The wedge chart helps approach play. It gives a clear and simple view of all your pitch-shot distances.
How it works:
For each club you have different lengths of swing, starting at the hip and working up to a ‘full swing’.
With each swing, ensure the set up (ball position, weight distribution etc.) and tempo stay the same for the chart to work with accuracy.
Start at the ‘hip to hip’ swing (or your equivelant swing) with the highest lofted club. Hit 10 well-struck shots, performing the Wedge Distance Test.
Remove the longest/shortest shots and record the average distance of the remaining 8 balls. This is the shortest distance that will appear on the chart.
Now work up to the next swing – ‘2nd rib’. Carry out the Wedge Distance Test again and record the average distance. Work the way up your body to the shoulders, head and to a ‘smooth’ swing.
| Swing | Lob Wedge |
|---|---|
| Hip to hip | 50 |
| 2nd rib | 57 |
| Shoulder | 65 |
| Ear | 72 |
| Above head | 79 |
| Smooth | 85 |
| Full swing | 92 |
Measure a ‘smooth swing’ by hitting a ‘full shot’ while standing on your leading foot. This removes the weight shift at the top of the swing.
Once the ‘smooth swing’ is complete, record the full swing.
There should be even gaps in distance between each swing. If a gap is larger than the rest, think about adding an extra swing in to fill the gap. If there is a smaller gap beteen two of the shots, tighten the movement to increase the space.
When you have recorded a distance for each swing with the first club it gets pretty easy.
For each swing with the higher lofted club, the distance should increase to the next swing for the next lower loft.
Example: ‘shoulder to shoulder’ swing with the 58 travels 60 yards, therefore the ‘2nd rib’ swing with the 54 should be approximately 60 yards.
Instead of using 10 shots, you now only need to hit 4 or 5 shots. Check that the rule is working and fine tune the yardages for each club.
Check each swing works with the next club in your bag. When you reach the ‘smooth’ swing you should find that you are hitting the maximum distance for the previous club. If this is true, find the average ‘full shot’ for 10 balls with this club and move on to the next wedge.
Record the results of each swing and club into a table which you will take onto the course.
The wedge chart will increase your confidence with approach shots. It is so easy to use and shows all your options in a very simple table. It is great for dialling in your wedges and increasing accuracy in the money-making area of the game!
What happens if you have a distance which isn’t on the chart?