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The Wedge Guy: 3 surefire ways to never get better at golf

Published

1 year ago

Feb 12, 2025

Hello again, GolfWRXers. I’ve been taking a break from writing my Wedge Guy article for you, but I’m back to sharing insights from 40-plus years in the golf equipment industry with you.

For this first piece marking my return, you might find this to be a rather strange title for an article…but please hear me out. I’ve always felt my main mission here on GolfWRX.com is to help any and all of you on your path to learning how to play this game at a higher level.

I’ve been a bag room snoop and observer of everyday golfers for longer than I can remember, and what amazes me the most is how many golfers I encounter who must really not want to get better at this game. How else can you explain the fact that – despite all the gains in equipment technologies and the unlimited amount of instruction available (much of it free) – so many golfers seem to be stuck at a skill level that just does not improve year after year?

So, a bit tongue in cheek, let me share what I believe are the “3 surefire ways to never get better at golf.”

1. Ignore the importance of a proper grip

The most basic fundamental of golf is learning how to hold the club properly.

This takes no athletic ability, and you can practice it to perfection anywhere.

It doesn’t matter whether you opt for the traditional overlap, interlock or full-finger (not “baseball”) style, only with a proper hold on the club can your swing function at its best through impact. Your grip can be rotated a bit stronger or weaker, but the fundamentals are the same:

The club has to be controlled with the last three fingers of the upper hand, and the grip needs to be positioned under the heel pad, not across it.
The lower hand pressure should be only in the middle two fingers, with the thumb and forefinger more lightly engaged, if at all.
The upper or lead hand has to be in dominant control of the movement of the club.

Very simply, if you are not holding the club in this fundamentally sound manner, the body and club just cannot move properly through the swing motion.

2. Disregard the importance of proper posture and setup

Likewise, it requires little to no athletic ability to assume the proper posture for the golf swing. Like with the grip, close observation of the best players in the world shows very little “personalization” from one to the other – they all start from basically the same posture and setup. Anyone can mimic this proper set-up position, which – along with a proper grip on the club – gets you much of the way “there” to a sound repeating golf swing.

And the last thing I see that causes many golfers to be stuck in a rut is…

3. Take instruction from your buddies

Golf instruction is part art and part science, and your buddies — even those who seem to be pretty good players — are not likely versed in golf instruction (if they are, perhaps this is a different matter). Tips and advice are cheap, and I cannot begin to count the number of times I’ve observed a golfer who can’t break 80 (or even 90) try to “coach” someone who also can’t break 80 or 90. Unless your buddy has spent years studying the golf swing and can play a pretty good game him/herself, close your ears and eyes when they offer advice.

In conclusion

I’ll close this post with this: Compared to all the costs associated with golf, leveraging those investments with professional instruction is pretty darn cheap. My Dad often said, “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.” My bet is that you have already committed to the fact that golf is certainly “worth doing.” So, if doing it well is important, begin by improving your grip and posture, and consider finding a professional instructor who “gets” you and go see him or her regularly.

So, there you have it. Frank Sinatra made a fortune singing “My Way,” but that certainly isn’t the pathway to better and more consistent golf!

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Terry Koehler

Terry Koehler is a fourth generation Texan and a graduate of Texas A&M University. Over his 40-year career in the golf industry, he has created over 100 putter designs and dozens of wedges. In 2014, he put together the team that reintroduced the Ben Hogan brand to the golf equipment industry with his TK 15 wedges and Ft. Worth 15 iron designs. Since receiving a U.S. Patent for his “Koehler Sole” in the early 1990s, he has been challenging “conventional wisdom” in the wedge category. In addition to inspiring multiple companies to emulate this sole technology, the performance of his wedge designs have stimulated all other companies to reposition some mass toward the top of the blade in their wedges. Terry is retired from his role as Chairman and Director of Innovation for Edison Golf, and remains active in the industry as an independent designer and consultant. But his most compelling work is in the wedge category. Since he first patented his “Koehler Sole” in the early 1990s, he has been challenging “conventional wisdom” reflected in ‘tour design’ wedges. The performance of his wedge designs have stimulated other companies to move slightly more mass toward the top of the blade in their wedges, but none approach the dramatic design of his Edison Forged wedges, which have been robotically proven to significantly raise the bar for wedge performance. Terry serves as Chairman and Director of Innovation for Edison Golf – check it out at www.EdisonWedges.com.

5 Comments

Sergio N.

Feb 26, 2025 at 9:15 am

I couldn’t possibly disagree more. The late Moe Norman had, according to the golf illuminati the wrong stance, the wrong grip, the wrong posture and the wrong set up. Yet, he had dozens of professional wins, and course records. Jim Furyk stood much too close to the ball and had this terrible habit of looping his back swing. They call him U S open champion. Hubie Green had a horrible swing to look at but they called him U S Open Champion too. John Daly took the club back way too far and gripped down too much, not to mention the smoking and drinking, They called him two times major winner. Golf is a game, when you stop concentrating on “the golf swing” and start concentrating on getting the ball in the hole, the miracle of breaking 80 quite naturally follows. It did for me. Once I started to listen to teachers like Manuel De La Torre, and Darryl Klassen, who learned as a kid to break 90 with just a putter (what could be more wrong than that?) golf got much easier.

