Collin Morikawa knows what it takes to stick it close to the wedge.
Image via YouTube/TaylorMade
Welcome to Shaving Strokes, the GOLF.com series where we share the progress, lessons learned and takeaways from novice golfers like you — including the speed bumps and challenges they’ve faced along the way.
For years, I’ve been trying to deliberately put backspin on the golf ball with my wedges – which all the pros do with ease, making it look like the ball is on the string they’re pulling back.
Every freshman sees something like this and hopes to one day achieve it, but when it comes time to shoot, it rarely goes as planned.
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Sure, hitting spinny wedge shots takes skill, but it also takes confidence, knowing you have the basics to use this type of shot to your advantage.
While it can be difficult to dial in your wedge game, the next time you’re on the range and practicing from about 50 yards out, try giving Collin Morikawa’s tips a go. In the video below (courtesy of TaylorMade’s YouTube channel), the No. 6 ranked golfer in the world shares his tips, tricks, and swing thoughts for hitting this type of shot to perfection.
Here’s how Collin Morikawa hits spinny wedge shots
Before anything else, Morikawa says you should look at the lie of the ball – which will help you decide which club to use and how you need to prepare the ball.
He says: “I have a good lie and the ball is sitting high. “But it rises slowly, so when the wind blows [my face] and the front pin, that’s cool. You want the loft to be the front pin [in order] spinning it. So I’m going to keep it at 60 degrees. “
Next, Morikawa explains his approach to this type of shot, saying that he goes back to trusting his “feeling system,” which allows his body to repeat the process of placing his hands. This is similar to a clock system, where players can see their arms dialing the clock to get to the right place.
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He also describes a major mistake he sees novices make when hitting a 50-yard shot.
“People think about the clock system, how far they’re going to push it back, or how hard it is to beat,” Morikawa said. “I always see freshmen from this grade take a huge swing. They think they need to fully transform, but, in reality, it’s a very short shot.
“So think of the 50-yard shot as a big follow-up shot.”
When it comes to putting the ball, Morikawa reminds players to keep it slightly off-center, and to avoid trying to swing to get more height on the ball — another mistake that beginners make with wedges.
“I will keep the ball well during my stance, I will feel it [the positioning of my hands]then I will continue to move forward [with the club going to about shoulder height on the front shoulder],” he adds. “I’m not going to try to hit the ball high, because I have the ball in a high position – that will make the ball just go up.”
Morikawa then discusses the importance of pressing the golf ball and making contact with the ball first – especially on the wedge shot.
“Being able to hit the ground on a wedge shot is very important, just to create spin,” he said. “Spin is going to be built with speed, so we’re going to try it from 50 yards.”
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So how fast should you turn? Morikawa says it’s more important to keep it consistent than anything else.
“You want your swing speed to be as consistent as possible,” he explains. “If anything, you want to be aggressive and never slow down.”
Using Morikawa’s tips, you’ll be able to dial in your swing feel, clean up your 50-yard wedge shots, get a little backspin, and leave it close to the pin — all while impressing your teammates. So try this the next time you’re in the middle of a tough workout.
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