I have three separate iron/wedge shots below, the first being a PW, the second a 7 Iron and the third a 5 Iron.

See if you can spot the difference in how I set up for the shots, and how it changes the result in the ball striking aspect!

I’ll give the answer after the shots.

Pitching Wedge

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7 Iron

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5 Iron

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So did you see it?

If not, check out the shaft angle in the three setups, pre-swing.  Look at the club contact with the ball.

Still don’t see it?

Answer: In the PW swing, I have set up with the hands leading the club head and the club shaft is leaning toward the target, the way you usually want to set up with an iron or wedge.  There is definitely a divot taken on that shot.

However, if you want to pick the ball cleanly for any number of reasons, you can do this quite easily if you set up to the ball so that the club shaft is vertical, provided you have the setup & pivot action to perform a completely stable pivot with no lateral movement.

A little slower:

7 Iron

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5 Iron

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This is something I wouldn’t attempt in a round of golf unless I was very grooved with my setup and pivot action, but since this is my swing model, I was very comfortable with it, even with the swing flaws I’ve since identified and fixed (grip, left-arm dominance).

There are obviously times you will be happy to set up this way, such as when your ball ends up in a fairway bunker, on hardpan – or on a cart path where dropping would cause you more trouble than simply playing the ball as it lies.

Another such use for this is hitting to a hard and fast green or a very soft one – by having the shaft at vertical, you not only pick the ball clean but you get a higher spin and trajectory on the flight (added loft), which helps stop the ball more quickly on the hard green – or gives you easier drawback on a soft green with a longer iron.