The title of this story says it all and I will raise my hand as someone who has been wrong for YEARS.
Whenever I got a chance to watch the best wedge players in person, it seemed to me that they had different wedges for different shots – unlike my 58 or 60 that did literally everything from 80 yards and inside.
This Vokey video by Aaron Dill is a masterclass (from him, not me) on how to use your entire set around greens. Remember that it’s not really about mitigating problems (ie forgiving), it’s about giving yourself the best shot possible. There is a difference.
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These are the three biggest takeaways from my short game testing with Mr. Dill.
More loft doesn’t mean more rotation
This was the hardest one for me to wrap my head around. While in theory more loft DOES equate to more spin, it’s not so easy around the greens. The amount of face (ie grooves/surface) you can put on the ball makes a big impact on wedge spin. I remember hearing Tiger Woods talk about this over the years, he always felt that using a 56 out of the bunker was the most efficient game because of the forgiveness factor AND the fact that he could get more faces on the ball.
Think about it: To hit the ball low, the ball needs to stay on the face for a long time, a higher surface means an open face and less time on the face. More time on the face means more circulation, which means more control. This is where terms like “Spin Loft” came into use. It is easier to get a 56 in the spin loft happy area (45-55 degrees) than a 60. Rabbit hole, I know, but now I understand why Rocco Mediate doesn’t carry 60.
Get the ball on the green rolling as a putt as often as possible
This is something I heard Seve Ballesteros say about the group on YouTube. It’s a lot easier to roll than a wobble in the middle AND a lot easier to use on the ground than relying on a great strike, carrying number and swinging to get it close. The less variables to manage, the better. That’s why Dill used me 50 and 54 right from the green, not only was it efficient and easy to play, the results were better. Who knew?!
Johnny Wunder and Aaron Dill talk about a simple chip at TPI in Oceanside, Calif.
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Your lob wedge is a special club – not your ONLY option
It’s something I’ve heard but I’ve never accepted the game as my own. It’s so easy to keep it simple and make your lob wedge do 20 different things. I can attest that I did it at a high level for years … until children, lack of exercise and debt were introduced into my life.
That lobber-or-die mentality only works consistently if you have hours a week to practice. Building a strong wedge floor is essential. What it means in practice is to build a set and strategy for your short game that has safety built into it for the days you just don’t have it. Dill is doing it on Tour so it would make sense for all of us to accept it.
Titleist Vokey SM11 Raw Custom Wedge
Grinding For Every Player For every player, there is a set of grinding that fits perfectly. The SM11 offers the best combination of lofts, bounces, and grinds to promote solid contact (between grooves 2-5), predictable performance, and the confidence to take on whatever the shot calls for. Consistent CG Area for Comparison At a given height, the SM11 incorporates the same CG area across all grinds, resulting in a controlled, consistent launch. No matter which one design fits your swing or course conditions, your launch window is locked—leaving you free to choose the lofts and grinds that work for you. A Smarter Way to Spin The new Vokey Spin system combines an angled face texture, precise groove shape, and deep spin milled grooves to deliver the right amount of spin on any lie, in every situation.
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Driving the ball down the fairway and a good short game will ALWAYS guarantee a low score. Videos like these are meant to provoke thought in all of us. We all want to play better, shoot lower scores, etc. What Aaron and I have shown you here is how to do that. Your wedge setup should be something you not only take seriously but also something you must protect at all costs. I’m a big advocate of finding something that works and doing a clean and repeat that has been going on for years. Although wedge technology has improved over the years, it is intended to be indeed work when the basics are in place. One of those basics is knowing what to use, when to use it and how.
The best players in the world trust Aaron and his tools more than anyone else in the world, his messages have been the same for years, and as the years go by, the tools may get a little better as we go along but the messages and techniques are the same.
Enjoy the short game.
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