A wedge decision-making disorder . . .

[TheWarHound]

I think I need help. I have a PW . . . and a SW. Bought a Vokey 60* wedge, couldn't hit crap with it. Picked up a Vokey 58* wedge, and a Mizuno MP T 56* wedge cheap, so now I have them. Also have a Meridian Phantom (Vokey clone) 60* wedge, same as other 60* wedge . . . can't hit shit. Had a 64* flop wedge that was a nightmare.

What wedges do I really need? I don't want to lug 7 different wedges around, and I think I need some guidence and info about wedges.

Keeping in mind I am slow, not retarded, in small words, as if to a small child, or a moron, could someone explain wedges to me?

Thanks,

Steve

[mountaineer maniac0823]

practice practice practice and even more practice, a 60 degree wedge can be the best club in your bag or the worst.

[TakeDeadAim]

What you are experiencing is somewhat normal. The higher the loft the more difficult to hit it clean. I bet you are skulling a bunch of them and hitting fat a bunch of other ones.

I would get a 52 and 56 wedge in your bag.

[st0wgolf08]

I think I need help. I have a PW . . . and a SW. Bought a Vokey 60* wedge, couldn't hit crap with it. Picked up a Vokey 58* wedge, and a Mizuno MP T 56* wedge cheap, so now I have them. Also have a Meridian Phantom (Vokey clone) 60* wedge, same as other 60* wedge . . . can't hit shit. Had a 64* flop wedge that was a nightmare.

I dont get what your asking. you said you can't hit any of them, so why would you need them? If you can't perform the shot then you don't need any. Just get a 52 56 60 set up.

[TheWarHound]

I guess what I am asking is for member's opinions about wedges, pro's and con's, general info about wedges, etc.

What is a utility wedge? Is that a gap wedge? And if so, why call a gap wedge a utility wedge? I am a relative newbie to golf, and was hoping for some info from more knowledgeable members.

Thanks,

Steve

[PiKapp23]

If you can hit your other clubs, especially PW and SW then that may be all you need. For most shots more wedges can just cause more indecision than anything else. I currently play with 4 wedges (PW 45*, GW 50*, SW 54*, LB 58*). I use each of these wedges multiple times throughout a round, but if I had to or felt uncomfortable hitting some of them, I could probably get by with just PW and SW (that would leave gaps, but that's the configuration I grew up playing anyway). One thing to be aware of with wedges that sometimes gets overlooked, especically by higher handicap players or new players, is 'bounce'. Unless the conditions you play in are always the same, then you would probably want multiple levels of bounce in wedges - higher bounce on SW (lofts of 54*-57*), lower bounce on LW (loft 58* +). GW and PW usually have a low-medium bounce level. I would explain bounce in depth, but I don't want to bore you (if you do not understand it, you can look it up on google or something - it's fairly easy to understand once you see it explained). One other thing to be aware of is knowing what lofts you clubs are. For example you should know what loft your PW is. If it's 45*, then you probably would not want a 56* as your next club (that's where a 50* or so GW would come in). Since your irons are older the loft is probably around 47* or so, which would logically mean a 52* GW then a 56/57* SW (just to keep the loft gaps even). Higher loft clubs are probably not anything you even need to worry about until you are hitting the others well anyway. High lofted wedges are not easy to hit for everyone.

Different companies refer to the Gap wedge by different names. Some call it a 'Utility' wedge (as Ping does). Others call it a Attack/Approach wedge (AW, as TaylorMade calls it). I have also seen it called a DW, and I don't even know what that stands for. That wedge is just supposed to 'gap' the distance between standard PW and standard SW (because modern iron sets have gone to 'stronger' lofts this often means a PW has loft of 45 degrees, and standard SW is 56, which is a huge gap. Older sets had PW around 47* or weaker so that gap wasn't as large.

If you would like more information about wedges, feel free to PM me and I will gladly help all I can. There are also some good threads on here that you can find by using the search at the top of page and use search terms 'wedge' or 'bounce'. This will give a lot of hits, but you can probably find what you want by titles. I'm more than willing to help, though.

[TheWarHound]

PiKapp, thanks for the information. It was helpful, and I am going to find a gap wedge, and see how it goes from there.

