Every golfer has their strong suit. For some, driving the ball comes naturally. Iron shots may come easy to others. For me? My short game is by far the strongest part of my game.
So why do I have such an issue with distance control from inside 100 yards, even if I make solid contact (more on this later)? After all, I use the same wedges near the green as I do for pitches and short-iron shots. If only there was an expert in wedge design who I could speak to…
Egads, there is!
Terry Koehler is the president and founder of SCOR Golf, a golf club company whose focus is to help you hit your wedges and short irons closer to the hole no matter the situation. I met with Koehler at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando to discuss the science (and believe me, it is definitely a science) behind his SCOR wedges.
Koehler explained that while many wedge companies are constantly concerned with clubface grooves and spin rate, the real detriment to amateur golfers is distance control and accuracy to the target.
“Imagine a straight line down the center of the driving range,” Koehler explained. “Our studies found that most golfers’ shot dispersion from 150 yards and in are either left or right of that center line. From 125 yards and in, the shots get tighter [to the line]. But the something interesting happens inside 100 yards.”
Turns out that while most players’ wedge shots become straighter as their clubs get shorter, Koehler explained distance control becomes more erratic and inconsistent in relation to the center line — dramatically so, actually.
SCOR wedges address these inaccuracies head on. Koehler put me through his thorough club-fitting process, which can conveniently be done online via the company’s website. After plugging in my current shot trends (typical 8-iron distance, what clubs I use for chips and pitches, etc.) and choosing my current set of irons, the magical Internets wizards inside my Facebook machine (i.e., laptop) bombarded me with a plethora of golf knowledge that would make Arnold Palmer’s head spin.
Here’s an excerpt from my post-fitting report, which explains a common misconception competing wedge designers overlook:
“The problem with today’s ‘set match’ wedges is that they are designed to look like a 6-iron. But understand that your wedges are as far from your 6-iron in loft as is your driver! Optimum performance in the high-loft clubs comes from designing them specifically for the loft of each club. Only SCOR Golf has taken this precision approach to the ‘money clubs.’ This complete re-design of the scoring clubs delivers improved trajectories and pinpoint distance control, in addition to more forgiveness of mishit shots.”
Damn those 6-iron lookalike wedges! Always trying to fit in with their cooler, older-brother long irons. Just who do they think they are?
Koehler also explained that where your golf ball makes contact on the clubface can influence the distance of your shot.
“You can make contact with the ball too high or too low on the clubface and the shot will still feel solid,” Koehler said. “Unless you hit the ball in the exact middle of the face every time, your shot distances can differ every time.”
See! Just like I said before: solid shots despite off-center hits can be misleading. Everything comes full circle with me, folks. I should be a mystery writer or something. Your golf ball is a liar.
SCOR Golf’s custom-milled technology helps lower your margin for error with ball contact on the clubface, providing more accurate distances on every wedge shot. When you need to hit your 54-degree wedge 90 yards, SCOR’s perimeter weighting throughout the face will help you hit the shot consistently.
Are you all over the map with your 8- and 9-iron on distance? SCOR Golf can replace those as well. I ordered a full set of five clubs to replace all of my clubs used inside 150 yards. I can already feel my wedge game improving. I imagine this is what spinach does to Popeye.
Nothing can impact your golf handicap more than confidence in your short game, especially inside 100 yards. Owning a set of wedges that you can rely on round after round is invaluable. Do yourself a favor and visit SCOR Golf’s website at www.scorgolf.com, click on the “Get Fitted” link, go through the custom fitting process and discover what you’ve been missing in your short game.
