Main champ Justin Thomas reveals the secrets and techniques to impeccable wedge play.
Getty Photos
Each time I play a spherical and fully misfire a tee shot, I rapidly remind myself one thing many GOLF High 100 Trainer have burdened to me: “Simply attempt to win inside 100 yards.”
It appears so…easy.
Whereas truly attending to inside 100 yards could also be a wrestle at instances — attributable to dangerous tee pictures or chunked strategy pictures — having a masterful contact together with your wedges and putter will at all times offer you an opportunity to attain.
So how are you going to accomplish that? A superb place to begin is by listening to two-time main champion Justin Thomas, who gives some simple tips about tips on how to dial in wedge pictures from inside 100 yards within the video under (courtesy of Titleist’s YouTube channel).
3 issues Justin Thomas says to do on wedge pictures
Within the video above, Thomas breaks down a couple of key points of hitting a wedge shot from below 100 yards.
He begins with an 85-yard shot from the golf green, then one from the identical distance within the tough and closes with a tough shot over a bunker from 35 yards out.
85-yard shot (from fairway): Decide your ball flight
“I’ve acquired 85 yards with a bit little bit of [head] wind,” Thomas says. “It appears like I’ve acquired a contact of a backstop, so I’ve acquired a 60-degree wedge right here and might play this a few other ways.”
Subsequent, Thomas suggests how he’d strategy this shot, particularly specializing in his ball flight.
This 1 adjustment will make it easier to dial in 100-yard wedge pictures
“With that backstop, it’s one the place I’d in all probability need to fly it 86 or 87 yards, be aggressive, and a bit bit proper of the outlet,” he provides. “I’m going to make use of a reasonably customary flight, but it surely’s into the wind, so I may need to hit it tougher.
“For me, I prefer to flight my wedges down to have the ability to management the spin. You need to have the ability to spin it so much if you want to, however, for me, it looks like I’m making an attempt to take spin off versus add it.”
85-yard shot (from tough): Learn the lie
As any golfer is aware of, not all 85-yard wedge pictures are created equal, so Thomas strikes from the center of the golf green to the tough, explaining what gamers should perceive earlier than making a membership selection and deciding what sort of shot they plan to hit.
“This shot adjustments drastically whenever you’re within the tough,” Thomas says. “A whole lot of it’s simply studying the lie, which is one thing that as a participant, over the course of years taking part in, you perceive what lies are going to do.”
Subsequent, Thomas describes two several types of lies — one the place greater than half the ball is sitting beneath the highest of the grass, and one other the place the ball is sitting extra on prime of the grass.
“On [the one sitting beneath the grass], there wouldn’t be plenty of spin, and it’ll in all probability be larger and type of a knuckleball that received’t do a lot when it lands,” he says. “On [the ball sitting up more], being down grain, if I get lie like this and I can get on the ball first, I can nonetheless spin that.”
Thomas says that judging the lie typically comes with years of expertise, however that it’s one thing even novice gamers ought to perceive tips on how to do.
35-yard wedge shot over a bunker: Hit down on the ball to generate backspin
A standard downside amateurs make on wedge pictures is having an inclination to lean again and attempt to scoop the ball up into the air. This could result in skulling or chunking.
“Clearly, I’m treating this shot a bit bit otherwise than your common beginner,” Thomas says. “I feel when amateurs see a bunker like this the place they should go over it, they instinctively return and attempt to scoop it — however that’s not what generates backspin or something good.”
He says it’s most necessary to focus in your angle of assault, ensuring you hit down on the ball to provide the spin you see execs like him use from across the greens.
“The extra you hit down on it’s truly the way you generate that backspin,” Thomas says. “So that is one the place you will be aggressive.”
2 simple setup tweaks to beat difficult downhill lies
,
Nick Dimengo
Thomas expounds on studying the lie, noting it’s must be a vital a part of your sport plan from the tough — after which shares how his shot and technique adjustments when on a downslope versus an upslope.
“The lie is crucial factor of constructing a shot simple or tough,” he says.
“Once I’m down grain on an upslope, it’s going to make this shot so much simpler for me. But when I recover from right here and it’s on a bit downslope with the ball sitting down, my technique and the way I’m going to hit this shot simply modified.”
General, Thomas says to excel on wedge pictures from below 100 yards, you want to have a course of, belief it after which be assured as you deal with the ball.
“On the finish of the day, you must be assured and comfy in what you’re doing,” he says.
Titleist Vokey SM9 Tour Chrome Customized Wedge
$179.99
For each shot, each lie, each course, there’s a grind match to your swing. Discovering the suitable grind to match your swing and taking part in situations gives you the most effective turf interplay, contact and shot efficiency. Grasp Craftsman Bob Vokey has spent a long time crafting, creating and enhancing his tour confirmed grinds to suit gamers of all ranges.
Anybody can manufacture a wedge, but it surely takes a grasp to show a chunk of high-performance expertise into an instrument of artistic management. Bob’s six tour-proven grinds are designed to supply most creativity, versatility and consistency, all meticulously developed via years of working with the most effective gamers on the earth.
PROGRESSIVE CENTER OF GRAVITY
SM9 contains a progressive middle of gravity (CG) all through the lofts, which optimizes ball flight, accuracy and forgiveness. Utilizing tapered prime traces and diversified hosel lengths, the Vokey R&D crew has raised the peak of the CG within the larger lofts, which promotes a decrease, extra managed flight.
The CG can be ahead of the face, leading to elevated MOI, distinctive really feel and a membership face that merely needs to sq. up at influence.
SPIN MILLED GROOVES
SM9’s patented Spin Milled grooves are meticulously engineered via a brand new chopping course of to maximise spin and sturdiness. The method begins by chopping the face completely flat with a high-speed noticed. Then each groove is individually lower based mostly on loft and end; low lofts (46°-54°) are designed with narrower, deeper grooves, whereas larger lofts (56°-62°) have wider, shallower grooves.
Micro-grooves are individually lower in between grooves, which maximize spin on partial pictures. A proprietary warmth remedy is utilized to the influence space which doubles the sturdiness of the groove with out impacting really feel, making it essentially the most sturdy groove in golf. The method is simply full when each Vokey wedge is 100% inspected for utmost high quality and efficiency.
View Product
