Why do so many people play a 60* wedge??

**glbrum** · July 3, 2009

I am not trying to bash anyone who chooses to play a 60* wedge, but simply a question......one my side of the equation, I play a 56* and a 53* [which I'd rather have more like a 51*, but I digress]. My yardage gap between 53* and PW is about 20 yds, which I'm okay with [I rarely find myself in that gap, anyway]. I hit ALL shots under 100 yds with my 56* and I tend to do fairly well with u/d %. So my questions are these:

-does the 60* help you around the green, where a 56* wouldn't do?
-do you honestly feel the 60* helps you, or is it just cool to have a 60* in the bag?
-what club[s] did you take out to accommodate a 60* wedge?
-are you more comfortable with a full 60* wedge swing than say a 3/4 or 1/2 swing with a 54* or PW? [I've heard they're hard to hit]

disclaimer: this is an honest post and honest questions. I've never used a 60* wedge and I see a lot of folks, atleast on here, that play one. That means it must be worth a spot in my bag, right?

**shortstop20** · July 3, 2009

I hit my 54 degree SW 100 yards.

I hit my 60 degree LW 65 yards.

I find my 60 degee wedge helpful for the following situations.

From 65 yards and in(except for if I need to hit a 50 yard shot, then I'll hit a 1/2 SW). I find it much easier to take say a 1/2 swing with my LW than a 1/4 swing with my SW.

I used my 60* wedge in the greenside rough almost all the time unless I have a shot with alot of green to work with, then I'll hit a lower lofted club.

I'm actually going to buy a 56 or 58 degree wedge and getting it bent to 57* so I'll have another wedge to cover my distance gaps.

This way I will have three consistent distances with all three of my wedges(1/2, 3/4 and full swing).

Full SW - 100 yards

Full GW - 83 yards

3/4 SW - 75 yards

Full LW - 65 yards

3/4 GW - 62 yards

1/2 SW - 50 yards

1/2 GW - 42 yards

1/2 LW - 32 yards

I find it hard to dial in the distance as well as I'd like to with my wedges so hopefully this will save me some strokes.

I don't carry a 3 wood, so I have room in the bag.

**teamgs** · July 3, 2009

I use mine a ton around the greens. It works well for me if I have little green to work with on a pitch. It is also easier for me to hit an almost full lob around 70 yards, than a 3/4 sand wedge.

YMMV...

Gary

**sp33d** · July 3, 2009

I love my 60, i use it more than any club in my bag. Its honestly my go to club from 60 yards and closer. I carry 3 wedges so I can play many diffrent types of chips, flops, bumps, etc.

My flop is my go to shot, it never fails me, and thats what I use my 60 most for. I can also put so much spin on the ball that I'm never worried about it going to far...

So it plays many roles. I would say 35% I use my 52, 55% for my 60, and 10% for my 56.

**Blades4me** · July 3, 2009

IMO, my 60* is a specialty club. I use it almost all of the time out of a green side bunker. I use it if I've short sided my self and need to have minimal roll out. Occassionally I'll use if from 70 to 90 yds out depending on what I want which is usually minimal roll out. My wedges go pw (48*), gw (53*) and lw (59*). I use my gw 95% of the time.

It took awhile getting used to the 60*. I found that however hard I thought I should hit the shot, hit it a little harder. It took me more practice than my other wedges to get used to, but thats just me.

**microcrayfish** · July 3, 2009

I have a low bounce 60 degree that I use for chipping and pitching around the green. To be honest, I don't use it very often but it's handy when I need to get the ball up in the air when I don't have a lot of green to work with, especially off hard pan lies because my 56 has 12 degrees of bounce.

I find it most useful hitting onto raised greens when I miss right or left. There's a few holes at the course I play at when you need to really lob one up high and soft to avoid going off the other side. Often opening up the face of my sand wedge isn't an option because the lie can be hard. I don't take full swings with it.

My set goes 3 wood then 3 hybrid so I'm giving up having a 5 wood or 2 hybrid to have the 60.

**P3R3** · July 3, 2009

60 is only good for when I need the ball to stop ASAP, when there is little green to work with. Its also good to use from 60 yards in vs my 54* wedge.

**ks8829** · July 3, 2009

1) The 60 degree helps me if I need to hit over a bunker.
2) I also hit my 60 about 80 yards
3) If I need to hit a flop shot I can open the 60 and make a full swing
4) They even make a 64 degree wedge
5) I would take a long iron out of my bag for the 4th wedge anytime

**NotAStick** · July 3, 2009

I hit my 54 degree SW 100 yards.

I really don't think there's an advantage to using even fraction. It's a feel issue, whether you're using 50% or 70% or 40% so I don't know how even fractions help you. The difference between 50% (1/2) and 45% (uhmmm... 9/20?) is really just a matter of... really not much.

