Distance Wedge Control Drill: Know Thy Benchmark Numbers

Distance Wedge Control Drill

The distance wedge control drill is from the Golf Practice Planner.

Name
Distance Wedge Control Drill

Category
Distant Wedges Practice Drills

Difficulty
7 out of 10

Time
30 minutes

Props
Wedges. Your short game solution book by James Sieckman. Cones. Golf Practice Planner.

Overview
Know the distances you hit your wedges using full, 9 o’clock, and 7:30 swings. The 15 swings per wedge will provide a feel for the swing you have for the day, and clues to how the ball is behaving based on the environment (fly further at altitude or shorter if cold).

Steps

Step 1: Watch
Watch the video.

Step 2: Markers 
Place markers (e.g. cones) every 10 yards from 30 to 120 yards.

Step 4: Keep Score
For all your wedges, execute 5 shots with 3 benchmark swings (full, 9 o’clock, 7:30) with a 7 to 10 effort. That will be 15 shots x 4 wedges = 60 shots. Your wedges may have different degrees of loft.

Wedge 1: 48-degree wedge
Execute 5 shots with 3 benchmark swings with your 48-degree wedge (full, 9 o’clock, 7:30) with a 7 to 10 effort. After 15 shots measure them to see if they match your benchmark numbers. The 15 swings per wedge will provide a feel for the swing you have for the day, and clues to how the ball is behaving based on the environment (fly further at altitude or shorter if cold).

Wedge 2: 52-degree wedge
Execute 5 shots with 3 benchmark swings with your 52-degree wedge (full, 9 o’clock, 7:30) with a 7 to 10 effort. After 15 shots measure them to see if they match your benchmark numbers. The 15 swings per wedge will provide a feel for the swing you have for the day, and clues to how the ball is behaving based on the environment (fly further at altitude or shorter if cold).

Wedge 3: 56-degree wedge
Execute 5 shots with 3 benchmark swings with your 56-degree wedge (full, 9 o’clock, 7:30) with a 7 to 10 effort. After 15 shots measure them to see if they match your benchmark numbers. The 15 swings per wedge will provide a feel for the swing you have for the day, and clues to how the ball is behaving based on the environment (fly further at altitude or shorter if cold).

Wedge 4: 60-degree wedge
Execute 5 shots with 3 benchmark swings with your 60-degree wedge (full, 9 o’clock, 7:30) with a 7 to 10 effort. After 15 shots measure them to see if they match your benchmark numbers. The 15 swings per wedge will provide a feel for the swing you have for the day, and clues to how the ball is behaving based on the environment (fly further at altitude or shorter if cold).