How to buy a wedge?

[mhenrickson]

I'm in the market for a new sand wedge. I currently have an alien sand wedge, which is fine out of the sand, but it's no good for use off the grass. My other wedges are a PW, AW, and 60 wedge. I assume the PW is 48 and the AW is 52, but I guess I don't know for sure. I do know there is a big gap between the AW and the 60. My teaching pro recommended a 56 degree/12 bounce wedge for use in both sand and off the turf.

So I guess my question is how do you test out a new wedge? Is just hitting off the simulator mat good enough? Is it like buying a new putter and just go mostly by what feels the best? Are there any specific brands/models which would be better for a high handicapper like myself?

Any help and advice would be great.

[VMAN]

some golf courses have demo clubs, including wedges. I would call around and see what is out there. A 56/12 is a pretty standard sw these days, so you're not going for anything strange or different. In fact with the correct mechanics that SW will help you tremendously in the bunkers. Personally I choose them by look and feel. When I look down at it, I want to see a sharp leading edge for some reason that instills crisper contact. Anything with a rolled or fat leading edge spells trouble for me.

[golfro]

go by feel. when i buy wedges, i take a couple quarter swings at the shop and if the weight feels about right, I just buy it.
i've never been a stickler about wedges. as long as its got grooves and as long as i'm comfortable with the weight, its a good wedge.

[sean_miller]

go by feel. when i buy wedges, i take a couple quarter swings at the shop and if the weight feels about right, I just buy it.

My only carved in stone criteria is the leading edge. If I can't chip balls in the shop off the carpet, without skulling them, it's not for me. Any wedge is good from a fluffly lie, but some are not quite as good (for me) from hardpan. I don't like a ton of bounce, but I don't want to have to perform heart surgery to get under the ball either.

[mhenrickson]

So I picked up a Cleveland CG15 56/10 wedge the other day, but am now having second thoughts. I haven't played it yet, so returning it is still an option. What I'd like to do is have a new sand wedge, that I can also use off the grass (for chipping and my 60-75 yard full swing club). My pro recommended 12 bounce, but the CG15 didn't come in a 12, so I picked the 10 over the 14.

Some questions rattling around inside my brain:

- Is 10 degrees of bounce sufficient for a sand wedge?

- Is the CG15 more geared toward better players, and maybe it's too much for me and my handicap?

- Am I going to notice any difference between the CG15 and an older model like the CG10 (which is much cheaper), or the Adams Watson wedges (again much cheaper)?

- Anything else that would help me decide, which I should take into account?

[pxc]

So I picked up a Cleveland CG15 56/10 wedge the other day, but am now having second thoughts. I haven't played it yet, so returning it is still an option. What I'd like to do is have a new sand wedge, that I can also use off the grass (for chipping and my 60-75 yard full swing club). My pro recommended 12 bounce, but the CG15 didn't come in a 12, so I picked the 10 over the 14.

From one high handicapper to another, don't worry so much about gear. Just get a cheap one that you think looks good and that matches what your pro told you to get, it's not like wedge tech has changed a ton lately. If I'd stuck with my starter set and spent the time and money that I spent upgrading my bag on lessons and practice instead, I would be a better golfer by now. The best wedge will still only get you so far.

[WUTiger]

Club designer Roger Maltby tells all about wedges in this web link:
http://www.ralphmaltby.com/50

mhenrickson,
Consider putting a What's In My Bag segment in your sig line. That way, we can tell what mix of clubs you play, and maybe come up with better suggestions.

[golfro]

So I picked up a Cleveland CG15 56/10 wedge the other day, but am now having second thoughts. I haven't played it yet, so returning it is still an option. What I'd like to do is have a new sand wedge, that I can also use off the grass (for chipping and my 60-75 yard full swing club). My pro recommended 12 bounce, but the CG15 didn't come in a 12, so I picked the 10 over the 14.

10 degrees or 12 degrees, the difference in your hands isn't goign to be noticable. hell, the difference in just about anyone's hands is barely noticable.

I use the exact same SW as you. 56/10 CG15. It's a great wedge to have. No, the CG15 is not more geared towards better players. As a matter of fact, I don't think it really matters with wedges. Wedges are wedges. No, you probably won't notice any difference between the CG15 and CG10 or CG12 or CG14 or 588. With that said, if you want to save a couple bucks, the CG10 is not a bad options. Its cheaper, it'll generate the spin...the rest of what the CG15 offers is mostly marketing "laser milled" blah blah. Like others have said, don't worry about the gear right now, its not going to make much of a difference.

[Ktrap]

I have a question you could ask yourself, what kind of swing do I have, are you a sweeper type? digger type? or somewhere inbetween? this has a great effect on what bounce you should be using. If you are a sweeper you want lower bounce if a digger higher. Did your pro actually watch you swing? How much of a divot do you take? if it's shallow your a sweeper, deeper your a digger, hope this helps.

[mhenrickson]

Thanks for the responses, all very helpful. I have no idea what type of swing I have - probably in between (?). I've been working on taking a divot, but I'm a fairly new golfer (about a year), so my consistency varies. Yes my pro has seen me swing, and he recommended the 12 bounce as kind of an in-between value to take. I did email him about the 10/12/14 bounce option and he explained the difference, but thought any would be fine for me.

Basically this thread just comes down to making a decision...I go back and forth a lot since I've never bought a new club before.

[Ktrap]

Thanks for the responses, all very helpful. I have no idea what type of swing I have - probably in between (?). I've been working on taking a divot, but I'm a fairly new golfer (about a year), so my consistency varies. Yes my pro has seen me swing, and he recommended the 12 bounce as kind of an in-between value to take. I did email him about the 10/12/14 bounce option and he explained the difference, but thought any would be fine for me. Basically this thread just comes down to making a decision...I go back and forth a lot since I've never bought a new club before.

Yea like the other posters said wedges are really about personal preference, no one over another will give you something better, untill you get better at ball striking. I would say go with the cheaper one's untill you know excatly what you like. Me personly have to have wedges with a rounded leading edge, it just seems with the straighter edge I'll tend to chunk it more.

[James_Black]

If your getting a SW, get all the bounce you can.

I've got a 14* bounce SW that I use out of the sand mostly.
it depends on what your going to be doing with it.

If you want to chip as well then go for less bounce.