There can be two issues here. First, is how you swing wedges, no matter the type of shot, short of a chip from the green’s edge. I’ve read and fully believe that most tour pros rarely hit a full shot with any of their wedges. Even though they have all their distances with all of their clubs dialed in as accurately as the human body will allow, they really focus on the distances they get with partial swings with each of their wedges.
Looked at that way, it becomes easier to see why pros went to a multiple wedge system. Using 3/4, half, and quarter swings, a pro with four wedges has at least twelve different shots from 10-20 yards out to about 140-150 he can use with relative certainty about the distance it will fly. Add in his ability to control both ball flight and spin so that the ball will either stop or run out, almost at will, which can account for slopes in the green and the best type of shot to play under those conditions, and it’s more like he has almost 50 different options available to him that should get the ball close. They are called the “scoring” clubs after all. I’ve even seen suggestions to affix tape to the shafts of each of your wedges with the multiple yardage numbers the club can reach to make it easier to determine which club to use.
When all that is considered, you can understand that not only do pros carry multiple wedges, but if not contractually bound, they may carry wedges from different manufacturers. The pros chose their wedges based on looks, feel, and appropriate gapping. And of course, they can have all of their wedges adjusted regularly to ensure proper gapping.
As a higher handicap, you might not want all of those choices yet; on the other hand, you can see that multiple wedges might simplify your game by removing the need for developed touch because you can rely on your knowledge of how your wedges work.
Second, it’s very likely that improving your wedge play may have a direct effect on your longer game as well. It’s not just improved confidence around the greens although it’s true that should take some pressure off your drives/fairway play. It’s the actual swing that will improve because if you’re having problems with your wedges, it can be directly related to mechanics that apply to the longer game too.
The more I study this game, the more I’m convinced that a lot of problems with the short game swing arise from getting the club too far inside on the takeaway. Another piece of wisdom I’ve taken to heart is that one of the reasons pros become so good with their short game is that because of their better technique they can stop and reverse their swing at any point short of full and be on the proper plane to hit the ball. If you take the club too far inside on a partial swing, you don’t have the ability to get it back on plane by the time the club gets to the ball, resulting in fat shots or if you compensate to avoid hitting the ground, thin and bladed shots. Believe me, I spent too much of my golfing career fighting those problems before fixing them a decade ago, and I believe that it was all caused by yanking the club back inside on the takeaway.
Of course, the benefits to your short game by improving swing path will bleed over to your longer game as well.
So maybe start with the mechanics but understand the reasons that a multiple wedge system might help you lower that 23!