Wedge choices

[darkhunter139]

I want to get a new 52-54 degree wedge and I am trying to decide what kind to get.  The Cleveland CG 15 series ones look pretty nice, do you guys think they are worth the price? Its about $120 per wedge at dicks.

[Shindig]

Originally Posted by darkhunter139

I want to get a new 52-54 degree wedge and I am trying to decide what kind to get.  The Cleveland CG 15 series ones look pretty nice, do you guys think they are worth the price? Its about $120 per wedge at dicks.

One thing you may want to do is order one (no matter which brand you go with).  I wish I had done this with my wedges:  I have no idea why I thought it would be OK to just pick up the wedges I wanted off the shelf, with S400 shafts of standard length, when my irons are a lighter shaft (both in weight and flex) and shorter.

I've heard great things about Cleveland's wedges.  One of my best friends has 12 TaylorMade clubs in his bag;  they are above and beyond his favorite manufacturer of golf clubs.  I say this to add that only his sand wedge (Cleveland) and putter (Yes!) vary.   That was the key thing for me to know they're quality -- if my friend was willing to not get a TaylorMade sand wedge to go with his Driver through AW.

One thing I really like about Cleveland's wedges is the huge variety of bounce and lofts available.  It's seriously up there with the Vokey wedges for selection, whereas the two brands whose wedges I prefer (Nike and Mizuno) can be criticized - properly - for not having a big enough selection in these factors.  And this reminds me -- when you get your club (seems somewhere between a GW and SW for you), be sure to consider bounce instead of just picking whichever.

[Gerald]

This is question #786 on which wedges to choose, what brand, value, etc.....

Brands don't matter much, grooves don't matter much, lofts don't matter much, forged vs. cast doesn't matter much ...... it is all about shape/bounce/prefs/faith !

[darkhunter139]

Yeah I know I probably should have just done a search but there is a lot of threads to go through so I just posted.

How do you guys determine what bounce you choose? Is it basically just a preference based on feel or do you choose it based on the situations you will be using the club in.  I really have to go try swinging some of these soon.

[golfismyworld]

Excellent point it depends on what type of courses you generally play on a higher bounce is good for sand or elevated grass. A lower bounce is ideal for links courses where the ground is firmer. I would highly recommend the Cleveland CG15 wedges , I know Cleveland did their huge marketing campaign for year of the wedge but it really is that good. At a great price I saw them for $120 at golfclubs.com but I know you can usually find 10 or 15% discounts for that store online as well that would get that price down. Good Luck.

[xxsoultonesxx]

Bounce is a big deal depending on the conditions you play in. Here in WA, we encounter lots of soft, muddy ground, so you want all the bounce you can get to help you from chunking shots. Once the weather dries up a bit in the summer I swap out the 56/14 for a 56/10.

[WUTiger]

For details on bounce and wedges, check out Ralph Maltby's site: http://www.ralphmaltby.com/50

As for CG15, here's a quick look at recent Cleveland CG series wedges.

• CG12 and CG15 very similar: slightly smaller heads with musleback look.
• CG14 and CG16 very similar: both are slightly larger clubheads and have slight perimeter weighting. (Between the two, CG14 has golf gel insert in clubhead - something I like - whereas CG16 does not).

I carry three CG14s - and, I have CG15 fitting data in case I want to upgrade.

[max power]

Depends on what I'm most likely to be using the club for-although anything from about 7*-13* is useable in nearly all situations.  If I really want a jack of all trades wedge/bounce I'll go with 10* (which is what I have on my 54* and 58*).  If it's strictly a tight lies/firm fairways club then you could go as low as 5* or 6* bounce, and if it's strictly for bunker play, fluffy grass, etc. then 14*, 15* or 16* would work great.  Also depends on how the sole is designed/how the club opens up.  My JAWS 60* has 13* bounce, more than I usually want in a LW-but it opens up nicely and rewards an aggressive motion.

Originally Posted by darkhunter139

Yeah I know I probably should have just done a search but there is a lot of threads to go through so I just posted.

How do you guys determine what bounce you choose? Is it basically just a preference based on feel or do you choose it based on the situations you will be using the club in.  I really have to go try swinging some of these soon.

[Gerald]

Originally Posted by darkhunter139

How do you guys determine what bounce you choose? Is it basically just a preference based on feel or do you choose it based on the situations you will be using the club in.  I really have to go try swinging some of these soon.

I personally feel that most Cleveland wedges have a bit too much bounce to be allround.

8*-10* bounce I would call to be allround, good turf interaction, but a bit too less if the sand in bunkers is soft or the rough being fluffy.

4* bounce ...... better to stay away from these, even if the fairways are hardpan, because they are so easy to dig in deep.

14* (PLUS) bounce is only for bunkers with very soft white pearly sand ........ so when I see a two dot (average bounce) 14* bounce sandwedge ..... I wonder.

I our region most of the bunkers have heavy sand, sometimes wet, sometimes hard, about never soft ....... So I carry 8* bounce wedges (52 and 58), but I also have a 58/12 for courses with deep rough and/or soft sanded bunkers.

Besides that there are many styles of hitting the wedges, for instance if you are swinging steep and agressive attacking the ball, you are better off with some more bounce to prevent digging deep and If you prefer to pick up balls very neatly, you might well be using wedges with lesser bounce.

[xxsoultonesxx]

I would think about which courses you will play at. Maybe even ask the club pros at a couple courses what kind of wedge setup they are using for their courses and why. This drove me nuts when I was wedge shopping for the first time.

[WUTiger]

Quote:

... I personally feel that most Cleveland wedges have a bit too much bounce to be allround.

8*-10* bounce I would call to be allround, good turf interaction, but a bit too less if the sand in bunkers is soft or the rough being fluffy. ...

Some versions of Cleveland CG12 and CG15 wedges feature Dynamic Sole Grind (DSG). These DSG wedges have 8* bounce for lofts 52-56*, and 6* bounce for lofts 58* and above. Plus, they have sole relief - metal is removed from the heel you can open up the clubface a lot for significant working of the wedge shot. Ralph Maltby cautions that the DSGs are hard to hit for players short on practice time.

Also, several pros and clubfitters suggest having some variety in the bounce of your wedges, for different shots you might face.

I play the standard CG14 - at most I close down or open up a couple of degrees, and hit pretty much plain vanilla wedge shots.