Control Pc A Distance

[Alarico Boyett]

Almostevery magazine or book has some variation of the clock method with 3/4 swings with each wedge, giving a range of different distances to hit. But at the same time when I watch the pros (on TV or following in person) I rarely see plays rehearsing a 9:00 or 10:30 type swing, it seems much more feel based.

By definition it is the speed of the club rather than the length of the backswing that ultimately controls distance...the clock method just uses length of backswing as a proxy for speed, and assumes the tempo/acceleration is constant. I can hit a range of distances with a 9:00 swing just by altering the speed of my pivot.

Not trying to say one method is better than another, but i'd love some input as to how better players really control distance with their wedges - is it all feel and loads of practice to maintain? Or do they use systems? At what point (in terms of both ability and time to practice) is a player better off working on a system vs going all feel?

Whether it's feel or a "system", either way you're going to have to practice it. Playing a shot on the course with only one chance at it, even the best in the world miss their mark more often than not. Their misses are just more acceptable than ams. Some might have a "system", but I'd bet most everyone plays less than full shots with some sense of feel. How could you not when no two shots are ever the same?

I use what feels like about a half swing (probably 3/4, I don't care) and grip down a half inch for every five yards I want to take off, down to about two inches. More shoulder tilt for a higher trajectory (think look to the sky), move the ball back a bit for lower shots. So I suppose a combo of feel and system. Treats me pretty good on the course and it's about all I do for practice.

In the end it's like anything, the more you practice the more you will get a feel for it, it's similar to putting, how do you know how hard to hit a putt? Do you have a system? Think of wedge play more as tossing a ball a certain distance and it might help.

Feel usually only works when accompanied by diligent practice. If you want to be consistent, then you need to use an approach that you can repeat consistently. Some golfers are great with a "feel-based" approach to their game (in all aspects), but I think most would benefit from a very specific approach that uses concrete, reproducible movements/measurements that produce the desired outcome.

I am no pro, but I have a decent short game. At the pitching range I will have yardages from 30 to 100 yards in 10 yard increments. I practice hitting quarter, half, and three-quarter shots with all my wedges from a variety of lies. Therefore, if I have 65 yards to the pin, and a good lie, I know what wedge to hit, and what swing to use. For me, it's not about feel, it's about knowing what swing (quarter, half, three-quarter), and with what wedge.

Ultimately the clock system still comes down to feel. You may not see them rehearse a 3/4 swing because its one they have already practiced and dialed in the feel for a given club/distance. Ultimately that is what it comes down to, lots of practice to know what swing you need to get you a certain distance. I will dial in an 80yd shot as a left arm parallel LW..so I will dial in that feel hitting to the 80yd pin and say OK now I need 75 or 85 instead and take a little off or add a little more . You can do that same thing with your SW, GW and PW to get a wide variety of pretty dialed in shots.

I got really good with the clock system back when I was playing/practicing every day, but something I think everyone who tries it needs to understand is that I can hit a sand wedge 90 yards with all 3 of those arm swings, so there is more to it than just length of backswing.

One of the big things was that my contact was always solid, and my trajectory was always the same. I even had different distances for high, standard, and low trajectories (eg I had a high, standard, and low carry distance for a 9:00 54 degree wedge). If you can't control your quality of strike and you can't keep your trajectory consistent you won't be able to keep your carry distances tight.

The other big thing was I was good at keeping my pace the same with every swing. This is how I can hit a sand wedge the same distance with all three of the clock swings, I just create a more rapid pace for the 9:00 and 7:30 and slow down the 10:30 to hit them further/shorter. By keeping your pace consistent you keep your yardages consistent.

Something I firmly believe about wedge play is that it's one of the things in golf that doesn't take much talent to do well (although that helps), but that it reflects how hard you work at it. I had to work really hard at it to do it well but through that work I got really good at it. If you can't practice it a lot (and by a lot I mean pretty much every day), you'll be limited as to how good you can get at it. That being said I think if you hit two 100 ball buckets a week and you commit half of those balls to working on your wedge game every time you practice I think you can become somewhat proficient.

To me, the problem with the clock method is it tends toward internal focus. (Hand's to 9:00, left arm parallel, hands to 7:30, etc.) The brain is a wonderful thing if we can stay out of it's way and not interfere by thinking about body parts.

Thrillhouse uses what also works for me. This is because it is a system that I am committed to. Example is my 52 wedge. A full swing (12:00) is 115 yards. I specifically trimmed the shaft to get the yardage. For every time on the clock face is ten yards less. The other is a 58 & a full shot is 90 yards. It is a system I have worked at for years & it works for me. I have the same tempo on the short shots as opposed to the full ones. Positioning the ball in my stance will also change the yardage. I normally have the ball just left of center. Further up in the stance increases my height as it lowers the distance. Same for positioning back in the stance. Again it is what works for me. I do not consider myself a good wedge player, just that I have a clue on what I am attempting to do. Find what works for you, but getting input from others on their system is a great way to find what works for you. Best of luck!

Michael Breed was on the GolfFix at the PGA earlier this week saying some guys choke down etc. He opts to teach speed of the backs swing and downswing both of which I'm personally not a big fan of. Controlling wedges is my biggest down fall. I'm starting to work on trajectory and its puzzling me because moving the ball back a bit in the swing eliminates some bounce on the wedge. What I can tell you that has worked wonders for me though is letting your internal distance gauge in your mind work. For example looking at where you want to land the ball when chipping or pitching, take a few practice strokes that will generally get you to that spot, and then right before pulling the trigger look at that spot and pull the trigger and let your sub concious take over and execute the shot for you. The skill needed to hit the shot is your swing, but let your eyes and visualization handle the distance for the most part if that makes any sense.

Personally after watching the PGA and how fast the greens were that I need to work on his accelerating through. I was blown away that guys were making 50 yards pitch shots taking a huge divot with water behind them (holes 14,17 specifically).

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