# the Stance and your wedge



## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

I caught myself guestioning my stance with my wedges. Now I "think" in relationship of the divot and my right foot, It was even. My shots were sloppy. What is the set up as you see it, from long to short chips. I use the center of the body for max distance and move forward in the stance for shorter distance. I'm not even sure I followed that yesterday. Give me quidance here.


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## stevel1017 (Apr 30, 2007)

For me, a full wedge shot I play the ball about 1 ball back of center, and for chips I play it almost off my back foot. I will move it forward in my stance if I need to hit a higher trajectory chip. One of the secrets for me is NEVER let the clubhead pass my hands (chipping). I try and feel i have kept my wrist angle thruough the whole shot


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## custom cluber (Jun 22, 2009)

I have observed alot of different approaches to this very thing. And everyone seems to have there own opinion on the matter. I judge it by distance and will more often than not put a steeper angle on the club head before I move the ball from center, Really the deciding factor for me seems to be Do I stand with my feet closed or open and that depends on the distance. All of this has come together for me by making trips to the course just to utalize the practice green for a while. IMHO! C/C


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## tgomez (Jul 23, 2009)

As a professional, I get asked this question many timse. Here's my 2 cents...

As you take your practice swing or swings, notice where the bottom of the arc is (ie; where the club first touches the ground during the swing). The bottom of the arc will change for most amateurs regularly unless your swing is extremely consistent. This is true for all clubs (except the driver). Once the bottom of the arc is established, place the ball accordingly in your stance. For example: if the club touches the ground just back of center, then place the ball further back in your stance than normal for a low shot and more distance. For a shot with a higher trajector and less distance, you'll want to place the ball in the middle of your stance.

Once you've established where you should position the ball in your stance, the key to hitting crisp wedge shots and chips is to keep your body very still and swing mostly with the arms. You'll notice that most professionals hit "non full swing" wedges almost flat footed. That's because they can control the distance better if they have less body movement. The fewer moving parts the better to maintain consistency. 

Heightened awareness of how much your body moves while practicing is key. I've included a link of Tiger practicing his chip shots. Notice how there is no bounce in his legs. He merely swings his arms and accelerates through the shot...like striking a match.

YouTube - Tiger Woods Chipping

Hope this helps!


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## custom cluber (Jun 22, 2009)

Good point, I can tell right away if I messed up a wedge shot by the movment or sway of my body. I will give your suggestion a try thanks for the tips. C/C


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

I have a habit of too wide a stance with wedges, shorter clubs in general for that matter. I suppose it's because of my height. It tends to make me inconsistent and I hit some shots fat or thin now and then. When I remember to take a narrower stance, I hit the ball the way I want with the thought in mind that what matters is weight distribution, not width of stance.

Don't ask me how often I actually remember instead of doing what comes naturally...


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

DennisM said:


> I have a habit of too wide a stance with wedges, shorter clubs in general for that matter. I suppose it's because of my height. It tends to make me inconsistent and I hit some shots fat or thin now and then. When I remember to take a narrower stance, I hit the ball the way I want with the thought in mind that what matters is weight distribution, not width of stance.
> 
> Don't ask me how often I actually remember instead of doing what comes naturally...


How about having the feet almost together and swinging to the point before the wrist rolls over on the follow through for short chips. I'm practicing that after watching Watson. Normally my short chip is based on how far I take the club back. So far everything is good to bad or bad to good no matter which way I stand and swing. longer wedge shots are more accurate ,but the short chips are sloppy more like a bump and run or putting.


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## tgomez (Jul 23, 2009)

The key to hitting crisp chip shots is feet close together with an open stance which allows your arms to swing freely without restriction. Keeping your lower body completely still (solid), your hands pressed forward (never allowing the clubhead to get ahead of the hands) and your ball placement is also key. If the pin is up front, I play the ball forward in my stance to increase loft. If the pin is in the middle, I place the ball in middle. If the pin is back, I place the ball back in my stance. I don't change the length of my backswing, I let the ball position and the loft of the club to do the work for me. Hope this helps!


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

tgomez said:


> The key to hitting crisp chip shots is feet close together with an open stance which allows your arms to swing freely without restriction. Keeping your lower body completely still (solid), your hands pressed forward (never allowing the clubhead to get ahead of the hands) and your ball placement is also key. If the pin is up front, I play the ball forward in my stance to increase loft. If the pin is in the middle, I place the ball in middle. If the pin is back, I place the ball back in my stance. I don't change the length of my backswing, I let the ball position and the loft of the club to do the work for me. Hope this helps!



That's good to know thank you. :thumbsup:


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## Surtees (Sep 11, 2007)

nice post tgomez great tips now to try them.


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