Mastering the 56-degree Wedge
Here’s a tip on what clubs to carry in your bag: Many teachers recommend carrying three wedges, a pitching wedge plus two utility wedges. That might be difficult under some circumstances. But if you substitute a hybrid club for two of your longer clubs, you gain a one-club advantage, allowing you to carry the extra wedge. There’s a range of lofts between 52 degrees and 60 degrees that provide versatility around the green.
The 56-degree wedge is among those clubs. You can hit all kinds of shots with it when you’re close to the green. You can open the face and hit a high lofting shot, or play the ball back in your stance and hit a bump and run. Mastering the 56-degree wedge also prepares you for hitting the 60-degree wedge, the ideal club for making flop shots.
Here are five tips to hitting a 56-degree wedge:
- Determine the type of shot required
- Open your stance slightly at address
- Position the ball based on the shot
- Keep your hands ahead of the ball
- Use a descending blow
If you continually stub short wedge shots, it could be because you’re not using a descending blow. A good drill for players who stub short chip and pitch shots requires a friend’s help. Have him or her hold his hand just above and beyond the ball at address and catch it in the air after you’ve hit it. (I’ve done it hundreds of time and it doesn’t hurt.)
In addition to teaching you to make a crisp descending blow, the drill forces golfers to keep the club low after impact, so as not to hit the other player’s hands. That keeps the golfer from scooping the shot or lifting up and skulling it.
Gary Player once said that 70 percent of all golf shots are played around the green - a startling but accurate statistic. Work on your wedge shots, especially with the 56-degree wedge, and you’ll turn three shots into two when around the green.
Article used with permission from Jack Moorehouse, who has developed a unique and proven handicap slashing system. If you want to get your handicap down to a respectable level then he can help. Golf doesn’t have to be so difficult and his goal is to help you put the “fun” back in your game.
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