Many beginner golfers will see the sand wedge in their golf bag and immediately, due to the name of the club, only turn to it if they are in a bunker. There is nothing wrong with that, the sand wedge is indeed the club to use when in the sand but that is not to say it should not be used elsewhere during a round of golf.
Many professional golfers will turn to their sand wedge, when faced with green side shots that need to stop quickly. They will opt for a club which provides plenty of loft and use the height of the shot to stop the ball quickly, rather than spin. The sand wedge is perfect, as it will usually come with a loft of about 56 degrees. However, the sand wedge is not an easy club to master, with the ball on the fairway.
Firstly, beware of using a sand wedge on the fairway when the ground is very hard. The bounce on the sole of the wedge makes it very difficult to get a good contact with the ball, so always make sure there is a reasonable amount of give in the fairway, before deciding to use a sand wedge.
You need to trust the loft of the club and not adjust the head position. Take a normal swing when using a sand wedge and focus on the finishing position. To hit the ball high and softly, make sure the hands and arms are controlling the swing, not the body. While the hands and arms are in control, the remainder of the body should remain firm. Weight should be on the front leg and the ball positioned parallel to the front foot.
When playing the shot, the weight of the sand wedge will allow the wrists to naturally uncock at the bottom of the downswing, so there is no need to force any part of the shot. When using a sand wedge, it’s important to remember the harder you swing, the higher the ball will go and the more quickly it will stop. It’s a good idea to practice using the sand wedge, out of the sand, so you can get an idea on how hard you need to hit the ball, to generate a specific height and stopping distance.
Try practicing this shot, before using it during a round of golf and always remember, do not try it when the ground is firm. The sand wedge is designed to bounce off soft sand, not firm ground.
