Fred Couples has simple technique for high, soft-landing wedges

Golf instruction is ever-evolving, but the best advice stands the test of time. In GOLF.com’s new series, Timeless Tips, we’re highlighting some of the greatest advice teachers and players have dispensed in the pages of GOLF Magazine. Today, we look back at our July 1992 issue where Fred Couples shared his secrets for hitting a high, soft pitch shot.

Shots around the green are always easier when you’ve got plenty of room to work with. Unfortunately, you won’t always be afforded that luxury. Sometimes, you have no choice but to try to loft the ball high and land it soft.

This is a shot that’s thrilling to try, but difficult to execute. If you don’t quite clip it right, you’ll dump it short or blade it over the green. The contact has to be close to perfect if you want the ball to settle near the hole.

These shots look quite easy when the pros try them, but for weekend warriors, the shot is anything but simple. Luckily for you, learning how to hit the high-lofted pitch is easier than you may think.

Back in the July 1992 issue of GOLF Magazine, Dick Harmon explained Fred Couples‘ secrets for easily executing the shot, which you can read below.

How to hit a high-lofted pitch

There’s no denying the wedge’s role in Fred Couples’ fantastic year. So far: A wedge to two feet turns up the heat on Davis Love III on the first hole of the L.A. Open playoff; a wedge to within a foot of the hole forces a playoff with Corey Pavin at the Nestle; a wedge stops three inches from the cup on the third hole in the final round at Augusta, jump-starting a sluggish round into a victorious one.

Fred’s wedge play is unique (and brilliant) because unlike some pros, who hit low, spinning shots that skip once on the green, then scoot backward, Fred launches his ball high into the air with less backspin. The ball floats upward, then drops nearly straight down, stopping almost immediately. Fred never has to factor “action” into his distance equation: He throws the ball right at the pin, knowing it’s going to stay there.

You may not have problems spinning your wedge shots back from the pin, but chances are you’ve had a few roll farther forward than you planned. Wouldn’t it be nice to know that the ball is going to stop where it lands?

The key to a high-flying, soft-landing wedge is something golfers have traditionally been told to avoid: a loop. Look at the sequence of Couples’ swing above. Standing with his feet pointed left of the target, Couples brings the club back outside the target line, as if he were planning to cut across the ball. Then, in an effortless, almost lazy motion, the club drops to the inside and swings from inside-to-out relative to his feet, but square to the target. The result is a shallow angle of attack and a clubface that is laid back slightly, adding loft.

You might notice that Couples’ swing with a wedge looks no different than his swing with any other club. He takes the club outside the line with everything from sand wedge to driver, then drops it inside as he makes his powerful move down and through the ball. Taking it back outside the line for full shots is a move I’d recommend only for the good player, who has the ability to reroute the club to the inside coming down. Keep your loop limited to the wedge if you have any doubts. That’s where it’s easiest to pull off, and where it will do you the most good.

Start with your feet pointed 20 to 30 degrees left of the target and the ball off your left heel. Be sure, as always, to coil your upper body as your arms swing the club outside the line to the top. Then let your arms drop to the inside. Gravity takes over from here, pulling the club into the ball. Don’t force it: You should have a feeling of slipping the club under — rather than crunching down upon — the ball. 

Slipping the club under the ball is easiest from a fluffy lie, so stay in the light rough until you feel comfortable with the move. Once you have it down, try it from a tighter fairway lie. 

Why it works

Most golfers hit their wedge shots with a steep up-and-down swing. The descending blow, made with the blade square, creates a “pinching” impact that can create unpredictable action when the ball hits the green.

Fred’s wedge shot also begins with an upright backswing, but the “loop” at the top brings the club sweeping through impact on an inside-to-out path. The face is more laid-back, adding loft without the pinching action that imparts extra backspin. The result is a high shot that stops quickly after landing.