Opinion & Analysis

The Wedge Guy: Power vs. accuracy

Published

4 years ago

Oct 6, 2022

It is an argument that may never be resolved, but I thought I would toss this out for cogitation today. That is, which is the quicker path to lower scores – adding distance or improving your accuracy through the bag?

Every week, we see the PGA Tour dominated by outlandish distances off the tee and towering iron shots from distances most of us “mere mortals” cannot even closely fathom. Golf course architects have become all but powerless to hold back the modern tour professional, short of building 8,000-yard golf courses. About the only “defense” the game has against these modern athletes is when Mother Nature decides to grace a tour event with 15-25 mph winds. Wind is a great equalizer to the power game that dominates today.

RELATED: The Wedge Guy: A Tale of Two Misses

But what does that have to do with the rest of us?

Based on various research into the golfer population of the United States, it is likely that your driving distance is a lot closer to 200 yards than 300 and that a 150-yard approach is calling for at least a 6- or 7-iron — not a pitching wedge like you see the pros hit.

So, which do you think would lower your scores more – learning to hit more fairways and greens or adding 5-10 yard to your drives and iron shots? Here’s a little exercise I devised years ago to help you accurately and realistically come up with the right answer.

It requires you to devote 2-3 rounds of golf to really learning what would help you the most, so you might have to take a break from a regular competitive game you play every week, but I’ll guarantee you that this little “game” will reveal that answer very clearly. Here’s how it goes.

For round #1, hit your drive and go find it. Then, pick up the ball and walk it another 10 yards (likely the maximum distance gain you’ll get from a new driver). But don’t walk it toward the green unless it finds the fairway . . . to be fair and accurate, you have to continue on the line it was taking from the tee. If it was headed OB and stopped 3 yards short . . . you just hit it OB with that “possible new driver”. Do this on every driving hole and see how your scores turn out.

For round #2, hit your drive and again go find it. Then, pick up your ball and “improve your lie”, either to the nearest edge of the fairway or to the preferred spot in the fairway if you didn’t hit it there. But here’s the kicker . . . any drive you move to its new preferred spot, also walk it back ten yards. Again, play it out and see what happens to your scores when you gave up a few yards for better accuracy.

If those two rounds of golf don’t accurately show you which is more influential on better scores, I’ve got another one for you.

For round #3, play your drives and iron shots just like you always do, but for every green you miss, do the following. If you didn’t hit your chip or pitch shot within 10 feet of the hole, play your ball out, but also drop another ball somewhere in the 5-10 foot range (vary it up) and see if you make the putt. Keep track of the difference of the scores you shoot with your “gamer ball,” and the score you would have made with the “one-chip mulligans.”

I’ve always approached golf as a game of continual learning, but that certainly isn’t limited to learning more about your swing or the courses you play. It’s also about learning where your own game really needs the most work and improvement, and just what that improvement can do for your weekly scores.

I hope many of you will dive into this learning exercise with gusto and share your experiences with all of us in the coming weeks.

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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.

1 Comment

gunmetal

Oct 6, 2022 at 1:12 pm

“So, which do you think would lower your scores more – learning to hit more fairways and greens or adding 5-10 yard to your drives and iron shots?”

Fairways are pretty much irrelevant UNLESS you’re playing in an event where the rough is legitimately a hack out, a la US Open (I’ve played in only one event with legit penal rough this year). As long as I am IN PLAY, I would take a 7 iron from the “rough” over a 5 iron from the fairway all day. I will absolutely hit more GIR because distance gets me closer to the green and it’s easier to hit things that are closer.

The premise of adding distance through a “new driver” is kind of dated. Most golfers looking for distance aren’t looking to add 5-10 yards, but rather 20 or 30 yards. Things like speed training, exercising, and getting properly fit are adding a lot more than 10 yards. I wonder if Mr Wedge Guy’s thoughts would be different if he said “hit more fairways or gain 25 – 30 yards?” because that’s what I think of when I think of distance gains. And that’s a no brainer. So is getting good at putts inside of 8 feet.

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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.

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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