Wedge setup. Need your opinions!

[andre112]

I'm looking to get a set of 3 wedges. GW, SW, LW.
The PW in my set is 46 deg.
I've saw a lot of people carrying 52/56/60
I think 50/54/58 would work better with my PW?
I also thought about a weird setup like 51/56/60 *shrug*
So... for those who carry more than 2 wedges
do you have 52/56/60, 50/54/58, or other lofts?

Please let me know the loft of your PW, which club do you usually use for bunker shots and its bounce angle. ;-)

Any other opinions regarding wedge setup are welcome!

[muskegman]

Your PW seems to lend itself to the 50/54/58 combination as it keeps a four-degree gap between your irons. I would prefer it that way. I also find a 58-degree wedge more useful than a 60. But that is just personal preference.

[andre112]

Your PW seems to lend itself to the 50/54/58 combination as it keeps a four-degree gap between your irons. I would prefer it that way. I also find a 58-degree wedge more useful than a 60. But that is just personal preference.

how is 58 more useful? can you explain?
which club do you mostly use for bunker shots?

[TourSpoon]

I do a 48-54-60 and have done the 48-52-56-60. I like a little more than 4 degrees between wedges because they are feel clubs and I was getting into the mentality of this is the yardage, this is the club. If I had a 46 pw, I would do 46-50-55-60 for a four wedge set up or 46-52-58 for three.

[redi630]

If I had a 46 pw...or 46-52-58 for three.

I currently have a 46-52-56. I was thinking of switching to 54-58 but I guess it would make more sense to go 52-58 as there would be a 6 degree spread between wedges.


I like a little more than 4 degrees between wedges because they are feel clubs and I was getting into the mentality of this is the yardage, this is the club.

Is this a bad thing? It is my goal to be able to walk up to the ball at yardages over 30 yrds and say, this is the distance, this is the club.

[andre112]

I do a 48-54-60

how much distance gap does that 6 deg give you?
and your typical gap between irons?
do you use 54 or 60 for bunker? or both?




Is this a bad thing? It is my goal to be able to walk up to the ball at yardages over 30 yrds and say, this is the distance, this is the club.

That would be my goal, too.

[richardm]

Your PW seems to lend itself to the 50/54/58 combination as it keeps a four-degree gap between your irons. I would prefer it that way. I also find a 58-degree wedge more useful than a 60. But that is just personal preference.

Muskegman, just wondering how you get on with your 48 deg PW as opposed to the PW that came with your irons. I was wondering if I should go that way. Interesting that most pros don't...........................

[TourSpoon]

I currently have a 46-52-56. I was thinking of switching to 54-58 but I guess it would make more sense to go 52-58 as there would be a 6 degree spread between wedges.



Is this a bad thing? It is my goal to be able to walk up to the ball at yardages over 30 yrds and say, this is the distance, this is the club.

No, it's just a matter of personal preference. When I tried 4 wedges (48-52-56-60) I just felt like I was getting into a routine of hitting a wedge at a specific yardage without giving it too much thought. I found that I didn't score that much differently then when I had the 48-56-60 because I was fine just choking down on the pw and hitting a 3/4 shot. Then when I was pitching and chipping, I just felt like I had too many options and was overthinking. From 30 yards and out there is no set shot and everything depends on what the course gives you.

[TourSpoon]

how much distance gap does that 6 deg give you?
and your typical gap between irons?
do you use 54 or 60 for bunker? or both?



Most of my irons are about 12-13 yards apart and my wedges are about just about 17-18 yards on full shots. The real equalizer is that I can dial in wedges much better than my five iron and hit my sw in place of the lw if need be to get a lower trajectory. IE: My full pitching wedge is 125, my smooth wedge swing is 120, my choked wedge just taking a little off is 115, and to hit it 110 I give it what feels like to be about 3/4 and choke down about 1.5 inches and concentrate on swinging down the line because my tendency is to pull that shot. I use the 60 out of the bunkers unless the sand is very fluffy and the shot is long. I will use the 54 to chip and pitch unless I have to chip downhill or the greens are super fast and then I will use the 60. If the chip is uphill, I can use the pw or 9i. Anyway, I hope this helps.

