Buying a SW

[mkrosal]

I’m looking to buy my first SW and I can’t decide which direction to go. I don’t want to spend more than $50 at this point because I’m just starting out. My dilemma is whether to buy a cheaper brand new SW, opposed to a used higher end club. Right now I’m looking into purchasing either a brand new Tom Watson wedge/Tour Edge TGS wedge for $40 or a used Cleveland CG10 for the same price. Does anyone have any opinions on buying used wedges? I’ve read that these clubs are usually the ones that get worn down the fastest. Also, any other ideas for a decently priced SW?

[clearwaterms]

will you be using this club for anything more then chips and getting out of the sand? Will you use the club from 80 yards, etc? The reason I ask is because if you are you might want to pick a club that has some GI features. cavity back sandwedges do exist. I have a set of Acer XC wedges from Hireko that I absoulutly love. They have a traditional profile but have a small cavity type back that makes them more forgiving. My 56 degree sandwedge is my goto club inside of 80 yards and I probably use it 10+ times a round. You can have the club built to order on Hireko's website and should be able to get it for around $40.

http://www.hirekogolf.com/hireko/ord...1208/0/0/0/0/0

[LaPuzza]

I agree that it depends on use. I bought a GI sandwedge and I never use it. I use my SW only for short shots (chips, pitches) and the giant, near hybrid size of what I got didn't work for me. I'm more of a slice through the rough/sand guy than power through.

[plark]

You can get some used Titleist Vokey off Global Golf for pretty cheap..And that also what Callaway X Tour Wedges which are pretty decent.

[mkrosal]

  LaPuzza said:

I agree that it depends on use. I bought a GI sandwedge and I never use it. I use my SW only for short shots (chips, pitches) and the giant, near hybrid size of what I got didn't work for me. I'm more of a slice through the rough/sand guy than power through.

I would like to make it an all-around club. Play it from within 100 yards and out of the sand.

[clearwaterms]

  mkrosal said:

I would like to make it an all-around club. Play it from within 100 yards and out of the sand.

are you a pretty consistent ball striker? Do you hit a pitching wedge decently? one thing to keep in mind is that a sandwedge will usually have alot of bounce on it, and it can be difficult to use it on full swings especially this time of year when the ground is hard (this is at least my finding). Its not impossible, but i don't generally take big divots to begin with either.

[zeg]

I have a Tom Watson 56 deg SW and like it pretty well. My only complaint is that the gunmetal finish came off more or less the moment I hit sand with it, but I'm not too concerned with aesthetics so I don't see that as a big deal. I love it for chipping, and full swings were really easy with it. I compared it with a new Cleveland wedge in the shop and liked the feel a lot better. It was fairly light, so I'd suggest at least hitting your options in a shop before buying if you have the opportunity.

[mkrosal]

  clearwaterms said:

are you a pretty consistent ball striker? Do you hit a pitching wedge decently? one thing to keep in mind is that a sandwedge will usually have alot of bounce on it, and it can be difficult to use it on full swings especially this time of year when the ground is hard (this is at least my finding). Its not impossible, but i don't generally take big divots to begin with either.

I'm pretty decent for a beginner. I love hitting with my pitching wedge. I've been told to get something with a lot of bounce since i'm a novice. The Tom Watson club i'm looking at is 56.16 so its pretty high bounce.

[teamgs]

A lot of bounce will help the wedge glide through the sand. However, a lot of bounce also can tend to make the club skip across the sand if it is thin and heavy. It can also make the club harder to hit off of thin lies when not in the sand.

I would say to get a SW with some GI features, around 54-56 deg loft, and an average amount of bounce.

Have you looked for the SW to match your set? I found one on EBAY for $30, used.

http://cgi.ebay.com/mactec-nvg2-macg...ec+Nvg2+phrase

Good Luck!

Gary

[mkrosal]

Thank you all for the advice. I ended up picking up a CG10 Black Pearl for 30 bucks in pretty good condition. Now on to my next club . . . 3 Wood. Any suggestions? are Tour Edge Bazooka's any good?

[bgsworld]

  mkrosal said:

I would like to make it an all-around club. Play it from within 100 yards and out of the sand.

your just getting started and you can hit a sand wedge 100yards...wow, thats raw power!

[plark]

  mkrosal said:

I would like to make it an all-around club. Play it from within 100 yards and out of the sand.

You wanna play ur sw from 100 yards away? holy hell lol

[teamgs]

A 100 yard SW is about average for a longer hitter. Mine used to go right at 100-105 yards. The harder I swung, the higher I hit it, but not really any farther. It seems to be going in the 95 range right now, as I have been trying to dial back my swing a little to start hitting my irons a little more consistantly straight, not just far. :D

Gary

[bIGwIRE]

  mkrosal said:

Thank you all for the advice. I ended up picking up a CG10 Black Pearl for 30 bucks in pretty good condition. Now on to my next club . . . 3 Wood. Any suggestions? are Tour Edge Bazooka's any good?

That was a good buy, imo. I was going to suggest buying a better grade, but used, club, so I'm glad you did. Should work for the majority of shots within 100 yds.

Now with the 3 wood... how much are you looking to spend? Will you be using this 3 wood off the tee at all, or just from the deck? Also, I noticed that your bag contains a 3 iron and a 4 hybrid, which are basically the same yardage... with the 3 wood being the only club between that and your driver. Have you considered an easier to hit 4 wood? Or are you planning to add a 5 wood or 2 or 3 hybrid later on? Give a little more info and we can help more.

[HappyG]

  teamgs said:

A lot of bounce will help the wedge glide through the sand. However, a lot of bounce also can tend to make the club skip across the sand if it is thin and heavy. It can also make the club harder to hit off of thin lies when not in the sand.

That is what I was going to suggest.

I have struggled out of the sand and couldn't reliably use my sw around the green. When I bought my last set , I also got the matching GW and SW. It has saved me around 8 strokes.

[mkrosal]

  bIGwIRE said:

That was a good buy, imo. I was going to suggest buying a better grade, but used, club, so I'm glad you did. Should work for the majority of shots within 100 yds.

Well the way i'm building my bag i'm trying not to spend more on one club than i did for the set of irons, driver,hybrid, and putter which was only $125. so i'm thinking anywhere from $50-$75ish. Honestly right now i suck with the hybrid so i'm working on the irons. I'm thinking for right now I just want to get a 3 wood and maybe a 5 wood or 2/3 hybrid down the line. I've been talking to someone about a Tour Edge Bazooka HL 3 wood that needs to be regripped. He wants $35 for it but i'm sure he'd take less, imo thats a pretty decent deal for now.

[teamgs]

Here is the MacTec NVG2 3 wood used:

http://cgi.ebay.com/MacGregor-MacTec...d=p3286.c0.m14

http://cgi.ebay.com/MacGregor-MacTec...d=p3286.c0.m14

Gary

[bIGwIRE]

I looked around a little on E-bay... I'm sure you could find alot of simmilar, but here are a few in your price range.

Callaway Diablo, Callaway 2008 X, Nike Sasquatch Sumo2, Callaway Diablo stiff flex, Adams rpm lp,

Just look around a little before you decide. The tour edge you're looking at is a pretty decent club imo, but I would still look around.