by Anne Cain, Anne Cain Golf Academy

Many of my students know that I place emphasis on practicing with the driver and the wedges.  Statistically speaking, a round of golf is played mostly with woods, wedges, and the putter.  According to Dave Pelz, 83% of the game is played with these clubs.  And yet, most golfers practice or take lessons using middle irons!  Follow the advice of Sam Snead as quoted in 1988, “The one mistake I made was practicing too many middle irons. If I had to do it all over again, I’d practice only the driver and wedges”.

So, let’s take a look at the important fundamentals in hitting wedge shots. Like any shot in golf, certain things must happen to ensure reliable contact and control. 

You must have a proper stance and ball position

• Your golf club must swing on plane
• You must have a square clubface at impact
• You must have the proper lag/forward lean of the golf shaft at impact
• The distance the ball travels is proportional to the amount of swing you take

THE BROOM DRILL
A broom is a handy tool that helps will ALL aspects of executing wedge shots.  Here’s how to do the drill:

1. Choke down on the broom handle as if it were the length of a sand wedge (pic 1)

2. Using a magic marker, mark the “clubface” on your broom with the letters “FACE”

3. Pivot your body and take a mini backswing until your arm reaches 8:00

4. Your wrist cock should now have the handle of the broom pointing at the ball (see top photo)

5. Look at the face of the broom – the face of the broom should be angled towards the ground and you should NOT be able to see the “FACE”

CONGRATULATIONS:  you’ve now taken a half-swing that is on plane with a square clubface……….now we just have to get down from here!

Start your downswing by maintaining your wrist cock; the bend in your right wrist should remain all the way through impact.  At impact, the broom should be leaning 15 degrees forward towards the target to give you the correct launch angle and spin rate of the ball (pic 3). If you try and release the club by flicking or rolling your wrists, the broom handle will bump you in your left side!  Your pivot and body are doing the work – your shoulders should be open to the target line at impact. Continue the follow through by using your body and shoulders.  The broom should finish waist high in restricted “knock down” or punch follow through with both arms straight.

To control distance, simply learn to control the length of your backswing. A clock system is a helpful reference.  A full swing is a 10:00 backswing with your left arm.  If you stop at 9:00 with your left arm (full wrist cock), you are making a ¾ length swing.  If you stop at 7:30 with your left arm (full wrist cock), you are making a ½ length swing.

LPGA instructor Anne Cain is one of Golf Magazine’s Top 100 Teachers in America.  She was a finalist for LPGA Teacher of the Year in 2002 and 2005 and was named a “Favorite Instructor” in Golf for Women magazine (readers’ survey).  As a player, Cain wond two professional titles and was an All-American selection at the University of Georgia .

Located at the serene Golf Club of Amelia Island within walking distance of Summer Beach Resort and The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island , the Anne Cain Golf Academy provides students with a variety of golf lessons. Private, individual training is offered as well as luxurious vacation packages that include accommodations and rounds of golf. The academy's ability to customize a program for an individual golfer or small groups up to 4 people makes the academy unique in the industry.

The Anne Cain Golf Academy is conveniently located less than thirty minutes from the Jacksonville International Airport

Anne's Professional Accomplishments

• GOLF Magazine Top 100 Instructors in America Award winner
• Named by Golf Magazine as one of the Top Instructors by Region for the state of Florida
• Nominated by peers for LPGA Teacher of the Year Award (1999, 2002, 2005)
• Named as a "Favorite Instructor" in Golf for Women
• Contributes golf instruction articles to GOLF Magazine
• Became the first LPGA instructor to become an authorized instructor of Homer Kelley's The Golfing Machine. This book is the leading technical manual on the physics and geometry of golf. Fewer than 100 pros have been authorized worldwide.
• Cain's published article "Einstein's Golf Lesson" is used by Johnson and Johnson in training its pharmaceutical sales managers the importance of coaching and building skills "one at a time".