Wedges, match to iron set or not?

[Puttin4Bird]

What's the general concensus on wedges and whether or not they should match your iron set?

I don't necessarily think they have to but in my case, I have Nike Pro Combo irons, 1 Nike wedge now and I'm thinking of adding 1 more wedge, I like my Nike wedge so I'll probably get another, what do you guys think of matching wedges to your set?

[pingman360]

yep... my wedges match my irons (for now), but i think i might get the PING M/B wedges but i am happy with the ISI's for now

[DDBowdoin]

I like to stick with one brand for my wegdes, this gives me a good feel for all my wedges... mixing brands can produce strange results as different manufacturers use different materials and processes for creating their wedges...

now in terms of matching looks it doesn't matter to me, I have chrome 735cm's and oil can vokey wedges... my personal touch I guess

[pingman360]

I like to stick with one brand for my wegdes, this gives me a good feel for all my wedges... mixing brands can produce strange results as different manufacturers use different materials and processes for creating their wedges...

i agree about the brands i think that its an important to have all of the same brands

[FAHooGolfs]

Not necessarily... I've really found a wedge I love in my Cleveland CG10 Black Pearl.... if only their 52 degree wedge had less bounce, I'd have that one too. As it is, I needed a low 50's wedge with low bounce for my usual course and Mizuno was one of the only companies that had one. I do like both of them a lot.

[Maverick]

I believe the shoe should match the foot. I grew up with Cleveland wedges and look no further. I play Callaway x-14 PS. Aesthetically the Cleveland's just look and feel perfect and why fix what ain't broke.

[slimeberry]

Wedges should match your game, not your set. Wedges are all about feel.

Most pitching wedges match an iron set because the majority of people use them like an iron, to get it close to the pin, not really as a scoring club. So, yea, that makes sense. However, from hacks to pros, people have "non matching" wedges in their bag.

I used to play Ping Driver, Callaway Fairway Wood, Nike Hybrid, Callaway Irons, Cleveland Wedges, and White Hot Putter. Talk about a mixed bag, but it felt right for me at the time.

Visit Golf Digest's web site and look in the "What's In My Bag" archives. Many players use different wedges from their iron sets, even the guys w/ mega contracts.

*Geoff Ogilvy uses forged Cobra irons and Vokey wedges (all Titleist, I know).
*Jim Furyk uses both Srixon and Vokey wedges.
*Tiger just recently (past few years) switched from Vokey wedges to Nike to "match" his set (although I bet Bob Vokey forged them for him. Just a guess.)
*Callaway's wedges leave much to be desired, but because of his contract, Phil uses them. His, however, were forged by Roger Cleveland. If it wasn't for Phil being Phil, his wedges would say Cleveland like everyone elses.

Use what you like. One of the many differences between the pros and the rest of us is that we pay to use our clubs. They GET PAID to use theirs, so of course most of them have matching clubs (but not all).

If you like Nike, get Nike, but don't get it because the rest of your clubs say Nike.

I would also suggest getting fitted. Most people don't think about this with wedges, but it is actually the most important. With a mis-hit, the higher the loft, the more off it will be.

Good luck.

[Wood]

I believe that brand loyalty vs. feel should solely lean toward feel of the club. I guess that is why my bag looks like a garage sale....

[jeffgladchun]

I think its more important to keep the brand of your wedges the same, whether or not they're made by the same manufacturer as your irons. I happen to play Vokey's along with Titleist irons, but I used to play Cleveland wedges.

[iacas]

I think its more important to keep the brand of your wedges the same, whether or not they're made by the same manufacturer as your irons. I happen to play Vokey's along with Titleist irons, but I used to play Cleveland wedges.

As a general rule, yeah, what he said. And no, the finish need not be the same, either. But I could pretty easily interchange two 54 degree wedges I have (a RAC Y-Cutter and the one in my bag now, the Vokey Spin-Milled Oilcan) without any problem. But I use the Vokeys because it matches my lob wedge (60 degrees), which has 4 degrees of bounce. The RAC 60 has 6 degrees and I could never get used to it.

Wedges are some of the most personal items in the bag, so limiting yourself in any way (matching to your iron set OR to each other) is potentially a dumb move.

[DDBowdoin]

I wasn't supporting having all the same clubs through your whole set, what I meant was sticking to one brand for just your wedges... because as I said before different companies use different materials and other methods of making their wedges... which can make a hell of a situation when your wedges have their own unique texture and feel...

if you play nike irons and vokey wedges whatever, wasnt trying to convey brand allegiance throughout your entire set

[Puttin4Bird]

Thanks for all the great responses fellas, I feel that you're all right and I need to worry more about what works than what matches my iron set.

Interesting bit on the fitting for wedges, I never thought of that as an option, I think I'll have to look into it.

