Lee Trevino Golf Techniques

Lee Trevino is a highly respected and recognized golf professional who was a champion on the PGA Tour in multiple events throughout the 1960's and 1970's. His unique, homemade golf swing is original and allows him to focus on feel rather than perfect technique when hitting a golf shot. He is considered one of the premier ball-strikers of his generation. In this article you will learn his technique for hitting a proper wedge shot, a technique which can transfer to other iron shots.

  1. Eliminate the Thought of Lifting the Ball into the Air

    • Trevino explains that in order to hit a proper wedge shot (or any iron shot, for that matter) you must teach yourself not to flip at the ball at impact with your wrists. He explains that when you try and lift the ball into the air by flipping your wrists, you add bounce to the club, causing either a thin shot (from failure to have the club's leading edge travel under the ball), or a fat shot (from catching the turf prior to the ball). This leads to inconsistent ball striking and poor distance control. Trevino explains that if you attempted to hit the ball in this fashion at his hometown golf course in Texas, where the turf is extremely firm, you would obtain unpredictable results. Learning to eliminate this tendency from your "subconscious mind" and implementing the following key technique will greatly improve your wedge play.

    Learn to Hit Down on the Ball to Create Proper Lift & Spin

    • After viewing Trevino's wedge play, you can clearly see that he does not allow his wrists to break down prior to contact with the ball. Trevino states that if you learn to teach your wrists to release naturally after striking down on the ball (by first striking the ball, then the turf) you will create the proper lift and spin to become a consistent wedge player. He says to pretend as if your left wrist (if you're righthanded) is "broken" and unable to break down (or flip) prior to impact. This allows the ball to compress and slide up the club face to create the maximum spin and will naturally lift the ball into the air and stop on the green. Practice this technique at your local practice facility and you should see your wedge play improve greatly.