[RunOfTheDill]

just bought a 54 vokey and am planning on switching from 46,52,56,60 to a 46-54-58. I want to see if it will work. Taking a little off my pw i should be able to cover everything but if I have to I will add the 50 specifically for full shots.

[andre112]

Most of my irons are about 12-13 yards apart and my wedges are about just about 17-18 yards on full shots. The real equalizer is that I can dial in wedges much better than my five iron and hit my sw in place of the lw if need be to get a lower trajectory. IE: My full pitching wedge is 125, my smooth wedge swing is 120, my choked wedge just taking a little off is 115, and to hit it 110 I give it what feels like to be about 3/4 and choke down about 1.5 inches and concentrate on swinging down the line because my tendency is to pull that shot. I use the 60 out of the bunkers unless the sand is very fluffy and the shot is long. I will use the 54 to chip and pitch unless I have to chip downhill or the greens are super fast and then I will use the 60. If the chip is uphill, I can use the pw or 9i. Anyway, I hope this helps.

That's very helpful. Thank you, TourSpoon.
My usual gap between irons are 10 yards, and I want my wedges to have about 15 yards on full shots. So I guess 6 degrees sounds good.


just bought a 54 vokey and am planning on switching from 46,52,56,60 to a 46-54-58. I want to see if it will work. Taking a little off my pw i should be able to cover everything but if I have to I will add the 50 specifically for full shots.

This is my plan as well. I'll get a 54 vokey SM and go from there. I learned not to rush in and by clubs when I'm not 100% sure what I want.

[andre112]

I've decided to get 54 first.
I'll use that with 60.07 in my bag right now.
Now the question is the bounce on the 54 :hmm:

We get lots of rain here. Some showers in the summer, too.
The courses I play usually don't have an excellent drainage system.
So half of the time the sand is medium to firm.

If I go with Cleveland, they have a happy medium 12 deg bounce with 54 wedges. But they are my 2nd choice.

If I go with Titleist, they only have 10 or 14 deg bounce.
I was thinking 10, but is this gonna be ok with rough?
or pick 54.14 for rough and medium sand, and use 60.07 for firm sand?

What do you guys think?

Oh and shafts. Any major difference between Dynamic Gold Wedge Flex/S200/S300?

[DaveLeeNC]

FWIW, I currently carry a 48* PW, 53* 'weak SW', and 58* 'strong SW'.

I'm in the process of experimenting with the following alternative setup

45* 9i (bent from 44*)
50* AW (bent from 52*)
55* SW
60* LW

There are times when I would really like to have a bit of extra loft around the greens. But from the perspective of distances from 70 yards up to 115 yards, my current setup is perfect.

dave

[TourSpoon]

I've decided to get 54 first.
I'll use that with 60.07 in my bag right now.
Now the question is the bounce on the 54 :hmm:

We get lots of rain here. Some showers in the summer, too.
The courses I play usually don't have an excellent drainage system.
So half of the time the sand is medium to firm.

If I go with Cleveland, they have a happy medium 12 deg bounce with 54 wedges. But they are my 2nd choice.

If I go with Titleist, they only have 10 or 14 deg bounce.
I was thinking 10, but is this gonna be ok with rough?
or pick 54.14 for rough and medium sand, and use 60.07 for firm sand?

What do you guys think?

Oh and shafts. Any major difference between Dynamic Gold Wedge Flex/S200/S300?

I picked the 54/10 and it is very versatile. I have had no problems and it is the go to club. I picked it because I had a 588 56/14 and the bounce was just a little too much but it was a playable wedge. I also have the 60 and tried the 60/04, but ended up with the 60/8. The 60/4 had no bounce and a slightly different flange from my 588 60/4. I believe that the s200 comes with the spin milled and the s300 with the regular. I doubt if you would be able to tell the difference.