Again, thanks guys!!

[tyrath25]

I play TaylorMade Irons, have a TM rac 56 and a Ping M/B 60. This would point to me not caring about my wedges matching...but I rarely use my 60...I'm afraid of it.

[Puttin4Bird]

I rarely use my 60...I'm afraid of it.

Did you happen to have a bad experience with a 60 degree wedge as a child?

My problem is choosing the right time to use each wedge I have. Other times I need to just leave the #*@% wedges in the bag and use an 9 iron or something but low and behold....I think practice helps? I've heard that, maybe I should try it?

[slimeberry]

No problem. And, yes, do look into getting fitted for your wedges.

I's funny. With a driver, fairway wood, etc. we think of how just a slight mis-hit will send our tee shot slicing right or pulling left. It's true, but the reason it is such a dramatic error is because the ball is traveling 250 yds. plus. The smallest mis-hit could be big trouble because the longer the ball is in flight, the more off target it is tracking. Really, most people would be ahead of the game if they demoed different drivers, but most people really don't need to be "fitted".

Everyone should be fitted for their irons, as lie angle and shaft length could potentially make a huge difference in solid contact.

Wedges, however, are even more important. Scores are made around the greens and wedges are usually the weapons of choice. Wedges, when mis-hit, don't seem to take off right or left as badly because they are only traveling 1/4 of the distance of a driver, or less. Less time in the air means it will not fly 80 yards right or left. But, imagine if a shanked wedge could travel 250 yards plus. How far off would it be then?

The best way to get a visual on how important it is to be fitted for wedges is this...

Take a driver, fairway wood, even a 4 iron. Hold the face of the club up with your left hand and with your right hand, place the shaft of another club up to the sweet spot of the face of the club you are holding and look at the ball flight. The shaft represents the flight of the ball on a well hit shot. Now put the shaft a little to the heel or toe of the club. Notice how slightly the ball flight changes.

Now try the same exercise w/ a wedge. You will instantly notice how much more the ball flight changes on a mis-hit wedge. The higher the loft, the more ball flight is altered on a poorly struck shot. Even though the ball isn't traveling as far, imaging how much that affects trying to stick it from 80 yards.

Most pro shops don't charge for club fittings. My new Vokey wedges needed to be 2.o upright and 1" longer than standard. Sure I had to wait a week or so to get them in, but I can already tell a difference. Spinning a 56.o SW back into the cup for eagle on our #8 par 5 felt pretty good too. Did that for the first time ever last Thursday!!!

Every shot won't look like Phil, but it really does make a difference. Good luck w/ your decision.

[DDBowdoin]

I disagree... I know this is a wedge section thingy but getting "fitted" for a driver is an important process. Mainly because shaft technology rules... weight, flex point, tourque, these are things we arent able to process in our brain comparing club to club because we have natural biases... flashy vs boring club... etc etc, you know how many people play the NV because it is green? You'd be suprised... especially the NVS (its orange, people love that...) anywho, launch monitors are a huge resource to compare shaft/loft combinations... its more important than you think

[Guest]

I recently got a lesson from a past touring pro. He let me use his wedges for the lesson. They were the Titleist Vokey Mill Spun 56 (sand wedge)and 60 (lob wedge) degree wedges. I could'nt believe how good they felt. I searched for used ones and found them for around $60.

I looked at my bag and it has Ping Driver, Callaway 4+ and 7 woods, ping irons of 6 though wedge, knock off Ping hybrids of 19 degree (3 iron), 22 degree (4 iron), and 25 degree (5 iron).

So, with all that said, my bag is a myriad of manufacturers. I will say this is the first time I have a split type of bag. I hope it's a sign of becoming wiser.

Good Luck.

Sparky

[Open-Faced Club Sandwedge]

So at some point hopefully soon, I'll be ordering a new set of irons. I plan to get fitted so I haven't made any firm decisions yet, but from reading/research I'm leaning towards the Cobra S9's. I have a hybrid 4, so I think I'll buy my iron set as 5-9 iron, pitching wedge, and possibly more wedges (gap, sand, maybe lob).

So here's my question: is it better to have all my wedges match my irons, or go for separate wedges, such as the Titleist Vokeys that seem to be extremely popular among members here.

I would think that for full-swing approach shots, if I'm using S9 irons for example, it would be good to have S9 wedges, so I'd have consistent feel, playing characteristics, and yardage gaps all the way through to my shortest club. For short-game shots around the green, I would think it wouldn't matter if they matched my irons, and I should just use whatever will give me the best control of the ball.

What other factors are there to consider? I think I like the idea of a set that is as consistent as possible from my 5-iron all the way through my sand wedge, since accuracy on shorter approach shots seems to be a crucial part of making more pars. But I'd like to hear more opinions before making any purchasing decisions.

-Andrew