Steve

[Titleist Man]

You should go get a 52* and use your 58*. Then go to a practice green and practice for hours and hours over a week or two. You will be amazed at what practice can do for a golf game. Good luck and remember you cant buy a game especially with wedges

[Fourputt]

PiKapp, thanks for the information. It was helpful, and I am going to find a gap wedge, and see how it goes from there.

I think that you are headed in the right direction. At your current level, too many wedges will just add more confusion. You need to focus on just getting the ball somewhere on the green. If that means that you have a long putt... well that's still better than another chip or pitch. Get and use a 52° wedge, and practice with that until you get really comfortable with it. Once you do that, then can choose one of the higher loft wedges to compliment it.... and you can do so with more confidence because you will understand better what those wedges can do for YOUR game.

I didn't carry a lofted wedge (58°) until the end of last season (I've played for more than 35 years and carried around a 10 -12 handicap for the last 20), and I still use my 52° more than any other. My SW is used almost exclusively for bunker shots, so I don't even consider it part of my wedge setup. IMO, technique is far more important than the number on the club, and good technique comes from education and practice.

[Sir Hack a-lot]

I have been playing golf for a long time now and I 'currently' have a 52 and 56. I cant hit either worth a shi#. I drive the ball 300-315 and I'm left with a <100 yard shot, and I duff or skull my 56 and 52. Whats odd is I can hit my PW like a 7 Iron. The conclusion I'm going to is to play my 47 degree pitching wedge and 56 degree sand wedge. That obviously leaves a big gap, HOWEVER I figure I can limit my back swing on my PW and hit it anywhere from 100-150 yards. Kind of scary to have such a big range, but it works for me. I'm a good iron player/striker, however I just can't figure out hitting the 52 consistently on a full swing. My method to madness is to elimanate clubs and just be 'surgical' with the ones I have.........

[golfersam]

i keep a 56 and a sixty in my bag, but practice makes perfect! practice hitting a bal from 6 yards consistenly into a bucket, but when you swing keep both arms straight, even when you hit full shots do this, as they will naturally hinge.

[svchiefs19]

how many wedges you carry depends on how you play. there are some people that use a specific wedge for every shot inside 80 yards, another wedge for bunker shots, and another wedge for chipping. there are some people, like me, that use all 4 wedges in their bag depending on the situation. i alter the length of the backswing for each wedge to manipulate the distance each shot will go. that way, i have a golf shot for every possilbe distance 100 yards and in. because i alter the length of my backswing, i carry 4 wedges (45* PW, 50* GW, 54* SW, 58* LW). now, depending on how far from the pin i am, i will know which club to use and how long to make the backswing. check out this video, it explains what i do.
(for what ever reason it wont let me link the website. so, just go to youtube.com and type this into the search bar: "PurePoint Golf Video Lessons - Vary Your Short Game Distances" and click the first video that shows up.)

the amount of wedges you carry depends on what you want to do with each wedge. if you want each wedge to have a specific purpose, thn you only need 2 (id suggest a 52* and 56*). if you want to use all of your wedges depending on the situation (thats what the video i posted above talk about), then you need 3 or 4 wedges.

[Pinseeker81]

...I have also seen it called a DW, and I don't even know what that stands for...

Dual Wedge.

http://www.leaderboard.com/GLOSSARY_DUALWEDGE

[RC]

Sir Hacks-a-Lot,

Something you might try (call it an experiment) is to take the lofty wedges and hit them with an open stance while taking the backswing outside the normal line. Hit some 3/4 shots doing this until the bounce of the clubs starts to feel normal. I know this may sound silly, but it works for some people. The trick is to get super comfortable with the bounce of your wedges. You can get this feeling by swinging almost outside in rather than the nomal iron shot swing. When done correctly the ball flight is actually pretty straight, but it will not produce the driving type shots of a normal hands forward impact downswing.

At least it is something to try.

