Replace wedge with wood/hybrid?

[JohnQVegas]

I currently have 52*, 56* and 60* wedges in my bag. The only time I seem to use my 60* wedge is when I need to get over something extremely tall that is in my line of sight to the green. I was wondering if I could replace that with an opened 56* and replace it with a 5wood/2 hybrid? I currently have 3 wood and 3 hybrid, but nothing in between. Getting a 2hybrid/5 wood with a different trajectory shaft might benefit me in some cases, but need input on if it would benefit me enough to warrant the change...

[LuciusWooding]

In all honesty, I have a similar dilemma myself, but I can't see myself needing a club of that distance. Unless I'm hitting into a longer par 5 than I should take on, I'm close enough after a good drive to hit a long/mid iron. If I need it for a par 3, the hole's not going to be a birdie anyway. I hit far enough that most holes are within the heart of my set, unless I can't hit driver.

That's just me, I seldom use my LW, but it's still more useful for me than a 2h. If I played in the wind a lot, I'd consider a 2h for the trajectory, but I don't. Honestly, neither the LW or 2h would be a huge loss for me. They're 2 of the most common useless clubs in set makeup.

[Laws of Woo]

You COULD use the 56* in a similar way as your 60*. But look at it this way, if you were to replace it, how often would you need that 2h or 5w? How many times on your typical round does that shot come into play? If you find yourself needing a club there frequently, then go for it.

Personally, I'd rather the 60*, I love mine, and don't see myself giving it up anytime soon. You can always choke down on the 3wood to get a desired distance.

[inthehole]

For me, it comes down to I just love hitting fairway woods.    2nd half of last year, fell in love with the 3w.     Towards the end of last year, picked up a matching 5w & just love the feel and sound of it.     I go out of my way to use them when it makes sense.     The one club I could do without is the 5i ... there's just not that much distance differential between it & the 4i and I can choke down on the 4i if I need to.     I've put a fair amount of practice time in with the 58 & 60 degree lob wedges - just don't have the swing yet to use them confidently ... taking a hard swing & flopping it around the green is something that seems to me would take an unbelievable amount of practice ...

[Jmdmbike]

60 degree is definitely a situational club and one that takes lots of practice to hit well consistently. If you find you're not using it a lot and need more help with the longer part of the game, then adding a 5W or 2H makes sense. You can also adjust the make-up of your set for different courses - swap out the 60 and add the 5W, vice versa

[GaijinGolfer]

Personally, Id find a 60* much more useful than a 2-hybrid/5-wood.  When youre in the greenside rough with a downhill, tight pin you will wish you still had your 60*.  Some folks might say, "just open up the face on your 56*" and thats all good and well but the more you open the face the more you increase the level of difficulty.

[ghalfaire]

For what ever it is worth I find my 60* wedge one of the more used clubs in the bag. I miss a lot of greens and for any shot inside of 80 yards (but not a chip) I usually use the L wedge.  I also like it in the sand when the sand is not very deep or has not been "stirred" in awhile.  Just an aside however it seems there isn't an ideal set up of 14 clubs that fits everyone so I'd take the advice above as to look at your own game and decide what club make up suites you game best.

[bplewis24]

I'm in a similar position, but not quite.  I want to replace one of my wedges for a 5 wood, because I occassionally run into the problem where I know my 3i can't get there, but my 3 wood will be too much.  Going "easy" on the 3 wood just never quite seems to work out well.

For me, I don't want to replace my 60*, as I would use that too often around the green.  Instead, I want to replace my 56* sand wedge, and make my 52* gap wedge my primary sand wedge AND gap wedge.

I typically  chip with my 60* and pitch with my 9i (or is that backwards? I always get the two terms confused).  I typically use my 52* for approach shots inside of 110 yards and outside of 20 yards.  I simply play different shots with it, but I always use it and never use the 56 or the 60.  The 56 is only used for the sand.  But I'm thinking I may be able to get away with getting a 52* with higher bounce so that I can use it for a SW and a GW.

Brandon

[rustyredcab]

I added a 5W as an option late last year. I found that I hit it about the same distance as my 3-hybrid. The 5W has a bit more roll so I will bag it if I play a course with really long par fives that I think I'll want max distance on my second shots but still not reach the green and/or if the fairways are soft and I want more roll.

I did not check the two on trackman or anything before buying the 5W. I assumed it would be between my 3W and my 3-hybrid. Oops.

[MiniBlueDragon]

For me I always used to get ridiculous side-spin when "opening up" wedges which meant having to check the target area, open up the club to an arbitrary amount that "felt" right, re-check the target area compared to the opening amount of the club, adjust my aim left of the target by that amount, then add another arbitrary amount to the left of that for side-spin once the ball touches down and it was all way too much guesswork for my liking.

