club gap advise

[Stonecold]

got new irons this year and have some gaps to fill

basically have it down to three options...

Drop the 52* and 58* wedge and add 54* wedge 3i and 2H

Drop the 52* and get 54* and 3H

Drop the 52* and get 54* and 3i

I'm hitting my 4i very well but not hitting wedges that great (wedges are hand me downs all other clubs I got for myself)

Irons are Mizuno JPX pro with project X 5.0

The 54* wedge will be the Mizuno MP-11 (not sure on shaft yet, DG spinner? Project X 5.0? Rifle Spinner?)

Driver = 245 yards

3w  = 215

4i = 170

5i = 160

6i = 150

7i = 140

8i = 130

9i = 120

pw (45*)=105

gw (50*)= 95

52* = 90

58* = 60

Any suggestions would be a big help.

[Shindig]

I would suggest either a 3i or 3H or 7W at the very least. I would actually try to get two clubs into that gap: 215 to 170 is a huge amount of distance to leave open, and you probably don't want to have to take some off a 3W. I would estimate a 5W would cover close to 195-200 yards for you, and a 3H is probably 180-185. This brings us to your last club: do you use your 58 as your primary short game club? If so, keep it -- let your AW be your last full shot club, and take some time to determine your three-quarter, half and one-quarter wedge distances. Alternately, if you want another full shot club too, entertain a 56 degree -- it'll probably be a good gap from your AW to the 56 degree, but I would hesitate to have 54 as your highest lofted club. If the gap between A and 56 (or 58, whichever you keep) proves insurmountable, you could replace the A with your 52 (assuming you aren't returning this to the store or selling it). I think that makes 14: D, 3W, {5W or 2H, 7W or 3H}, 4-A, {54 or 58}, putter. Finally, if you decide you need to have four wedges - and that's your decision to make, not mine - you could drop the 3W, forego the 5W/2H, and get a 4-wood, and have 45-50-54-58 as your wedge set up. This makes D, 4W, 7W/3H, 4-A, 54, 58.

[Stonecold]

That was very insightful.

Thank you i'll consider those set ups.

I didn't think about adding a 56* and dropping the 58* but I have a good flop shot if needed so I'm not really dependent on the 58*.

My game isn't at the point to wich I need 4 wedges but I am struggling on long par 4s and 5s because I have to lay up.

[Shindig]

On the 4s and 5s where you lay up, it's because the 3W is too long for the shot, right? I assume so from your response. If I were in your shoes, I would be getting a 3I/3H/7W first and seeing if it solved the problem before deciding what else to get. Then I could decide the wedges based on how the long game is going. Let us know how it goes.

[WUTiger]

Ran into a recent graduate of Georgetown University who attended there on a golf scholarship. He's turning pro and will play some mini-tour events this summer in hopes of turning pro.

For tour pros, he says most guys with four wedges are the bombers who hit their driver 300 yards all the time. He said they need the extra wedge for choices in close. He said most average hitters - including him - opt for just three wedges so they can have an extra club at the 200 - 210 range.

I went from three to four wedges over the winter, and I'm finding four is a lot to manage - both for yardage options and practice time. I may drop back to just three if I don't get more payout from the four.

To know for sure, you have to hit the wedges and see how far each goes. With three wedges, I had some uneven yardage gaps, but I knew how far each one went - on full and partial swings - so it didn't really hurt any.

[Stonecold]

Yes I can see how the people who crush the ball need more options arround the green. Thats not me thought.

my 3w is the adjustable Titleist 910. So I have it at a 17* slight fade setting from 15* to help fill the gap to my 4i.

• On a 430 yard par 4 I find that even if I make a great drive i'm stuck hitting it short with my 4i or taking my chances with the 3w.
• On par fours with tighter fairways i'll hit the 3w or 4i off the tee but than try to set up for bogey if I'm over 170 yards to the green.

I'm seeing a pretty tight dispersion pattern with my irons, so adding a 3iron maybe my best bet for now.

Thanks for the advice!

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by Stonecold

got new irons this year and have some gaps to fill

basically have it down to three options...

Drop the 52* and 58* wedge and add 54* wedge 3i and 2H

Drop the 52* and get 54* and 3H

Drop the 52* and get 54* and 3i

I'm hitting my 4i very well but not hitting wedges that great (wedges are hand me downs all other clubs I got for myself)

Irons are Mizuno JPX pro with project X 5.0

The 54* wedge will be the Mizuno MP-11 (not sure on shaft yet, DG spinner? Project X 5.0? Rifle Spinner?)

Driver = 245 yards

3w  = 215

4i = 170

5i = 160

6i = 150

7i = 140

8i = 130

9i = 120

pw (45*)=105

gw (50*)= 95

52* = 90

58* = 60

Any suggestions would be a big help.

If it was my setup, and based on your yardages, I'd add a 3-hybrid then drop the AW and keep the 52. Then I'd go practice hitting partial shots to the same distance with each wedge. Some people consider having all the yardage gaps covered on a full swing, "having options", but I personally consider that taking the easy road at first and not getting any better as a golfer in the long run. Just my 2 cents.