Opinion & Analysis

The Wedge Guy: Dealing with the wedge yips

Published

5 years ago

Nov 11, 2021

If you’ve ever had the affliction of fearing short wedge shots, you can certainly appreciate how difficult the malady can be.

Over the course of my golf life — for whatever reason — that strange affliction seems to crop up now and again. Same for the traditional putting yips. Those are nasty problems to deal with, but I have figured out a sound and effective way to beat them back into remission. I don’t think you are ever completely cured of something that is a nervous twitch at exactly the wrong time, but you can keep it suppressed.

So, if your short game is occasionally or frequently visited by yippiness — where chunks and/or skulls become way too frequent — today’s post is for you.

It is my belief that this inability to execute the simplest of strokes – whether it is with the putter or the wedge – comes from prior bad experiences. One chunk or skulled shot (or badly missed 2-3 footer) sticks in your mind and makes you more uncomfortable and nervous when you face the next one. You hit that next one just as bad and the nasty affliction has taken hold of your mind in such a way that your body cannot perform the simple action it knows how to do.

So, here’s how I have learned to deal with my wedge yips whenever they find their way back into your game.

Review your fundamentals. Especially around the greens on our shortest of shots, it is very easy to somewhat “forget” your fundamentals – stance, alignment, posture, ball position and grip pressure. If one or more of those gets out of whack, then your body is not in sync with the shot your eyes see. That causes unnoticed tension, and your hands try to take over to make the clubhead go where the eyes are looking, instead of where the body is pointing. Double down on your fundamentals!

Check your grip pressure…again! Tension causes us to tighten up all over, but particularly in our grip, and even more specifically, to your master-hand pressure (your right for right-handed players, of course). When results go a bit south on you, your tendency is to get more master-handed in an attempt to guide the clubhead to the ball. The proper technique, of course, is to execute these shots with your lead side, and keep the hands pretty “quiet.” An overactive right hand is a killer around the greens.

Check your tempo. Anxiety begets tension which begets increased speed and wrecks your tempo and timing. These greenside chips and pitches can be hit with very slow and methodical tempo, feeling almost like you’re swinging the club in slow motion.

Practice…drill…practice. The great thing about practicing your short game technique is that you do not need to go to the range. You can do it in your basement, garage or back yard. Without any balls at all to get in the way, visit these first three points and re-learn or re-confirm your skill set. Focus on fundamentals, check your grip pressure, and tempo and make lots of practice swings. Then hit some balls with this refreshed set of fundamentals.

The last thing I highly recommend is that you begin and end each pre-round warm-up with these short chips and pitches. Hit enough of them to feel really good about your technique and attitude as you take it to the course. Those practice shots before you get into your full swings will help set the pace and tempo for the day and those you hit before you go to the first tee will be fresh in your mind and psyche when you face your first “real one” on the course!

Related Topics:

Up Next

The Wedge Guy: A shot to a spot

Don't Miss

GolfWRX Interview: Writer Michael Croley

Terry Koehler

Terry Koehler is a fourth generation Texan and a graduate of Texas A&M University. Over his 40-year career in the golf industry, he has created over 100 putter designs and dozens of wedges. In 2014, he put together the team that reintroduced the Ben Hogan brand to the golf equipment industry with his TK 15 wedges and Ft. Worth 15 iron designs. Since receiving a U.S. Patent for his “Koehler Sole” in the early 1990s, he has been challenging “conventional wisdom” in the wedge category. In addition to inspiring multiple companies to emulate this sole technology, the performance of his wedge designs have stimulated all other companies to reposition some mass toward the top of the blade in their wedges. Terry is retired from his role as Chairman and Director of Innovation for Edison Golf, and remains active in the industry as an independent designer and consultant. But his most compelling work is in the wedge category. Since he first patented his “Koehler Sole” in the early 1990s, he has been challenging “conventional wisdom” reflected in ‘tour design’ wedges. The performance of his wedge designs have stimulated other companies to move slightly more mass toward the top of the blade in their wedges, but none approach the dramatic design of his Edison Forged wedges, which have been robotically proven to significantly raise the bar for wedge performance. Terry serves as Chairman and Director of Innovation for Edison Golf – check it out at www.EdisonWedges.com.

