wedges

[gasfreak]

I have always just used a PW but am starting to think maybe about a lob wedge or a approach wedge,does anyone have any suggestions and is it really something that you use quite a bit.I have heard it both ways to buy or not to buy

[kekoa]

I have always just used a PW but am starting to think maybe about a lob wedge or a approach wedge,does anyone have any suggestions and is it really something that you use quite a bit.I have heard it both ways to buy or not to buy

what is your index?

for a higher handicapper, the lob wedge isn't a necessity. I see weekend players come up short using it all the time. Personally, i can't live without my 56 degree and 60 degree cleveland. i use the 56 from 100 in and the lob for times i need the ball high and soft.

[gasfreak]

I am still in the process of getting a handicap but from the looks of my rounds so far it going to be anywhere from 10 to 15 just a guess.This is what I normally shot over par for now,hoping to get better before summers end.

[larlev]

I use a Gap wedge....my PW is so damn strong (44 deg.) that I needed something to fill the void between my 54deg SW

[SubPar]

The most important scoring clubs are your wedges. You should carry at least 3, probably 4.

PW, Gap (AW), Sand and lob. The only thing that prevents you from hitting a lob wedge as well as any other club is lack of confidence. Most people are so uptight about hitting them they tend to come out of the shot and hit it thin. You have to practice with it at the range to develop confidence.

I tried going without the lob wedge for a while to make room for another fairway metal in my bag, but it was costing me strokes. The bounce on a SW prevents you from laying it open enough to pop it up for really short shots. I hit my SW 90-100 yards, so every time I had something between 40 and 80 yards I was lacking decent options.

I really enjoy having the 60° which allows me to take a full cut from 70-80 yards and also gives me the option to lay way open when I need to and shoot the ball up and down softly from short range. When you are close to the green and short sided, a 56° SW does not have enough loft in most cases.

Again you just need to work with it to gain confidence and it will be a vital scoring tool.

SubPar

[Serenity Now]

I would suggest a gap wedge (50). Great club for tempo as you do not have to nut it to have it go your sandwedge distance and you can develope lower shots that check and better for chipping around the green than a PW. Lob wedge is for later when you know you need one as you start thinking more creatively. I added a GW last year and it has helped me shabve off another 3 strokes off my HDCP

[gasfreak]

So do you think a 60* would be the way to go I have practiced with my PW every day for a long time and have pretty good luck with it,the shorter shots like between 20 yards out to about 50 is what I am looking for to get the ball in the air to make it stop on the green.The course I play on the greens are like concrete if you dont get it high it will not check up hardly at all

[larlev]

So do you think a 60* would be the way to go I have practiced with my PW every day for a long time and have pretty good luck with it,the shorter shots like between 20 yards out to about 50 is what I am looking for to get the ball in the air to make it stop on the green.The course I play on the greens are like concrete if you dont get it high it will not check up hardly at all

58 or 60...will work

I agree w/ the above post regarding practice....I hit my 60 just fine, all aspects of it. I practice w/ it often. Most people can't hit it because they don't spend time practicing..

[pjsnyc]

If you havent gotten a SW yet, I would get this first instead of a LW...better yet - get both!

[DavidFehertysBike]

I dont technically carry three wedges (i replaced my normal pitching wedge with a 48 degree vokey) but I can get pretty much any use out of any of them 130 yards and in. Ive never saw the use of a lob wedge, with the bounce I play on my 56 I can open that up and play a higher pitch, or soften my grip with a slow swing tempo and get the same uses from it.

The gap wedge is the one I tend to use the most, it is my primary greenside chipping club and I use it when I want to use a low tragectory pitch shot with spin. (good for uphill pitchshots i find) I will use the 48 for approach shots for 130-115 yards and for bump and runs 50 yards and in. I even use it from sandtraps sometimes, it is much more versatile than a p-wedge you would get with a set of irons because of the bounce configuration.

[SubPar]

I would suggest a gap wedge (50). Great club for tempo as you do not have to nut it to have it go your sandwedge distance and you can develope lower shots that check and better for chipping around the green than a PW. Lob wedge is for later when you know you need one as you start thinking more creatively. I added a GW last year and it has helped me shabve off another 3 strokes off my HDCP

Different club sets have different lofts. One would need to look online to find the specs for their PW and SW before determining the loft of their GW.

I believe most modern PWs are 47°, but that is not standard across the board. Years ago 50° was a standard PW. To cater to player's desire to feel they are hitting farther with clubs, some club makers have been gradually lowering the lofts over the last few years. The TM r7 PW is 45° and the SW is 55°, where other sets might be 47° and 56° respectively. The Nike AP2 PW is 47°. When I had a set of Nike irons I noticed I hit my friend's TM XD PW as far as I hit my 9 iron. I looked online and found that TM PW had exactly the same loft and shaft length as my Nike 9 iron. SubPar