Gapping the Wedges Woes

[Dege]

So I have a set of Titliest AP3's with a 43 degree pitching wedge.  To keep a 4 degree gap and 10 yards between wedges I've gone Vokey 46 50 54 48.  My set stops at a 5 iron 25 degrees.  From there to a Hybrid 22 degree, 18 Degree Fairway, Driver and of course a putter.  14 clubs.  I really would like something between the hybrid and 5 Iron since there is an 18-20 yard gap there.  So, I could remove the Vokey 46 degree and use the wedge that comes with the set, 48 degree, then bend a 52 degree to 53 and keep the 58. Would be like 110, 95, 80 for the wedge gaps.  that would give me room to put the 4 Iron back in.  Here is the dilemma, I LOVE having the 46-58 range of wedges.  Seems like I'm never confused about which wedge to hit.  Also from the tees I normally play from, this setup works well on my home course.  BUT, when I go play at my brother-in-laws course or some other course in the area I find every round either trying to force a 5 Iron or take something off the hybrid.  Don't do either particularly well.  I've gone around and around on this so I thought I would ask about other peoples experiences and how they dealt with them.

[Vinsk]

Five wedges seems a bit excessive no? Or do you only take full swings with all of them? I’d think you could go from your 43* PW to say 50-54-58. You can hit that PW choked down, varying amount of open face and cover a good span of distances/trajectories.

[70sSanO]

I assume you meant 43-46-50-54-58. I’m not sure how well the gapping between 43 and 46 is working.  Personally I’d go 43-48 (which is pretty typical of gapping including Titleist) instead of the 46 and 50 wedges.  Only you know how necessary each wedge that you carry.

 Since there isn’t a Voley 53 available, you’ll have to decide if a 52 and open up if necessary or 54 and close if necessary.

You’ll need to decide if you are truly gapped at 10 yards (full swing?) and playing that way, or are you adjusting your swing to get the distance for each situation.

“Traditional” lofts at one time were a 9 iron was 45, PW a 50, and a SW was 55/56.  Generally a 5 degree difference.

Obviously you can mix your wedges to suit the course.  I generally play 48-54 and a 60, but I will use a 58 if it makes more sense, even if the gap is technically off.

John

[Dege]

Thank you for the replies.  Yes, it would be 43-46-50-54-58.  Seems like 5 wedges but at 43 degrees the pitching wedge seems more like a 9 iron and other than situational chipping, I only use it for full swings.  The reason for the 3 degree gap between the AP3 pw and the 46 degree Vokey is they are different type clubs and the gapping works.  Still, I agree it seems like a lot wedges! lol.  I do play them all at full swings though the 58 gets the majority of partial shots.

If I went with the 48 degree wedge that I bought with my set, it would give me the cover distance the 46 does currently.  Again, because of the difference of the AP3 and Vokeys.  Then as I said earlier, 53, 58.  Going this route means a lot more shots where I'd have to manufacture a variety of shorter distances rather than a full swing.  I know, I know, that's golf. 🙂  Another thought I just had, since the full swing distances are the same between the AP3 48 and Vokey 46, is going PW,46,52,58.  What do you guys think of that?  Basically replace the 50 and 54 with a 52.  Distance gaps in the 15ish yards range.

[Vinsk]

Have you seen this?👍

[David in FL]

I have a  6° gap between my GW and SW.  Since I almost never any wedge full, I don’t even notice it.  I simply play whatever shot that’s called for.  If I were in your shoes, I’d simply play a 48, 54, and 58 and be done with it. 

 

 

[JxQx]

I think it depends how often you really have to hit that forced 5 iron/light hybrid shot vs using your full wedge range. If you only come across that shot once a round or once every few rounds I wouldn't change a wedge setup that works, I would just practice that hard 5 iron/light hybrid shot.

It may be a good idea to track which clubs you use on every shot for your next few rounds both at your home course and away courses. That should give you insight on weather you really need to change anything. 

[WUTiger]

In cosmic scope, five wedges is a bit much. BUT... it works for you, so why not keep it? From what you say, you basically use the PW as a 10i rather than a true wedge.

