Vokey Gap Wedge Question

[TMJunkie]

Hey guys, I'm new here but I've been lurking for a while! Anyways I recently got a 52* 8* Vokey wedge as a gift. I live with my sand wedge so I wanted something nice for a little longer. The problem is I can't hit this thing at all!! I always end up skulling it and it doesn't get a foot off the ground. My SW and PW get up with no problem, what am I doing wrong?? Any help is appreciated!

[Shindig]

Tell me about the clubs you do hit well. A few thoughts: 8 degrees of bounce seems odd for a gap wedge. It's too little to be a high-bounce gap wedge (mine is 10 degrees), but it isn't the low (4 or so degrees) for the low-bounce options. What are the lengths of the clubs you hit well? I'm guessing the gift was "here's a gap wedge" and not "let's go buy you a gap wedge." Maybe your irons are longer or shorter than standard. What are the flexes of the clubs you hit well? I think the vokey standard shaft is TT "wedge" flex. This might be stiffer or softer than a flex that is comfortable for you. If you're hitting forged irons otherwise, and have hit one or two decent with the Vokey, maybe your mind is rebelling against a cast club. If you think the wedge is properly fit for you, consider posting a video of you hitting it (for best results, see http://thesandtrap.com/b/playing_tips/filming_your_swing ) and maybe someone will notice what's going on.

[TMJunkie]

The clubs I am most comfortable with are my 7-PW

6 iron is ok, 5 and below are pretty dreadful!

The set is Nike SQ Machspeed, standard length I believe with regular steel shafts.

Yeah the gift was from my gf, I told her I wanted a 52* Vokey and she surprised me with it so I didn't get to pick it out. I don't know much about the bounce on wedges, still pretty new to the game. The shaft is shorter for sure, I feel like I have to hunch over to really get under the ball. I went to the range this afternoon and it was a little better. I can hit it pretty well off mats, but hardly at all off grass.

I'll have to videotape it sometime this weekend and post it.

Thanks for the feedback

[Shindig]

You have a great set of irons that will serve you well for quite some time. Your experience with the 6 and later 5 will improve -- keep at it! In any case, they are cast irons (that's neither a good nor bad thing -- many top players, including someone who was recently world #1, play cast irons. It's just a preference thing). Anyway, the shafts do and should get shorter with shorter clubs -- this, combined with the loft keeps your distances at reasonable intervals. I think the first thing to find out is if your shafts are standard length (and, I suppose, if the Vokey is, although if she bought it off the shelf, it probably is). If you bought your irons off the shelf, they're probably standard length. Either way, your local golf shop can probably measure any of the irons and tell you if they are standard length (will probably do this for free, too -- go ahead and ask). You mentioned a SW earlier - what model is it? Also, out of curiosity - what lead you to the Vokey instead of, say, the Nike Victory Red series wedges, or TaylorMade's, or even the AW that matches your irons? (These are preference things -- the first wedge I bought separate from my starter set was a 52 degree Vokey with 8 degrees of bounce.)

[TMJunkie]

I bought the set off a friend about 8 months ago, he goes thru clubs like crazy!

I got 4-9 with a PW, no AW I'm not sure what happened to it. The SW and later the LW I have I bought from a custom shop here in Sacramento, the brand is Integra. The PW I believe is a 48* and the SW is 56* so I was looking for something in between. The choice for Vokey was because I have read a lot about them and they seemed like the best wedge in the game so when asked what kind of club I wanted that's the first thing that came to mind!

She did buy it off the shelf at Golf Galaxy so I assume it's standard. I am 6'0 tall so I don't know if maybe I need longer clubs?

You said you had a Vokey with the same specs, did you find it harder to hit?

[evan01]

1st thought is that you are to  far away from the ball. Snuggle up nice and tight.  Make sure your arms are straight down. When you swing just trust the club and keep your head down. I had the same problem, spent a lot of time at the range and worked it out. Be patient VB's are the best on the market. I have 54,56,58,60.

[Shindig]

Well, when you buy from the store, you have the option of which ones you want. 5-P is probably the most common configuration (speculation on my part). It's fully possible your friend ordered 4-P, especially if he has wedges he likes. The specifications for your irons are here: http://www.nike.com/nikeos/p/nikegolf/en_US/products/details?sku=GI7114 (however, length and lie might vary -- ask your friend what he bought?) For some reason, the page is only half loading for me, so I can't see them, but I think the PW is 45 degrees. The AW with the set is 50. These are pretty standard lofts for game improvement irons (although they're far from what used to be standard lofts -- but that's another story). My suggestion is to find out Golf Galaxy's return policy (assuming this won't cause problems with the girlfriend) and, if it's reasonable, consider returning the one you have and getting another one. They'll have to order it, but you can get it longer (this assumes the irons you have are above standard length). It's an easy order: they just call Titleist and ask for a Vokey, particular loft, shaft +1/2, etc. I know that at the Roger Dunn (where I shop - I'm in Los Angeles until the end of summer), it's a 90 day 100% money back (as store credit) guarantee. Your height is just one of many factors that determines a good shaft length for you. As you can imagine, a 6'0 man with long arms doesn't need as long a club as one with shorter arms. I would find out what your friend got for the irons that work for you, and get a wedge with that specification. I would also consider a 50 degree (unless your friend had the lofts changed on the MachSpeeds), as I suspect it's closer to the middle ground of the PW and SW. As for my past Vokey: I had a 46 degree PW in my first set and a 58 degree SW, so the 52 was the middle ground. What I didn't know at the time was that my length specification was 1/2" under (a friend of a friend measured me and built my first set), so the Vokey was tough to hit at first. Instead of returning it, I used an AK style grip for it (not what I called it at the time), which is an option if the club is too long for you. After that, I had no trouble hitting it, but I'm now on my fourth gap wedge, none after the first are Vokeys (second was a Mizuno, then two Nikes - SV and now Victory Red).

