Cannot hit my sand wedge!!!

Today I went to the range to hit some balls. I was hitting all of my shots relatively well, until I began to hit some short shots with my sand wedge. Every time I did I would either shank it, top it or hit behind it. I tried to slow down my swing, speed it up, delay at the top, etc., but nothing seemed to work. I moved the ball back in my stance, then forward, but this didn't help either. I was hitting off hard, short grass; could this have been part of the problem? Could I have been subconsciously decelerating through the shot?? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Which way were your divots pointing? Most likely you are standing too close to the ball, this causes shanks and fat shots.

Standing too close is certainly one possibility. Another thing to make sure of is that you are still turning your shoulders and not simply using your hands in the backswing. Also, make sure you're not trying to flip or lift the ball with the club but still hitting downwards.

Off hard, short grass the bounce of a sand wedge does make it difficult to get a clean contact. Thin shots are certainly likely and if you overcompensate then a fat shot might result, but probably not a shank.

I see that in a lot of players - They tend to flick at the ball with shorter irons rather than dragging the club through the ball. Consequently, the clubhead is well past the hands at impact producing duffed or thinned shots. My advice would be to forget about distance (these are not distance clubs anyway) but work on gentle shots making sure the hands lead at all times.

Good point. Hands ahead of the ball is the main thing. Anytime I miss a few shots with a short club, I'll go to the range and practice 20 or 30 balls with the ball back in my stance, playing a knockdown, or punch shot with an abreviated follow through. This will help you in hitting down on the ball instead of hitting it slightly on your upswing. Once you are hitting these pretty well, gradually move the ball ahead over the next 5 to 10 balls until it is in the position you usually play it. The big thing is remember to keep your hands ahead of the ball.

I have a tendancy to play my wedges back in my stance a little anyway, as this produces way more spin and the ball stops very quick on the greens. This setup makes it easy for me to attack the pins. Works for me.

Tj,

All good points made thus far.

Is it a full shot with the s/w. If so, same swing and just trust the club.

Dependant on the shot I generally play the s/w from the centre of my stance.

Far too many people are eager to see where their short shot is headed and in turn, lift up and have a look. This can cause shanks. Maintain your spine angle.

Trust the club Tj.

I use a putting stroke for my wedges. You should not let your hands flip at the ball and DON'T LOOK UP. The more you bring the club back 7 9 10 on the clock the more the ball will fly

That's one helluva putting stroke. I rarely bring my putter past 9 on the clock...

This is a info web page. The golfer would know what I mean. arms and hands and shoulders are one.

I know exactly what you mean. I use the same 54 degree club from about 135 yards and in, just tone it down as I get closer to the green. My last post was a bit of a joke.... Is that allowed here?