Welcome to Play smarta regular GOLF.com game improvement column that will help you become a smarter, better golfer..
Your wedges are your scoring clubs. When you have one in hand from the fairway, you should think about a birdie. And when you have to grab a wedge on the green, it’s all about going up and down to reach par. If you can increase your conversion rate in both scenarios, you will quickly see your scores drop.
But despite the importance of wedges in scoring low, many recreational golfers have no idea of ​​the correct technique for hitting them. When they head to the range, it’s all about grabbing it and ripping it – you don’t really think about short clubs.
This lack of attention during training sessions often leads to bad habits, and with them, higher scores. But if you know what types of mistakes you should avoid, hitting clean corners becomes much easier.
In the video below, Dr. Greg Rose from Titleist Performance Institute shares two huge mistakes he often sees recreational golfers make with their spin-reducing wedges. Fix them and you’ll be hitting shots with more spin in no time.
Every golfer wants to be able to spin their ball like a tour player, but doesn’t understand how to optimize physics in their favor.
Two of the biggest mistakes amateurs make with wedges are decelerating and deflating the club to impact.
This reduces both… pic.twitter.com/I3sQ8fIoUk
– TPI (@MonTPI) October 3, 2025
2 Ways to Add Spin
Wedges are crucial for scoring because they can access hard-to-reach pin locations, allowing you to place the ball close to hidden hole locations. This is largely thanks to the amount of effects they produce.
When you can spin a wedge, you can hit it high and land softly. Plus, you can stop the ball on the fly when the situation demands it. Simply put, knowing how to properly spin the ball can unlock your scoring ability.
Giving the ball spin is achieved in two ways. One is speed at impact (i.e. club head speed) and the other is high spin loft, which is the difference between the angle of attack and the loft of the club face at impact.
1. Accelerate through impact
The first mistake golfers make when trying to create speed is to decelerate through impact. This usually happens because they backswing too long for the shot they are trying to hit, so they slow down through impact to prevent the ball from screaming past the flagstick. If you really want to create spin, you need to start with a smaller backswing and accelerate through impact.
“For wedges, if you want the ball to go back, I need speed all the way down,” Rose says. “Be sure to release and increase your clubhead speed.”
2. Increase spin loft
The other mistake golfers make when trying to generate spin is not creating enough spin loft. As stated above, spin loft is the difference between your angle of attack and the loft of the clubface at impact.
Feeling like you’re hitting the ball is a great way to get the right angle of attack to create spin. However, where many recreational players go wrong is that by doing this they shut down the club face and undo the club.
“The key here is to feel like you’re going downhill, but make sure you add loft,” says Rose. “If you look at big wedge players, not only do they create a downward angle of attack, (but) the face is also open.”
