Titleist Instruction Video Tips Our Instructors

Burning Wedge Shot

From Jonathan Yarwood On February 23, 2022

If you're inside 100 yards and you have a wedge in your hands, you should be taking dead aim at the pin and thinking birdie. A full wedge shot from a clean lie gives you the opportunity to spin the ball... more than any other shot in the game. And with that high spin, you have the potential to control the ball's flight AND how it reacts on the green, leaving any pin location vulnerable.

However, with the wrong technique, your distance wedges can become very inconsistent. To make sure you don't squander these scoring opportunities, we asked for some advice from Titleist staff member Jonathan Yarwood. In this video, Jonathan shares the results of new research that shows how the best players in the world are able generate so much spin and how they hit such accurate shots with their full wedges. Follow Jonathan's keys and you'll soon be flag hunting, too.

DON'T:

1. Chop down steeply on the golf ball
2. Cut across the golf ball

DO:
1. Use a premium golf ball like Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x. The soft urethane covers of these balls provide a distinct advantage with regards to spin.
2. Clean and dry the face of your wedge. The newer the wedge and the fresher the grooves, the more spin you can generate (Titleist testing has shown that spin rates degrade significantly after the equivalent of 75 rounds played.)
3. Take a stance that is slightly open and slightly wider than your chipping stance.
4. Grip down on the handle and position the ball just forward of center.
5. Lean a little left (for a right-handed golfer), putting more pressure into your lead leg.
6. Lean the shaft of your wedge towards the target slightly, hands ahead of the club head.
7. Make a wide, U-shaped swing by rotating your ribcage back, feeling that your arms stay in sync with your torso.
8. Continue to rotate your torso through impact, hands ahead of the club face. The ball will adhere to the face of the wedge, launch low and burn with optimal spin!

If you're inside 100 yards and you have a wedge in your hands, you should be taking ... dead aim at the pin and thinking birdie. A full wedge shot from a clean lie gives you the opportunity to spin the ball more than any other shot in the game. And with that high spin, you have the potential to control the ball's flight AND how it reacts on the green, leaving any pin location vulnerable.

However, with the wrong technique, your distance wedges can become very inconsistent. To make sure you don't squander these scoring opportunities, we asked for some advice from Titleist staff member Jonathan Yarwood. In this video, Jonathan shares the results of new research that shows how the best players in the world are able generate so much spin and how they hit such accurate shots with their full wedges. Follow Jonathan's keys and you'll soon be flag hunting, too.

DON'T:

1. Chop down steeply on the golf ball
2. Cut across the golf ball

DO:
1. Use a premium golf ball like Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x. The soft urethane covers of these balls provide a distinct advantage with regards to spin.
2. Clean and dry the face of your wedge. The newer the wedge and the fresher the grooves, the more spin you can generate (Titleist testing has shown that spin rates degrade significantly after the equivalent of 75 rounds played.)
3. Take a stance that is slightly open and slightly wider than your chipping stance.
4. Grip down on the handle and position the ball just forward of center.
5. Lean a little left (for a right-handed golfer), putting more pressure into your lead leg.
6. Lean the shaft of your wedge towards the target slightly, hands ahead of the club head.
7. Make a wide, U-shaped swing by rotating your ribcage back, feeling that your arms stay in sync with your torso.
8. Continue to rotate your torso through impact, hands ahead of the club face. The ball will adhere to the face of the wedge, launch low and burn with optimal spin!