New love of my life.... 64° wedge!

[SubPar]

I know a lot of people have trouble with so-called "lob wedges" but I find my 60° an indispensable scoring tool when I am 40-80 yards out. But I have a little trouble controlling it with shots from 5-30 yards. Part of the trouble is I have to swing it so gently that I have a little trouble hitting the shot on my chosen line, so I had been thinking of trying a 64°, which I did this morning.

Within 10 minutes at the range I was laying down a line of balls 4, 6, 10, 15 yards out. It is so much easier to hit those yardages on-target when I can take a little more agressive swing. And from 50-60 yards I can take a full cut an not worry about flying the ball 80 yards.

I am not a very long hitter and rely on my short game more than I should have to. If you miss a lot of greens and depend on a spot-on short game as I do, this wedge is the ticket.

SubPar

Special thanks to Flogger... you know what I mean, dude!

[Ben]

I don't mean to rain on your love-affair, but, I don't buy into the 64* wedge craze - I don't even use a 60*. In my opinion those are a total waste of one of your 14. Stop short-siding yourself and you won't need to hit an "aggressive 4 yard flop". A good adjective to describe a quality and functional short-game would be "finess" not "aggression".

[tarheelsfan]

"I don't mean to rain on you parade"... seriously dude? I also have added a 64 to my bag and love it. scores have actually dropped about two strokes a round. Also Ben I think theres more than one way to do things.

[Ben]

Sure, my way, or the wrong way! hahahahaa

[tarheelsfan]

Yeah... ok

[Cizzle]

Phil had five (yes five!) wedges in the Colonial tournament, including a 64. If it works for you, that's great. I find myself still hitting thin on a 60*. The only problem with having an X-wedge is you now must take out a valuable club (before the argument with four wedges was either a Lob Wedge or a 2 iron/hybrid/5 wood.) What did you take out if you mind me asking? It had to be an iron I'm guessing.

[tarheelsfan]

Can't speak for subpar but i took nothing i just hit a cut 3 wood in place of 5 wood

[iacas]

I rarely use my 60, and I think that for almost every amateur, a 64 is overkill. Phil might use one, but you don't play the greens and rough that Phil plays either.

In other words, I agree with Ben.

But not everyone's the same, so if it works for you, more power to you.

[JKilgore44]

I don't believe that I will ever carry a 64. I only use my 60 once or twice a round. I believe that if you're facing so many shot from 30yds in that you can justify buying a 64, you should be able to justify moving to the back tee-box.

Do as you wish as long as it works for you. Personally I would much rather have the 2-iron or hybrid. Really the only wedge I need is my trusty ole 56. Carry the 60 for insurance

[sonicblue]

I'm not comfortable with judging long rolls and often use my 60 and fly the ball farther, while a better player would likely let a 56 roll out, or even use a PW or such. However, I'm a big proponent of, it's easier to judge roll than flight, so I think a 64 is overkill. Fine if it works for you now, but I think it's better to learn how to hit with less-than-aggressive swings in the long term.

[jmurdock]

I know a lot of people have trouble with so-called "lob wedges" but I find my 60° an indispensable scoring tool when I am 40-80 yards out. But I have a little trouble controlling it with shots from 5-30 yards. Part of the trouble is I have to swing it so gently that I have a little trouble hitting the shot on my chosen line, so I had been thinking of trying a 64°, which I did this morning.

Why dont you try taking the club back half way (50%) and swing "aggressive". Not every shot has to be a full shot. I hit my 58* 100 yards max. Once i get inside that distance, my swing gets shorter but no less "aggressive". I can also keep it on my chosen line easier.

[Ghetto P]

Pelz has a pretty compelling argument for dropping the long irons and adding more wedges.

You semi pro plus handicap types probably aren't missing greens that much and play an entirely different game from a double digit duffer. My game requires all the help I can get from 100 yds and in. Honestly, I could get rid of all my clubs except the driver, 8 iron and wedges and shoot about the same as I do now. And yeah, I left the putter out on purpose. I'd sink just as many using my driver.

