4 Wedges?

[mikelaw]

PW-SW-LW at the MOST if you ask me. Different strokes for different folks but the best players I have seen/played with used minimal for wedges. Shotmakers usually don't need 4 wedges in their bags. They punch sw's, flop pw's, run lw's....for me, wedges are all about trajectory.

When I see a shot in my head the last thing I think about is yardage!

On a different note, I think most golfers use wedges that are TOO LONG for their game. My wedges are all about 33" or so because I NEVER hit full shots with them and I stand more hunched ala-putting style. Why would my wedges be 35" if I choke them down 2-3" for every shot?

[moshdirtjumpr]

I just have a pitching wedge and a 56 sand wedge. I rarely use my pitching wedge. I have learned how to use my sand wedge at many different distances and it is more consistant.

[AXE]

Currently I carry 4, trying to only carry three so I can put the 4 iron back in the bag. A little help would be very helpful thanx

Option #1:
58* LW 8*bounce
53* SW 10* bounce(bent from 54*)
48* PW(bent from 47*)
all irons bent 1*weak
25* 4 iron would be my longest iron in the bag

Option#2:
58* LW 8* bounce
54* SW 11* bounce
50* GW 8* bounce
46* PW(bent from 47*)
all irons bent 1*strong
4 iron out of the bag
26*5 iron would be my longest iron

Note:
24* hybrid is in my bag 210yrds
currently I hit my 27* 5 iron 190yrds
Mentally 60*wedges just don't work for me.

[pherg]

PW, 52/8, 56/8 and 60/4.

I'd recommend getting a 60˚ even if it's just to practice with, my confidence with all my wedges improved dramatically after hitting a lot of shots with the 60˚. When you hit a lot of shots with a 60˚ you'll be amazed how easy a 56˚ looks to hit when you're standing over a clutch shot.

[MattljDuke]

I carry either 3 or 4 wedges depending on the course. I really like having different loft/bounce options.

My biggest gap is between 3W and 3I, so if I anticipate I'll need a 200-220 approach shot (doesn't happen often) I'll take the 60 wedge out and throw in the 3H. Otherwise, I love carrying 4 wedges.

47 low bounce, 52 high bounce, 56 high bounce, 60 low bounce.

[ZachO]

I have four wedges (p, 52, 56 and 60) and i use each wedge about 3 times a round. This amout is the right for me i wouldnt have any more or any less.

[Waku]

I do like to have mi distances well covered inside 110 yards (100 meters), but also I do like to carry my 3-iron for the ocasional par-3 or piercing shots, and my 3 and 5 woods, so I do the following to carry 14 clubs :

- Carry 3-9 irons and GW 50º, SW 56º, LW 60º
- Ditch the 46º PW
- With a complete and 3/4 finesse swings, I have the following distances

9 iron : 110 and 100 yards
Not 46º PW
50º GW : 90 and 80 yards
56º SW : 70 and 60 yards
60º LW : 50 and 40 yars

and all inside 40 yards is pitching (mostly with the 50º), chipping (56º) and special shots (60º)

It´s important for me not only to have well-covered distance gaps, but also to have all the tools in the bag. In fact some times I don´t use once or twice a round the 3-iron or the 60º LW, but I don´t like not making a shot because I miss a club.

[jorruss]

Tom Kite and Dave Pelz (among others) have made the 4 wedge system popular, but most people will do best with 2 or 3 wedges max. Using 4 wedges effectively requires lots of practice and discipline.

I have experimented with the 4 wedge system. I now carry a PW(48), SW(53), SW(58) and LW(62). The biggest issues people have using 4 wedges are the same issues I struggle with. Number one is simply knowing what wedge to hit in a given situation. From 90-100 yards for example, I can hit a full 58, but I can also hit a half swing 53 or hit a 62 really hard. It depends on the situation and conditions. The 62 will go high and spin a lot, and the 53 will come in low without much spin. Sometimes I make the wrong choice and hit a poor shot. Indecision in golf is not good for your score.

The other issue is distance control. Most mid to high handicappers will struggle with distance control from one wedge to another. Because they make inconsistent ball contact, a 4 wedge system will just confuse and frustrate you.

