Opinion & Analysis
The Wedge Guy: Lessons from The Players Championship
If you read this column regularly, you probably would think I don’t care much for the PGA Tour, but that’s not exactly true. I just don’t think the majority of us recreational golfers can learn all that much from watching these young and supple, big and strong athletes show off their strength and skills.
While there is no question that equipment has changed the game and added yards for all of us, take a look at these guys’ physiques. Even the older guys like Lee Westwood and relatively small players like Justin Thomas are spending countless hours in the gym to optimize their strength. The equipment allows them to go at the ball much more aggressively than was possible back in the days of persimmon woods and tiny forged blade irons and balls that took on an amazing amount of side-spin if not hit just right.
With the majority of U.S. golfers being on the far side of 45-50 years old, and most of us not working out every day specifically to optimize our bodies for our golf swing, we don’t have a chance of matching these guys’ distance. Last fall, I posted a column asking if were playing a harder course than the pros, which received some challenging pushback. But the point of the column was about the relative length and difficulty of the courses you play as compared to those the PGA Tour players play every week. Yes, our skills and strength profiles are vastly different from these guys so let me ask a different way.
Think about the last round you played and ask yourself these questions:
- Could you reach the green on all the par-fives with your second shot if you hit a pretty good drive . . . maybe even with a middle iron?
- Did you have at least one par four where you had a chance of driving the green, maybe even with a fairway wood?
- On the other 13 holes, did you have a wedge or short iron second shot at least 9 or 10 times?
If the answer isn’t “YES” to all those questions, you played a longer (for you) golf course than what the best players in the world played (for them) at the TPC this past weekend. And this wasn’t a “pushover” golf course by any means.
I’ve long opined that tee markers on most golf courses are not anywhere near where they should be for the vast majority of players, so the game is playing much, much longer (and therefore, harder) for most of us than the PGA Tour courses play for them. I also take issue with the inadequate guidance as to the tees you should play–this is not about gender or age, but rather your ability. Why should a 69-year-old single-digit handicap who still hits a tee ball 240-260 be given a shorter course than the 45-year-old 18 handicap who drives it 210?
Regardless of your age and handicap, and assuming reasonably solid tee shots, I believe the game is supposed to be played…
- At a length where you can reach every par four with your approach shot, and
- At a length where at least half of your par-four and par-three approach shots can be played with a short iron or wedge, and
- At a length where no more than 3-4 of your par-four and par-three approach shots require more than a 5-iron, and
- At a length where you cannot at least have a chance of reaching one or two of the par fives with a long iron or fairway wood shot.
- With only a few exceptions these four conditions define every course the PGA Tour players face each week.
If you want to see how well you should be scoring, the next time you tee it up, choose a tee on each hole that will let you play the game at the same relative shotmaking challenge the pros face every week. If there isn’t one, just pick a spot up the fairway that will. My bet is that you will find the game to be a lot more fun and that your scoring will go down measurably.
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Of all the clubs in our bags, wedges are almost always the simplest in construction and, therefore, the easiest to analyze what might make one work differently from another if you know what to look for.
Wedges are a lot less mysterious than drivers, of course, as the major brands are working with a lot of “pixie dust” inside these modern marvels. That’s carrying over more to irons now, with so many new models featuring internal multi-material technologies, and almost all of them having a “badge” or insert in the back to allow more complex graphics while hiding the actual distribution of mass.
But when it comes to wedges, most on the market today are still single pieces of molded steel, either cast or forged into that shape. So, if you look closely at where the mass is distributed, it’s pretty clear how that wedge is going to perform.
To start, because of their wider soles, the majority of the mass of almost any wedge is along the bottom third of the clubhead. So, the best wedge shots are always those hit between the 2nd and 5th grooves so that more mass is directly behind that impact. Elite tour professionals practice incessantly to learn to do that consistently, wearing out a spot about the size of a penny right there. If impact moves higher than that, the face is dramatically thinner, so smash factor is compromised significantly, which reduces the overall distance the ball will fly.
Every one of us, tour players included, knows that maddening shot that we feel a bit high on the face and it doesn’t go anywhere, it’s not your fault.
