Short Game · Drill
Find Your Most Controlled Wedge Backswing
Part of our short game programs for distance control. Build a program with it
Many amateurs swing every club to the same length. Wedges need less. Here's how to find your best spot. Take your pitching wedge and set up. Slide your trail hand a few inches down onto the shaft. Now turn your torso until the shaft points straight up. Your lead arm will be about level with the ground. That's the end of your controlled turn. Memorize it. Power comes from your big muscles, not a longer arm swing.
The drill
- Set up with a pitching wedge.
- Slide your trail hand a few inches down the shaft.
- Turn until the shaft points up.
- Check that your lead arm is about level.
- Repeat to groove that length.
Why it works
A shorter backswing has fewer moving parts, so the clubface returns to the ball more reliably. Turning your torso until the shaft points up sets a repeatable end point, with the lead arm about level. When the turn stays the same length, your big muscles drive the speed and your hands and arms have less to do.
Common mistakes
- You lift the arms to get the shaft up while your chest barely turns.Keep your lead arm connected to your chest and let the torso turn carry the club to the top.
- The lead arm ends well above level because you keep going past the stopping point.Stop when the shaft points up and the lead arm is about level, then pause and check it.
- You grip too tightly after sliding your hand down, which stiffens the turn.Hold the club with light pressure so your torso, not your hands, sets the length.
How you'll know it's working
- The shaft points up and your lead arm is about level at the top, every repeat.
- You strike the ball in the same spot on the face, with a shallow divot just after the ball.
- Your pitch shots land within a small area at a similar distance.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Practice the turn without a ball in front of a mirror or a phone camera until the position feels familiar.
Harder: Hit pitch shots to a target with the same backswing length and judge distance only by how fast you turn through.
Common questions
How far back should I swing a pitching wedge?
For this drill, turn until the shaft points up and your lead arm is about level. That gives you a controlled length you can repeat.
Why should I grip down on a wedge?
Gripping down shortens the club, which gives you better control of where the clubhead strikes the ball. It also makes a shorter swing feel natural.
