Regardless of where you are on your game-improvement journey, diversifying your shot repertoire by learning how to create multiple shots with a single club is a smart way to hone your skills — and focusing on greenside shots with high-lofted wedges is a great place to start.
In a video posted to Titleist’s YouTube channel, GOLF Top 100 Teacher Trillium Rose demonstrates how you can use a 58-degree wedge to hit three different greenside shots.
The 58-degree wedge is an ideal club to work with, Rose says, because it has the loft you need to carry any obstacles in your path, as well as the ability to spin the ball so it will sit down quickly after landing.
1 club, 3 shots
The basic chip
The first shot Rose suggests learning is a basic chip: the ball should be in the middle of your stance, your weight should be forward and your shaft should also lean slightly forward. Your wrists should stay quiet, with the swing movement powered by torso rotation.
This shot is ideal for an elevated target, because you can fly the ball most of the way there, with minimal rollout.
The longer pitch
The next shot Rose recommends learning is a long pitch, which utilizes the same basic chip-shot swing movement, but from a longer distance.
Titleist shocked its tour pros with this outrageous GT design
To cover a greater distance, you need to generate more swing speed. Rose recommends incorporating some wrist hinge in the backswing. Using the same basic setup from the chip shot, take a longer backswing, hinging your wrists, and let it fly. You’ll get the trajectory and distance you need, as well as a little bit of rollout after the ball lands.
The quick-stop flop
The next shot Rose tackles is one that all golfers would love to master: the quick-stop flop, a great tool when you’re facing a short carry and/or a short-sided pin.
The setup is definitely different for this one, with an opened-up clubface and a slight lunge to the left, with your weight on your front foot. You also want to incorporate a more dramatic wrist hinge on your backswing to create the swing speed and steep angle of attack you need at impact to give the ball the spin it needs to lift and stop. One key: Make sure to zip through impact!
To watch Rose’s full video tutorial on all three shots, click here.