Carrying 4 Wedges?

[joeyharris]

Hi. I'm about a 20 handicapper and ever since getting back into golf a few months ago, I've carried 4 wedges (46 degrees, 52, 56, 60).  Even though I only play twice a week, I like to keep only the 14 allowed clubs in my bag.  Am I wasting a spot with the four wedges?

[David in FL]

Originally Posted by joeyharris

Am I wasting a spot with the four wedges?

What else is in your bag now?

[bwdial]

The only wasted club is a club that you rarely - if ever - pull out of the bag.  I stopped carrying a 60 degree wedge because I very rarely hit it, and when I did, I generally hit it pretty poorly.

I decided that I could do more with my 56 because I was infinitely more confident with it in my hand.

[Bullitt5339]

I would give up a hybrid or long iron before I gave up one of my 4 wedges.  I use all of them every round, unlike a few of my long clubs.

I guess it all comes down to how much you use them.

[Laws of Woo]

4 wedges in a setup similar to yours is pretty common nowadays. I personally only play 3 wedges, simply because I rarely if ever needed my GW distance and benefited more from the 2hybrid. I still have the GW and a 56* that I will swap into my bag for the 54* and 2hybrid if I need the extra wedge for a particular course. What would you be considering replacing the wedge with?

[blankwall]

Four wedges is way much for a 20 handi learn go use one for everything inside 100 become a master with that one

[joeyharris]

I'm a pretty good wedge player.  I really like using all of them, and they are easily my favorite clubs.  Currently I carry a RBZ driver and 3 wood, 3-hybrid, 4-PW, 52, 56, 60 wedges, and a putter. I was concerned that not carrying a 5-wood may be troublesome, although so far it hasn't been an issue.

[meenman]

Dont feel bad - i carry 5 and it is only because there are no other longer clubs that I would get better use out of.

[mosnas]

Originally Posted by blankwall

Four wedges is way much for a 20 handi learn go use one for everything inside 100 become a master with that one

I try to play advocate for the high handicapper (it wasn't too long ago that I was a 20 handicap) and say that this is kind of a bad generalization.  Sure it is good to master that 1 wedge from 100 yards in but sometimes having only 1 club for that yardage may be tough.  I carry a 47° 51° 56° and a 60° because my 56° goes about 110-115 and for those 80 yard shots trying to tone down my wedge can be troublesome.

OP I say as long as you don't feel you have any gaps in your long irons lacking that 5 wood then go ahead keep playing 4 wedges.  you might as well carry that 60° you use 3 times a round then carry a 5 wood that you have absolutely 0 confidence in.  Plus when I am having a bad round or practice round hitting risky flop shots can be super fun.

[xmanhockey7]

Right now I'm sporting a 47, 52, 56, and 60. For years it was 46, 56, 60, and 64. I'm tempted to get rid of the 52 because I don't like using it around the green but when I'm 90-100 yards out it's a nice club to have.

[NM Golf]

I carry 4 wedges, but I hit some type of wedge into most par 4s and a few par 5s. It is a personal decision, if you feel as though you are better worth the extra wedge then use it. If you think maybe an extra long iron, hybrid, or utility wood would help more then go in that direction.

[MEfree]

Originally Posted by joeyharris

I'm a pretty good wedge player.  I really like using all of them, and they are easily my favorite clubs.  Currently I carry a RBZ driver and 3 wood, 3-hybrid, 4-PW, 52, 56, 60 wedges, and a putter. I was concerned that not carrying a 5-wood may be troublesome, although so far it hasn't been an issue.

Sounds like you answered your own post...if you are a pretty good wedge player and a 20 capper, you are likely not that great with the long fairway clubs and a 5 wood probably won`t offer you much in way of improvement that your 3-H or 4-I doesn`t.

I have virtually the same set composition as you (other than a 5 W instead of 3 H) and am pretty happy with it.  If I had to play with 13, I might drop the 5 W or 4 I, not one of the wedges.  In 9 holes today I only hit those two once total while I hit my wedges 6 or 7 times (mostly the 52 & 60, but that it could have been different).

[allin]

It depends on the course but I usually carry 4 wedges. I drop the gap wedge for a strong 5w on a few longer courses. As a short hitter I almost never hit a 5w off the tee and 2 shot par 5s are a dream. If a course has a 185+ uphill par 3 the 5w is a better choice then trying to kill a 3h and I sub the 5w in. I turn a lot of doubles into bogey and bogeys into par with my LW . Often I hit it closer with a LW from 50 yards than chipping from 5 yards off the green so dropping the LW is not an option.

[Laws of Woo]

I'm a pretty good wedge player.  I really like using all of them, and they are easily my favorite clubs.  Currently I carry a RBZ driver and 3 wood, 3-hybrid, 4-PW, 52, 56, 60 wedges, and a putter. I was concerned that not carrying a 5-wood may be troublesome, although so far it hasn't been an issue.

That setup is just fine. Its fairly similar to my bag when I have my 4 wedges in play, I have a Driver, 3 wood, 3-PW, 51*, 56*, and 60* in the bag. How often do you find yourself in between the 3 wood and 3hybrid? If its frequently and you want 4 wedges, I'd consider something like this: Drop the 3 hybrid and 4 iron and replace them with 2 hybrids that split the gap better. From doing a little research, the Nike 4 iron has 23* of loft, I'm assuming the 3hybrid is around 20*. Try out a hybrid in the 18* and 22* range. That should cover your long gaps a little better, and still allow you to keep the 4 wedges.