This is the trick to mastering those tricky half-swing wedge shots

The important thing to focus on when trying to knock those tricky 50- to 125-yard wedge shots close are 1) the way you manage the length of your backswing, 2) how you deliver speed to the ball and 3) what you’re doing to ensure clean contact in the club’s center.

If you’re like most weekend players I teach, you get in trouble by making a backswing that’s too long. This more than likely will cause you to slow down through impact. A shorter backswing, on the other hand, instills a sense of freedom to accelerate through the shot, which immediately takes care of items 1 and 2. 

Where good contact is concerned, take a page from Hall of Famer Gary Player’s instruction book and try his “walk-through” finish: Step toward the target with your back foot as you swing past impact. This gets more pressure on your front side — a key for pure and consistent strikes. It’ll also create a lower, Touresque trajectory and shots that hit, then stop on a dime (if not spin back). 

Parker McLachlin is a GOLF Teacher to Watch. Learn more from McLachlin at shortgamechef.com.