Wedge selection

All,

Thinking of getting new wedges. Here's the deal: I play in Phoenix, AZ, and obviously there's plenty of desert to go around, which means hard sand, pebbles, etc. In other words, one hefty swipe at a 75 yard approach shot in the desert may pull a 1/2 chunk of metal from your $125 soft cast wedge faster than you can say Phil Mickelson. I'm wondering if it's worth it for me to spend $375 or more on some beautiful Vokeys or something like that only to use them for six months or less and need new ones again. I'm stuck between being a cheapskate and wanting superior short game equipment. Any suggestions? Can I get away with some expensive wedges for a year, or will the performance decay on them very quickly? If you were on a fairly modest budget but wanted the best wedges you could buy that would last long enough, what would you suggest?

Gracias folks

Vokeys are cast. One of the reasons I went with an older model of Clevelands for my wedges is that they are cast and conforming, and won't need to be replaced as often as a forged club. I don't think that's necessarily a huge concern though since cast still won't look pretty after a few dozen rounds. I got the CG15 wedges and they're around 60-80$ now if you can find them.

I like Mizuno wedges a lot though and I'd probably buy a pair even though they're forged and not cheap. They seem to wear pretty well based on my brother's set. I'll probably spoil myself with them once my current wedges start to wear out.

Happy with my Tour Exotics, they work like a charm and you can get good deals on them because they don't pay pros to use them.

So do cast wedges last a great deal longer than forged, or no? Also, what can anyone tell me about when wedges in general need to be replaced - i.e. when they're so worn they don;t impart any spin, etc.? I heard Padraig Harrington replaces them like every two rounds. Then again, I balance ledger sheets for a living, so I don;t need them that often. I played my clone wedges for two years and was honestly pretty good with them because I learned technique, but I'm wondering if I simply couldn't get backspin because the things were toast. That's one thing I noticed that I am not that good at, and I practiced a lot. Damn, I wish money was no object...

I use Dunlop 60 and 64 degree wedges, USD13 apiece. If there´s a malformation, I´ll just buy a new one.

You might try the Adams Watson wedges. You can get a three-pack with a GW, SW and LW for about $100.

I looked at them and will keep you posted when I pick them up in a month or so. Thanks for saving me a one hour sales pitch! I really need to hook you guys up with a beer one time or something. Thanks everyone for the advice...