FINESSE WEDGE TRAINING PLAN
Talent matters, but not as much as the type of work you do.
Armed with the basic structure of an effective finesse wedge training program (including the proper mix of block, random, and game practice), you’re ready to establish some specifics. The first step is to piece together a block-practice regimen that matches your fundamental flaws with the drills and fixes presented in Chapter 5. Map out and execute your block-practice drills in the following order: 1) address, 2) backswing, and 3) delivery. As always with block practice, focus intently on what you’re trying to accomplish, and complete your work expediently so that you can move on to other facets of performance. Remember, your block training should take up only 10 to 20 percent of your typical daily training time.
As you transition from block practice to random practice and game playing, be sure to switch your focus from internal to external, paying attention to your process and championship-feeling strategies. Your training should encompass a technical component, a skill-development component, and a mental component. This allows you to improve daily and sustain that growth over time. Quality training (intention, focus, and intensity) beats quantity training, so limit any finesse wedge practice session to thirty minutes. Stop as soon as you sense that your focus is waning.
The effectiveness of your finesse wedge training program depends on your discipline level. Stay on task and resist the urge to chase short-term outcomes. Make yourself accountable for your results. Many of the Tour players I coach text me their “21” game scores on a near-weekly basis and record them in their journal. When I receive these texts, I know the player is on point and working hard and smart. Some of them even send me voice memos after every round that detail the things they did well, what they learned during the round, and what they’re going to do about it going forward. Many of the players set goals for each area, and we grade how they (we, really) did at the team meeting at the end of the season. Accountability works.
This is another place where keeping a journal will pay huge dividends. In the finesse wedge section of your notebook, make sure you’ve already noted any flaws in your finesse wedge fundamentals and an appropriate fix or drill to correct the error and change the motor pattern. These exercises are what make up your block-practice sessions. Complete your daily block training by hitting three different trajectory shots with the same club to the same pin as described here. Lower than normal, normal, and higher than normal. It’s a great way to build confidence by reminding yourself that you have and can produce any shot you see. Also, it’s a way to transition from block practice to random practice, where you’re essentially playing golf (using your full process and full routine on every shot). In addition to writing down your plan, leave room in your journal to record the results of the games you play, as well as the things you may have learned that day. Nothing beats learning from your mistakes—write down everything you see and experience and note an action plan for how you’re going to respond to it going forward.
The typical finesse wedge training program is neither complicated nor physically demanding. I’ve said nothing about it “being easy.” You’ll need to muster as much focus, discipline, and mental effort as possible. It can be done, and when you do it, you’ll be miles ahead of your competition. You’ll not only sustain improvement, you’ll maximize your time and energy investment and, most important, your enjoyment during the journey.
Play nine random short-game holes (three easy, three medium, and three difficult) from 30 yards and in with one ball, and score each hole by the total number of strokes it takes you to hole out. Over the course of the nine holes, be sure to use the full gamut of your wedges.
Step 1: Select a target pin on the short-game practice green, then toss your ball to a random spot (again, within 30 yards of the pin).
Step 2: Play the ball as it lies and finesse it onto the green using your full process.
Step 3: Continue until you hole-out with your putter (or wedge). Choose the next pin and toss the ball into another random spot. Remember to create a mix of easy, medium, and difficult holes.
Step 4: Par for this nine-hole “course” is 21, which could be represented by six up-and-ins and three down-in-threes. A good score is 21 or less for a pro or competitive amateur and 23 for mid-handicaps.
This is my favorite finesse wedge practice game. It allows you to play nine short shots under competitive conditions in about ten minutes. During a normal four-hour round of golf you’re afforded only six or so of these short-game opportunities. My Tour students play 21 twice a week on competition weeks and every day on off-weeks. You can also play this game on the course if the opportunity presents itself. Simply toss the ball off the green after you hole out (say, on every other hole) and play it in, keeping a separate score for your “21” round. It’s a great way to get the feel for course conditions that you may not be familiar with.
Select a pin that’s about 10 yards from the edge of the green. Create six same-size landing zones about five feet in length starting from the apron. (Use coins or tees to mark the zones.) Empty a small bucket of balls on a spot anywhere from 1 to 20 yards off the green, making sure each ball is in line with the landing zones and the cup. The goal is to eliminate each zone in order (either front to back or back to front) by landing the ball within its dimensions and controlling club choice and trajectory so that the ball ends up within six feet of the hole.
