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“Float Loading”: The secret to hitting the one-hop-and-stop wedge shot

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One of the most impressive and effective shots in professional golf is the 20-30 yard wedge shot that comes off low and hot, skips once or twice, and then comes to a quick halt. Fans love this shot, as it always evokes a cheer from the crowd, and amateurs want to hit this shot.

Below, I’m going to teach you how to hit that low-spinning, one-hop-and-stop shot.

For the sake of this article we’ll assume that the conditions are right for hitting this type of shot: you have a clean and tight lie, your wedge is clean and free of debris, the ball you are playing is one that is designed to spin, and you have a green that is capable of receiving this type of shot. If you have these things you have a much better chance of stopping the ball like the professionals on Tour.

Now let’s examine the photos of how this is done…

1) Address: Weight forward

At address, you can see that my spine is centered, the ball is in the center of my stance, and my hands and weight are forward. These things set me up for a downward angle of attack with a forward leaning clubshaft. These two components will add spin (up to a point) and help the ball stop quicker.

2) No-hinge backswing

On the way back I have not hinged my wrists very much, or even at all, because they will “re-cock” on the way down to increase the bend in my rear wrist leaning the shaft forward during impact.

3) Transitional lag

Here is the secret to the shot: the angle between the lead arm and the shaft is decreased on the way down. This transitional lag of the clubshaft will cause the rear wrist to bend more on the way down.

The secret to this move is a slow and soft change of direction so you can “feel” the clubhead lagging behind you. The wrists must feel relaxed. Homer Kelley in his book, The Golfing Machine, called this “float loading,” and that’s just what the club feels like in transition.

4) Forward-leaning impact

At impact, depending on how much transitional lag you added in the above step, you will see a forward leaning clubshaft here. The amount of lean will determine the dynamic loft you have on your wedge at impact and this will cause the ball to launch lower.

One thing to note here: our goal is to just brush the grass after the ball with a forward leaning clubshaft, not dig a trench. If the angle of attack is too much downward, then you might have some trouble getting the ball to stop as quickly.

Remember, this is something you must practice! It’s not a shot that you will play every time, but it’s a great shot to play when you need some extra spin around the green. Float loading is a great technique, but only if you work at it!

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Tom F. Stickney II, is a specialist in Biomechanics for Golf, Physiology, and 3d Motion Analysis. He has a degree in Exercise and Fitness and has been a Director of Instruction for almost 30 years at resorts and clubs such as- The Four Seasons Punta Mita, BIGHORN Golf Club, The Club at Cordillera, The Promontory Club, and the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. His past and present instructional awards include the following: Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher, Golf Digest Top 50 International Instructor, Golf Tips Top 25 Instructor, Best in State (Florida, Colorado, and California,) Top 20 Teachers Under 40, Best Young Teachers and many more. Tom is a Trackman University Master/Partner, a distinction held by less than 25 people in the world. Tom is TPI Certified- Level 1, Golf Level 2, Level 2- Power, and Level 2- Fitness and believes that you cannot reach your maximum potential as a player with out some focus on your physiology. You can reach him at [email protected] and he welcomes any questions you may have.

15 Comments

15 Comments

  1. Homer Doyle

    Nov 8, 2018 at 9:14 pm

    Funny, I try to feel the shaft leaning BACK to hit a low shot with spin and float loading would not be in my 24

  2. geohogan

    Oct 28, 2018 at 8:41 pm

    COR determines spin. To adjust ball flight, external focus is on which groove to impact the ball.
    The higher the groove, the lower the flight(higher the spin)

    Hands forward is effect of proper external intention.
    Ref. The Hogan Manual of Human Performance: GOLF, 1992.

    • Chuck Daniels

      Nov 8, 2018 at 9:16 pm

      LOWER the groove the LOWER the flight and HIGHER the spin.

      The LOWER the loft the more SOLID it feels and a spinner is not solid. We could cut a balata ball doing it one time.

  3. Obee

    Oct 25, 2018 at 10:03 am

    What club are you playing that with, Tom? In my experience, the low-flying, high-spinning “put on the brakes after a bounce or two” shot is usually hit with a LW or SW. Looks like you are hitting a PW or GW there?

    • Dshafe

      Oct 25, 2018 at 9:29 pm

      dave you dont have the swing speed for this shot

  4. koober

    Oct 24, 2018 at 8:24 pm

    So I guess I’ll be the token commenter for whom this method of chipping works. I had no problem with the term or the explanation. Like the article states, one must practice this, a lot. Probably won’t work as well for higher handicappers, because it does require a higher degree of proficiency to pull off successfully. Props for owning up to the typo, Ben. Mistakes. We all make ’em.

  5. Tom

    Oct 24, 2018 at 7:56 pm

    I executed a “Float Landing” this morning after my second cup of coffee.

  6. d

    Oct 24, 2018 at 3:42 pm

    Why did Homer Kelly call this “Float Loading”? According to Websters, Float (verb) is defined as “…rest or move on or near the surface of a liquid without sinking.”

  7. Nick

    Oct 23, 2018 at 11:57 pm

    Can you explain what green conditions are necessary to get this type of action?

    • Yep

      Oct 24, 2018 at 2:28 am

      All American courses that have no rough, and that’s all of them, and are mowed so people like Phil can play there.

