Dial in Your Wedge Shot Distances

One of the surest ways to lower your golf score is to refine your short game. Dave Pelz, a well-known short game guru, recommends what he calls his 3 x 4 system, which PGA tour players such as Vijay Singh, Steve Elkington, and Tom Kite use to dial in their wedge distances. In this system, a golfer carries four wedges and uses three backswing positions. The wedges are the pitching wedge, sand wedge, lob wedge, and X (extra lofted) wedge. Unfortunately, this might mean having to take another club out of your bag to meet the 14-club maximum rule. If you carry a hybrid, the 3-iron is the usually the club that gets removed.

The idea behind this system is to swing with the same rhythm each time and let the amount of backswing and club length determine the distance. The backswing distance is based on the clock face, with hand positions at 7:30, 9:00, and 10:30. For each backswing position, even the 7:30 one, make sure your hands finish high for a complete follow-through. This will make sure you don't decelerate during the downswing and give you a consistent, repeatable, reliable swing.

You need to be able to accurately measure the distance of your shots to be able to perfect your distances so you'll either need to laser the distances at the range or find a field where you can step off a distance of 100 yards. A football field works great, but be sure not to break any laws or city ordinances. Pelz recommends hitting around 20 solid shots (don't count any mis-hits) with your pitching wedge using the 9:00 o'clock backswing position and averaging and recording the distance carried. Repeat this procedure with the other backswing positions and for each of the wedges. To ensure better consistency, repeat this on several different days. Using these three clock positions and four wedges, you'll have 12 different shots in your bag.

Once you know the carry distance of each of your wedges for each backswing position, Pelz recommends that you write the three distances on a small piece of paper, one under the other, and tape it to the shaft of the corresponding wedge. Tape it upside down, so you can read it while holding the club. This way, you'll be able to easily ensure that you have the right club for the shot at hand.

Now, to further increase your shot repertoire, repeat the distance measurement procedure, but choke down on the grip about 3 to 5 inches. The actual distance will depend on where it feels comfortable to you. This will give you a total of 24 different shots with your wedges! (And that doesn't even include the full swing.)

The key to this system is practicing it enough to accurately calibrate your rhythm and backswing distance and allow your muscles to "learn" the shots. Even after you have the shots grooved, practice them often to keep them fresh. It takes a fair amount of time and effort to become proficient with this system, but seeing the look on your golf buddies' faces when you consistently put your approach shots next to the pin will make it all worth while. Trust me.