Cavity Wedges or Blade Wedges?

[jayt0625]

I currently have 2 blade wedges, a 54* and a 58*. My PW (45*) & GW (50*)are cavity back wegdes that match my iron set. I tend to hit the blade wedges a lot shorter on full shots and have more fat or thin hits with them. With my cavity back wedges I hit them better on full shots and don't hit them fat or thin nearly as often. I am considering getting the matching 55* SW to match my irons and get a new 60* blade that has a small cavity back design but still in a full wedge design. Do you think I can still use the cavity back matching SW around the greens as well as the blade or am I gonna lose more touch around the greens? My short game is pretty good and I do save shots around the green quite well. Just worried with the cavity back SW I might lose one part of my game to make up in another part and vice versa!

Any advice?

[double_j]

I'm not an equipment expert by any means but I doubt the clubhead design (blade vs. CB) is making much of a difference. Thin or fat has nothing to do with the head, and probably has more to do with the amount of bounce in your club, the swing weight vs. your other clubs, etc, or it's possible that the difference between the two is more in your head & swing than anything else (e.g., I've played with wedges that I just could never get comfortable with, even if I couldn't pin point an exact reason).

Also - not quite on point with your original question. I wouldn't worry about a 60 degree wedge. That's a club that tends to cause more problems than it solves for anyone but the best players. I know I can't hit one full without fear of skulling it (and most of the low single digit handicappers I know tend feel the same way). How often do you need to hit a full swing 60 yard shot? If you can learn how to hit a 3/4 sand wedge and open faced SW chip then you can pretty much recreate the same shots with much more control and less risk.

As an additional benefit - getting good at playing different shots with your sand wedge will probably help to improve your short iron swing and could mitigate the questions raised in your original question

[jayt0625]

Oh I know its my head more than anything. I really like to take a nice divot on my irons and wedges when I play and I will get that occasional chunky ball with a wedge and then next shot I thin it trying not to hit it so heavy again. With the cavity backs they don't dig in as much for me and more forgiving so that is where my problem lies, not the equipment as much as it is a mental thing. I do however hit them much shorter than I should be compared to my other clubs in the bag. I know this when I play so it is fine but would be nice to get an extra 5-8 yards out of my wedges like I should be getting.

As for the 1/2 and 3/4 shots around the green I am good there with my wedge play, hence the reason I have a 54 & 58. I like having those optiosn aroudn the greens!

[TourSpoon]

I wouldn't change the wedges. The nature of the wedge is that it is not a "distance" club and they can be temperamental (especially the 60) no matter what the design. If you are trying to stretch these clubs distance wise it is easy to hit fat/thin as they are really finesse clubs. You also need to be careful of the lie with the close to the green tight lie being especially tricky with the 60. You should also get your lofts checked just to make sure they are consistent if you really feel your distances are off.

[jayt0625]

I wouldn't change the wedges. The nature of the wedge is that it is not a "distance" club and they can be temperamental (especially the 60) no matter what the design. If you are trying to stretch these clubs distance wise it is easy to hit fat/thin as they are really finesse clubs. You also need to be careful of the lie with the close to the green tight lie being especially tricky with the 60. You should also get your lofts checked just to make sure they are consistent if you really feel your distances are off.

Yeah good idea. I rarely hit them for full shots anyways but I played last nite and there were a couple of occasions where a full wedge would have been nice and instead I hit a knock down GW shot. It worked ok, not inside 10 feet so it could have been better....

[WUTiger]

With my cavity back wedges I hit them better on full shots and don't hit them fat or thin nearly as often. I am considering getting the matching 55* SW to match my irons and get a new 60* blade that has a small cavity back design but still in a full wedge design. ...

I'm just the opposite. I got my CG14 50.08 GW at Christmastime because I couldn't get any consistency out of my X20 AW (50.11).

I got a steal on the X-Forged SW after I got my X20s. My pro said I could use the SW if I just practiced with it, and he was right. Also, the GW is super. Both these clubs have smaller heads than the stock X20 wedges; smaller head helps in the rough. In your case, it looks like the opposite. Your swing may work better with higher-bounce wedges. My advice: Go with what works - add the matching wedges, or at least the 55*.