      • Joe

        Oct 24, 2018 at 6:22 am

        Congratulations on the ignorant, uninformed internet post of the day

  8. Alex

    Oct 23, 2018 at 2:36 pm

    This article is not very helpful. Ultimately, the only thing that matters is the way the club is delivered into the ball. The question you need to answer first is what attack angle, dynamic loft, and face-to-path angle are necessary to produce a high-spinning pitch? If you believe that adding wrist hinge during the downswing will help most players produce these delivery characteristics, then explain why!

  9. Stixman

    Oct 23, 2018 at 11:50 am

    I think your ‘headline’ should be float LOADING not float landing. To me it isn’t just another typo, it’s more fundamental. Do you read and understand this stuff before committing it to print or is it merely clickbait?

    • Ben Alberstadt

      Oct 23, 2018 at 3:28 pm

      Chris,

      As you’ll see in the body of the article, Tom uses the appropriate term. As the editor and publisher of the piece, headline writing is my responsibility, and the mistake is mine. It has been corrected. My apologies.

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Instruction

Clement: Stop ripping off your swing with this drill!

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Not the dreaded headcover under the armpit drill! As if your body is defective and can’t function by itself! Have you seen how incredible the human machine is with all the incredible feats of agility all kinds of athletes are accomplishing? You think your body is so defective (the good Lord is laughing his head off at you) that it needs a headcover tucked under the armpit so you can swing like T-Rex?

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How a towel can fix your golf swing

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This is a classic drill that has been used for decades. However, the world of marketed training aids has grown so much during that time that this simple practice has been virtually forgotten. Because why teach people how to play golf using everyday items when you can create and sell a product that reinforces the same thing? Nevertheless, I am here to give you helpful advice without running to the nearest Edwin Watts or adding something to your Amazon cart.

For the “scoring clubs,” having a solid connection between the arms and body during the swing, especially through impact, is paramount to creating long-lasting consistency. And keeping that connection throughout the swing helps rotate the shoulders more to generate more power to help you hit it farther. So, how does this drill work, and what will your game benefit from it? Well, let’s get into it.

Setup

You can use this for basic chip shots up to complete swings. I use this with every club in my bag, up to a 9 or 8-iron. It’s natural to create incrementally more separation between the arms and body as you progress up the set. So doing this with a high iron or a wood is not recommended.

While you set up to hit a ball, simply tuck the towel underneath both armpits. The length of the towel will determine how tight it will be across your chest but don’t make it so loose that it gets in the way of your vision. After both sides are tucked, make some focused swings, keeping both arms firmly connected to the body during the backswing and follow through. (Note: It’s normal to lose connection on your lead arm during your finishing pose.) When you’re ready, put a ball in the way of those swings and get to work.

Get a Better Shoulder Turn

Many of us struggle to have proper shoulder rotation in our golf swing, especially during long layoffs. Making a swing that is all arms and no shoulders is a surefire way to have less control with wedges and less distance with full swings. Notice how I can get in a similar-looking position in both 60° wedge photos. However, one is weak and uncontrollable, while the other is strong and connected. One allows me to use my larger muscles to create my swing, and one doesn’t. The follow-through is another critical point where having a good connection, as well as solid shoulder rotation, is a must. This drill is great for those who tend to have a “chicken wing” form in their lead arm, which happens when it becomes separated from the body through impact.

In full swings, getting your shoulders to rotate in your golf swing is a great way to reinforce proper weight distribution. If your swing is all arms, it’s much harder to get your weight to naturally shift to the inside part of your trail foot in the backswing. Sure, you could make the mistake of “sliding” to get weight on your back foot, but that doesn’t fix the issue. You must turn into your trial leg to generate power. Additionally, look at the difference in separation between my hands and my head in the 8-iron examples. The green picture has more separation and has my hands lower. This will help me lessen my angle of attack and make it easier to hit the inside part of the golf ball, rather than the over-the-top move that the other picture produces.

Stay Better Connected in the Backswing

When you don’t keep everything in your upper body working as one, getting to a good spot at the top of your swing is very hard to do. It would take impeccable timing along with great hand-eye coordination to hit quality shots with any sort of regularity if the arms are working separately from the body.

Notice in the red pictures of both my 60-degree wedge and 8-iron how high my hands are and the fact you can clearly see my shoulder through the gap in my arms. That has happened because the right arm, just above my elbow, has become totally disconnected from my body. That separation causes me to lift my hands as well as lose some of the extension in my left arm. This has been corrected in the green pictures by using this drill to reinforce that connection. It will also make you focus on keeping the lead arm close to your body as well. Because the moment either one loses that relationship, the towel falls.

Conclusion

I have been diligent this year in finding a few drills that target some of the issues that plague my golf game; either by simply forgetting fundamental things or by coming to terms with the faults that have bitten me my whole career. I have found that having a few drills to fall back on to reinforce certain feelings helps me find my game a little easier, and the “towel drill” is most definitely one of them.

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Instruction

Clement: Why your practice swing never sucks

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You hear that one all the time; I wish I could put my practice swing on the ball! We explain the huge importance of what to focus on to allow the ball to be perfectly in the way of your practice swing. Enjoy!

 

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