As for that gapper shot at the long end, try choking down on the hybrid. Some people find this easier than trying to hit a 7/8 swing. Just practice it a bit - on course on a slow day if at all possible - to get the feel.

[Adam C]

Why not switch out a 4 with one of the wedges when you know you are playing a course that demands it. Assuming you feel that you would gain more with that 4 vs. the least used wedge you would pull out. 

At home, just bench the 4 and go back to your current setup.

[Dege]

Wow, I'm glad I brought this to forum.  I'm getting some really positive feedback.  I am going to approach this from two ways I think.  First and foremost is get to the range with my hybrid and learn to take 10 yards off.  That would be problem solved for the most part.  Since I don't do anything but full shots with my PW (in my mind as WUTiger said, it's a 10 iron) I can keep my four wedges and be happy.  The other thing I will do is take my 52 degree to the range and see how much I can vary the distance on that club.  I can work my wedges pretty well with partial swings and knock down shots.  Maybe I've just gotten a bit lazy and don't do as much shot making as I could to solve my own problem 😜 

I thanks for truly helpful insights all.

Actually am going to another course in the morning and I'll do exactly that!  Thanks

[gbogey]

From my experience you might have more success altering wedge distances than hybrids.  My next set of wedges will be 48/54/58 and I'm very comfortable that I can adjust my distances appropriately.  It doesn't come into play as much, but I have a 3H and a 4H and they have a good 10-12 yards difference in distance and it comes in handy to have both.

[Dege]

I guess it really boils down to a question of do I want to accept a big gap at the top and have the wedges I want at the bottom or get used to bigger gaps at the bottom but fill in the gap at the top.  On my home course where I play 90% of my rounds my current setup works very well.  Maybe once every 3 or 4 rounds do I wish I didn't have that gap between the 5 iron and hybrid.  When I go to some other courses that gap is much more noticeable.  I have gotten a lot of great advice here and I'm going to do my homework and see what works best. I most inclined to look at removing one wedge from the setup and add the 4 Iron.  Something like PW, 46°,52°,58°.  I'm not positive that is the right answer but it will be easy to see if it would work as I already have the 4 Iron and 52°.  I'm playing again in the morning and I'll report back if anyone is interested and post the results.

Dang it, how come this game is great AND maddening at the same time?!

[dennyjones]

1 hour ago, Dege said:

I'm playing again in the morning and I'll report back if anyone is interested and post the results.

Always...If not for somebody, another will find this post down the road and give the idea some merit.    

[Double Mocha Man]

I carry 5 wedges.  There is a 15 yard gap between each one, which I learned by trial and error.  The traditional 4 degrees between each wedge didn't work for me.  So, in the bag:  45 - 48 - 54 - 56 - 60.

Edited September 12, 2019 by Double Mocha Man

[Typhoon92]

I would dump the 46.  Bend the 43 to 44 and bend the 50 to 49.

[ChetlovesMer]

I'd do one of two options.

1 - Keep what you have and learn to choke down on the hybrid. Works for me. When I want to take a little off. You could also opt for a 3/4 backswing. 
2 - Drop the 46 and the 50 and put the 48 back in the bag. 

I'm not a fan of bending loft on clubs, especially wedges, it changes the bounce and I'm always left wondering if I have the right bounce. 

[Dege]

Quick report.  I put a 4 iron in and took the 50 and 54 out and played a round this morning.  Seemed like every approach shot in I needed one of the two wedges, lol.  Used the 4 iron once.  And only because I wanted to hit it.  I'm thinking I've got the optimum setup for me.  The fewest draw backs.  Purely subjective of course but right now I'll stick with the bag of wedges.

[ChetlovesMer]

34 minutes ago, Dege said:

Quick report.  I put a 4 iron in and took the 50 and 54 out and played a round this morning.  Seemed like every approach shot in I needed one of the two wedges, lol.  Used the 4 iron once.  And only because I wanted to hit it.  I'm thinking I've got the optimum setup for me.  The fewest draw backs.  Purely subjective of course but right now I'll stick with the bag of wedges.

Good for you. 

Fun to explore options, I'm always tinkering with my mix.