[jayt0625]

I'm just the opposite. I got my CG14 50.08 GW at Christmastime because I couldn't get any consistency out of my X20 AW (50.11).

Wow a complete opposite of me, LOL....

Yeah not sure what it is but I think I just need to stick with them and get better with them. I think I am asking for miracles. My GW is 111 yards and my SW is 93 yards so maybe I am just looking for the magic 100 yard shot. Not sure why my SW drops off so much from my GW.......

[WUTiger]

... My GW is 111 yards and my SW is 93 yards so maybe I am just looking for the magic 100 yard shot. Not sure why my SW drops off so much from my GW.......

If you get 111 and 93 consistently, who cares why? You can cover the 17-yard distance gap by choking down maybe a quarter inch on the GW. You'll be a 10 HDCP in no time!

Also, have you made up a distance card for quarter, half and 3/4 shots with your wedges?

[jayt0625]

If you get 111 and 93 consistently, who cares why? You can cover the 17-yard distance gap by choking down maybe a quarter inch on the GW. You'll be a 10 HDCP in no time!

That will take some more time and a lot more money, LOL....

Yeah for some reason on my shoter irons and wedges (PW/GW) I prefer to hit down and not really a full follow thru like my mid and longer clubs. More of a knock down punch shot but with my blade wedges I try to hit them like full shots so maybe thats a BIG reason why there doing that. I get good spin and distance control this way so maybe I just need to hit my blade wedges the same and see how that works! I don't know why or how I started hitting my short irons and wedges like this but ever since I have my scores have dropped. Got much better with distance control, ball flight and spin.....I think maybe I am worried I am gonna bury a blade or something so I tend to sweep it a bit more than down? Had a few knockdown GW shots last nite from about 100-80 that were right on the money, nice spin and distance so I think I just need to start hitting my blade wedges more like that.....

[Zeph]

It depends what you prefer really. Since I bought my first blade wedge, I've never considered a CB wedge since. They are lighter, easier to control, more suited for cutting through grass, leaves and other stuff I might find on a course. They are probably more subject to getting dug into things, so having club head control is important, knowing how to hit the ball first, how to hit the ground first etc.

About the follow through, look at the PGA tour, a lot of them don't do anything near a full follow through with any iron, especially the shorter ones. They stop and pose with the club vertical to the ground. There is really no need to wrap the club around your neck. Iacas wrote in another thread that you actually increase the speed by stopping faster. Someone did a test where someone punched at a plate. First a punch that just went on through the plate, then one that was planned to stop right after impact. The last one was the most powerful, or fastest. Doing this can also help getting the hands to lead the club, not the other way around.

[jayt0625]

It depends what you prefer really. Since I bought my first blade wedge, I've never considered a CB wedge since. They are lighter, easier to control, more suited for cutting through grass, leaves and other stuff I might find on a course. They are probably more subject to getting dug into things, so having club head control is important, knowing how to hit the ball first, how to hit the ground first etc.

Yeah that is where I learned it and tried it one day and it just seeems to have stuck with me! I love hitting a low punch that sticks with good distance control anyday! I think I need to play the ball maybe a 1/2 ball back of center and swing the same way and watch the flight.....I play the ball middle of stance from 6 iron down and about a 1/2 ball forward from 5 iron up thru my hybrids, 3 wood about 1 1/2 balls forward and driver off my left heel.......think my blades need to be a half a ball back of center or visually that way and see how it works....

[c. lassiter]

I love my Eye2's because all the clubs match from long iron to L. I never liked having a set of irons and then a completely different look and feel to the wedges - seems illogical to me.

[jayt0625]

I love my Eye2's because all the clubs match from long iron to L. I never liked having a set of irons and then a completely different look and feel to the wedges - seems illogical to me.

Wow thats good to know.....how are they out of bunkers and are you able to open the blade and hit a high flop?

[TourSpoon]

Had a few knockdown GW shots last nite from about 100-80 that were right on the money, nice spin and distance so I think I just need to start hitting my blade wedges more like that.....

jayt, this is the money shot and what better players do...keep it up.

[GaijinGolfer]

Cavity back wedges will be more forgiving than blade wedges, but with how short the shafts on wedges are it shouldnt be much of an issue.