11 years ago, GolfWRX published an article titled, “Lee Trevino – 10 Rules for hitting all the golf shots,” and he’s still at it.

Famed for his academy and golf instruction videos, the 83-year-old Hall of Famer was a guest on Michael Breed’s show on SiriusXM – A New Breed of Golf , and gave up not only his thought on the current hot topic of slow play but also his issues with the modern take on wedge play.

The six-time major winner was very clear that authorities should penalize all players guilty of slow play, holding up one of his career rivals as an example.

"They had the guts to penalize a superstar"

Lee Trevino spoke with @MichaelBreed about the slow play penalty Jack Nicklaus received in his career, and how that's the example to fix slow play. pic.twitter.com/1LwpWlp9t1

— SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio (@SiriusXMPGATOUR) April 25, 2023

He was also forthright about the advantages and otherwise to the amateur player in the 2020s.

Breed, one of the most respected coaches through the early 2000s, asked Trevino:

“I remember having a conversation with Byron Nelson at Augusta National, and he said there were two things in his era of player that the advantage that the modern player has over his era of player — one, was to your point, the conditions of the golf course and trying to figure out a way if you had a flier lie in the middle of the fairway, and the second was the 60-degree wedge.”

Breed continued, “You are well known for your wedge play. How valuable, how important is the 60-degree in today’s game for this modern player versus when you were out playing with that big, Wilson, thick sole, R-90 wedge that was easy to get out of a bunker but very difficult to hit high-lofted shots around the greens with?”

“One of the best clubs that I ever had, believe it or not, was the ‘Sandy Andy’,” Trevino remembered. “It had about 22 degrees of bounce on it. But you know, I played my hands forward and the ball back, so actually the bounce on the club was only like 13 by the time I hit the ball. And that’s just the way that it was.”

What about the current 60 degree as an asset over the 56?

“The 60-degree wedge is the worst thing that ever happened to a high-handicapper, because he can’t use the 56 yet,” exclaimed Trevino. “I mean, he’s got to learn to use the 56 before he goes to a 60. I don’t know why they’re carrying a 60. They can’t use the damn thing. They’re always short with it.”

“The reason they’re short with it is, if you play with an amateur that has an eight or over, if he pulls a 60 out, he’s generally short; he’s always short,” said the guest forcefully.

“And the reason for it is because they don’t realize how much loft is on this thing and they tend to swing at it the same speed they do the 56,” Trevino explained. “And it’s not going to go anywhere. I mean, it won’t go anyplace. Tight lies, now all of a sudden, now they’re getting these little — built the way that the architecture is with the greens dropping off and everything, that’s the worst club you want to use around there is the 60 because the grain’s against you. And that club is sharper; it doesn’t have as much bounce on it. The secret is to open the 56 wide open to get a little more bounce and then rotate it; close the toe a little bit.”

Then he was off, revealing his own secrets to playing the most lofted club in the bag.

“I’ll tell you how I do it,” he said. “I take the club square. You can use this. I’m going to give you permission to use this.”

There is more to just speed, Trevino said, and started to expand on his knowledge.

“We need rotation,” he said simply. “And the reason that they need rotation is simply because they keep the sand on the clubface longer. And the longer that they can keep the sand on the clubface, the farther that the ball will come out. The problem is that people open the clubface and then grip it normally. And then when they swing at it, they even open it more; or they try to hold it open.

“OK, the secret to a person with a slow bunker play with a club that can’t get out is to take the wedge, hold it in the air, close it, take your grip, and then open it with your forearms and wrists. In other words, roll your arms wide open. And you will feel the rubber-band effect. You will feel the tension in the forearms. And what that does when you come down to the ball, it releases by itself; you don’t have to manually do it. …

“And then what happens is, you play it back a little bit, and you hold the club — you grip it with it a little shut and then you rotate your hands wide open to where your right hand is almost pointing up in the air, the palm of your right hand, holding onto that club. And you will feel the tension in your arms and forearms. And then when you come down, the club will automatically close; it won’t open anymore. And then you have a shot at getting out of that bunker.”

It’s Lee Trevino, and nobody was getting away with a couple of lines on instruction.

As usual, the golf legend gave it all out in more words than was perhaps necessary. And with a twinkle in his eyes, finshed with a bit of his renowned Tex-Mex humor.

“And if it works,” he said, rather confidently,” just send the check to Dallas, OK?”

To hear the whole show, with Michael Breed talking to Lee Trevino, click here. 

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