You mention that you have trouble dialing in the distance. I would suggest using the highest lofted club that you can reach the green with and then trying to think of it in percentages. Personally, my wedge play is the biggest strength of my game and I play a LW about 90 yards with a full swing. Unless I'm concerned about backspin or overhead branches, I use the 60 for most shots under that number and I have pretty good luck. I think you generally have more precision when the ball lands softer and stops sooner. I recently switched my wedge setup from 47 (pw) 54 and 60 and went to 47, 52, 56, 60. Carrying 4 wedges meant I had to ditch my 3 iron, but I can choke up on my 5 wood for an equivalent shot. I really prefer the precision from 125-90 and having more choices around the green, like chipping mid-length chips with the 52, which I've found is really working out for me. If only I could be more consistent with the driver... sigh.

**running-8-iron** · July 3, 2009

I have a 64 deg, its great for flops, blading, from inside bunkers, clearing trees/bunkers/hazards near greens and even just seeing how much further you can hit the ball vertically compared to horizontally.

**schigara** · July 3, 2009

Why not just try it? Here's a scenario for you. I'm 10 feet off the green with a very tight lie. The lie is uphill and the green runs downhill and the pin is close. I can't open up my 56 because the grass is very short and the soil is hard as a rock and it is a good chance it will hit thin and possibly skull and run across the green. You get the picture. Why would you want to play a low percentage shot "fancy" rather than playing a higher lofted club straight?

I rarely use the 60 on approach. The 60 is reserved for short green shots where a bump and run is too risky.

You can do without one but why would you want to?

I didn't take a club out to make room for the 60. With the 52, 56 and 60 wedges, I still have one spot in the bag. I hit the Adams Tech OS 3 hybrid 230 yards and am thinking about getting an adams speedline 3 fairway wood to fill the number 14 spot in the bag.

**Zeph** · July 3, 2009

I use my 58º for most shots inside 70 yards. High or low, pitch or chip. I never open the club up, but add loft by keeping the hands behind the ball at impact. I'm very comfortable with the club and its usage. I play at a course with very narrow greens and heavy undulation, so do have a shot at birdie I need to stick those shots close, often coming in high. Bumping it works for getting it on the green, but it's so unpredictable that I many times pitch it.

I find it much harder to hit my longer irons than my 58º wedge.

**TheNatural** · July 3, 2009

I use my 60 for shots from 130 and in.

Its the one club i own that I can practice with in my backyard and that practice has caused it to be my favorite club in the bag. A scratch player once told me if you can get there with your favorite club, use it. I may deloft it a little on a 130 yard approach but I give it 100% swing and it lands the green it sticks. I like to use this method since I know I wont hit over the green, whereas a PW my range is 130-150, but if I swing at %70 I may hit it pure and go 150 anyway. Also the angle of attack is still very high, probably higher than most players PW as I can easily clear 20ft trees within 40 feet of me and carry close to 120.

I walked my last round on a hilly course and noticed my 60 play suffered mostly from fatigue. The distances were on mark( i shanked two) nearly everytime i used it on approach, just directionally off, some missed green others were on long side of green. I 3putted 4times and shot a 95. Walking adds 5 -10 strokes to cart play IMO

Chips from rough, bunker and approach, I tend to keep the mistakes low and use a putting stroke and bump and run. Im not big on flops, too much downside at my HI.

**Zeph** · July 3, 2009

Walking adds 5 -10 strokes to cart play IMO

If you are used to carts and ride them most of the time I agree, but if you walk often or normally, there is no difference.

**OnePutt** · July 3, 2009

60 Degree wedge is extremely versatile. I move the ball back in my stance (delofting the club a little) for greenside bump and run. All my chipping around the green is with the 60, and any shot from probably 40 yards and in. 75 yards or so is sand wedge, anything farther PW or irons.

Its the one club i own that I can practice with in my backyard and that practice has caused it to be my favorite club in the bag. A scratch player once told me if you can get there with your favorite club, use it.

I completely agree with the first statement, this is the same reason I'm comfortable with my LW. However, walking is the opposite for me. I have more time to think about my shots, and I almost never lose balls because I don't have to ride to the other player's first.

**Zeph** · July 3, 2009

Having a wedge you love, aka a favourite club is something I can attest to. I haven't had my 58º for too long, but have already fallen in love with it. I use it for chipping, pitching, out of bunkers etc. It's got 12º bounce, making it versatile.
When chipping I can get a bit of backspin on the ball so I can in many situations let the ball drop down right next to the flag and come to a complete stop. I still prefer to bounce and roll it towards the hole like a putt, increases the chance of holing it.

**glbrum** · July 3, 2009

This is all making sense. The consensus being the 60* is good for green side shots with difficult lies, tough pins, and bunker play and the occasional spinner from 75 yds. Thanks for all the input. I don't know if I'll get one [poor college student here], but it's an intriguing idea now.....

oh, and in regards to the walking adds 5-10 strokes. I broke 80 for the one lonely time while walking. Call it an anomoly, but I like walking. It gives me time to think [or rather, not think]!

**OnePutt** · July 3, 2009

I think the only reason it would hurt your score is if you're out of shape or whatever. It definitely clears my head, sometimes in the cart I'll get caught up in the moment/not remember my focuses during the swing and not commit to it.

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Why do so many people play a 60* wedge??

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