Pick One Wedge and Get Really Good With it
Because let's be honest: you aren't very good with any of them
If there’s one skill that translates to lower scores, it’s the short game. I know I know, that’s obvious and cliche. Your boomer dad and grandpa have been telling you that for years. Every golf article ever written says it. But when I say short game, I mean actually learn YOUR short game. Not someone else’s.
Here’s the thing. All pros have amazing short games. That’s a given. They wouldn’t be a pro if they didn’t. But there’s variance in their short games. Some guys play more bump and run shots. Others like to hit higher, softer shots. Some hold the handle up and try to hit it off the toe of the wedge for a feathery soft release (this one is advanced and super cool lol).
That’s why the short game is so beautiful and impressive. Because there’s more art and freedom in this aspect of the game than any other part. You can’t really put your own spin on long irons. But around the green is where personality and feel can actually shine through.
Before we continue - if any of you need a new wedge, these websites have some pretty good Christmas deals going. Check em out.
The Problem Most Amateurs Have
Here’s what I notice with your average 20 handicap: they kind of just use whatever club they think they’re “supposed to” for any given lie. It’s like they learned some hard rule about wedge selection and they’re just following it without actually understanding why.
For example, if they have a perfect lie they’ll automatically grab something like a 58 degree. If they have a lot of green to work with, they’ll use the pitching wedge or 9 iron to bump and run it. If the ball is sitting in some thick stuff? Immediately time for the 60 degree. I’m not saying that these cant be the correct choices. These do all makes sense… if you’ve actually mastered each club. But most 20 handicaps can’t hit any of their wedges well. They’re just guessing. Praying that this club selection will work out because that’s what they think they’re supposed to do in this situation.
Pick One and Master It
Choose one wedge and master three different types of shots with it. That’s it. One club. Three shots. Sounds simple right? But most golfers never actually do this because its boring and takes some mental effort.
For the sake of this article, let’s choose a 60 degree wedge, which is my personal favorite. You could pick a 56. You could pick a 58. Doesn’t really matter. Just pick one and commit to it. But I’d recommend a 60.
With that one wedge, you need to be able to hit:
1. A low runner – the bump and run, the shot that releases and then rolls out some.
2. A mid-length hop and check – your standard chip shot that lands, takes a couple hops, and stops relatively close to where it lands
3. A higher “flop-ish” shot – not a full Phil Mickelson flop over a bunker, but a higher launch that lands soft and doesn’t roll much. Ideally doesn’t roll at all.
Three shots. One club. Master these and you’ll get up and down way more often than the guy cycling through four wedges trying to remember which one does what.
Actually Go Practice This
Don’t just read this and nod along thinking “ya that makes sense” and then never actually do it. Actually go to the range or find a practice green and see what happens when you make these adjustments.
For the low runner: Close the face a little. Put the ball back in your stance. Hands forward. Make a putting-style stroke with some wrist hinge. Hit it.
Measure how far it rolls out from different distances. From 20 yards, how far does it roll after landing? From 30 yards? From 15? Write it down. Take notes on your phone. Because three weeks from now you won’t remember any of this.
For the mid-length hop and check: Square face. Ball more center in your stance. Normal amount of shaft lean. Let the bounce do some work.
Measure how far it rolls out from a good lie. Then hit it from an okay lie where there’s a little grass behind it. Then try it from a terrible lie where it’s sitting down. You’ll start to see patterns. “Oh, from a tight lie my 60 degree releases about 5 feet. From a fluffy lie it rolls out a little more etc.” That’s what we want. That’s actual useful information.
For the higher flop-ish shot: Open the face slightly. Ball forward in your stance. Swing with some speed, etc.. you know the drill.
See how it reacts from different lies. How much does it spin from a clean lie? What about from the fringe? What about from heavy rough?
You’ll start to build a repertoire of shots that you can go to for any given lie and distance. And here’s the crazy part: you’ll actually know what’s going to happen before you hit it.
