Scratch wedges. how good are they?

I have had a few, i have mizuno wedges.... love them to death....

If you go to te Mizuno website they'll have all the information you need.

 

I've played Scratch wedges. Still have mine. I'd play them more but I made the change to CC grooves this year and my Scratch wedges are not conforming. Scratch wedges are some of the best made. I rank them right up there with my Miura wedges for sure.

I play Scratch wedges and I love them. Right from their website you can customize a lot on the wedges (some for no upcharge). Stamping/paintfill, lie, length, loft, shaft, grip, and sole grind (bounce). They have a quick and simple little fitting questionnaire that will determine the type of swing you have to fit you with a sole grind.

 

They have 3 models to chose from: 8620 Milled (~$100), 1018 Forged (~$150), and a Tour Custom (~$350)

 

I have not hit the 1018 yet but I have a set of 8620 Milled wedges and they are great wedges. They are milled similar to Vokeys but at a slightly cheaper price (but same or better quality). For me they performed a lot better than the Vokeys and similar Clevelands. I have a 56 and a 60 in Sweeper/Slider (Low Bounce) and I have no problems opening the face when I need to. They have a slightly smaller head than some wedges, but I personally like them that way. The grooves on mine are the older Non-CC grooves, but you can order them now with conforming grooves if you want/need them. Combination of the milling and the grooves, I can spin the ball a lot better than I could with other wedges.

Edited by Laws of Woo - 10/16/11 at 10:53am

I have 4 Scratch wedges. A set of 8620's(53* bent to 51*, 56*, and 60) and one of their JLM series 56*, which is a forged wedge, similar to their current 1018 wedges.

 

The 8620's are very much like a spin milled vokey in shape, size, and feel. These have a rounded leading edge. The ABC grooves are aggressive and will spin the hell out of a ball.

 

The JLM (forged) wedge has a bit more heft to it, and a relatively flat leading edge, and to me feels more like a callaway forging in terms of weight and spin.

 

And they look good, too...these are my 8620's (sorry no pic handy of the JLM)

 

The question is -- do you know how to use a wedge?

 

And possibly you haven't received good replies because your post is not clear as to who you are as a player, what you want in a wedge, and whether you pick or dig, or hit it thin and fat...

 

Scratch wedges are very good - if you know what you want, I might advise one in your highest lofted wedge if you use that wedge for almost everything around the green. I think most makers offer a 58 that is fairly versatile - I would say versatile means 10-12 of bounce with heel, toe, and relief along the back edge with a medium-ish wide sole.

 

For a 50 or a 54, it depends on whether you use them much around the green -- in that setup, I'll use a 58 for almost everything. So I think a standard sole grind is generally fine for the lower lofts-- if you want Scratch, spend your money on a custom grind on the higher loft. Of course, they have an 8620 wedge for $99. But what you'll find is that the Scratch head is not big ... that might cause players some problems. My experience with Scratch is that if you practice with them a lot, look elsewhere. You're spending a lot of green for grooves that wear -- or buy their 8620 for $99.

 

Vokeys are good - the 58/12 is what Stan Utley advises if you want to use one wedge for almost everything around the green.

 

Having said that, I don't have Vokeys in the bag ... I mean, almost every OEM wedge is very good -- see what shape/design looks good to you, then take a look at the grind.

Scratch wedges are great.  Theyre pretty pricey though.

What wedges are you planning on keeping or getting...loft wise, and what are you looking to do with them?

 

The 2 sub categories on the Scratch website referring to grind, is chosen for you depending on the loft of the club you want. One grind is only available for wedges in the 47*-56*, while the other is for your 58*-60* lob wedges. Only time you really get to/need to choose which sub category you need/want is if your ordering a completely custom tour model (the $350 one).

I've had Scratch wedges for 2 seasons now and I'm not sure I'd play anything else at this point.  I played Vokeys and Clevelands for years until I found Sratch.  The feel is second to none and the different grinds and loft choices are awesome.  They are pricey but with the prices of Vokeys going up the two are really within $15 or $20 of each other now. 

I've been on these boards for over 10 years, so I've seen a lot of questions. People ask about Scratch or Vokey, etc., but don't tell us about their skills as a wedge player. So if my posts are taken personally, they can offend  -- first rule of internet - don't take anything personally :-) 

 

Scratch will tell you if you take a big divot consistently - then you want bounce to prevent digging; and the converse goes with it if you pick (shallow divot); or you get a tweener grind if you're inconsistent.

 

I've had custom Tour Grinds and the 1018 off the shelf in Scratch. The best Scratch wedge I owned was a custom grind whose face was milled. From what I hear, they don't do that any longer with 1018 or customs. Why? I don't know. You get the milling with the 8620.

 

My experience with 1018s is -- don't hit too many range balls and do clean the face frequently when practicing - the steel is soft and wears -- heck, I practiced too much a few years ago as did my son - and the grooves did wear within 6 months. Now I have Miura 1957's and don't practice as much. It's a balance - my short game is not as good as it once was... back to your question...

 

Scratch heads are small - beware - that is good for maneuverability, bad for errors.

 

Go to the Scratch website, and look for a grind on the 50 that has worked for you in the past, or take their test, or better, call Patrick (?) at Scratch. As stated previously, if you want Scratch, I'd go 8620. I've heard lots of great comments about the 8620. The 58 or 60 Egg grind is a nice tweener grind with relief, but ask Scratch. If you must have a custom grind - I'd save it for your highest lofted wedge - I find a 58 normally more versatile than a 60 although a 60 will give you more spin (more loft is more backspin). My son loves the custom grinds -- I got the first one for him (It was worn after one season of high school golf); the second is on him.

 

I still think you want a urethane ball for spin -- especially with the conforming wedges that have reduced spin. But it depends on what you want your ball to do -- roll out or spin, or predictable rollout....

 

I don't like a 1018 wedge pounding against mats (soft forgings bend) - so if the dome has a mat surface, concentrate on your full swing, not the wedge swing. Forging is the manufacturing process of aligning the grains of steel to form a club head. A CNC mill can be used to computer mill grooves or flatten the face more precisely (perfectly flat), among other things.... 

 

Grooves are also pressed into the club head rather than milled. I believe Scratch 1018 and Tour are pressed grooves, whereas the 8620 are milled -- but I haven't kept up with Scratch, so you might ask them.

 

And yes, for practice on mats, I'd keep the existing wedge or get a $50 wedge with a similar grind as the one you purchase.