[rrassoc]

Right now I'm using 45° PW, 50° GW and 56.12 SW. I love the 56, but I'm thinking I would do better from short distances if I had more options, so I'm planning to add a lob wedge with not too much bounce.

I still haven't decided what to take out of my bag yet. I guess that will depend on which course I'm playing and how I'm hitting them. Course management is definitely one of my areas to work on in '08!

[ks8829]

My wedges are the following:

PW 49 degree 130 yards
52 degree 7 bounce 100 yards
56 degree 11 bounce 90 yards
60 degree 6 bounce 80 yards

If I need inbetween distances I open the club face and aim left with the same swing.

[DaveLeeNC]

My wedges are the following:

PW 49 degree 130 yards
52 degree 7 bounce 100 yards
56 degree 11 bounce 90 yards
60 degree 6 bounce 80 yards

If I need inbetween distances I open the club face and aim left with the same swing.

ks, I'm curious about your yardages between a 52* wedge and 49* wedge. That seems kind of unnatural. Do you use a different swing?

dave

[andre112]

ks, I'm curious about your yardages between a 52* wedge and 49* wedge. That seems kind of unnatural. Do you use a different swing?

dave

that's does seem weird.
seems like 4 deg usually gives about 10 yard gap.
of course shaft length is another factor.

[offdacrossbar]

after years of carrying a 47pw 52, 56 and 60 i went to the 54/60 configuration and havent looked back. dropping that extra wedge has allowed me to keep both my 3wd and 5wd and have the 21* and 24* hybrids in the bag. i had the yardages dialed in before from 140-90 with 4 wedges but now its a bit tougher and takes a little more shot making and swing adjustment to cover that same yardage with 3 wedges rather than 4


________________________________

905 9.5* w/ v2 s
904 3wd 15* w/ speeder s
tm 200 steel 5w 18* w/ prolite s
585h hyb 21* w/ 4175 s
585h hyb 24* w/ 4175 s
miz mp30 5-pw w/ rifle 6.0
vokey 54* spinmill
vokey 60* raw
ping redwood anser 34"
pro v X
miz aerolite tour standbag

[andre112]

Thanks for your help everyone!

[atrapasueños]

I use 50°, 54°, 58°. My PW is 46°, and I feel very comfortable because I prefer tu use full swings than 3/4, this setup has worked well for me.

Regards.

[live2golf]

I like having 4 wedges in the bag. I am long with my irons, so having 4 wedges in the bag helps with keeping a good distance gap while using a full swing. This is where you score.

pw - lob = 47, 52, 56, 60

good luck!

[hawkeye]

47* PW - came in the set

54.14 SW - vokey SM - going to change this in the new year to 54.10 (Ping Tour W) because there's too much bounce and the Ping is a nice progression from my irons.

58.08 LW - vokey SM also - love this club, don't use it that often.


I've seen the 54/58 combo among many top amateurs in Ireland

[muskegman]

how is 58 more useful? can you explain?
which club do you mostly use for bunker shots?

More useful to me as I don't get along well with a 60-degree wedge. I just have more confidence in the 58. Both wedges work great out of the sand. I'll use the 58 for shorter shots that need to stop a little faster. It's been a combo I've enjoyed.


Muskegman, just wondering how you get on with your 48 deg PW as opposed to the PW that came with your irons. I was wondering if I should go that way. Interesting that most pros don't...........................

I picked up the 690.CB's 3-9i and former Sand Trap staffer Josh Premuda suggested that I pick up a Vokey wedge instead of the wedge that matches the set. I think I get a little lower ball flight out of the Vokey wedge than what I would get from the 690 PW. The idea was to get a uniform feel through my wedges. I'd play either club.

[albatroz]

how is 58 more useful? can you explain?
which club do you mostly use for bunker shots?

