What is the Wedge Shot? When, Where and How to Use it

By Ben Jarratt •  Updated: 07/14/23 •  6 min read

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Golf is a sport that anyone can play. Regardless of your age, gender, or skill level, you are welcome to give it a try. Golf has been around for centuries and will likely stick around for many more. One thing about golf that makes it so unique is the different types of shots used when playing the game. The wedge shot is one type of shot found in golfing, and this blog post will go over what it is, when to use it, and how to execute it properly!

What is the wedge shot in golf?

The wedge shot in golf is a type of swing used to get the ball onto a green (or into sand) from a reasonably close distance. It can be executed with either an iron or a lob wedge and is generally more complex than other shots because it requires precision.

When should I use this shot?

Many people will have different opinions on when you should use it, but there are some general guidelines. The less experienced player will want to try using this approach if they need to clear out obstacles such as trees, shrubs, or boulders; for higher handicappers who struggle to get their drives up-and-down consistently; also, for anyone looking for practice in laying backs that apply across the board regardless of skill level:

How to hit a good wedge shot in golf?

To hit a good wedge shot in golf, you need to: make sure your feet are close – with the ball in between them; set up at a distance from the ball that will allow an easy swing and not too much arm movement; use your hands as guides by assuming they’re holding a steering wheel. Finally, position both hands on each side of the clubhead so there’s no tension in either wrist.

Tips for hitting wedge shots:

The most important thing is always making contact with the ball first before thinking about power or direction. If you can do this consistently enough, it becomes easier to create more spin and control because there will be less thought going into what you want to happen after making contact. This means if everything else fails, don’t lose heart and always remember to make contact first before everything else.

Difference between sand and grass wedges?

The difference between sand and grass wedges is the lie. The sand wedge’s lie is flat, and for a grass wedge, it will be at an angle with more loft on the clubface than the sand.

If you can’t master your wedges, then there are two things to try out:

The first option would be putting in some time trying to develop better hand-eye coordination. Once contact has been made, your hands automatically know where to go next without having much thought going into what should happen after contact. This could mean practicing different shots from all sorts of distances and experimenting with how hard or soft you hit them, which may help when considering power and direction. 

Secondly, if this doesn’t work, either way, consider getting fitted for custom-made clubs. This is a more expensive route to go, but it can also be the answer you need if your wedges are not performing up to par, and this could mean going from an average gap of over two yards on shots that should have been easy chip-ins or putts.

The wedge shot is a short-distance shot that requires finesse and accuracy. It is not an easy shot to master, but you can become a pro in no time with some practice. The key things to remember are that the club should be coming down on the ball from behind and that it’s important to have good weight transfer through your body and have proper timing of contact when hitting the ground. Good shots come from understanding how this works, so take a look at these tips for more information about improving your wedge game.

The most common place where people use their wedges is around the green or within 100 yards or less away from it. They also tend to be used off of roughs near greens, making them difficult because they need finesse instead of power and if there is any slope, then getting up and down becomes more difficult.

Sloping fairways are another area where you may use a wedge shot because it requires shots to be hit close to the ground and will have less distance on them than normal shots. They also need good timing, which can make your swing feel like an arc instead of being straight up-and-down, but with some practice, you’ll get used to how they go back in the air again after hitting the ball, so that’s not as much of an issue when playing one.

Understanding the backspin of a wedge shot

To understand the backspin of a wedge shot, you should think about the rotation of the golf club in your hands and how that affects where power is distributed. The more under-rotation there is on shots with wedges than other clubs, the greater amount of backspin will be generated.

This means that if you have a blade-style putter head (one without offset), it must be rotated down at contact for most lofted shots because they produce less spin. With iron or hybrid, though, this can usually be done just by swinging up and through as normal and letting gravity do its work afterward; but don’t forget to stop accelerating after impact!

 It’s essential to know how far away from your ball will be after hitting a certain type of club before deciding which one should be used. For example, if your ball is on the fringe of a green and you’re not confident in being able to get it close enough with iron such as the Callaway Mavrik Max Irons or hybrid, then a sand wedge might be more appropriate. This will give you better control over where the ball lands for those problematic shots when precision matters most. 

The wedge shot can be a difficult one to get down. It’s worth the practice, though, as this shot can often get golfers out of some pretty tricky situations. This is a shot that requires some finesse and a lot of accuracies. However, this is the shot that describes the true definition of needing to “feel” the ball.