If your wedges show a wear pattern the size of a silver dollar, and centered above the 3rd or 4th groove, you are not getting anywhere near the same performance from shot to shot. Robot testing proves impact even two to three grooves higher in the face can cause distance loss of up to 35 to 55 feet with modern ‘tour design’ wedges.
In addition, as impact moves above the center of mass, the golf club principle of gear effect causes the ball to fly higher with less spin. Think of modern drivers for a minute. The “holy grail” of driving is high launch and low spin, and the driver engineers are pulling out all stops to get the mass as low in the clubhead as possible to optimize this combination.
Where is all the mass in your wedges? Low. So, disregarding the higher lofts, wedges “want” to launch the ball high with low spin – exactly the opposite of what good wedge play requires penetrating ball flight with high spin.
While almost all major brand wedges have begun putting a tiny bit more thickness in the top portion of the clubhead, conventional and modern ‘tour design’ wedges perform pretty much like they always have. Elite players learn to hit those crisp, spinny penetrating wedge shots by spending lots of practice time learning to consistently make contact low in the face.
So, what about grooves and face texture?
Grooves on any club can only do so much, and no one has any material advantage here. The USGA tightly defines what we manufacturers can do with grooves and face texture, and modern manufacturing techniques allow all of us to push those limits ever closer. And we all do. End of story.
Then there’s the topic of bounce and grinds, the most complex and confusing part of the wedge formula. Many top brands offer a complex array of sole configurations, all of them admittedly specialized to a particular kind of lie or turf conditions, and/or a particular divot pattern.
But if you don’t play the same turf all the time, and make the same size divot on every swing, how would you ever figure this out?
The only way is to take any wedge you are considering and play it a few rounds, hitting all the shots you face and observing the results. There’s simply no other way.
So, hopefully this will inspire a lively conversation in our comments section, and I’ll chime in to answer any questions you might have.
And next week, I’ll dive into the rest of the wedge formula. Yes, shafts, grips and specifications are essential, too.
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Golf's Perfect Imperfections
Golf’s Perfect Imperfections: Amazing Session with Performance Coach Savannah Meyer-Clement
In this week’s episode, we spent some time with performance coach Savannah Meyer-Clement who provides many useful insights that you’ll be able to implement on the golf course.
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19th Hole
Vincenzi’s 2024 RBC Heritage betting preview: Patrick Cantlay ready to get back inside winner’s circle
Just a two-hour drive from Augusta National, the PGA TOUR heads to Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, S.C. Hilton Head Island is a golfer’s paradise and Harbour Town is one of the most beautiful and scenic courses on the PGA TOUR.
Harbour Town Golf Links is a par-71 that measures 7,121 yards and features Bermuda grass greens. A Pete Dye design, the course is heavily tree lined and features small greens and many dog legs, protecting it from “bomb-and-gauge” type golfers.
The field is loaded this week with 69 golfers with no cut. Last year was quite possibly the best field in RBC Heritage history and the event this week is yet another designated event, meaning there is a $20 million prize pool.
Most of the big names on the PGA Tour will be in attendance this week with the exceptions of Hideki Matsuyama and Viktor Hovland. Additionally, Webb Simpson, Shane Lowry, Gary Woodland and Kevin Kisner have been granted sponsors exemptions.
Past Winners at Harbour Town
- 2023: Matt Fitzpatrick (-17)
- 2022: Jordan Spieth (-13)
- 2021: Stewart Cink (-19)
- 2020: Webb Simpson (-22)
- 2019: CT Pan (-12)
- 2018: Sotoshi Kodaira (-12)
- 2017: Wesley Bryan (-13)
- 2016: Branden Grace (-9)
- 2015: Jim Furyk (-18)
In this article and going forward, I’ll be using the Rabbit Hole by Betsperts Golf data engine to develop my custom model. If you want to build your own model or check out all of the detailed stats, you can sign up using promo code: MATTVIN for 25% off any subscription package (yearly is best value).
Key Stats For Harbour Town
Let’s take a look at key metrics for Harbour Town Golf Links to determine which golfers boast top marks in each category over their past 24 rounds.
Strokes Gained: Approach
Strokes Gained: Approach is exceedingly important this week. The greens at Harbour Town are about half the size of PGA TOUR average and feature the second-smallest greens on the tour. Typical of a Pete Dye design, golfers will pay the price for missed greens.
