How do high-handicap golfers get better? Master this shot

High-handicappers give away lots of shots on the golf course, whether it be a lost ball off the tee here or a three-putt there. There are a million ways to fix these problems and get better, but it takes commitment, practice and the right instruction.

But there are also some areas of your game that are more important to sharpen first.

At GOLF’s Top 100 Teachers Summit last year, we asked some of the best instructors in the States to offer up their go-to advice for the high-handicapper who is dedicated to slashing strokes off their scorecard.

Trillium Rose’s advice? Master the 30-to-50-yard wedge shot.

“You can just hit squirrely shots down to the green, but once you get there, alright, times up, now you actually have to hit the green,” said Rose, the director of instruction at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md. “Doesn’t matter if you skulled one and then you top it or thin it [to get closer to the green], now that you are 50 yards out you have to have a go-to 50-yard shot. And if you do, you are going to be OK.”

It’s a challenging yardage for any golfer, especially the high-handicappers who might not have as much trust in half swings or delicate pitch shots. It’s also out of the range where you might be able to putt, which is a go-to option for many amateurs off the greens.

Rose said she has a specific game plan for playing shots from these yardages.

First, ball position should be middle of your stance and shaft angle should be neutral. Put 60 percent of your weight on your front foot. When you take your backswing, there should be wrist hinge but keep it minimal. From there, with that weight still on the front foot, rotate and bring the chest through for a full-body rotation.

Rose says this works for whichever club you want to use in this situation, whether it be a pitching wedge, 54 degree or 56 degree.

Check out the video below Rose recently posted that breaks down this type of shot. You can view more of her golf instruction videos here.

Josh Berhow

Golf.com Editor

As GOLF.com’s managing editor, Berhow handles the day-to-day and long-term planning of one of the sport’s most-read news and service websites. He spends most of his days writing, editing, planning and wondering if he’ll ever break 80. Before joining GOLF.com in 2015, he worked at newspapers in Minnesota and Iowa. A graduate of Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minn., he resides in the Twin Cities with his wife and two kids. You can reach him at joshua_berhow@golf.com.