Wedge Distance Drills for a Simulator

Your full wedge shots are fine, but anything shorter is a lottery. You're a short way out on screen and have no idea whether to swing easy or hard. The cause is often the same: you've never measured what your partial swings do. A simulator can measure them for you.

First check: can your monitor read short shots?

Not every system handles short shots well. One reference says that with one kind of optical sensor system, chipping and putting will not work too well¹. Look in your manual for a minimum shot speed or distance, and test with a few easy swings. If your gear won't read them, use the drills below for feel and rely on the screen for your longer wedge shots.

Second check: is the room safe for high shots?

Wedge shots can fly high. Garmin's manual says a net or impact screen must be high enough and extended enough to account for high-lofted shots and any errant shots². Indoors, it also sets a minimum gap of 8 ft (2.4 m) between the tee spot and the net². Your own maker's guide may say something different. Follow it, swing a club slowly in the space first, and keep everyone out of the hitting area.

Know what's in your bag

Wedges are the highest-lofted irons, with the shortest shafts and heaviest heads³. Most players carry three or four of them, and some carry more³. Each one has its own loft, so each one has its own full-swing distance. Write down which ones you carry. The gapping page shows how to find those full-swing numbers.

Drill one: the wedge ladder

Choose a wedge. Make three swing lengths: a short backswing, a medium one and a full one. Think of the backswing hand reaching knee height, belt height and shoulder height. Keep the tempo the same each time.

Hit a group of shots at each length. Record the carry, which is how far the ball flies before it lands. Depending on the system, measurements may include ball speed and more¹, but carry is the one to chase here.

Repeat with your other wedges. In the end you'll have a small chart of swing length against distance for each club.

Drill two: land it in a window

Set a target distance from your chart. Hit shots and check how close each one lands. Don't aim for the exact number. Count a shot as good if it's inside a window you choose, such as a few yards either side.

Then move the target. Mix near and far. This stops you grooving one distance.

Drill three: one club, many distances

The lob wedge is used for specialized shots that need extreme launch angle, a short carry and/or no roll after landing³, so it's a good one for this. Pick three targets, short, middle and far. Hit one shot to each, in random order. Random order is the point. On the course, you never get the same shot three times in a row.

If it still feels random

Look at three things.

• Tempo. Short swings often get rushed. Count a slow beat in your head.
• Strike. Thin or fat strikes give odd distances, so leave them out of your averages.
• Too many clubs. Work with one wedge for the whole drill. Swap only when you've finished.

Write the chart down and carry it into your next session. Redo it whenever your swing changes.