[SubPar]

Pelz has a pretty compelling argument for dropping the long irons and adding more wedges.

Apprently, Pelz, Woods, Mickelson, Furyk,

et al just don't get it. They should take the advice of "experts" who think the game is all about hitting the ball far. I can't figure out why they bother with those lofted wedges.

You semi pro plus handicap types probably aren't missing greens that much ...

Exactly. If someone has the skills to get by without them, fine. But most of us in the 7-12 handcap range rely on our short game to score well. Most people with higher handicaps lack the confidence and swing to hit lofted wedges consistently. That's why you hear about all the guys who hit them thin. To take a decent cut and hit a wedge up softly you have to be able to trust it and stay down through the shot.

I don't mean to rain on your love-affair, ...

Rain? Not even a brief shower. I just won some money this morning with the aid of a 20 yard shot to an elevated green that landed like a butterfly and released about two feet.

I can hit similar shots with the 60, but it is hard to hit those with no spin and keep them from running out a bit. Since most of my 10-30 yard shots are out of light rough, it is hard to hit the 60 to a sort-sided pin and make it sit right down.

...functional short-game would be "finess" not "aggression".

Poor choice of words on my part. I just mean I can swing a little more freely and release the club head down the line better with the added loft.

Phil had five (yes five!) wedges in the Colonial tournament, including a 64. .

Silly Phil.

What did you take out if you mind me asking? It had to be an iron I'm guessing.

I have decided to take the 4i hybrid out for now. I can take some off my 5 wood and get a little more out of my 5 hybrid for the inbetween distance.

SubPar

[iacas]

Apprently, Pelz, Woods, Mickelson, Furyk,

Seems to me you misread what he said. Or I'm mis-reading what you're saying as disagreeing with the passage you quoted.

Silly Phil.

Again, if it works for you, great.

But comparing your game to that of Phil Mickelson's is pretty silly. I'm glad the club works for you, but the odds are your game is very, very different from Phil's, so saying "Phil does it, so I do too" as rationale is silly. Particularly since, as I said, you don't play greens like Phil plays. You likely never have a shot like the one he played at The Memorial last year (the full swing that went about four feet from the back of the 18th green). If it works, that's all the reasoning you need. Don't cite Phil's playing of a 64 as support for your decision.

[SubPar]

Seems to me you misread what he said. Or I'm mis-reading what you're saying as disagreeing with the passage you quoted.

It's called .*

But comparing your game to that of Phil Mickelson's is pretty silly.

* See above.

The 60 is pretty handy, but for anyone who can hit it, the 64 is even better. For anyone interested in the subject... Why You Need a Lob Wedge Dave Pelz answers common lob wedge questions and says you should put a 60-degree club in your bag SubPar

[golf_junkie27]

Subpar,

Is there much of a difference between the bounce of your 60 and 64? I only ask because I saw Pelz on TV, this morning, speaking about this very subject. He said that your SW should have a lot of bounce, the 60 and 64 should have very little. However, he was not specific to a number.

[SubPar]

Subpar,

It is stock now and I plan to take the bounce down a bit. I'm not sure what it is at the moment, but I can tell I want to halve the bounce it has now.

(WARNING: exaggeration to illustrate a point, coming up) I want this one built so I can slide it under a ball on a hardwood floor. If the lie demands bounce, I'll use the 56° or 60°. I'm guessing about 3-4 degrees would be good. SubPar

[young_gun_921]

iacas, you made the same point in two straight posts. how many shots do you have around the green during an 18? how many do you have from 230? so would you rather have a extra weapon in your bag to give you more options around the greens, where you can save shots? or have a hybrid for the 230 distance you will have once a round? i think the answer is pretty easy. ill take the 64 all day long over a silly hybrid. and i think the majority will agree.