[TMJunkie]

Thanks again for the feedback guys.

I played 2 rounds this weekend, one 9 one 18, and used the wedge a total of 3 times! First hit was a soft one from about 85 yrds out, felt good and got up. The next 2 times after were skulled and right! Super frustrating!!

To Shindig, he claims he never got an AW with the set, he's probably lying but either way it's gone now. He also said the PW was 48* so I'm not sure how I can tell if it really is or not.

As for returning the Vokey......I'm afraid I don't want to even bring it up or it will be the last gift I'll ever get! I'll probably just tell her I need to be there next time it's anything golf related!

Well I'm gonna keep trying because it is a really nice club and hopefully I'll end up figuring it out sooner or later

[Shindig]

To Shindig, he claims he never got an AW with the set, he's probably lying but either way it's gone now. He also said the PW was 48* so I'm not sure how I can tell if it really is or not.

Well, he might not be lying -- it isn't uncommon to order a set without the AW, or for a store to sell 4-P for the appropriate price (7/8 of the "set of 8" price), making it look cheaper. It's also possible he ordered it with weaker lofts for whatever reason, or that he doesn't know what loft the PW was. It used to be that 48 was a strong PW, now it's super-weak (see also the threads about "traditional lofts" and "modern lofts"). In any case, your store or pro shop should be able to measure it for you if you ask.

[TMJunkie]

Originally Posted by Shindig

Quote:

Originally Posted by TMJunkie

To Shindig, he claims he never got an AW with the set, he's probably lying but either way it's gone now. He also said the PW was 48* so I'm not sure how I can tell if it really is or not.

Well, he might not be lying -- it isn't uncommon to order a set without the AW, or for a store to sell 4-P for the appropriate price (7/8 of the "set of 8" price), making it look cheaper.

It's also possible he ordered it with weaker lofts for whatever reason, or that he doesn't know what loft the PW was. It used to be that 48 was a strong PW, now it's super-weak (see also the threads about "traditional lofts" and "modern lofts"). In any case, your store or pro shop should be able to measure it for you if you ask.

Lol well I called him a liar anyways!

I'm hoping to get some Burner 2.0's by the end of summer so I'll just worry about lofts and lengths at that point.

What is the proper loft for the PW that I should be looking for?

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by TMJunkie

The clubs I am most comfortable with are my 7-PW

6 iron is ok, 5 and below are pretty dreadful!

The set is Nike SQ Machspeed, standard length I believe with regular steel shafts.

Yeah the gift was from my gf, I told her I wanted a 52* Vokey and she surprised me with it so I didn't get to pick it out. I don't know much about the bounce on wedges, still pretty new to the game. The shaft is shorter for sure, I feel like I have to hunch over to really get under the ball. I went to the range this afternoon and it was a little better. I can hit it pretty well off mats, but hardly at all off grass.

I'll have to videotape it sometime this weekend and post it.

Thanks for the feedback

It sounds like you're hitting it fat, hence okay off mats and not so good off actual turf.

I played one Vokey wedge (oilcan 52.08 - I think 8 degrees is pretty much standard with that loft) and might throw it in with a mixed bag. The club is a good shape and easy to hit but I don't care for a rusty wedge. Anyway, I'm a shade under 6' 2" and it was certainly not too short for me. Not sure what's going on with yours.

[TMJunkie]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

It sounds like you're hitting it fat, hence okay off mats and not so good off actual turf.

I played one Vokey wedge (oilcan 52.08 - I think 8 degrees is pretty much standard with that loft) and might throw it in with a mixed bag. The club is a good shape and easy to hit but I don't care for a rusty wedge. Anyway, I'm a shade under 6' 2" and it was certainly not too short for me. Not sure what's going on with yours.

Yeah I like the Chrome ones better than the oil can for sure.

I've really only been playing golf for around a year with no lessons other than from friends that are no more than bogey golfers themselves so I'm sure my swing needs to be grooved before I can really start hitting it consistently. I really don't feel like it's too short for me, it's just a new club and I have to get used to it I guess. It took a bit to get used to my SW but now that is my go-to club for a lot of shots 60 yds and in

Thanks for the input

[newtogolf]

Are you hitting the turf first and bouncing before you hit the ball or pure skull?  Sometimes with wedges I'd try to "help" them get the ball in the air and lift up at impact which often results in skulling.  If you're bouncing then maybe you're not shifting as you would with your other clubs and bottoming out too early.

[Shindig]

What is the proper loft for the PW that I should be looking for?

There isn't really a proper loft; In my time playing golf, I've seen sets with the PW ranging from 50* (Nike Forged Blades) to 42.5* (a few SGI sets). The real issue is to have your distances covered, and this is typically by lofts. Whether your 35 degree club says 4-iron, 7-iron, 8-iron, or AW on it doesn't really matter.