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Is there a way to calculate a partial wedge distance?

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crazygolfnut

crazygolfnut

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Is there a standard way to calculate how far a partial wedge shot should go? I will go outside and do some actual testing once the weather allows but I was trying to figure it out mathematically.

If you take the difference between the loft of two clubs and multiply by a number you can estimate an expected distance. Lets make up an example;

48 degree – 44 degree = 4 degrees. Multiply 4 degrees *2.5 = 10 yards separation between the two clubs.

Kind of looking for something like that with 1/2 or 3/4 swings. If a wedge goes 100 yards, how far should a 3/4 or 1/2 swing go?
 
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Practice, practice and then practice more. It becomes a feel shot. You will realize if you take the club back waist high, it goes this far ... take it back shoulder height, it goes this far. And so on.
Visualization becomes key

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 
Mathematically I never considered it. I just try 1/2 and 3/4 swings with each to gauge distances
 
Several ways to test IMO. Place a towel down at a certain distance then hit different wedges to that distance without worry about something like a clock system and just go based on feel. Then walk out to the towel and see where all the balls landed.

Use a clock system or 1/2, 3/4, etc and after hitting some balls with that feel pace off or laser the distances.
 
Don't know of anyway to calculate it unless you can determine clubhead speed for each shot. Clubhead speed with the launch angle and some type of smash factor could get you a reasonable number, but not sure how you figure the clubhead speed for each partial swing length.
 
mancest said:
Don't know of anyway to calculate it unless you can determine clubhead speed for each shot. Clubhead speed with the launch angle and some type of smash factor could get you a reasonable number, but not sure how you figure the clubhead speed for each partial swing length.
Click to expand...

Swing speed reader?
 
that would be the best way to do it, but at that point I would rather just get on the course/practice area and get real numbers. No matter what calculations I did I wouldn't trust them until I saw them on the course anyway.
 
mancest said:
Don't know of anyway to calculate it unless you can determine clubhead speed for each shot. Clubhead speed with the launch angle and some type of smash factor could get you a reasonable number, but not sure how you figure the clubhead speed for each partial swing length.
Click to expand...

I would think that you would also have to have a perfectly consistent delivery to the ball. As soon as you move ball position, change hand position, or choke up on the club, all your calculations go out the window.

This is a feel situation and the only way to master it is to practice relentlessly IMO.
 
I try not to take partial swings if I can help it thats why I carry 4 wedges if I grip down and take a full swing it takes 5 meters off of each wedge and I have a 10 meter gap between each wedge.
 
Hours and hours at the driving range is the only way to figure it out. 1/2 and 3/4 swings are much more perception based swings than the swing being actually 1/2 and 3/4 swings. They'll feel different to everyone IMO.

Bryson may have a formula of some sort, but I'm sure he's spent hours on the range testing his hypothesis out also.
 
OKputtnfool said:
Swing speed reader?
Click to expand...

This works, I do it in winter all the time inside trying to hit exactly the speed I want. Only have the battle as the launch angle can change the distance a ton so you really need to nail both parts, but if you can practice half might as well. As for the question it is truly a trial and error thing mostly.
 
All feel based for me on partial shots. I will take a quick practice swing or two to get the feel of the swing I want to make for the shot then step up and pull the trigger.
 
Your question got me curious so was messing on flightscope sight. Now this is great for drivers but never tried it for low speed stuff so take it with a grain of salt.

These numbers were mostly pulled out of LPGA launch spin stats as base line.
90 mph launch speed, 28* launch 8500 rpm gives ...............................................................111 carry at see level.
Knock off 5 mph swing so say 8 mph ball speed which should drop spin a bit say 7750 ends up ..98 carry
Drop 5 more swing speed at say 7k spin same launch ...........................................................85 carry
5 more at 6700 ................................................................................................................72 carry

Fairly linear until you below 75% original speed when it will start falling out of the sky

Compare that with only raising and lowering launch angle which will slightly add or kill spin but not nearly as much as speed

baseline: 111
2* higher: 109.5
4* higher: 107.5
2* lower: 111.5
4* lower: 112

I honestly was a bit surprised how little launch angle changes things. So clearly consistency of strike and controlling club head speed it much more important and launch angle is really for very fine tuning, more than most of us are probably able to control.


I would love to get 2 hours on a trackman and see if the numbers match up.

Hopefully you find those numbers interesting, this is the kind of golf nerd stuff I like exploring.
 
As a math guy, I love the question. The answer is there are too many unknown variables that would need to be determined to build a useful equation. Given that these variables will be different from one golfer to another there is no useful rule of thumb that can be employed.

Let's say you wanted to build an equation for your swing that predicted the carry distance for a full, 3/4 and 1/2 swing with your gamer 6-iron. At a minimum we would need to know the following for each swing type: Swing speed, launch angle, smash factor, back spin, and side spin. This is some of the same data a launch monitor collects to predict carry and total distance using a mathematical calculation.

Which brings me to this point, you can get on a launch monitor and collect all this data including the carry and total distance that the launch monitor will calculate for you.
 
so-illhacker said:
Hours and hours at the driving range is the only way to figure it out. 1/2 and 3/4 swings are much more perception based swings than the swing being actually 1/2 and 3/4 swings. They'll feel different to everyone IMO.

Bryson may have a formula of some sort, but I'm sure he's spent hours on the range testing his hypothesis out also.
Click to expand...

