Which Wedge?

[xrayvizhen]

Note: I was going to chime in on another thread about wedge bounce but didn’t want to hijack, so I’ve started this thread hoping to get some sound advice.

One upon a time buying a wedge was easy. When you bought a set of irons, it would come with a pitching wedge, conveniently labeled “PW”. Then, if you wanted to buy a sand wedge there would be a selection of “SW’s” you could choose from so it was a pretty simple thing to do. Well, I need a couple of new wedges and things aren’t so simple anymore. My 60° is lost. I left it on the golf course somewhere, and someone decided not to return it to the lost & found. Truth be told, I wasn’t crazy about it. I never could gauge the distance correctly with less than full shots and I really only used it when I needed to hit a flop but couldn’t because of a tight lie. I could use a new sand wedge too as the current one is pretty old but there are all manner of lofts, bounces and grinds to choose from, so what to do? It’s very confusing.

 My recent set of irons came with a 43° and at the same time I added the 48° (I don’t know what the bounce is) which is probably my most used club in my bag, hitting every kind of shot with it from 100 yards in.  My current sand wedge is a 54° with a 13° bounce (there was no such thing as a “grind” when I bought it) with which I’m fairly proficient. I went onto the Vokey website and used their wedge selector tool and it recommended a 54 & 58, both with 10° bounces and “S” grinds, whatever an “S” grind is. It also says the 54° is the “Sand Wedge” and the 58° is a “Lob Wedge”. But if the bounces and grinds are the same, couldn’t both be used out of the sand? Most of the bunkers in my area are what I would judge to be “firm” but truth be told, some of them probably haven’t had any sand added since the Carter administration.

Interestingly, the Callaway website’s wedge selector tool asked similar questions and it recommended 54° & 58° wedges, both with “W” grinds and 12° bounces instead of 10. See what I mean about confusing?

So basic questions: How does one select a wedge with the proper combination of loft, bounce and now grind factored in? Also, what would the effect be of going from a sand wedge that I'm used to with a 13° bounce to a 10°? Maybe compromise and go with a 12?

[Billy Z]

54 minutes ago, xrayvizhen said:

Note: I was going to chime in on another thread about wedge bounce but didn’t want to hijack, so I’ve started this thread hoping to get some sound advice.

One upon a time buying a wedge was easy. When you bought a set of irons, it would come with a pitching wedge, conveniently labeled “PW”. Then, if you wanted to buy a sand wedge there would be a selection of “SW’s” you could choose from so it was a pretty simple thing to do. Well, I need a couple of new wedges and things aren’t so simple anymore. My 60° is lost. I left it on the golf course somewhere, and someone decided not to return it to the lost & found. Truth be told, I wasn’t crazy about it. I never could gauge the distance correctly with less than full shots and I really only used it when I needed to hit a flop but couldn’t because of a tight lie. I could use a new sand wedge too as the current one is pretty old but there are all manner of lofts, bounces and grinds to choose from, so what to do? It’s very confusing.

 My recent set of irons came with a 43° and at the same time I added the 48° (I don’t know what the bounce is) which is probably my most used club in my bag, hitting every kind of shot with it from 100 yards in.  My current sand wedge is a 54° with a 13° bounce (there was no such thing as a “grind” when I bought it) with which I’m fairly proficient. I went onto the Vokey website and used their wedge selector tool and it recommended a 54 & 58, both with 10° bounces and “S” grinds, whatever an “S” grind is. It also says the 54° is the “Sand Wedge” and the 58° is a “Lob Wedge”. But if the bounces and grinds are the same, couldn’t both be used out of the sand? Most of the bunkers in my area are what I would judge to be “firm” but truth be told, some of them probably haven’t had any sand added since the Carter administration.

 

Interestingly, the Callaway website’s wedge selector tool asked similar questions and it recommended 54° & 58° wedges, both with “W” grinds and 12° bounces instead of 10. See what I mean about confusing?

 

So basic questions: How does one select a wedge with the proper combination of loft, bounce and now grind factored in? Also, what would the effect be of going from a sand wedge that I'm used to with a 13° bounce to a 10°? Maybe compromise and go with a 12?

 

I like talking about wedges, because there are so many choices and combinations available, everybody has a bit different set up. For me, very similar to you, I have a 54* sw , 12* bounce, and wide sole. I don't fear any sand trap with that club, in fact I favor sand over many lies in the rough, because it's easy to put action on the ball. I have a 58* MC lob wedge with 12* bounce with a C grind. I had the same wedge in the W grind but did not care for it. I primarily use the 58* around the green in the rough, and in the fairway 50 yds and in. I find the C grind works better for those needs. I can also use the 58* from the bunker in firmer sand only, because I have went under the ball  in soft sand, leaving it in the bunker. Now the 54* sw, with it's wide sole, is a snap in most any sand situations. You have a nice hc so you may differ?