Total SG: Approach Over Past 24 Rounds
- Scottie Scheffler (+1.27)
- Tom Hoge (+1.27)
- Corey Conners (+1.16)
- Austin Eckroat (+0.95)
- Cameron Young (+0.93)
Good Drive %
The fairways at Harbour Town are tree lined and feature many dog legs. Bombers tend to struggle at the course because it forces layups and doesn’t allow long drivers to overpower it. Accuracy is far more important than power.
Good Drive % Over Past 24 Rounds
- Brice Garnett (88.8%)
- Shane Lowry (+87.2%)
- Akshay Bhatia (+86.0%)
- Si Woo Kim (+85.8%)
- Sepp Straka (+85.1%)
Strokes Gained: Total at Pete Dye Designs
Pete Dye specialists tend to play very well at Harbour Town. Si Woo Kim, Matt Kuchar, Jim Furyk and Webb Simpson are all Pete Dye specialists who have had great success here. It is likely we see some more specialists near the top of the leaderboard this week.
SG: TOT Pete Dye per round over past 36 rounds:
- Xander Schauffele (+2.27)
- Scottie Scheffler (+2.24)
- Ludvig Aberg (+2.11)
- Brian Harman (+1.89)
- Sungjae Im (+1.58)
4. Strokes Gained: Short Game (Bermuda)
Strokes Gained: Short Game factors in both around the green and putting. With many green-side bunkers and tricky green complexes, both statistics will be important. Past winners — such as Jim Furyk, Wes Bryan and Webb Simpson — highlight how crucial the short game skill set is around Harbour Town.
SG: SG Over Past 24 Rounds
- Jordan Spieth (+1.11)
- Taylor Moore (+1.02)
- Wyndham Clark (+0.98)
- Mackenzie Hughes (+0.86)
- Andrew Putnam (+0.83)
5. Greens in Regulation %
The recipe for success at Harbour Town Golf Links is hitting fairways and greens. Missing either will prove to be consequential — golfers must be in total control of the ball to win.
Greens in Regulation % over past 24 rounds:
- Brice Garnett (+75.0%)
- Scottie Scheffler (+69.9%)
- Corey Conners (+69.0%)
- Shane Lowry (+68.3%)
- Patrick Rodgers (+67.6%)
6. Course History
Harbour Town is a course where players who have strong past results at the course always tend to pop up.
Course History over past 24 rounds:
- Patrick Cantlay (+2.34)
- Cam Davis (+2.05)
- J.T. Poston (+1.69)
- Justin Rose (+1.68)
- Tommy Fleetwood (+1.59)
The RBC Heritage Model Rankings
Below, I’ve compiled overall model rankings using a combination of the five key statistical categories previously discussed — SG: Approach (24%), Good Drives (20%), SG: SG (14%), SG: Pete Dye (14%), GIR (14%), and Course History (14%)
- Shane Lowry
- Russell Henley
- Scottie Scheffler
- Xander Schauffele
- Corey Conners
- Wyndham Clark
- Christiaan Bezuidenhout
- Matt Fitzpatrick
- Cameron Young
- Ludvig Aberg
2024 RBC Heritage Picks
Patrick Cantlay +2000 (FanDuel)
With the exception of Scottie Scheffler, the PGA Tour has yet to have any of their star players show peak form during the 2024 season. Last week, Patrick Cantlay, who I believe is a top-5 players on the PGA Tour, took one step closer to regaining the form that’s helped him win eight events on Tour since 2017.
Cantlay limped into the Masters in poor form, but figured it out at Augusta National, finishing in a tie for 20th and ranking 17th for the week in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking. The former FedEx Cup champion will now head to one of his favorite golf courses in Harbour Town, where he’s had immaculate results over the years. In his six trips to the course, he’s only finished worse than 7th one time. The other finishes include three third places (2017, 2019, 2023) and one runner-up finish (2022). In his past 36 rounds at Harbour Town, Cantlay ranks 1st in Strokes Gained: Total per round at the course by a wide margin (+2.36).
Cantlay is winless since the 2022 BMW Championship, which is far too long for a player of his caliber. With signs pointing to the 32-year-old returning to form, a “signature event” at Harbour Town is just what he needs to get back on the winning track.