7 Comments

geohogan

Nov 18, 2021 at 4:54 pm

Instead of the movement of body parts, the real key was the successful movement of the golf club. Ernest Jones had happened upon the then-little-understood fact that the human brain need only experience a person’s desire to perform a task. On its own the brain devises a means to create the muscular action to achieve the task. The individual is only aware of “what” they want to do. The brain’s action in deciding “how” it will accomplish the task is completely unconscious. This explains how very proficient golfers often report that they have little understanding of “how” they swing and only understand that they can do so when they choose.

Thus it was the case that Ernest Jones began his now-famous quest to discover, document, and disseminate a description of “how” the club swung and how to most easily teach the club’s movements to others”

Modern golf instruction suggests conscious movement of body parts (biomechanics).. leading to the YIPS.

Reply Report comment
Pingback: The Wedge Guy: Chipping away strokes – GolfWRX
Alcap26

Nov 13, 2021 at 9:41 am

Tried all the things mentioned above but no dice. Went cross handed from 30 yards in and my scores dropped quickly. No fear around the green going left hand low. Can flight it any height I want.

Reply Report comment
Brian

Nov 12, 2021 at 12:19 pm

I went through a few seasons where I couldn’t hit the simplest of chips/pitches around the green. I would hit nothing but flops because I couldn’t chip the ball without shanking it. I would absolutely bleed strokes around the green…6-8 a round. With practice, I turned what was my biggest weakness into a relative strength.

Sure, chili dips and skulls will happen from time to time, but I’m not fear-stricken any longer. Feels nice.

Reply Report comment
Mark Knapek

Nov 12, 2021 at 11:52 am

Thanks for the article & good reminders. Having struggled with this part of my game some over the last couple of years, I would also add another reminder, that my Dad told me ALL THE TIME growing up, but apparently still forgot. KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN through the shot!

Reply Report comment
ChipNRun

Nov 12, 2021 at 10:26 am

Big point to help tempo: Lead with the left arm (if right hander). Nothing makes wedge shots come up short like excess forward pressure with right (lead) hand.

This is especially true with lob wedges.

Reply Report comment
Acemandrake

Nov 11, 2021 at 2:41 pm

Keep. Head. Still.

Reply Report comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Opinion & Analysis

5 Things We Learned: Thursday at the PGA Championship

Published

2 weeks ago

May 15, 2026

Ronald Montesano

Aronimink is not a storied club, but when Donald Ross himself proclaimed it to be as good as he can design and build, one had to take notice. Jay Sigel was the pre-eminent male amateur golfer from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s. He might have called any number of Philadelphia clubs home, but he chose Aronimink. It served him well. Gary Player won a PGA Championship here in 1962, and was followed by the 1993 winner … nobody. Aronimink gave that event away to Inverness, for reasons of which it is certainly not proud. So be it. We had to wait sixty-four years for the PGA to return to Newtown Square, but here we are. Aronimink has been neo-restored by Gil Hanse and team, to return Ross features with an eye toward defense against the dark arts, errrr, high-tech equipment.

Day one saw Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau dig big holes, to the tune of plus-four and plus-six, respectively. Since the first-round lead will be minus-three at worst, many shots will need to be made up for the power couple to reach contention. By nightfall, seven golfers held the day-one lead at three-under par 67. Shots and sticks caught our attention, and we are proud to present Five Things We Learned on Tech Thursday at the 2026 PGA Championship. Thanks to InsideTourGolfer, Today’s Golfer, and GolfWRX for initial equipment research.

First, meet Min Woo Lee

Min Woo Lee, aka Dr. Chipinski, has once again thrust himself into the conversation of Can he, will he, when will he? Lee has so much talent, wins not nearly as often as we believe that he should, and has no major near-misses (much less titles) on his wiki. The young Aussie is getting older and wiser, but is he able to avoid the scarring that holds the older and wiser back from breaking through? Philadelphia offers another opportunity. Min Woo signed for five birdies and two bogeys on day one, and grabbed a share of the opening-day lead at Aronimink. Winners transcend history and the moment, and Lee will need that sort of ascent to lift the Wannamaker on Sunday.