I think this captures it from my experience. The exact same partial swing will likely 'feel different' to each of us. You might be able to get in the general zip code mathematically but the formula might fall apart on the course. To prepare for the 3 new CBX wedges I was about to get, I recently redid my partial swing gaps with short irons down. There are some generalities, but your baseline full yardages, and your perception and execution of the partial swings is likely different. Also, these numbers are just that, numbers. On the course I have to play more by feel when I'm trying to get it close. Conditions, desired trajectory, landing spot, the terrain from there to the hole, and how I'm trying to make the the ball release or settle, etc... If it might help, the percentage of carry drop-offs below represent my sense of a 3/4 swing (10:30) and a half swing (9:00) versus my normal full swing. Also of note, I'm a little distance challenged compared to most THPers I've golfed with. My average 7 iron and PW carries are just 154 and 112, respectively.

club 3/4sw 1/2sw
7iron 89% 79%
8iron 89% 77%
9iron 85% 72%
PW44 84% 70%
48CBX 86% 73%
GW50 84% 67%
54CBX 84% 71%
PM56 79% 65%
60CBX 83% 66%
 
Daddio said:
I think this captures it from my experience. The exact same partial swing will likely 'feel different' to each of us. You might be able to get in the general zip code mathematically but the formula might fall apart on the course. To prepare for the 3 new CBX wedges I was about to get, I recently redid my partial swing gaps with short irons down. There are some generalities, but your baseline full yardages, and your perception and execution of the partial swings is likely different. Also, these numbers are just that, numbers. On the course I have to play more by feel when I'm trying to get it close. Conditions, desired trajectory, landing spot, the terrain from there to the hole, and how I'm trying to make the the ball release or settle, etc... If it might help, the percentage of carry drop-offs below represent my sense of a 3/4 swing (10:30) and a half swing (9:00) versus my normal full swing. Also of note, I'm a little distance challenged compared to most THPers I've golfed with. My average 7 iron and PW carries are just 154 and 112, respectively.

club 3/4sw 1/2sw
7iron 89% 79%
8iron 89% 77%
9iron 85% 72%
PW44 84% 70%
48CBX 86% 73%
GW50 84% 67%
54CBX 84% 71%
PM56 79% 65%
60CBX 83% 66%
Click to expand...

I tend to agree with you on this. I carry 4 wedges and depending on where I'm at, what I want to do, open the wedge up or not and the conditions determine how far I take my wedge back. I guess that everyone is different in their wedge game.
 
golfinnut said:
Practice, practice and then practice more. It becomes a feel shot. You will realize if you take the club back waist high, it goes this far ... take it back shoulder height, it goes this far. And so on.
Visualization becomes key

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

that's exactly what I do. KEEP IT SIMPLE!!!

I practice 20 yard intervals very often and with all 3 clubs! 40 yards, 60, 80, 100, 120. Then, I make notes like this and either keep in my bag on a small notepad or on the notepad on my phone:

40y - 56* mid grip, open face, belt high to belt high
60y - 56* mid grip, square face, belt high to belt high
80y - 56* mid grip, shoulder to shoulder
100y - 56* full grip, full swing

60y - 52* mid grip, open face, belt to belt
80y - 52* mid grip, square face, belt to belt
100y - 52* mid grip, shoulder to shoulder
115y - 52* full grip, full swing
 
Practice. Trial & error and lots of notes.
 
The numbers are purely theoretical before application so I'd just sidestep them altogether and gauge distance through repetition and practice.

No calculation can afford nor assist in quality of contact and the technique used between a full, 3/4 or 1/2 wedge shot changes incremently for some players, more dramatically for others.

Not to mention spin vs run-out. Very often because a shorter shot will have less spin, it will travel a shorter distance in the air. Total distance combined with roll-out may prove to equal half the distance of a full shot but actual effort imposed upon the ball may actually have been substantially less than half due to the shorter flight.
 
I use the Voice Caddie SC200.

You use certain positions for 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 swings - video to make certain you are hitting those positions with the same setup, and find your yardage.

I'm using too much feel, but feel is definitely part of the equation. Sometimes, you are jacked up for a shot. If I were giving more advice, I'd say take a shorter backswing and then speed it up through the swing - I think you are more accurate and will get more spin in this manner. (But don't use the arms much - they come last)

I also don't keep any lag on shots under 70 yrds) - just let it go (got that from Stan Utley)

And then there are times when you need to keep it low under the wind. Not tough to practice that technique, tough to find the wind when you want to practice it.
 
crazygolfnut said:
Is there a standard way to calculate how far a partial wedge shot should go? I will go outside and do some actual testing once the weather allows but I was trying to figure it out mathematically.

If you take the difference between the loft of two clubs and multiply by a number you can estimate an expected distance. Lets make up an example;

48 degree – 44 degree = 4 degrees. Multiply 4 degrees *2.5 = 10 yards separation between the two clubs.

Kind of looking for something like that with 1/2 or 3/4 swings. If a wedge goes 100 yards, how far should a 3/4 or 1/2 swing go?
Click to expand...


Although unique to the individual, I put in the 100's of shots to figure this out manually and the trend that formed for my case (8I-135, 9I-125, etc) is that my 1/2 swing (left arm at 9:00 o clock, club head hinges to 10:30ish) for any iron equals the same distance as a full swing with 2 irons above (the iron above the next iron up or). Simply put, 1/2 swing 7I = fullswing 9I, 1/2 5Iron = full 3Iron.

Note I'm adding air yardage and run out yardage. Example for 145 yards to the pin = I can run it there with a 1/2 swing 5-IRON (which slightly cuts on my pendulum stroke) or land it there with a 7-IRON (which slightly fades for my weak gripped swing).
 
golfinnut said:
Practice, practice and then practice more. It becomes a feel shot. You will realize if you take the club back waist high, it goes this far ... take it back shoulder height, it goes this far. And so on.
Visualization becomes key

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
This is it. Just practice and record the results and get consistent at it.
 
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