Dialing in your distance control while using a wedge is a difficult task for any golfer. With increased loft and (potentially) tougher lies around the green — like thick or sticky rough — it takes superb touch to execute the shot at hand.
Making things even trickier is trying to decide which wedge to actually use. Is there anything more frustrating than being between clubs and taking the wrong one, only to come up short of your landing area? When this happens, it can add unnecessary strokes to your scorecard each round.
While most amateurs struggle with hitting higher-lofted wedges for these reasons, there are plenty of different ways to practice your ball-striking to better master the short game.
One of those ways is offered up in the video above, with Parker McLachlin, aka the Short Game Chef, providing something called the “syrupy drill” to hit the ball much more flush.
What is the syrupy drill?
As McLachlin says in the video, the goal of the syrupy drill is to try and hit two different clubs the same distance.
For example, he holds both a 56-degree and a 52-degree wedge, with his maximum distance on the 56 being 80 yards. The syrupy drill will help increase the distance of his 52 by using a smoother, more fluid swing. By doing so, the hope is that he’ll be able to hit it the same distance as his 56-degree.
“When you’re practicing at home, take your club, and whatever your max distance is, take one extra club and try to hit it the same distance,” he says.
“Pay attention to how flowy and syrupy your swing can be,” adds McLachlin. “I don’t want you to necessarily slow down on the way through, I just want it to be syrupy all the way back and through.
“And I’m going to try and hit it about the same distance as I hit the previous club before it [in this case, the 56-degree].”
This is where feeling your backswing and follow through is so critical.
Instead of over-swinging to try and maximize the distance of the 52-degree wedge, McLachlin says to slow things down. This will help feel the right tempo to hit a flusher shot.
“Understanding that syrupy, slow swing and managing my arm speed,” he says. “This is going to be a great drill if you have trouble really lunging at [the ball] or getting really jerky with it. Or if you’re not managing your speeds correctly.”
“But I’m doing it by managing my rhythm, managing the speed of my arms, and just feeling really syrupy in my arms and in my hands.”
For more tips from the Short Game Chef, check out McLachlin’s website.
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Short Game Chef Membership
Rethink your short game with the help of Parker McLachlin, aka Short Game Chef. McLachlin’s a PGA Tour winner and short game maestro, cooking up modern ingredients to strengthen your shots around the green. From conquering thick rough to hitting masterful bunker shots, register now and get 20% OFF for FULL access to the Chef’s kitchen. Your scorecard will thank you!
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