Loft and Bounce

[ibigler]

I am in the market for a new wedge. Currently i play the following...

PW 45* 11 bounce
SW 54* 17 bounce

both are callaway diablo's and although i love these clubs, I was wondering what other wedge i should get? Looks like either a GW or a LW... What loft/bounce combo would you recommend?

Thanks

[WUTiger]

I checked the club specs for Diablo Edge online, and it lists the Edge PW as 44*. (Your sig-line seems to indicate you have an Edge PW)

If you have that high-bounce Edge SW, you might consider the Edge AW - it has 49* loft w/ 12* bounce. You would then have a loft exactly between the PW and SW. You say you like the other two, so why not split the difference?

Sometimes the stock wedges for an iron set work well, other times they don't.

[Crey23]

I am in the market for a new wedge. Currently i play the following...

Wow Huge gap!!!!!!

It really depends on where you play...the conditions of the ground and the compactness of the sand....with that said I would go with a 58* or 60* LW with some thing in the middle like an 07* bounce. Seems like you like big bounce...so you may not like 60-04 or something like that....

[ibigler]

I apologize, yes it is 44*, not 45*.
I dont neccesarily have to go with a diablo wedge, i was actually thinking about trying something new. and i've heard great things about the vokey.

so i have one vote for a LW any other opinions?

[Gerald]

44* ... that is really a strong PW (normally the about loft of a 9 iron) and 17* bounce on your SW is also very much bounce, which might be nice if your home course bunkers have really soft sand, but for most of us 10-12* bounce is sufficient.

Putting a Vokey 48* or 50* in the gap .... I don't think it will work, as a totally diffent in between club might lead to all kind of difficulties.

You could go two ways, just simply buy the in between Edge AW or you could think on kicking out your set's SW and build a set of wedges starting for your 44* PW and go for let's say 48 - 52 - 56 - 60

[James_Black]

I have the same gap as you.
I really don't see a need to fill it. Honestly unless your a big hitter you won't need one.

I vote for a lob wedge.
I have 7* is mine, doubt you need more than that but I don't think you need less either.

[ibigler]

Im assuming you meant 7 bounce. I think the club i was looking at had 10 bounce. is that right for a lob wedge?

[James_Black]

Im assuming you meant 7 bounce. I think the club i was looking at had 10 bounce. is that right for a lob wedge?

It's a lot for a lob wedge.

Some people suffer from skulling shots, if your one of them stay away from it. If not it could work for you. I'd suggest getting less bounce but your used to high bounce clubs anyway.

[WUTiger]

Since you have gotten new Edge irons recently, it will probably take most of a season for you to really get comfortable with them. To simplify things, why not go with the Edge AW for this season?

Then, if your Edge wedges don't get it done, you can switch out at Christmas time. Edge is a very popular club, so it shouldn't be too hard to sell off the "gently used" Edge wedges if you switch.

[James_Black]

Since you have gotten new Edge irons recently, it will probably take most of a season for you to really get comfortable with them. To simplify things, why not go with the Edge AW for this season?

does he need a gap wedge?

when will he use it?

[sean_miller]

does he need a gap wedge?

When he's . . . in the gap?!?!?

If his "gap" is less than 20 yards he probably doesn't really need one.

[WUTiger]

When he's . . . in the gap?!?!?

He has a 10-degree loft gap between PW and SW.

But... the PW and AW shafts are the same length (35.5") and the SW is only a quarter-inch shorter (35.25") - not a half inch. Rough planning for distance gap within a set of irons: {4* loft + half-inch shaft difference} ≈ 10 yds. distance difference. So, probably not a 20 yd. gap from PW to SW... I'm glad I got my wedges sorted out at Christmas time!

[sean_miller]

He has a 10-degree loft gap between PW and SW.

It took me a few months to settle on a wedge setup - I finally got my gap wedge bent 1.5 degrees stronger and dropped the PW. I tried to use the original muscleback PW bent to 50 degrees, but the bounce and lie angle never looked right. 9 iron to LW for me is now: 45, 50.5, 56, 60, which fill all the gaps.

[bunkerputt]

Wow. 45 degree pitching wedge. That's about what my 9-iron is at. Generally you've got two options for a wedge setup.

1. 3 wedges: I like 48, 53 and 58 for this type. It frees the bag if you want to carry a 3-iron and the 58 is an extremely flexible club. Ralph Maltby wants each wedge 1/2" shorter than the previous one. I never hit full shots with a 58 or higher, so I make this club the same length as the 53.

2. 4 wedges: I like 48, 52, 56, 60. Either the 56 and 60 are cut the same length, 48 is one inch longer than 56, 52 is 1/2" longer, or the 52, 56, and 60 are all the same length (1/2" longer than the 48).

Tip the 52 like the 48 and soft-step both the 56 and 60 to a mid-iron like a 6 or 7. Also, dont let the wedges get too short. When they do, the right elbow tends to fly away from the body which is a killer on short game shots. Plus, if you're practicing short game and putting like you should, your back will thank you that you don't have to bend over for hours. That's why I keep them within 1/2" of the PW. Regarding bounce, match it to your swing style and err on the side of more bounce. If your hands are leading pretty good, pick 10 degrees or higher with a soft grind to the leading edge. I'd recommended never going below 8 or so, unless you are a serious slider and you play from a lot of tight lies.

Those are some of the principles behind a tour quality setup. With a 45 degree PW, you've got a challenge. What did that do to the low end of your set? Is your 4-iron still around 22 or is it down to around 19 or lower? If you were hell bent on keeping the 45, I guess I'd inspect the low end, maybe drop the 4-iron or 3-iron, if you have it, and make room for 4 wedges: 48, 52, 56, 60.

Just order some OEM blades and R300, or S300 shafts depending on your preference and pay someone around $10 a club to build them all for you. You're looking at around $25 for the head, $10 for the shaft, $5 for the grip and $10 for installation, so around $50 a club. Probably quite a bargain over just getting some off the rack wedges.

[Crey23]

My setup works nicely for me...45* 50* 56* 60* I have can cover 120 - 110 - 85 - 70 yards respectively which allows me to play with distances by choking or going full swings. What I like is that I don't have to go full swings most of the time...I have found that my SW and LW I seldom go with FS. Similarly with my from 9 through GW I tend to club up and take a bit off the swing.

I did get very different lofts on my Wedges, they are 6* 7* 10* 4* respectively. I went low on the LW seeking the ability to open the face easier, but it took a very long time to get used to the bounce I used to skull 60 to 70% of shots, now is closer to 15% or so. I am still thinking about changing my LW for a 60-07 so it can match the rest of the bounces better...but I have not been able to justify the expense to myself yet.

[Gerald]

does he need a gap wedge?

That's what I thought ........

[rippedforce]

if ur already playin a 45 and 54 it doesnt seem like u would need to fill that gap. I would go with a 58 or 60. Or swap out the 54 for a 52 and 56