You're Correct!

From 100 yards and in, many players struggle to control their distance and get the ball to stop around the hole.

The technique and thought process behind controlling wedge distance is relatively straight forward to understand but takes practice to achieve. The key to success can be found in a soft and relaxed grip coupled with different swing lengths.

Hitting the ball different distances requires different swing speeds and different swing speeds require, amongst other things, different swing lengths.

Three swing lengths
Most people now carry at least three wedges which will all give different distances when struck correctly. Imagine using three different swing lengths to alter the distances with each club. Using three different swing lengths with three different clubs will give a golfer nine different possible distances. The three swing lengths players can practice are ½ swing, ¾ swing and a full swing.

• The ½ Swing – the ½ swing sees the hands and arms travel until they are parallel to the ground, the wrists will have hinged upward until the club shaft points toward the sky.
• The ¾ Swing – the ¾ swing sees the hands and arms travel further until they reach a 45 degree angle with the ground.
• The Full Swing – the full swing see the hands and arms travel until the left arm is extended and pointing towards the sky with the club shaft now parallel to the ground.

From these different swing lengths different swing speeds are possible, from slower to faster (half to full). Players practicing these swing lengths also need to add another element into their technique; soft hands. Having soft hands and a nice relaxed grip will help players develop the touch and feel required to hit tricky short shots.

Practicing different swing lengths isn’t always easy. One good way is to practice swinging different lengths in a mirror at home. This will help groove the different swing lengths.

Taking time to control your distance from under 100 yards isn’t easy and will take practice, however, it will undoubtedly improve your scores.

Statistical studies carried out by golf coach and former NASA scientist Dave Pelz show one of the fastest ways to drop handicap and improve scores is to dramatically reduce the number of strokes taken from within 100 yards. So yes, this part of the game is very important.

When splitting practice time, players should be aware that more than half their golfing experience throughout their entire life will be from under 100 yards. Practice time should be split accordingly, with the short game taking precedent over the long game.

Controlling distance in this fashion is fraught with inconsistency.