skill level determine your greenside approach

It’s a debate golfers have with themselves all the time: Should I use fewer clubs around the greens for all short-game shots or really mix it up?

The data from Arccos Golf, the stat-tracking app, is definitive in its recommendation: It depends how good a player you are. Better players (10-handicappers or lower) perform better using a variety of clubs rather than fewer clubs. Higher-handicappers, however, fare better when focusing on fewer clubs around the greens. The data shows scratch players did best when using five to six clubs for short-game shots but performed far worse when using only about three clubs.

The reason is that scratch players typically have good short-game skills and can use different lofts to their advantage. The reverse is true for higher-handicappers. Unlike better players, less-skilled golfers probably benefit more from familiarity than attempting to execute a variety of short-game shots.

“In my experience, 15-handicappers and above have more swing thoughts than lower-handicappers. That means they are trying to remember more over every shot,” says Molly Braid, teaching professional at Westmoor Country Club in Wisconsin.

“To perform better, we know thinking is the last thing we need to do more of. In this instance, the fewer clubs used the better.”

Braid suggests using the same club to keep it simple around the greens for those less skilled. “To hit the ball lower with more roll, set up with the feet closer together and weight toward the target. This will allow you to keep the clubface square or a little closed,” she says. “If you want to hit the ball higher, stand slightly wider and take some pressure off the lead foot. This will promote a shallower swing path that helps get the ball up. It’s simple, but effective.” —EMJ what it does: These are more than their high-toe shape. The raw face, which rusts over time, combines with the same raised microribs found in the Milled Grind 3 wedges to provide surface roughness that leads to more spin. The addition of the new chrome finish allows those with MG3 wedges to match their set. Not to be overlooked is the four-way cambered sole that works with a low leading edge to improve turf interaction why we like it: TaylorMade studied the wedge-impact locations of some 130,000 golfers and found nearly two-thirds made contact toward the toe. That’s why this high-toe shape has grooves that extend across the face in lofts 54 degrees and higher. That’s worth taking note of for those without refined short-game skills.