Wedge question...

[Danny Noonan]

I'm somewhat of a novice, but I really enjoy working with my wedges and I'm getting quite decent with them. Right now I have Cleveland 54 with medium bounce and a Cleveland 60 with medium bounce. I've loved these wedges, but I may try some new wedges, as the Titleist Vokey Spin Milled look very tempting. I am planning on getting a 52, 56, and 60. I have two questions.

First, should I go with very little bounce on the 52 and 60 and more bounce on the 56?

Second, should I even consider a 64? I am really intrigued with the idea of using a 64. I've been training with a pro and he says no need for it. I'm still intrigued, though.

All discussion is greatly appreciated.

[Stacey_E]

Second, should I even consider a 64? I am really intrigued with the idea of using a 64. I've been training with a pro and he says no need for it. I'm still intrigued, though.

Come to the dark side. Good players will tell you that they don't need one. They are right. They don't need one, as they can open the face on a wedge. You don't need one as it will cost you more strokes than it saves....for a time. It is definately a speciality club. I would not say it is a worthless club. But I realize 99.44% of the golfers will disagree with me. It really is a 14th club. I wouldn't make it a priority.

And to your first question..... JMHO it is a good idea to have a variety of bounces in your wedges. My personal preference, though it might not fit your swing or course conditions, is....mid bounce AW, high bounce SW, low bounce LW.

[Hidalgo]

I've been training with a pro and he says no need for it. I'm still intrigued, though.

You're paying a professional.....and won't follow his recommendations?

Seriously..."most" players will waste more strokes with a 64* wedge (or a 60* for that matter) than they will save. As for the bounce discussion (again).....most amateurs will do better with high bounce wedges. I'm referring to 12* & 14* bounce angles. The only time that this will cause you a problem is with a VERY tight lie in extremely firm hardpan or other situation where there is a lack of turf. If your home course usually produces those situations, then you might want to look into a 4*-6* bounce sand wedge. But bear in mind that the low bounce will likely cause you problems in softer (normal) situations unless you are very good at nipping the ball off the grass.

[David in FL]

I agree with both statements! The difficulty of hitting high lofted wedges notwithstanding, by adding wedges you're making your own decision making process around the green that much more difficult. Keep it simple and get comfortable with a couple of shots with a couple of clubs and you'll have fewer things that you can screw up!

[denver_nuggs_15]

I agree with

Having more wedges makes it more complicated around the greens for sure. I'm sure for better players, it's lessened to a degree, but for a 28 handicap, it could be an issue. And 64* wedges are very hard to hit for anyone especially a higher handicap player.

The loft of your PW is 46* I think. If you add a 52* wedge, that's 6* of gap. Then 4* between the rest of your wedges. IMO, that's not very evenly spaced. A combo of 50*, 54*, 58* or a 50*, 55*, 60* would fill the gaps better. If you plan to hit your gap wedge mostly from the fairway, I'd recommend getting a matching G10 UW. It will keep your gaps very consistent and will give you added forgiveness. I never use my UW (I have the i10s) from around the greens, so I decided to buy the matching one for my set. It gives me enough forgiveness from the fairway. IMO, you should do the same if you are in a similar situation. The PING wedges have about 6* of bounce I think. As for the SW and LW, I like about 8*-10* of bounce on my wedges that I use around the greens. It lets me open them up a bit, but still allows for enough bounce from the sand. For a higher handicap, I'd recommend higher bounce wedges. Say a sand wedge with 12* and LW with 8* of bounce.

[Danny Noonan]

Thanks, guys. Excellent advice.

And generally, I listen and do everything my pro says. We have not had an opportunity for a more in depth discussion on it. I just asked him once about it and he was very dismissive, without giving me much explanation on it. I really just wanted other advice before I spend much more time or money discussing it with my pro.

Thanks again.

[Shorty]

Thanks, guys. Excellent advice.

Be glad that he didn't spend time you are paying for trying to explain that only a handful (if that) PGA pros use a 64 wedge. If you can't open up the face of a 60 degree wedge on the one occasion in 100 rounds where a 64 wedge might be handy but not essential, you've got problems. Ask him why you shouldn't get a 6.5 degree driver and he'll be equally dismissive. It's a question that doesn't need answering.