By Thomas Bjørn
As I kid I used to fool around chipping greens, and I learnt different things which I took into my game throughout my professional career.
I always had a wedge in my hands when I was younger and you just learn different things. When I look at my career and see the golf courses I do well on, wedge game is a very big part of it.
Reflecting back at the best weeks I’ve had wedge wise, the couple of wins I had in Switzerland stand out as that’s where you’re at altitude and really need to control your ball flight; it’s so important. Those two wins stand out for me because of that.
What I tend to do when I practice hitting these shots from 100 yards is I get a towel and put it under both of my arms. It gives me something to feel and it helps to keep the arms connected with the body. I push my arms into my chest as I swing it through. That way I feel like my body is always moving. If I stop my body, I lose the towel and my hands will flick at the ball. That’s an inconsistent way to play.
From 100 yards and in, it’s about getting speed in your body and not using your arms and hands so much. Focusing on sternum rotation is key. When I get over the ball, I just swing only with my sternum, that way I can control my ball and also my distances.
Did you know?
Bjørn is a 15-time DP World Tour winner having made 606 appearances on the European-based circuit to date. He’s slowly but surely closing on Miguel Ángel Jiménez’s record of 721.
Will he climb above the Spaniard in the coming years? It’s a tough ask given Bjørn’s exemption ended in 2023, but he has hopes to possibly get there.
“I enjoy being out here, I enjoy being with these young guys but everything comes to an end,” he said. “As much as I will still play a few events here and there, I certainly won’t play a full schedule going forward. They’re just simply too good.”
