Controlling Your Partial Wedge Distances - GOLFTEC Singapore Coach Tips

One of the most common recommendations for improving wedge play is to develop a series of different swing lengths. The theory is simple: four wedges, each hit with a half, three-quarter and full swing, gives you a large number of different yardages without having to manipulate the club or change your technique.

Conceptually, this makes perfect sense. In practice, however, there is a significant problem. Most golfers are not particularly good at knowing how far their backswing has actually gone.

Ask a golfer to hit a half swing and then a three-quarter swing and there is a good chance the two swings will look remarkably similar on video - even when they feel completely different. The golfer compensates by varying their downswing speed, which makes the resulting distances far less predictable. This is where the theory of partial wedge shots starts to fall apart.

In Singapore, where the combination of heat, humidity and tight practice windows makes every session count, the last thing you want is to spend range time grooving yardages you cannot reproduce on the course.

Start by Quantifying Your Partial Swing

Rather than immediately trying to create half, three-quarter and full swings, start by establishing one partial swing you can actually repeat.

For me, this means swinging back until my lead arm is approximately parallel to the ground, with roughly a 90-degree angle between my lead arm and the shaft - what is often called the L position. From there, I swing through to a finish where my lower body is fully extended, my belt and belly button are pointing upward and my arms remain straight.

The key is not the exact positions. The key is that you define what your partial swing actually is - and then practise until you can reproduce it reliably.

Build a Yardage Matrix You Can Trust

Once you have established and grooved this movement, you can start building reliable numbers around it. My current yardage matrix with five wedges: PW 44 degrees - 120y partial, 140y full. GW 48 degrees - 110y partial, 125y full. GW2 52 degrees - 95y partial, 110y full. SW 57 degrees - 80y partial, 100y full. LW 62 degrees - 60y partial, 85y full.

What matters is not whether these numbers are perfectly gapped. What matters is that you know what you are trying to do - and that you have enough confidence the ball is going to do what you expect.

Practise With Purpose

Getting to this point did not happen by hitting hundreds of wedge shots and hoping for feel to develop. It required technology and structure.

First, video feedback to develop an awareness of backswing length. Drawing a line on screen representing the L position and practising until I could consistently stop there gave me something objective to work toward. Then GC Quad to monitor club speed and ball speed, and to measure how far the ball actually travelled. This connects the swing you are making to a measurable result.

Importantly, I also wrote the yardages down. It is surprisingly easy to establish numbers in a practice session and forget them the following week. Finally, using the randomiser feature on SkyTrak to practise random yardages rather than hitting the same shot repeatedly. Hitting 20 identical 80-yard shots is very different from being given a random number and having to select and execute the right shot.

Measure - Because Anything Else Is Guessing

The biggest lesson here is that developing a reliable partial wedge game is not really about creating more swing lengths. It is about creating a swing you can actually repeat. Without measurement and feedback, you risk practising your perception of the movement rather than the movement itself.

At GOLFTEC Singapore, our practice memberships give you access to the technology that makes this process more purposeful - including video, GC Quad and SkyTrak. Instead of guessing whether your swing and your yardages are becoming more consistent, you can measure them. Book a session or explore our coaching plans to get started. Because anything else is guessing.