44 Degree Pitching Wedge?

[coopster]

So after purchasing my JPX 800 4 - PW set I came the realization that the PW is more like a 9 iron and lofted at 44*. I am now looking to purchase some Cleveland wedges as I already had a cg15 60*. My question is this, do I need to purchase 3 more wedges so that I can fill in all the gaps? (i.e. a 48*, 52* and a 56*) Going from the 44* PW to a 52* Gap wedge, seems like a rather big jump. Would a 50* wedge and 56* SW make more sense?

Thanks in advance for any pointers you guys may have.

-Coop

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by coopster

So after purchasing my JPX 800 4 - PW set I came the realization that the PW is more like a 9 iron and lofted at 44*. I am now looking to purchase some Cleveland wedges as I already had a cg15 60*. My question is this, do I need to purchase 3 more wedges so that I can fill in all the gaps? (i.e. a 48*, 52* and a 56*) Going from the 44* PW to a 52* Gap wedge, seems like a rather big jump. Would a 50* wedge and 56* SW make more sense?

Thanks in advance for any pointers you guys may have.

-Coop

Using popular Cleveland wedge lofts as examples, consider the following after your 44* PW:
48, 54, 60 (a very common setup in pro player bags)

49, 54, 60

48, 53, 58 (I know you have a 60)

49, 54, 59 (get bent)

[Shindig]

If you go back to where you bought them, you can probably order the matching GW, which is 49 degrees. In fact, if yours was a custom order, Mizuno (used to, probably still does) serial matching, so it really looks like one set.

[coopster]

Sean - Thanks for the great advice. I just purchased  48* and 54* cg15's and I'll be taking them to palm springs this weekend!

Shindig - I didn't like the looks of the JPX 800 G and S wedges so that wasn't really an option.

Cheers,

Coop

[B of H]

I have my 9 iron at 44 degrees then a 48, 54, 60.  I hit them about 15 yards apart although I can dial them back or jump on them if needed.

[TourSpoon]

I think that you made a good move. I have been playing 48-54-60 for a few years now and really love the 54.

[coopster]

Just got back from Palm Springs and the clubs worked out fantastic. The 48 degree was great for approaches of 115 and under and really got some great spin on the ball. The 54* sand wedge got a bit more use than I would have liked but really popped the ball out the bunkers (which happened to be incredibly nice at La Quinta Dunes).

Thanks for all of the advice everybody!

-Coop

[BallMarker]

I've been looking for a Cleveland or Vokey 44 degrees pitching wedge.

Do they not make these, anymore?

[Shindig]

13 minutes ago, BallMarker said:

I've been looking for a Cleveland or Vokey 44 degrees pitching wedge.

Do they not make these, anymore?

Titleist doesn't make Vokeys in 44 degrees (lowest loft is a 46), although you might be able to get one two degrees weak.  I don't know enough about clubs to know what this would do the performance of that club.   If you want a Titleist 44 degree wedge, but aren't attached to it being a Vokey, their T100S line does have a 44 degree pitching wedge.

Cleveland Golf's CBX ZipCore wedge does have a 44 degree option.

[BallMarker]

5 minutes ago, Shindig said:

Titleist doesn't make Vokeys in 44 degrees (lowest loft is a 46), although you might be able to get one two degrees weak.  I don't know enough about clubs to know what this would do the performance of that club.   If you want a Titleist 44 degree wedge, but aren't attached to it being a Vokey, their T100S line does have a 44 degree pitching wedge.

Cleveland Golf's CBX ZipCore wedge does have a 44 degree option.

Thanks.

I'm not looking for a wedge that comes in a set of irons. I like my wedges A La Carte.

😉 

[Double Mocha Man]

31 minutes ago, Shindig said:

Titleist doesn't make Vokeys in 44 degrees (lowest loft is a 46), although you might be able to get one two degrees weak.  I don't know enough about clubs to know what this would do the performance of that club.   If you want a Titleist 44 degree wedge, but aren't attached to it being a Vokey, their T100S line does have a 44 degree pitching wedge.

Cleveland Golf's CBX ZipCore wedge does have a 44 degree option.

Good research!

24 minutes ago, BallMarker said:

Thanks.

I'm not looking for a wedge that comes in a set of irons. I like my wedges A La Carte.

😉

The Cleveland ZipCore would be a stand-alone wedge.  Thinking you could get it a la carte.  I'm sure the waiter would even throw in some crème brulee for dessert.

[Shindig]

39 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

Good research!

The Cleveland ZipCore would be a stand-alone wedge.  Thinking you could get it a la carte.  I'm sure the waiter would even throw in some crème brulee for dessert.

Yep.  This is the one @BallMarkerwants I think 

CLEVELAND CBX ZIPCORE WEDGE | Cleveland Golf

---

CBX ZipCore delivers the perfect blend of performance and forgiveness for players that never apologize for stepping up their short game. Cleveland Golf

 

[Bob M]

The PW for my Ping G710s is 44*. When originally fit for the set, I also got a 49* UW and subsequently picked up the 54* set SW. Since Ping also does serial number matching, the SW was added to the set and has the same s/n.

I tend to view the PW more like a 9i and pretty much limit it to full (or flighted) shots. I consider my wedges to the the UW, SW and 58* LW, none of which I ever hit full. 

[klineka]

On 8/6/2022 at 7:32 PM, BallMarker said:

I've been looking for a Cleveland or Vokey 44 degrees pitching wedge.

Do they not make these, anymore?

Why do you want a 44 degree PW when your 9iron is 42 degrees? (Assuming the clubs in your signature are accurate)

[BallMarker]

10 hours ago, klineka said:

Why do you want a 44 degree PW when your 9iron is 42 degrees? (Assuming the clubs in your signature are accurate)

All my irons, 5-9, are about 2 degree stronger than normal.

Edited August 13, 2022 by BallMarker

[imsys0042]

Not sure if this would be an option for you, but seeing this I was reminded of something I almost tried earlier this year.   In the end, working with my pro helped the issue I'll describe, but I was considering doing this.

My set breakdown is 4-PW, TaylorMade M5.   I have always felt that the PW didn't set up well for me and I would frequently struggle to hit it well because I would tense, flinch, etc.   The PW was 135-140 yard shots for a full swing, and my next wedge a Vokey 50 is about 115y for me.   Part of the issue with the PW was that I had to cover all the distances from 140 down to 115 and I had little confidence.

My prior set of clubs were Mizuno MP-69 blades and the PW there was 120-125.   That fits a nice gap and I almost put it in the bag (I could take out the 64 degree wedge I carry but only use a couple of times per round) except I started with a 3 pack of lessons and started to feel better about my swing and those in-between shots.

Given the loft/launch differences, don't discount a setup like that if you are trying to gap wedges.

[WUTiger]

Circa 2016, I played a couple of seasons with 48-54-60 in wedges. My 9i was 42*, so I would hit it for half and 3/4 swings to fill in the longer cells in my wedge distance matrix.

For you, a 49-54-59 could work. Or, if you like the 60*, a 48-54-60.

On the loft gaps between wedges: Some golfers bend them to have, for example, 5 degrees between their wedges. Others find wedges they like, such as 50-56-60, and simply make allowances for less than perfect distance gaps.

Also, many golfers don't do well with a 60* LW on a full swing. If you do well with your 60*, go for it. If the 60* is iffy on full shots, you might drop back to a 58*. (Golf Digest did a survey of tour pros a few seasons back. For half, the highest-lofted wedge was a 58*.)