SHARPEN YOUR WEDGE GAME

As Shot Scope shows, the cardinal error with pitch shots is coming up short. Many club players throw the clubhead at the ball, adding loft to the face and producing high, directionless shots that inevitably don’t go the distance. Here are two ways you can fire some purpose and penetration back into your wedge play.

1 CENTRAL PIVOT

Turn on top of the ball to keep the flight down

MIDDLE LINE

As soon as you fall behind the ball, the low point of the swing moves back and you’ll flick the ball up in the air. Guard against this by positioning the ball centrally in you stance and setting up with your shirt buttons opposite it.

HOLD SWAY

Throughout your backswing, make it your goal to keep that relationship intact; turn around a fixed point, making sure those shirt buttons don’t sway behind the ball. Start down from here and it’s much easier to deliver a descending, driven blow with a stronger clubface.

2 UNDERDRIVE

The next time you practise wedge play, use your golf bag to wedge or prop up a horizontal cane or clubshaft a couple of feet in front of the ball, and a couple of feet above the ground. Simply hit shots, trying to squeeze the ball under the cane. This will create the forward shaft lean that delofts the face and gives your shots a lower, stronger flight.