Example: Choose landing zone 1 (the one closest to your lie). Select the appropriate club and trajectory and execute the shot. If you’re successful, then you’ve eliminated that zone—proceed to the next one. If not, repeat. Knock out each zone in succession. Your knockout score is the total number of balls it takes you to eliminate all six zones. The best score I’ve ever witnessed is a 10. Set a winning score based on your skill level and use it as a benchmark to gauge improvement. Shooting a personal-best Knockout score will prove both rewarding and effective.
Select ten random 10-yard short-game shots. Make them pretty simple—so easy that you should think about holing each one out. Play all ten shots with the goal of making a minimum of two. One make or less is a loss, and two or more is a win. This game fosters the correct focus for using your wedge game to make birdies. For comparison, the Tour leader in getting up and down from within 10 yards of the green is around 95 percent.
Same rules as 21, but in Darts you don’t have to hole out. Score each hole based on the proximity to the pin following your first shot using the following scoring system:
Make: 5 points
Inside 1 club length: 3 points
Inside 2 club lengths: 2 points
Inside 3 club lengths: 1 point
Outside 3 club lengths: 0 points
Tournament-level players should achieve a minimum Dart score of eighteen points. Yours may differ based on your skill level. As always, use your score to set goals, track progress, and gun for a personal best.
From a spot at least 10 yards from the edge of the green and approximately 30 yards from the pin, wedge a ball just barely onto the putting surface. On your next shot, attempt to hit the ball past the first one but keep it on your side of the cup. Hit a third ball past the second and again keep it on your side of the hole. Keep “leap-frogging” this way and see how many balls you can get onto the green in order without going past the pin. You get one mulligan. This game helps you develop touch and distance control and teaches you to become aware of how the ball reacts on the green given the trajectory and lie conditions. Your goal: a personal-best score every time you play.
Challenge a player of similar skill level to a short-game shootout. Player A picks the hole and then randomly throws both balls off the green, producing similar lies and shots. Player A plays first. The goal is to get the ball close, if not in. Use the following scoring system:
1 point for closest to the hole
3 points for a hole out
5 points for holing out on top of your competitor (who gets 0)
Player B chooses the next hole and throws the balls. Same scoring. The game continues in alternating order until one player gets six points ahead of the other, at which point the game is won. Vary the throws to require the use of as many finesse clubs as possible.
This is a fantastic game if you’re lucky enough to have a buddy who’s good enough to push you and create pressurized moments. My brother and I played it all the time when we were younger, and I’ve seen players of the caliber of Tom Pernice Jr. and Charley Hoffman go at it for hours. You’ll be surprised at how your intensity and focus shoot up as your competitive spirit kicks in.
Get three random shots up and in in a row to win your way off the green.
Scatter five balls randomly around the green and play them into the same hole. Before playing each shot, walk onto the green and place a coin on your intended landing spot. Continue hitting from the same place until you can land a ball near the coin. (If it doesn’t end up near the pin, move the coin and repeat until you’ve correctly determined the perfect landing spot for that shot.) Follow the same routine at all five locations. This drill will help you develop the ability to see your landing spot and predict rollout depending on the trajectory, shot choice, and lie.
Use the sample practice plan listed below to guide you as you create your plan in your journal.
SAMPLE 30-MINUTE FINESSE WEDGE TRAINING PLAN
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Block Practice |
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ACTIVITY |
QUANTITY/TIME |
GOALS |
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Mirror Drill |
10 perfect repetitions |
1. Check setup 2. Learn backswing plane 3. Learn face rotation |
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Stack Drill |
5 perfect repetitions |
Complete organized checklist of all setup fundamentals |
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Trail-Arm-Only Drill |
5 perfect repetitions |
Create awareness of sequence, release, and energy to the pin |
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Three-Trajectory Drill |
2 sets of three shots |
Develop an ability to hit three different trajectories to the same pin |
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Random Practice |
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ACTIVITY |
QUANTITY/TIME |
GOALS |
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Scatter twenty-five balls, 1 to 30 yards from the green, Easter Egg–hunt style |
15 minutes |
Develop judgment regarding shot selection, lies, adaptations, running your process, and mental plan |
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Game Playing |
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ACTIVITY |
QUANTITY/TIME |
GOALS |
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Play 21 |
10 minutes |
Compete and perform with simulated pressure—and win your way off the green |