players try to cut, flip the clubhead under the ball or add excessive loft. What these types of players don’t understand is this spin is not a trick or a trick. It is simply the result of creating the right conditions between the clubface and the ball at impact.
Clean contact, clean grooves, enough speed and the right amount of loft create friction. And friction is what allows the ball to catch the face, thrown with control and spin when it hits the green.
It’s the connection between the first two parts of this series: the strike gives you predictability, while the spin gives you control. Check out Part 1 of our series here, or read below for more on how to make the ball really control when it hits the green.
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How to make the ball *actually* check
Before you worry about your technique, look at what is actually making contact with the golf ball. A combination of clean grooves, a dry clubface and a good lie gives you the best opportunity to create friction. Dirt, grass and moisture that get between the ball and the face and dramatically change how much spin it produces. This is why you see good players constantly cleaning their grooves and paying attention to the lie before choosing a shot.
The ball matters too. A quality golf ball with a softer cover will generally give you more greenside spin than a more firmly oriented distance But even with perfect conditions and optimal equipment, you still have to put the ball on the correct part of the clubface.
Take a good look at the face of the cradle after a good shot. The goal is a predictable lower strike on the face and sometimes even the air on the toe side is preferred.
If the low point of your swing is inconsistent, your contact will be inconsistent. And when contact changes, spin changes with it. You might hit a shot that checks immediately and the next one that releases ten feet farther even if it feels like similar swings. Great wedge players eliminate that uncertainty by controlling where the club meets the ball and the ground.
Where many players get into trouble is when they try to use their hands to manipulate the spin. They know they want the ball to stop, so they instinctively try to help it in the air. The handle slows down, the club head passes through the hands and the player adds loft through impact. That typically makes the shot and spin less predictable.
Instead, set up in a way that allows the loft of the club to do the work. From a good lie, I want a relatively neutral setup with the body slightly favoring the lead side and the club face extremely open (below, left).
Joey Wuertemberger
From there, rotate through the shot and allow the clubhead to continue moving. You don’t need to make the impact with your hands, if anything try to take the amount of loft out of the club and keep the tree at impact. This is the part that matters most because you get loft from the club!
Another misconception that high-handciap players have is that they need to hit a spinning wedge smoothly. The reality is quite the opposite. You need speed to create spin.
This does not mean making a violent swing. It means allowing the clubhead to travel through impact with enough speed to create friction while maintaining your strike. Think of a good player’s wedge shot that flies relatively low, takes a jump and then catches. There is engagement through impact. The player does not slow down because they are afraid of hitting too far.
It is an important distinction: Control the distance with the duration of the movement, not slowing down the club at impact.
Sometimes you want the ball to land and release. Other times you need to take a leap and stop. Great wedge players understand the lie, choose the proper trajectory and know roughly how the ball will react when it lands.
