Swing by Ridgemark: Whenever possible, you want to leave
yourself a full swing into the green. But that does not always
happen. When golfers find themselves needing to hit a partial wedge
shot into the green, there are two common swing flaws. The first
error is to take a full swing, but decelerate at impact. The second
flaw is when the golfer judges his half swing by how far the
clubhead goes back in his swing.
Whenever possible, you want to leave yourself a full swing into the green. But that does not always happen.
When golfers find themselves needing to hit a partial wedge shot into the green, there are two common swing flaws. The first error is to take a full swing, but decelerate at impact. The second flaw is when the golfer judges his half swing by how far the clubhead goes back in his swing.
Take this tip to the driving range and your partial wedge shot will improve right away. Practice keeping the same swing tempo for all size shots, but only shorten the size of your swing. The length of your swing is determined by the position of your hands, not the clubhead, on your backswing.
Using your sandwedge, pitching wedge and 9- iron, try hitting some range balls, with your hands stopping waist or belt high on your backswing. Then try hitting some range balls with your hands stopping at your shoulder height. Finally, hit some range balls with a full swing.
You will find these three clubs, with three different swing sizes, will offer you nine different distances for your partial shots into the greens.
Watch This Tip Online
Sports Editor Andrew Matheson hosts a weekly San Benito County sports update show online. Go to sbcscore.com and catch Andrew’s show each week.
On Andrew’s website, there is a feature called the Coach’s Corner. If you click on this feature, you will find tips from the different coaches and instructors in our area. This month you will find my golf tip for the partial wedge shots on video.
Oops!
Correction from my last column: Neddie Turner scored a hole-in-one, not Nelly Turner. Sorry Neddie.
Demo Day at Ridgemark
On Saturday, May 14, Ridgemark will be hosting a Demo Day with Titleist, Ping, Cobra and Power-Bilt with Bionic gloves. Come out and try the different brands of equipment from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Alex Rodriguez joins Ridgemark Team
Please welcome Alex Rodriguez next week to Ridgemark. Raised in Gilroy and a graduate of UC Santa Cruz, Alex brings a strong background in junior golf from First Tee in Salinas. Alex is in the PGA Apprentice Program and enjoys teaching golfers of all ages and abilities. Swing by Ridgemark and say hi to Alex.
Golf Quote
“Playing tournament golf without practice is like walking downstairs in pitch dark.”
— Thomas Boswell
