Not long after I started playing golf, I defaulted to using a wedge any time I got around. It looked comfortable, and rather than risk hitting a wedge, I thought it was my best chance of landing on the green—even if that often resulted in a ball being rolled eight, 10, or 15 feet up the hole.
But after a quick lesson with Parker McLachlin, aka Short chef gameMy mentality completely changed.
In Teaching Joes to Today’s Pros, McLachlin not only shows me the proper setup and swing for using a knuckle wedge, but in doing so, gives me the confidence to make it my club of choice around the throwing surface.
So if you’re someone who always grabs a wedge, 8-iron, or something else near the green, take a look at the video above to see why you should cost yourself shots – and why this wedge can help you land crisper chips with a backspin-style professional.
McLachlin’s tips for using a lob wedge
As McLachlin mentioned in the video, my short game has always been “a little bit one-dimensional”. This is because I haven’t expanded my horizons and just thought the wedge was the safest club to hit.
He adds, “I don’t think you’re alone in that. I think there are a lot of amateurs out there doing it.”
So how can you gain confidence in the screwing wedge? The first thing McLachlin would do was explain the benefits of the high stake—especially for the putt I was about to take, which had a steep hill that I needed to clear to get to (and stay) on the green.
“The other disadvantage of using this stake is that we are going up a hill,” he told me. “So if you don’t get it up that hill, and you don’t carry it up that hill, there’s a good chance that this one will fall back to your feet. This can add another 1-2 strikes to your game.”
After reassuring me that the wedge is indeed hit More dangerous From hitting a lob wedge, McLachlin had me hit some chips to analyze what I could improve on.
Here, try 60 degrees [lob wedge]. “I think there are a lot of good things about your movement,” says McLachin. “You don’t have to put the ball up front yet. With that pitching wedge, you had to put that ball forward to add loft to it.
“Let’s use 60 degrees, and put the ball a little more in the middle; closer to the sternum. You don’t have to open your face as much, the feet are closer together, and the position of the ball can go a little more to the middle. The weight position is very neutral. Now make your natural swing from there “.
After I hit my first rib wedge, the ball sailed at me a bit – with McLachin saying I first hit the ball too far. This is where he wants me to focus on grass reactivity on my next attempt.
“Overall, it wasn’t actually that bad,” he says. “You should feel like you’re mowing this lawn right here on your way in.”
Taking his advice, I hit my next shot just like the pros do – and put some killer backspin on it to sit perfectly on the green.
“Nice! Oh my God, look at that thing stop on a dime!”
After hitting a shot that felt more natural, I worried a little about getting used to my swing strength with the 60-degree lob wedge. McLachlin shuts down these concerns and says the hardest part is trusting club selection by incorporating more interaction with the turf.
“The strength part would be easy, wouldn’t it? I want to make sure your interaction with the turf is good. Since you have a high club, the Major can kind of pay you a visit more than you want to.”
“You feel, with the throwing wedge, you get the ball so far into your position that you’re trying to lean back to try to get some loft.”
This is where poise and confidence come in, relying on a loft lob to hit the shot I want.
Use the 60-degree loft [lob wedge], make your normal kind of swing, and you see the thing come out high, land softly, and it actually spins for you. This adds another dimension to your short game, which is exciting.”
Remember that seeing a successful lob wedge shot comes down to preparation and club positioning. And in many cases, less is more – so MacLachlan reminds me that I don’t need to do anything extreme.
“Just because you have 60 degrees [lob wedge] Not that you need to put on too wide and open the face. With a degree of 60, you can still have your feet close together, and your face can be somewhat square. You don’t have to feel like you need to go to extremes just because you got a score of 60.”
If you’re interested in seeing more of Short Game Chef, Check out McLachlin’s websitewhere you’ll find even more components to help improve your game around the green.
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