Tight lie on a half-wedge shot? Ugh! Use this simple setup trick

On less-than-full wedge shots, most amateurs like some cushion under the ball, even when it appears to be sitting perfectly in the middle of the fairway. When the ball is on a tight or firm lie, they're afraid of hitting a line drive, so they try to help the ball up in the air, which often leads to a chunky or thin shot that misses the green entirely.

The next time you face a 30- to 60-yard shot off a firm fairway, I want you to picture two-time U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau. Remember how good his short game was at Pinehurst No. 2 in 2024? One of the reasons is that his wedges are the same length as all his irons (37 1/2 inches). The longer shaft forces DeChambeau to set up on wedge shots with his hands high and the shaft very vertical (photo, above). This setup helps shallow the club’s angle of attack and create a longer flat spot through impact—great for clipping balls off tight lies.

Here's what I want you to do. Grab your sand wedge, address the ball normally, then raise the club's heel off the ground so the grip feels high. By lifting the heel and your hands, you’re essentially uncocking your wrists so that the clubhead stays lower to the ground longer on the backswing and forward swing (above). The arc the club takes is wider and shallower, making it easier to slide the club along the turf without fear of crashing the clubhead into the ground.

Dan Carraher, a Golf Digest Best Young Teacher, is based at the Golf Club at South Hampton in St. Augustine, Fla.