Tommy Fleetwood +3000 (FanDuel)
I truly believe Tommy Fleetwood will figure out a way to win on American soil in 2024. It’s certainly been a bugaboo for him throughout his career, but he is simply too talented to go another season without winning a PGA Tour event.
At last week’s Masters Tournament, Fleetwood made a Sunday charge and ended up finishing T3 in the event, which was his best ever finish at The Masters. For the week, the Englishman ranked 8th in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach, 10th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking and 16th in Strokes Gained: Putting.
Harbour Town is a perfect layout for Fleetwood, and he’s had relative success at this Pete Dye design in the past. In his four trips to the course, he’s finished inside of the top 25 three times, with his best finish, T10, coming in 2022. The course is pretty short and can’t be overpowered, which gives an advantage to more accurate players such as Fleetwood. Tommy ranks 8th in the field in Good Drive % and should be able to plot his way along this golf course.
The win is coming for Tommy lad. I believe there’s a chance this treasure of a golf course may be the perfect one for him to finally break through on Tour.
Cameron Young +3300 (FanDuel)
Cameron Young had a solid Masters Tournament last week, which is exactly what I’m looking for in players who I anticipate playing well this week at the RBC Heritage. He finished in a tie for 9th, but never felt the pressure of contending in the event. For the week, Young ranked 6th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and 6th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking.
Despite being one of the longest players off the tee on the PGA Tour, Young has actually played some really good golf on shorter tracks. He finished T3 at Harbour Town in 2023 and ranks 20th in the field in Good Drive% and 16th in Greens in Regulation in his past 24 rounds. He also has strong finishes at other shorter courses that can take driver out of a players hand such as Copperhead and PGA National.
Young is simply one of the best players on the PGA Tour in 2024, and I strongly believe has what it takes to win a PGA Tour event in the very near future.
Corey Conners +5500 (FanDuel)
Corey Conners has had a disappointing year thus far on the PGA Tour, but absolutely loves Harbour Town.
At last week’s Masters Tournament, the Canadian finished T30 but ranked 20th in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach. In his past 24 rounds, Conners ranks 3rd in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach, 3rd in Greens in Regulation % and 24th in Good Drive %.
In Conners’ last four trips to Harbour Town, his worst finish was T31, last season. He finished T4 in 2021, T12 in 2022 and ranks 8th in Strokes Gained: Total at the course over his past 36 rounds.
Conners hasn’t been contending, but his recent finishes have been encouraging as he has finished in the top-25 in each of his past three starts prior to The Masters, including an impressive T13 at The PLAYERS. His recent improvement in ball striking as well as his suitability for Harbour Town makes Conners a high upside bet this week.
Shane Lowry (+7500) (FanDuel)
When these odds were posted after Lowry was announced in the field, I have to admit I was pretty stunned. Despite not offering much win equity on the PGA Tour over the last handful of years, Shane Lowry is still a top caliber player who has the ability to rise to the top of a signature event.
Lowry struggled to score at The Masters last week, but he actually hit the ball really well. The Irishman ranked 1st for Strokes Gained: Approach on the week and 7th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking. As usual, it was the putter that let him down, as he ranked 60th in the field in Strokes Gained: Putting.
Harbour Town is most definitely one of Lowry’s favorite courses on the PGA Tour. In his six starts there, he’s finished in the top 10 three times, including third twice. Lowry is sensational at Pete Dye designs and ranks 7th in Strokes Gained: Total in his past 36 rounds on Dye tracks.
Lowry is perfect for Harbour Town. In his past 24 rounds, he ranks 5th in Strokes Gained: Approach, 2nd in Good Drive% and 5th in Green in Regulation %. If he figures it out on the greens, Shane could have his first win in America since 2015.
Lucas Glover +12000 (FanDuel)
This is one of my weekly “bet the number” plays as I strongly believe the odds are just too long for a player of Glover’s caliber. The odds have been too long on Glover for a few weeks now, but this is the first event that I can get behind the veteran being able to actually contend at.