Depending on the lie and distance from the green a golfer has a couple of options . For bunkers (shallow) with distances from 50 - 35 yards from the pin a 50-52 degree wedge would seem the apropriate club . For distances 30-25 yards from the pin a 54-56 deg wedge can be useful . from 20-5 yards to the pin 58 to 64 can be a good option . Depending on how well you can handle wedges you can use a 52 degrees a number of different ways with proper opening and closing of the club face . I first started just using a pitching wedge for all my bunker needs . Never had a problem controlling the flight of my golf ball . When i graduated from the PW i first tried out the Gap 52* and then learned i did not have to make too much face adjustments and could hit the ball at the proper angle of the club . Then i brought in a 56* and then a 60* . Now i have a 64* added to make a full house .

[redi630]

54.14 SW - vokey SM - going to change this in the new year to 54.10 (Ping Tour W) because there's too much bounce and the Ping is a nice progression from my irons.


How do you know if you have to much bounce?

[amking]

I picked up the 690.CB's 3-9i and former Sand Trap staffer Josh Premuda suggested that I pick up a Vokey wedge instead of the wedge that matches the set. I think I get a little lower ball flight out of the Vokey wedge than what I would get from the 690 PW. The idea was to get a uniform feel through my wedges. I'd play either club.

i like the idea of dropping the pw from the iron set for the vokey.

if my 47-52-58 experiment doesnt work for me (used to have 48-52-56-60... see below), i think my next attempt would be to try a vokey 48 degree pitching wedge.



agreed.


The Evolution of Iron Lofts (http://www.pga.com/improve/tips/equipment/improve_wishon121404.cfm)


my current setup is 47/52/58. the 52 is great from the fairway for me and also a good greenside chipper/bump and run. i used to do 4 wedges (48/52/56/60), but with hybrids coming around to the mainstream with some good options available (and taking the spot of my old 2 iron/5 wood/4th wedge swap spot), i'm going to try that route for now and drop one wedge.

only problem is i'm starting to view the pitching wedge in my titleist 735's as just a 10 iron... which would put me at only 2 wedges :-O

[littlefish]

Titleist 755 47deg PW, Vokey 52.08, 58.08 and Callaway Hawkeye SW (55deg) works well. Usually only use 52 inside of ~105yds unless lob height needed.

[onthehunt526]

I need opinions on that too... I'm one of the few golfers who absolutely refuses to carry a hybrid... and I still carry a 2-iron... but that's beside the point... My irons are 2 degrees weaker standard so I carry a 50 deg wedge... I don't even really have a 100 yard club... lol... but... what about a 64 deg?

[iacas]

On the long end I carry a driver, 3W, hybrid, and 3-iron, so I don't have room for four wedges.

My setup is thus:
PW - 48 degrees, usually just the "3-PW" set, minimal bounce
SW - 54 degrees, 10 degrees bounce, and my usual bunker club
LW - 60 degrees, 4 degrees bounce, and what I'll use most of the rest of the time around the greens and often from bunkers, too, if they're heavier sand

[Crafty]

On the long end I carry a driver, 3W, hybrid, and 3-iron, so I don't have room for four wedges.

My setup is thus:
PW - 48 degrees, usually just the "3-PW" set, minimal bounce
SW - 54 degrees, 10 degrees bounce, and my usual bunker club
LW - 60 degrees, 4 degrees bounce, and what I'll use most of the rest of the time around the greens and often from bunkers, too, if they're heavier sand

Diddo, except my 60 has 8 degrees of bounce and it is my most often used club out of greenside sand.

My pitching wedge is 47 in addition.

[mikelaw]

pw is 48, then 54-60

6 degree loft gaps work great for me. remember loft and bounce angles change especially if you open them up out of a bunker or for flop type shots. im willing to bet i change my 54-9 to about 56-11 when i open it. same for the 60, it probably plays to a 62 or 63 when i flop it.

