Learning to Master Your Partial Wedge Shots

The partial wedge shot is one of the single most-important shots in all of golf, yet it gets very little attention during the practice sessions of the average golfer.  If you are anything like most other golfers at your local course, you probably spend plenty of time trying to smash your driver as far as possible, but you spend little (if any) time working on your partial wedges.

Private GIF

GIPHY is your top source for the best & newest GIFs & Animated Stickers online. Find everything from funny GIFs, reaction GIFs, unique GIFs and more.

The ability to hit soft wedge shots into the green from a variety of yardages will make it possible for you to make more birdies and par saves than ever before.  Dedicate yourself to strengthening this part of your game and you are sure to lower your scores.

Most likely, you are already pretty comfortable when asked to hit a full wedge shot into the green.  For example, if you can hit your pitching wedge 110 yards, you love to see your ball come to rest at this yardage after a good tee shot.  You can walk up to the ball, swing away, and see the ball drop onto the green—hopefully somewhere near the cup.

Of course, getting a perfect yardage on your wedges shots is something of a rare event.  More frequently, you will have an awkward yardage that requires you to adjust your swing slightly in order to dial up the distance just right.  A partial wedge shot is likely to come up several times within the same round, meaning you will have plenty of chances to show off this new skill once you have polished it on the range.

The Mechanics of a Partial Wedge Shot

The first thing to realize about partial wedge shots is that you don’t have to dramatically change your technique in order to take distance off of the ball.  Making big changes to your swing would be a bad thing, as that would require you to learn a new motion just for the purpose of these short wedge approach shots.  Instead, you want to use the same swing that you normally use with your wedges, with only a couple of basic adjustments.  Tweak your wedge swing by using the following three tips to create quality partial wedge shots quickly and easily.

1.) Choke Down on the Grip

This is always the best way to take speed out of your swing, whether you are hitting a long club or a wedge.  Moving your hands down on the grip of the club effectively makes the club shorter, meaning your swing will lose length—and speed as a result.  Just moving your hands down an inch or two on the grip will be all you need to subtract yardage from the total flight of the shot.

2.) Move the Ball Back in Your Stance

One of the overlooked aspects of partial wedge shots is the need to keep the ball down lower to the ground.  You have more control over the ball when it flies lower, and partial wedges are all about control.  By moving the ball back just a couple of inches in your stance, you will lower the ball flight and make it easier to stick the ball in close to the target.

3.) Soft Grip

With soft grip pressure, you will be able to allow the club to swing through the ball freely without any sudden hand action at the bottom.  If your hands are too active through impact, you will flip the club closed at the ball will fly long and left (for a righty golfer).  Quiet hands are crucial to good partial wedge shots, so start out with a soft grip at address to help your hands stay out of the way.

Trust Your Feel

Too many golfers try to calculate the exact distance that they can hit their partial wedges, often by ‘measuring’ the length of their backswing.  Try to avoid this analytical approach, instead trusting your feel to send the ball up next to the cup.

This is why it is so important to practice your partial wedges as often as possible.  Each time you hit one of these shots, you will get a little better at controlling the distance that the ball flies in the air.  As the rounds add up, your experiences with partial wedge shots will enable you to hit more and more shots perfectly pin high.

Photo via Flickr

Keep Your Equipment Fresh

Make sure you aren’t trying to hit partial wedge shots with worn out wedges or beat up old golf balls.  You need to generate some spin on these shots in order to get them close to the hole, and there are two specific equipment points required for spin: clean grooves, and a good golf ball.

If you are using an older wedge, make sure you keep the grooves clean, and consider upgrading to a new club if you have played hundreds of rounds with the one in your bag currently.  Also, try to avoid playing with a cheap golf ball, or one that has been sitting in the woods for years until you rescued it.  A ball that has been exposed to the elements for a long period of time is not going to perform as well as one that just came out of the box.

The Importance of Learning to Play a Partial Wedge Shot

Playing partial wedge shots is a part of the game that you just can’t avoid.  If you are having trouble with your driver, for instance, you can choose to keep it in the bag while you use shorter clubs from the tee.  That strategy isn’t an option when it comes to partial wedges.  You have to hit these shots in order to get around the course, so the smart move is to work on your technique as soon as possible.

The partial wedge isn’t as scary as some amateur golfers make it out to be, but it certainly requires some hard work and practice time to build confidence in this area of the game.  That hard work is worth it, however, as mastering the partial wedge can go a long way toward lowering your average score.

Cover Photo via Flickr