Why This Actually Works
The problem with automatically changing to a pitching wedge for your bump and run is that you haven’t actually practiced how far your pitching wedge rolls out. You’re just assuming it’ll roll more than your 60. And maybe it does. But how much more? 10 feet? 20 feet? 30 feet?
You don’t know. So you hit it and watch and hope. And then it rolls out 25 feet past the hole because you didn’t account for the downslope or the grain or the speed of the green or whatever.
Then the next hole you hit your 60 for a bump and run and it checks up 25 feet short of what you wanted because you haven’t actually practiced and noted how far your 60 degree rolls out from this lie and distance. Now you’re frustrated. Now you’re in your head. Now you’re thinking about wedge selection instead of just hitting a good shot.
And then the hole after that you try to go high with your 56 and expect it to stop on a dime like your 60 does. But your 56 has less loft. So it lands and releases 10 feet past the hole. And now you’re wondering why you even spent $160 on your new wedge and why you play this stupid game.
There’s too much variance in wedges for 20 handicaps to be picking and choosing which one to hit based solely on what they think the situation calls for. You need actual data. Actual experience. Actual reps with one club so you know exactly what it’s going to do.
The Mental Advantage
Here’s something people don’t talk about enough: the mental advantage of having one club you trust around the greens is massive.
When you’re standing over a chip shot with your go-to wedge—the one you’ve hit hundreds of times in practice, the one you know inside and out—there’s no doubt. No second-guessing. No “should I have grabbed the 56 instead?” running through your head.
You just see the shot, feel the shot, and hit it. That’s it. That’s what good short game players do. They don’t deliberate. They commit. Because they’ve already taken most of the guess work out with their thousands of practice reps hitting this exact shot.
I used to switch between my 56 and 60 constantly. Every chip was a decision. Every decision was a chance to pick wrong. And even when I picked “right,” I wasn’t sure what was going to happen because I hadn’t practiced enough with either one to really know.
Now I pretty much only use my 60 unless I’m in a really specific situation. And my short game has never been better. I committed to one club and learned it inside and out. Now I am starting to mix in my 56 some more around the greens for longer roll out shots but its an adjustment for sure.
But What About Specialty Shots?
Ya, there are situations where you might need a different club. If you’re 80 yards out buried in rough you’re probably not hitting your 60 degree. If you need to hit a super low runner under tree branches, maybe your 8 iron is the better choice. I get it.
But I’m talking about the bread-and-butter short game situations. The chips from 15-40 yards. The ups and downs from around the green. The shots you face 5-10 times per round. Or if you’re like most golfers - every single hole haha.
For those shots, having one club you’ve mastered is way more valuable than having four clubs you kind of know how to use.
Think about it this way: would you rather be really good at one thing or mediocre at four things? (duh). In golf, really good at one thing wins every time. Because you can manipulate that one club to do different things once you truly understand it.
How Long Does This Take?
Honestly? Not that long if you’re intentional about it. I’d say if you spend 30 minutes twice a week for a month just hitting these three shots with your chosen wedge, you’ll have a better short game than 80% of the golfers at your course.
And the best part? Once you build this foundation with one wedge, adding a second wedge to your arsenal becomes way easier. Because you understand the principles. You know what happens when you change loft, change face angle, change ball position. You’re not starting from scratch. You’re just adjusting what you already know.
But you gotta start with one first. Build the foundation. Get the reps. Learn your tendencies.
Final Thought
As weird as it sounds, the short game is where amateurs can actually compete with better players. You might not be able to bomb it 300 yards or shape a 6 iron on command. But getting up and down? That’s learnable.
So stop trying to master four wedges when you haven’t mastered one. Stop switching clubs based on what you think you’re supposed to do and start building actual knowledge about what YOUR wedge does in YOUR hands.
If you’re in need of any wedges, check out these websites for some good Christmas deals:
Follow me on X: Follow