[cwcaesar]

I have a 47* PW and I use a 52* GW with 5*of bounce, a 56* SW with 13* of bounce, and a 60* LW with 9* of bounce. I am thinking of getting the gap bent down to a 51* though.

[JYB]

i put up a similar poll asking this question but i like to keep it simple.

PW - 52º - 58º. Either separate the wedges by 5 or 6 degrees if you ask me.

[ks8829]

Don't forget the bounce of each of the wedges.

[cigarnut81]

Your wedge setup should depend on the course or courses you play according to turf conditions, green complexes, and the height of grass around the greens.

[rrassoc]

Well, 11 months after my previous post: I did buy a 60° wedge. It complicated my game quite a bit!

I agree with cigarnut81. I found that I absolutely need the lob wedge at my home course for the many trouble shots I find my way into, where I need to hit the ball practically straight up. I take my 5 wood out of the bag there.

As for hitting short shots of different distances, I've learned that I can play all sorts of shots with any of the 4 wedges. One area I seem to have a huge problem with is consistency in my swing speed. I can do serious damage to my score trying to get cute by trying to pick a particular wedge and swing. Unless I'm really likely to need the lob wedge like at my home course, my decision to carry it is based more on my likely need to my 3 or 5 wood.

So, I let the course dictate my setup.

More work to do in '09! A little knowledge is truly dangerous. I only reduced my handicap in '08 by 3 strokes, but if I do that again next year I guess I won't complain!

[lewisgl]

I have fiddled around with just about every kind of wedge combination one can think of over the past 5 years or so. Just lately I switched over to the 52 (12 degrees of bounce, Callaway X-Forged) and 60 degree wedge, another X-Forged, with 9 degrees of bounce (and a Cally X-Forged 48 degree pitching wedge). Prior to that I was using a 48-54-60 which worked fairly well but that 6 degree gap between the 48 and 54 was a little too bothersome at times, so I replaced the 54 with the 52. I may soon take the 60 out and put a 58 in to close the gap from the 52 some. I have found the 58 to be just as effective over all around the greens as the 60 (with similar bounce angles) and the 52-58 gap is a little easier to manage than the 52-60, but probably not a big enough difference to sweat too much. It sure would be nice to add a 56 degree wedge in the set with 12 or 14 degrees of bounce. It would be very helpful from the fairway and would offer some more options around the green with the added bounce but in order to do that I would have to replace the two hybrids with one hybrid (or get rid of some other iron) and that would create some gaps that would be pretty bothersome on some par 3's, short par 4's and some par 5's, which wouldn't really justifty adding that 4th wedge (MHO). I am still in the process of trying to manipulate the set to where I can get that 4th wedge in there and not create undesirable gap problems elsewhere in the set.

[miller72]

well, i play a 52.06 spin milled and a 58.12 or 14 or something and a 73 with like 9 bounce. The 73 is a great, fun wedge to play with. full swing is just like a flop shot, but better. Its not normal, but its great fun. i use my 58 out of the sand and as a lob wedge. and then i can pretty much swing my 73 full swing and it will go 40 yds. its a sick club. Golfsmith has them for like 120$

[golfaddict714]

Cleveland CG 14 52 and 58....2 wedges is all I need

[dave_u]

Recently put together a set of Zing 2 BeCu's (52, 57, 61), and I'm in the process of dialing them in now. Ugly, but a feel like none other...

[Titleist Man]

Right now i have 52 and 58 vokeys but thinking of changing to 54 and 60

[kevidinho]

i only do 52-56. my 52 is my 100 yard club and my 56 goes 80-85, but i feel very confident in controlling the distance on that club. if i have a 90 yard shot, i just hit a smooth 52. on anything less than 85 i use that 56

i dont carry a 60 because of my confidence with my 56. i also prefer the 56 around the green

[r7 425]

I play Cleveland Tour Chrome 588 56 and 60 degrees--two wedges is what most tour players prefer---but if i had three wedges they would be 53 57 and 61 degrees respectfully