Sergio Garcia is one of the greatest wedge players to pick up a club.
The Spaniard has pinpoint accuracy from around 100 yards with his wedges. Sergio Garcia’s spin and distance control have been among the best in the game for the entirety of his 26-year professional career.
That has helped him become a Masters winner, a nine-time winner on the PGA Tour, and a two-time winner on the LIV Golf tour. His best result in the 2025 season came after gaining 2.51 strokes in his approach game at LIV Miami.
While 100 yards doesn’t seem far, 15 handicap players will hit the green from that distance around 50% of the time. That number goes as low as 36% for 25 handicap players. But Garcia has some advice for amateurs looking to get more consistency out of their wedge play.
Sergio Garcia tells amateurs that clean wedges produce more consistent results
Garcia gives frequent advice to amateur golfers, and his latest piece of advice doesn’t involve a swing of the club. The Spaniard simply reminded amateurs to clean their grooves and explained how it makes for more consistent wedge play.
He said on LIV Golf’s YouTube, “It is something very important that probably a lot of amateurs don’t think about, is to make sure your grooves are clean. When you are hitting every single club, but with a wedge it’s even more important because you have to be so much more precise.
“I think it’s super important to make sure that your club is clean and the grooves are clean. That way the ball reacts exactly like you want it to. If you don’t, the ball will react a little bit differently.
“Even if you hit a good shot it might come out with more or less spin than off the dirt that is on the club. It’s very important to make sure that they are nice and clean.”
It’s an easy thing to fix, and something that all amateurs can do, no matter their handicap or talent, with a wedge. If you don’t clean your club, you put yourself at a disadvantage for no reason at all!
Sergio Garcia’s advice to amateurs on controlling spin
Controlling spin is one of the hardest things to do in golf, and that doesn’t just go for amateurs. Professional players consistently say it’s the area where they have the least control in their shot.
But Garcia’s advice again doesn’t involve technique or a swing change. Instead, he told amateurs how to read how a green will impact spin on a golf ball.
He said, “You have to realise what the contours of the greens are doing. If it’s a flat green then it would probably most likely bounce and come straight back.
“Here it is sloping a bit right to left, so all the shots are probably going to bounce a little forward and then spin back and left.
“You have to realise all these things when you are hitting a club with more spin, how the ball is going to react on the greens because you can hit a great shot that bounces next to the hole, but if there is a slope there, and you have put on too much spin it’s going to take the slope and then go off the green.
“You have to think of all these things to make sure that not only you hit a great shot but you hit the right shot.”
The mental side of golf is so pivotal, and that isn’t just about handling the pressure and the highs and lows of a round. It’s also about learning how to navigate a course, and how the elements will affect each shot you hit.
Garcia’s advice shows that reading a green isn’t only important when putting. Instead, you should always consider the shape and flow of the putting surface when making approach shots.
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