If your handicap is 10 or higher, don't even bother with 4 wedges, it will probably just lead to inconsistency in your short game. If your handicap is 15 or higher, stick with 2 wedges. A standard PW and a 56 or 54 degree SW is fine. Once your handicap comes down and you learn to hit a variety of shots and you can control how far you hit your wedges, you can add another and experiment.

[David in FL]

I really think it depends on the courses you regularly play. If they (or the tees from which you play) tend to be short enough that you're seldom hitting anything more than a short or mid-iron into a green, you might be able to afford to forgo a longer iron or a hybrid in favor of another wedge. But remember, the more choices you have, the more likely it is that you'll make the wrong choice too!

I personally prefer 3 wedges......47*, 52*, and 56*. I can do anything with the sw that I can do with a more lofted wedge and it allows me to keep a 3 iron in the bag in addition to 2 hybrids. The 3 iron gives me flighting options and workability that I don't get with hybrid. For me, that's worth more than yet another wedge. Of course, YMMV.

[David in FL]

  jorruss said:

Tom Kite and Dave Pelz (among others) have made the 4 wedge system popular, but most people will do best with 2 or 3 wedges max. Using 4 wedges effectively requires lots of practice and discipline.

It's funny. The golfers that I see carrying 4, more often than not are the ones that are probably most hurt by doing so!

Just because they're called scoring clubs, doesn't necessarily mean that more of them will improve your score!

[jorruss]

Agreed! Fewer wedges in the bag affords us to put in another hybrid or long iron in the bag, or as I have tried in the past, put 2 drivers in the bag! I carried a "normal" 45 inch driver for more accuracy and a 48 inch driver for distance. The problem was, I always wanted to hit the 48 inch driver!

[ScruffyScraper]

The numbers on the soles of today's irons have virtually nothing in common with the numbers on the soles of irons when numbers replaced the names like jigger, mashie, niblick, etc. This matters when choosing wedges.


These are the published standard lofts for the iron set that I played in 1980 (left) compared to my present Mizunos (right):
1-iron: 18° na
2-iron: 20° na
3-iron: 23° 21°
4-iron: 26° 24°
5-iron: 30° 27°
6-iron: 34° 30°
7-iron: 38° 34°
8-iron: 42° 38°
9-iron: 47° 42°
PW: 52° 47°
SW: 58° na

My modern pitching wedge, like all others, is a true nine iron, pure and simple. If I were to just add a sand wedge, I'd be playing without a pitching wedge.

[Fourputt]

Even though there are 4 wedges in my bag, I mostly play a 2 wedge system. My AP2 PW is 47° so it's more like what used to be a 9I. I just use it as my 10 iron for practicality. My SW is just that, a sand wedge and gets used 99.99999% of the time in greenside bunkers.

The only true "wedges" in my bag are the Callaway X Tour 52° and 58°. The 52° is my primary chipping club and the 58° is for when I need to get the ball up over trouble (bunker, rough, etc.) and set it down soft, usually when I've short sided myself.

[ScruffyScraper]

  Fourputt said:

Even though there are 4 wedges in my bag, I mostly play a 2 wedge system. My AP2 PW is 47° so it's more like what used to be a 9I. I just use it as my 10 iron for practicality. My SW is just that, a sand wedge and gets used 99.99999% of the time in greenside bunkers.

Incredible! I wrote almost the identicle thing on the "wedge loft" thread. It must make sense then! _________________________________ "47° / 53° / 58° ----plus a dedicated sand iron Four wedges in what I think of in my mind as just a two-wedge system. 47° was a nine iron for most of my linkster life. It's different for younger players who grew up with modern strong-lofted irons. With my matched irons, 5-PW is 4-9 to me. I played with the classic lofts for too long not to think in the older loft / number correlations. The sand iron isn't really a part of the wedge loft progression; it's a shot-specific utility club. So in my mind, it's a 53° pitch/chip wedge and a 58º pitch/lob wedge. "

[Fourputt]

  ScruffyScraper said:

Incredible! I wrote almost the identicle thing on the "wedge loft" thread. It must make sense then!

Great minds think alike.

[SubPar]

  uttexas said:

...

I carry a 64° and use it often. It all depends on your game, but I can hit the 64° any where from 5 to 65 yards and drop it straight down. And it is great for short sided sand shots.

SubPar