You’re standing on a 68-yard shot and you know exactly what to do. Not because you’ve been playing for 30 years or because you have a mobile coach on speed dial, but because you’ve done the work to know your numbers.
Most golfers do not. And it’s costing them blows they don’t even realize they’re giving. I like to play golf based on feel and what feels natural, but that comes after you’ve learned what moves you’re good at.
The feeling is true – but it needs a foundation
Ask most golfers how they decide what to hit from within 100 yards and you’ll get some version of the same answer: feel. The best wedge players in the world talk about feel constantly.
But here’s the thing about sentiment: it only works when it’s calibrated to something real.
When a tournament player says they “felt” a 72-yard putt perfectly, they are working from years of verified data in their body. They have hit that shot hundreds of times with known results. Their feeling has a reference point.
Most amateur players are working by feel with no reference point at all. Creating your own wedge distance chart or the matrix fixes it.
What you need to know before you start
A wedge distance chart (sometimes called a wedge matrix) maps your carry distances to each wedge in your bag at three different swing lengths. With three swings per club and three to four clubs in most bags, you’ll have between nine and 12 different carry distances that cover the entire scoring area.
A few things to sort out before hitting your first shot:
Swing like you’re on the course. The whole point is to measure the swing you have, not your best swing.
You need a release monitor or simulator. A spacer gives you total distance. A launch monitor gives you carry.
Bring every wedge in your bag. Most golfers carry three or four: a pitching wedge, a driving wedge, a sand wedge, and sometimes a wedge lobe.
All three swings
You will use three swing lengths for each club.
Up to the waist: Club returns to hip height, continues to hip height on other side. Match back and forth in length. This swing sometimes feels uncomfortable when you first try it. That’s good, stick with it.
Three quarters: The lead arm swings back at approximately 9 o’clock – level with the ground, across the chest. It’s the hardest of the three to consistently find which is actually a good reason to practice it on purpose.
Full motion: Your full normal movement, not your own the most difficult swing. There’s a Ben Hogan quote that gets thrown around that’s relevant here. He would like to play the guy who hits his wedges for money. Tempo wins here. A full swing controlled with a wedge will give you narrower spacing windows than a full delivery swing.
Recording distances
Work through one club at a time. Start with your highest pitching wedge and work down to your pitching wedge.
For each swing length, hit three shots. Average carry distances and write it down. This is your number.
A few candid notes about the process:
If you break one or a skull, throw it out. A full error does not represent your actual carry distance any more than a perfect one.
If you hit one that goes 22 yards and one that goes 31 yards and one that goes 26 yards, the average is 26. That’s your number. Do not round or follow whole numbers.
What to do with the data
Once you’ve filled in your numbers, rank them from lowest to highest and look for two things: gaps and overlaps.
- GAPS they’re dead zones: distances you regularly face but don’t have a proven answer to. A group between 55-60 yards with nothing up to 85 is a scoring problem.
- overlapping means that two clubs or swing lengths are competing for the same distance. This is either a tempo issue (swing too hard with one, too soft with another) or a attic space problem.
- External it’s worth a second look. If a number doesn’t fit the pattern around it, it’s usually a technical issue worth taking to the range.
How to use this in the course
Once you have completed your chart, start using it in the course. Some players write the three distances for each wedge on a sticky note and place it on that club shaft. It could also be a note on your phone that you look at before you go out.
When you get used to incorporating this into your routine, you will feel better. Instead of standing over a 68-yard shot with a vague sense of uneasiness, you’re standing over it knowing you’ve hit this exact shot before. Your body has a reference. Your feeling has something to calibrate against.
Final thoughts
As your movement changes, your numbers will change. Take some time on the range to update your wedge distance chart once or twice a year or whenever you make a change.
