Wedge Shot Question

Rhythm is best expressed in any swing directed at a cigar stump or a dandelion head. -- Grantland Rice

Faced with widespread flooding, record rainfall and generally hellacious conditions in his neck of the woods, North Jersey, Alan Bolno, we’re happy to report, has his priorities straight:

I’m not sure if you give answers to golf questions online but it doesn't hurt to ask... I play many county courses or those that are frequently "under water" or with poor drainage... When I get close to the green, my 50-90 yard sand wedges (I have 3 different lofts) always TAKE TOO MUCH DIVOT and of course my shots fall short...any advice to alter swing path or club selection of type of shot?

For you, Alan, anything, provided can get ahold of Stan Utley, the short game guru, who wrote our March story on Pitching Basics. We did yesterday and he sent this message via his collaborator Matt Rudy:

__It sounds like you're hitting this shot with a steep angle of attack and digging the leading edge of the club into the ground, which makes the shot end up short. What you want to do is approach this more like an explosion shot from the bunker. You want to have a wedge that’s got 8 or 12 degrees of bounce, and swing so that you're releasing the club earlier. It needs to come through the ball with the shaft in a neutral position—straight up and down—not with the hands pressed ahead of the clubhead. That neutral position is what exposes the bounce on the bottom of the club. I actually aim for a spot just behind the ball and make an aggressive swing. I'm trying to blast that wet stuff out of the way, like I would with a sand shot. It does take a little practice, because you need to be able to judge how hard to swing to make the ball go a certain distance. __

Stay dry and stay aggressive, Alan.