[indacup]

If you can hit your other clubs, especially PW and SW then that may be all you need. For most shots more wedges can just cause more indecision than anything else. I currently play with 4 wedges (PW 45*, GW 50*, SW 54*, LB 58*). I use each of these wedges multiple times throughout a round, but if I had to or felt uncomfortable hitting some of them, I could probably get by with just PW and SW (that would leave gaps, but that's the configuration I grew up playing anyway). One thing to be aware of with wedges that sometimes gets overlooked, especically by higher handicap players or new players, is 'bounce'. Unless the conditions you play in are always the same, then you would probably want multiple levels of bounce in wedges - higher bounce on SW (lofts of 54*-57*), lower bounce on LW (loft 58* +). GW and PW usually have a low-medium bounce level. I would explain bounce in depth, but I don't want to bore you (if you do not understand it, you can look it up on google or something - it's fairly easy to understand once you see it explained). One other thing to be aware of is knowing what lofts you clubs are. For example you should know what loft your PW is. If it's 45*, then you probably would not want a 56* as your next club (that's where a 50* or so GW would come in). Since your irons are older the loft is probably around 47* or so, which would logically mean a 52* GW then a 56/57* SW (just to keep the loft gaps even). Higher loft clubs are probably not anything you even need to worry about until you are hitting the others well anyway. High lofted wedges are not easy to hit for everyone.

EXCELLENT ANSWER!

It's a personal choice every golfer makes...for me, I prefer and feel most comfortable with "6 degrees of separation" 60* Lob 54* Sand 48* Pitch

[RC]

You have a bunch of good information here from knowledgeable Sand Trap members. There is no way to know how you are hitting your wedges without a video and even then the shot path would be needed. So, take this suggestion with a grain of salt.

Good wedge play with high lofted wedges is all about knowing what you want to do with the bounce of the club. For full driving shots, the classic hands leading, steeper path is pretty standard. For the rest of the possible shots your 58 or 60 (or even 56) can provide you need to develop a good feel for how the bottom sole or bounce of the club works.

A good drill suggested on this forum is to swing back and forth making sure you "thump" the sole of the club on the ground on the downswing, and the club does not dig in. You still hit down, but you keep the club moving as it contacts the grass and has a sweeping and very slight bounce off the ground feel. The shaft is a bit more vertical at ground impact (but don't make the club more upright because the toe would dig in.) It helps to learn this feeling by making sure you are NOT coming at the ball strongly from the inside. You want to come in down the line (or even from the outside) and it feels like you pull the club left as it bounces (sort of like a miniature sand shot.) Practice hitting little 20 yard pitches, then slowly add distance but always hearing that little thump without a big digging divot. Most teachers want you to feel like your arms and body turn left and stay low and the club head remains facing skyward on the follow through. You do not want to flip your hands over on these less than full shots. One way to learn this shot is to think about the hosel leading the club face (which still squares up) as you swing around your body. It is not a shot hit only with your arms. Your whole body releases, but the hands stay low left on the follow-through. I hope this makes sense and proves useful to try.

If you want a little punch chip with hands leading, I would use a lower lofted club and not try to hit the steep, digging shot with a lob wedge... you can, but that takes a lot of practice and skill.

p.s. just a little amplification on my earlier post.

[ScruffyScraper]

The 60° wedge is a nightmare with which to hit full shots.

If I'm packing mine, it's to play little soft shots from forward in my stance, not for full swings. If that's how you use your sixty, then it's important to go with very low bounce.


If you're standing on it from 80 or 90 yards out, then you must pick one with a little more bounce, but at that point, it becomes a less effective finesse club.

If your set's pitching wedge is a typical 46 or 47°, then a 52º gap wedge and a stronger lob wedge, maybe 58º, is a great setup. The 58 is an easier club with which to hit full shots, and still sufficiently lofted for little flips and flops. I wouldn't go with more than 6 or at most 8° bounce, however, which is roughly what you'd have on your set's PW. Otherwise, you won't be able to play shots from a couple balls forward in your stance.

I don't use any of my turf wedges from greenside bunkers. I still prefer the old fashioned oval faced sand iron for that. If you're a long hitter, however, you'll need too many fairway clubs with which to fill the gap between your driver and middle irons to carry four wedges. Learn to hit the 58 from the beach, but for that, you'll need help from somebody else. I'm strictly a dedicated sand iron player.

[TheWarHound]

Okay . . . looking for a 52* now, and been practicing with my 58* a bit . . . the 58* is so much easier to control than my 60*

Guys, thanks for the advice and info. Weather permitting, will practice more this week.

Steve