Breaking 100/90/80

How to score with your sand wedge

: By Bill Moretti
with Matthew Rudy
Photo By Darren Carroll August 2008; Your 56-degree wedge is more than just a specialty club for use from the sand. Whether you're trying to shoot in the 90s or looking to break par for the first time, you can save a tremendous number of strokes by understanding how best to use your sand wedge on full shots from the fairway and touch shots to tight pins. Any player at any level can learn the skills needed for these shots. Use the tips and drills here to turn your sand wedge into your go-to scoring club.

Breaking 100: One of the major problems for the 100-shooter is hitting a bad drive and then compounding the mistake. If you're in trouble, you should have two goals. The first is to get out of trouble and back to the fairway with the least amount of risk. That usually means hitting a short iron out of the rough instead of trying to chop at it with a 5-wood or hybrid. Your second goal is to make solid contact on the shot you pick.; READ MORE >>

Breaking 90: Many 90-shooters don't take advantage of scoring opportunities, because they struggle to hit full sand-wedge shots solidly. It often comes from dragging the grip end back on the takeaway. To hit good wedge shots, you need to let the clubface rotate open on the backswing, just like it would for any other full shot.; READ MORE >>

Breaking 80: Hitting a 40- or 50-yard pitch shot is tricky business even for tour players. The only way to do it consistently is to have a long, shallow impact zone. Even good players have a tendency to come into these shots too steeply.; READ MORE >>

: Ranked among Golf Digest's 50 Greatest Teachers in America, Moretti runs the Academy of Golf Dynamics at The Hills of Lakeway Resort in Austin. He works with Fred Funk, Tom Purtzer and Joe Ogilvie, among other tour players.