I much prefer a 58, 54, 50 wedges with PW, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3H, 3W and D is a good setup for me. 3H is chosen over 5W for the utility of hitting out of the rough, off the fairway or off the tee if needed. As RRC says above a 5W would give me more rollout but I prefer utility over distance as I play a lot of tight courses and with not much roll anyway.

The above also gives me reasonably solid gapping between clubs.

[bplewis24]

The only wedge I currently open up (outside of the bunker) is the 60* when I need to hit a flop shot.  I don't notice much side spin.  If I remove the 56* from my bad and use a 52* for my SW, I would start opening it up more...or that has been my assumption.  When I short-side myself into a greenside bunker, I open up the 56* anyway, so I'm not really sure how much different this shot will be.

Brandon

[GaijinGolfer]

Originally Posted by bplewis24

I'm in a similar position, but not quite.  I want to replace one of my wedges for a 5 wood, because I occassionally run into the problem where I know my 3i can't get there, but my 3 wood will be too much.  Going "easy" on the 3 wood just never quite seems to work out well.

You cant just grip down an inch on your 3-wood?

[Harmonious]

Originally Posted by bplewis24

The only wedge I currently open up (outside of the bunker) is the 60* when I need to hit a flop shot.  I don't notice much side spin.  If I remove the 56* from my bad and use a 52* for my SW, I would start opening it up more...or that has been my assumption.  When I short-side myself into a greenside bunker, I open up the 56* anyway, so I'm not really sure how much different this shot will be.

Brandon

I think you'll find that your PW doesn't have enough bounce to be your go-to club in the sand.  The 60* definitely could work, but the PW will generally run too far out from a normal sand shot.

[bplewis24]

Originally Posted by TitleistWI

You cant just grip down an inch on your 3-wood?

The only thing that Anthony Kim and I have in common with our golf games, is that we both choke down on pretty much every club.  So there isn't much more room for me to choke down.

Nevertheless, today I got home on two of the four par 5s in two shots.  The first one I could have used a 5 wood because I was only about 220 out, and my 3wood generally goes in the 230-240 range.  I hit it great, and it did in fact go a bit long, but it was still on the green and I two-putt for birdie.  So maybe it's not absolutely necessary to get a 5wood, but I would prefer it assuming I can make a 52* work as a SW.

Originally Posted by Harmonious

I think you'll find that your PW doesn't have enough bounce to be your go-to club in the sand.  The 60* definitely could work, but the PW will generally run too far out from a normal sand shot.

You bring up a good point, but one that I've already been considering.  My current 52* (it's more of a GW, not a PW...my PW is 47*) only has like 6 or 8 bounce.  My 56* SW has 12 or 16 bounce.  If I rid myself of the 56*, I will have to get a new 52*.  So back to your original point, how much bounce would I need to use a 52* as a SW?  I know Callaway makes a 52* with 10 bounce.  Wouldn't that be enough if I open the face up enough?

The only reason I know Callaway has one, is because my preferred club maker (Mizuno) doesn't make a retail 52* wedge with more than 6 or 8 bounce.

Brandon

[Harmonious]

Originally Posted by bplewis24

You bring up a good point, but one that I've already been considering.  My current 52* (it's more of a GW, not a PW...my PW is 47*) only has like 6 or 8 bounce.  My 56* SW has 12 or 16 bounce.  If I rid myself of the 56*, I will have to get a new 52*.  So back to your original point, how much bounce would I need to use a 52* as a SW?  I know Callaway makes a 52* with 10 bounce.  Wouldn't that be enough if I open the face up enough?

If you normally play with fluffy sand bunkers, then the more bounce the better, as it is very easy to bury the club in the sand if you are not careful.  If most of your bunkers are wet or hardpan, then less bounce is better because it allows you to slice under the ball.  But if you have bunkers with high banks and sometimes short carries, then learn to hit your 60*.  Even opening up your 52* a LOT will be a very difficult shot to carry a high lip, and the ball will just run out too much.

[bplewis24]

Thanks for the advice.  I'll give it more thought.  I'm getting pretty comfortable with my 60* now, so I guess there's a chance I can use a combination of both if necessary.  For the time being I'll just stick with my current club selection, since it involves spending $0 more :)  Switching the club composition would require purchasing a new 5wood (likely the Ping i20) and a new 52*.

[GJBenn85]

I'd find another club to ditch.  While I primarily use a 54º wedge, my 62º definitely has its place (within 15' of the green, for example, or over a bush/tree) as does my 19º hybrid.  I would pull a long iron out of the bag in order to keep the wedge.  IMO, not much point in carrying a 2h/5w along with a 3-4i.

[GaijinGolfer]

Ive never found a 52* to be a very useful bunker club, especially for greenside bunkers.  A 54* is an acceptable replacement but with a 52* IMO its not enough loft to pop the ball up and stop it quickly out of a bunker, especially if its a fluffy lie or the ball is buried.