Glover is quietly playing good golf and returning to the form he had after the understandable regression after his two massive victories at the end of 2023. He finished T20 at The Masters, which was his best ever finish at Augusta National. For the week, Lucas ranked 18th for Strokes Gained: Approach and 20th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking.
Over his past 24 rounds, Glover ranks 9th in Strokes Gained: Approach and 13th in Good Drive %. Harbour Town is a short course that the 44-year-old will be able to keep up with the top players on Tour off the tee. He’s played the course more than 20 times, with mixed results. His best finishes at Harbour Town include a T7 in 2008, but recently has a finish of T21 in 2020.
Glover has proven he can contend with the stars of the Tour on any given week, and this number is flat out disrespectful.
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Frank
Mar 18, 2021 at 9:32 pm
The shortest shot if you drove it 305 yards on all the par 4’s and 5’s at Augusta, which is the average distance of PGA Tour winners’ drives on par 5’s that led to birdies/eagles for the past 30 events, is 45 yards on #3. Then the next longest shot is actually #12 at Augusta at over 155 yards if you hit every par 5 green in 2. Only one shot under 155 yards at Augusta. Yeah, I’ll stick to practicing the long game over short game.
Ms. Maddie
Mar 18, 2021 at 6:35 pm
As a lady golfer in her 70’s, you’d think I’d always play from the 5000 yd tees. And sometimes you’d be right. But I also enjoy playing from the 6000 yd tees and the 6500’s, too, often all in the same round. Because despite my age and gender, I’m still a fit athlete and a single digit handicapper with an intimate understanding of the architecture and physical layout of the courses I frequently play. I’ve been doing exactly as Mr. Koehler suggest for years, taking each hole individually and playing it from the tees that offer me the most intriguing strategic challenge and the most fun. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
snowman9000
Mar 18, 2021 at 9:37 am
My whole life, I have never found par 5’s to be reachable with two good shots.
And, par 3’s are tending to be too long for the particular tee boxes too. I suspect the par 3’s and 5’s are where the course find extra yardage to get to the final number they want to see. If they made all the par 4’s longer, people would notice. Maybe ask a couple of architects and see what they say.
Danie Mare
Mar 18, 2021 at 2:43 am
It is even worse for women. The tee options for my wife is that, apart from 1 or 2 par 3s, she uses fairway wood ON EVERY approach on our home course. Ans she does not have the option of moving forward. She plays of a 15, so she is a reasonable golfer. But I consistently wonder if I will enjoy the game if I had to use 3 wood so much.
Radim
Mar 18, 2021 at 2:11 am
The article is missing any explanation how it works today. Here in Europe you get the teebox based on your handicap index. Is it the same in America?
iutodd
Mar 18, 2021 at 11:19 am
How it works today is that golfers can tee up wherever they want.
Ex-American
Mar 24, 2021 at 4:31 am
Radim, that’s how it *SHOULD* work.
Americans all think they’re on tour. They play stroke, not stableford, from as far back as they can, and everyone complains about 5 hour rounds.
The mentality is questionable at best.
Mike
Mar 17, 2021 at 2:21 pm
Thank you, This is so true.
DFM
Mar 17, 2021 at 12:50 pm
I completely get the intent of the article, and agree that people should play the game from a tee that suits their game, and allows them to feel comfortable. However, the game is the game. Since I am older and slower than I once was, should I play basketball on a 7 ft. goal where I can dunk like the pros? No, of course not. It might make me feel more like one of the pros to do so, but that isn’t the way the game is played. Rather than concentrating on how we do or don’t compare with pro athletes, people should simply play the course in front of them from whatever tee they feel is most appropriate. If it is harder for you than a pro athlete, so be it. Teeing it up from the middle of the fairway so that you can say you shot even par is silly.
iutodd
Mar 17, 2021 at 11:20 am
I completely agree with your breakdown on this. Long par fours/par 3s are certainly part of the game – and the challenge of hitting hybrid/4/5/6 iron into the green is a challenge that should be a part of every round. But only a PART. I’ve played with guys that were hitting those clubs into EVERY par four and most par threes and I have no idea why they do that to themselves. Assuming a combined 14 par 3/par 4…I think 3-4 of those requiring a 5 iron or higher to get to the green is about right. That’s 21-28% of your iron shots on those holes. Which seems like plenty.