Second, meet Aldrich Potgeiter

The young South African golfer can rip driver with the best of them. Aronimink tips out at nearly 7400 yards, but beyond the fairway bunkers that ensnare only the mortals, Potgeiter can take his chances with wedge from the rough. On Thursday, he spent plenty of time in the spinach. Like Popeye, he used his muscles to gouge and thrash and dig his way out. Six birdies against three bogeys on the card brought AP in a three deep.

Third, meet Martin Kaymer

Not a major event takes place without a where’s he been throwback moment. We know that Martin Kaymer left the PGA and DP World tours for LIV golf, but the two-time (US Open and PGA) major winner has a lifetime exemption into at least one major event, and he seizes the opportunity each May. Kaymer joined the six-seven brigade with four birdies and a solitary bogey on day one. Kaymer was never a long hitter, and the years are kind to no golfer. The German champion will need to uncork every bottle of guile and strategy in his cabinet to remain in contention. For today, though, he occupies a rung on the ladder of Tour Tech.

Fourth, meet Scottie Scheffler

Let’s see, he’s the defending champion at the PGA, and he found his way back to the top tier with five birdies against two bogeys. To be a favorite and then play up to that stature and expectation is quite difficult. Just ask Rory, Bryson, and some of the other pre-tournament heartthrobs. Scheffler’s game is complete, and to knock him off the OWGR #1 pedestal, one needs to defeat him at the majors. Aronimink is the sort of course that fits Scheffler’s game. Better yet, it unfits the game of many of his challengers. Don’t expect Scheffler to go away anytime soon. Come Sunday, he’ll be around.

Fifth, meet Stephan Jaeger

Clocking in for the unheralded players shift are Ryo Hisatsune and Stephan Jaeger. Hisatsune logged seven birdies on day one, but gave most of them back with four bogeys. Still, he’s tied at the top for a time. Jaeger pitched five birdies against two bogeys, including a run of three consecutive, from holes four through six. Odds are that one of the two will hang around through 36 holes. Odds also suggest that both will be gone by Saturday evening. Still, the PGA Championship has historically been the major most likely to be won by an under-known. Both Hisatsune and Jaeger feature on that list, so good luck, lads!

Club Junkie

Club Junkie’s Titleist GTS driver fitting results!

Published

2 weeks ago

May 14, 2026

Brian Knudson

On this episode of the Club Junkie Podcast, I head to the Titleist Performance Institute for a full driver fitting with the new Titleist GTS lineup. We dive into the fitting process, talk about what made the biggest difference in performance, and break down how the different GTS heads and shaft combinations compare on the launch monitor. If you are thinking about a new driver setup for this season, there is a lot to take away from this one.

I also get into Brooks Koepka and the gear setup he brought to the PGA Championship, including the putters that caught my eye during the week. There are some interesting equipment trends showing up at the highest level right now and we break down what stands out.

To wrap things up, I talk about reshafting a few wedges, what I learned during the process, and swapping an adaptor onto a new shaft for another build project in the shop. A gear packed episode from start to finish for anyone who loves golf equipment and club building.

Follow Club Junkie everywhere:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clubjunkiepod/
X: https://x.com/ClubJunkiePod
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@clubjunkiepod
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@clubjunkiepod

Club Junkie

Club Junkie WITB, week 16: New Titleist GTS woods!

Published

2 weeks ago

May 14, 2026

Brian Knudson

Excited for this week’s WITB as we get to add the new Titleist GTS woods to the bag! I was fit at Titleist’s TPI facility in Oceanside California a few weeks ago and my new clubs just showed up. I am also adding a cool set of irons that I built last year some wild custom wedges into a new golf bag. Speaking of the bag I have a new Ghost Anyday Black Ops stand bag that I will be using on my Motocaddy Remote M7 electric cart.

Driver: Titleist GTS3 (11 degrees @ 10.25)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 6s

3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour (14.5 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD CQ-7s

5-wood: Titleist GTS (18 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s

9-wood: Titleist GT1 (24 degress)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s

Irons: Bettinardi CB24 (5-PW)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (50-09 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (56-12 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (60-08 LB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Putter: Dan Carraher ZT Proto

Ball: Callaway Chrome Tour

Bag: Ghost Anyday Black Ops Stand Bag