Reply Report comment
RI_Redneck

Feb 20, 2025 at 8:16 am

Terry,

I was wondering if you might expand on the meaning of the third fundamental in the Grip part of this article:

“The upper or lead hand has to be in dominant control of the movement of the club.”

I’m pretty sure I know what you mean, but if you could elaborate a bit more on the specifics I would appreciate it.

Thanks,
BT

Reply Report comment
- Terry Koehler
  
  Mar 1, 2025 at 8:46 am
  
  Thanks, BT.
  What I meant is that to play golf at a consistent level, you have to accept that it is a “lead side” athletic move. For right handers, that means the entire left side has to lead the golf swing so that impact consistency can be improved.
  I will elaborate more in an upcoming post.
  
  Terry
  
  Reply Report comment
  - RI_Redneck
    
    Mar 1, 2025 at 2:31 pm
    
    Got it. I was thinking you might be emphasizing the lead hand’s position on the grip in relation to the clubface. I have always been of the mind that the relationship between the orientation of the lead hand on the grip and the clubface is individualistic as opposed to somewhat static as many seem to promote. I was always taught that the “V” formed by the thumb and forefinger of the lead hand should point to the trail shoulder (Typically called a Neutral position) and any major alteration from that would lead to all kinds of problems. Looking at professional golfers, we see all degrees of positions of the lead hand. I would suspect they concluded that position was right for them through trial and error early in their career and stuck with it. I believe every new golfer should do the same.
    
    Looking forward to your upcoming posts.
    BT
    
    Reply Report comment
Germ

Feb 12, 2025 at 7:22 pm

Great info, especially for the duffers out there.
MrShortGame just did an interestingly eye opening video on grip pressure. I highly recommend it. Unfortunately I live in Buffalo, so by the time I can try to actually try anything on the course I’ll have forgotten everything. A 5-6 month outdoor golf season is a bucket of yuck!

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GolfWRX’s Father’s Day Gift Guide (2026)

Published

1 day ago

Jun 9, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

A reminder from your friends at GolfWRX: Father’s Day is June 21. And as we do every year, we’re rounding up the best gifts for dad.

As we say every year, there’s no better golf-related Father’s Day gift than a round of golf with pops. Be it a country club or your favorite muni, take the time to get together to play 18 if you can.

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Ghost Golf Qualifier Diamond Polo

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Buy here.

STR8-Strip Grip Tape Remover

If your dad is an equipment aficionado and tinkers with his clubs, this tool works wonders. Removing grip tape has never been easier, just put a little head on the tape and the STR8-Strip peals it right off the shaft without any damage.

Buy here.

Why Golf: Putting Thing

When it comes to practice, it is good to have a purpose. This “Putting Thing” sure does it. We know from personal experience how challenging it can be and how rewarding it is on the practice green. This also provides some competition for your kiddo to see who will unload the dishwasher or do the next chore around the house.

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OluKai Lae‘ahi Men’s Breathable Slip-On Shoes

Riding to and from the course in style and comfort is always a good thing. If you’re in a hurry, it’s a nice feature to slide into your shoes and get to the tee time. For the post-game shoe, at your locker or while putting your clubs away in the car. Nice to slide into a shoe that looks good anywhere. Pair that with meeting the family for dinner, no need to change!

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Therabody Theragun Relief

A little wellness goes a long way. Keeping loose is a good way to go when it comes to the weekend game or treatment during the week. If there is a little ache or pain, the Theragun is there to help out. Help loosen up the back for a pre-game warm-up or cool-down.

Buy here.

World Cup golf apparel

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Buy here.

FootJoy Pro SL spikeless golf shoes

Give the old man a break and save his feet with the Footjoy Pro SL Men’s Spikeless Golf Shoes for some added comfort on the course.

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Bushnell Wingman 2 GPS speaker

Combine all the hits as well as some game improvement with the Wingman 2 Golf GPS Speaker by getting audible distance readings from 38,000+ courses worldwide through the Wingman 2 remote or speaker.

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Personalized Titleist Pro V1 golf balls

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 OccuNet Classic

Published

2 days ago

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GolfWRX Staff

With the PGA Tour across the border in Canada this week, GolfWRX Tour Photographer Greg Moore stayed stateside and headed to the OccuNet Classic presented by Amarillo National Bank in Amarillo, Texas.

It’s always interesting to see what the guys are playing on the KFT, and this week certainly hasn’t disappointed so far, with some incredible wedge stamping on display.

Check out links to all our albums below.

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2026 OccuNet Classic (KFT) – Monday #1

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Luke Potter’s custom Cameron putter – 2026 OccuNet Classic (KFT)

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From the GolfWRX Classifieds: Scotty Cameron GOLO 6 with BGT Stability Tour2 2022 M Edition

Published

2 days ago

Jun 9, 2026

Will Schube

At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @HuskerFlyer is sharing a Scotty Cameron GOLO with a BGT Stability Tour2 2022 M Edition shaft. While the putter is certainly enviable, the Augusta-inspired shaft is equally noteworthy.

From the listing:

Scotty Cameron Golo 6 with BGT Stability Tour2 2022 M Edition Scotty Headcover 34″ $375

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules.