Gap in wedges from 45* to 52*

I am looking to add some wedges to my bag in the coming weeks, Currently i have irons that go down to a 45* PW and an old shabby, cheapy SW. On researching i came up with adding 3 wedges, 48*/53*/58* to give a nice even spread between gaps.

I have now found out that a friend can get a good work discount on vokey wedges but only 52*/56*/60*. Would it be a bad move to have a gap of 45* to 52*? Im a reletive noob and not a big hitter, currently hitting PW around 110. However, happily but somewhat annoyingly my distances have been increasing every few rounds. So i would like to work around a presumption of future gains in yardages.

Quinny...I too have the issue of a wide spread from my Callaway 45 degree pitching wedge to Callaway-X 52 degree. I would prefer a 50 degree then go 45 and 60 to keep the spread even. Callaway kinda messed us up when they moved their P wedge from 48 to 45 degrees. If your set has a gap or U wedge in 50 degrees I think I would recommend you do that then go 56 and 60 as you are not trying for distance on the latter...more for feel and loft angle. Cheers, John L

45 to 52 is a little high, but 45 to 48 seems a little low.  I presume all of your low irons are 5* gaps, so I would try to keep something close to that.  If you want 4 wedges, why not just go 45-50-55-60?  Vokey makes a 50, but if your deal only works for the 52, you could still get that one and the 56 bent to acheive those gaps.

I am currently playing with a 47* PW and a 56* SW and nothing else.  It is a bit tougher having a 20-25 yard gap on full shots when you are that close to the green.  Once I actually get fitted for new clubs, I'll fill in the gap one way or another.  Whatever loft my new PW ends up being, I'll probably just go 5 and 5 from there for my gap and sand.  Presumably either 47-52-57, or 46-51-56.

Quinny

Good advice from both. I would add, be sure you have a variety of bounces whichever wedges you decide to go with. You don't want to use a sand wedge with lots of bounce, off a hardpan lie. As Golfingdad says bend them if you need to (much cheaper) One more thing, pickup  copy of

"Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible" the information in there will blow you away, and teach you how

to use your new found weapons. Good Luck

I'm currently going from 46˚ to 54˚, and that's doable but too big a gap.  At least playing with that gap forces you to dial in both the delofted super spinny super aggressive SW shot and the touchy 85% PW shot  :)  I'd concur with the 45˚, 50˚, 56˚ bent to 55˚, 60˚ option.  If you can't get the 50˚ on deal you could just get the 56˚ and 60˚ on the deal and buy the 50˚ yourself.  Maybe get last year's version to save the few bucks?

Thanks for the responses guys. Looking at the spec sheet it appears i was mistaken. My PW is actually 46* not 45* as i thought, then all short irons spaced at 4* up.

So does buying a 50* then getting the 56* and 60* on deal, then having the 56* bent to 55* as a possible future option if needs be sound like a good set up?

Since you are a beginner I would strongly suggest that you do not use a 60* wedge as it pretty hard to hit properly. If I were you I would get the 52 56 and bend the 52 into a 51. I have many friends who are single digit handicaps and do not use more than a 56 and do not feel the need for more loft as they can hit all the shots they need to with the 56.

Quinny,

If your irons of your PW are not the same model as your future wedges, you firtst need to consider distance gap between your PW and the new GW; this is more important than degree gap.

Also, how do the shafts compare in length? My 46* PW (Callaway) and my 50* GW (Cleveland CG14) have the same shaft length, and only about 8 yds. difference between on full shots.

Sometimes, the bridge between PW and GW ends up long or short, as you mix your iron set PW with another model of wedges. One thing to consider: if the PW - GW distance gap is a little off, so what? As long as you know the average distances, you can control it.

With your situation, you might go with a 50 - 54 - 58. Across all wedge families, 52-56-60 is probably the easiest to fill.

Caution: as Miz.guy says, many people find a 60* hard to hit. A local golf pro suggests that most golfers try to hit the LW too hard, and beyond a half swing get more height - and wind turbulence -- but little extra distance. See if someone will loan you a LW similar to what you're considering and see if it works for you. I know 20+ HDCP players who hit the 60* well, and 10 HDCP players who have given up on the club.

One degree isn't going to matter that much.  If I were in the same position, I would go with 52, 56, & 60 and be done with it.  6 degrees between pitch and gap is no big deal.  Last year I gamed Vokey 200 series 52 degree, and a 60, it worked out just fine.  Go to the range and learn how to knock it down with all of your wedges, and verify that on the course.  If you do that you have 8 reliable shots of varying distance.  That's how you score.  What I would stay away from is bending my PW and creating a larger gap between 9 and P.  Don't listen to the guys saying stay away from a 60.  It's easy to hit and will become your best friend out of the rough around the greens by June if you PRACTICE!

I have taken a more cautious route and have picked up a 200 series 52.08 off of the bay to see how i get on with it. I will see how i get on with that before deciding what route to take.

I have since realised the SW i have is actually 60*, has literally no bounce and the leading edge is completly flat. I have got used to this and whilst hitting it thin is a once and a while issue typically have learned to play with it for short shots and bunker play.

Keep in mind that you'll likely use the PW and GW for full shots a fair bit, depending on your playing style. A 54 or 56 degree SW is usually not used for many full shots, mostly for sand and partial shots. So your gapping below the GW slot isn't as important as the situational use of the club. Personally I prefer a 62 degree over a 60 because it's a specialty club anyway, usually used off hard lies or on a really tough green. The 60 would gap better perhaps, but I have a hard time controlling full shot distance with the club, depending on how I attack the ball it can be 90 yards or 50 so I have to be conscious of how much shaft lean I have and the lack of bounce makes it very unforgiving of fat hits, especially on certain lies. It's a club I really only use if I want to leave the ball short of a slope or if I'm shortsided. As a result, the extra loft only makes it higher and softer, and a bit better than a 60 on those types of shots. On full shots, I rip the covers of balls with my sand wedge and spin it back almost every time, and on a 50 yard shot or so it still checks up quickly so I generally have no need of a full lob wedge. Though I can hit my sand wedge around 115 yards, I will usually hit a gap wedge from that range because it's likely to drop and stop and I have cavity backs up to the GW right now, so it's less of a risk.

Go with pretty even gaps up to the Gap wedge, then add a sand club that works and maybe a lob wedge if you choose, preferably one with less bounce to allow versatility. A 4 degree gap between irons is minimal, a 5 or 6 degree is pretty common to save bag space, but 8 degrees is fine. It should be the widest gap you should consider, but many people including Tiger go with a traditionally lofted PW, no gap wedge, and a 56. Your wedge setup needs to be versatile enough to handle any situation to your liking, and control distances from 120 yards in. As long as it can do that it doesn't matter. Jason Day used both a 46.5 and 48 degree pitching wedge at the same time at one point, though he has far from the most enviable wedge game out there.

My PW is 46 and then i have 3 Vokeys of 52, 54, 58... the only reason i have a 58 over a 60 (as the 60 is the next logical loft gap) is because its older and alot lighter so i prefer it out of bunkers and feel more comfortable opening the face. In all fairness, its very rare i'd even attempt a full shot with the 58 because i'd rather not take my nose off. I much prefer hitting a half shot with a 52 or 54 than a full shot with a 58. More comfortable controling distance with a smooth, short tempo than a full lash with a 58.

Find what your comfortable with, wedge play is all about control. Watch the pro's... its very rare they hit a full shot when 100-120yards and in. Its usually a small controlled shot, looking to keep traj down and nail the distance down to a 2-5yard miss-margin.

As for loft gaps, the pro at my club only uses a 52 & 58 wedges. I also agree with "Chris Prosser".. you hear alot of people say "stay away from the 60, its not for the amature etc. etc." but go for it. Practise with it, if you get on with it then keep it, if you dont then at least you tried. Wedge play is about practise and finding what your comfortable with.

Totally agree, don't try a 60 and bend your 52 to 51 and you should have the right lofts to fill your gaps.

50*, 54* and 60*. Most of the shots will be less than full shots. I find full swings with my 54* to be more unnecessarily risky than a partial/controlled swing with a 50*.

Choose the 50* to either match your irons or match your other wedges.

Just don't expect to hit a full 60* very often and I think you'll be happy that you have it. It is great to have out of the rough on shorter shots. An nice controlled and nearly full swing for me with my 60* only flies about 60 yards.

Hi Quinny

Wedges are a great tool so I try to adjust my wedges not only to length distances but also to difference courses layouts and the types of traps, grass and soil---To me 1 degree of launch angle isn’t going make that much difference. I carry a 45, 50, 55 most of the time and will add 58 <>60+ per differences of courses. The 58 and above can be harder to adjust too for most because of the lack of use. I like the Callaway C grind bounce option which allows me to alter the face at will, but it is something I practice all the time.

If you’re new to this sport take time to devote to the short game side of golf….good chipping and pitching saves a lot of strokes and make putting easier.