How to Putt with the Edge of Your Wedge
By Steve Silverman
A big part of becoming a competitive golfer is creativity. You have to be able to visualize shots that you may have never thought of when you were learning the basics of a golf swing and how to play the game. One of the most troubling shots in golf comes when your ball is just off the fringe of the green. What club do you use? You're not on the green, but should you putt? Or should you take your pitching wedge and try to run the ball to the green? One of the things you can do is putt with the edge of your wedge.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Examine your pitching wedge. This is the club with the greatest loft in your bag. But is it possible to putt with this club? If you take a look at the base of the wedge, it is thick and heavy. As a result, if you hold the wedge like a putter and hit the ball with the edge, you can putt successfully with it.
Putt the ball with your wedge when you have at least three yards to work with before you get to the fringe. As you address the ball, take two practice swings to make sure the edge of the club will strike the middle of the ball. Once you are confident that you will hit the ball with an even stroke, take aim at the hole.
Read the green and try to get a good feel where the break will be. Perhaps this is an uphill shot and all you have to do is hit it straight at the hole. However, if there is a ridge or a bend, you have to play it even though you are putting with the wedge.
Strike the ball with a purpose when you putt with the wedge. You are going to hit the ball with the heavy edge of the club and that will provide it with some momentum. However, you still have to hit the ball hard enough to negotiate a significant distance to get it to the hole. Many golfers tend to baby this shot and leave it short. You should give yourself a chance to putt the ball in the hole by getting it there.
Go to the practice green before you start your round of golf and make sure you practice putting with your wedge. It can be a valuable weapon but you don't want to do it for the first time at a key point in your round of golf. You are trying to get the feel for the stroke, so hit 5 to 8 putts this way to get started.
Tips & Warnings
Be creative on the golf course. Don't worry if the shot is not in the text book and your playing partners look at you strangely. One of the greatest joys of the game is coming up with shots that others can't see.
About The Author
Steve Silverman is an award-winning writer, covering sports since 1980. Silverman authored The Minnesota Vikings: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and Who's Better, Who's Best in Football -- The Top 60 Players of All-Time, among others, and placed in the Pro Football Writers of America awards three times. Silverman holds a Master of Science in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism.
