Finally getting wedges

[trackster]

I have play golf for 5 years now, consistently shoot in the 80s, and have broken 40 for nine all with out any wedge in my bag other than a pitching wedge.  I have a 52* 56* and 60* coming in the mail, and I hope that this will help me get over the 80s hump.  Does anyone one else not play with any wedges? Or how much can I expect this to help me?

[Lost-Ball]

id die without my 56* i use it for everything 80yrds in. i love the control i have with it. full shots, pitching, chipping, its what im most comfortable with. probley why i got the Taylormade wedge with the replaceable face inserts cuz it sees alot of use.

[pixel5]

The clubs won't help you at first, chances are they will actually hurt. They are a bit of a different animal than the rest of the clubs in the bag. If you got something like Cleveland/Vokey, there is a good chance you'll be blading and shanking for a while. BUT GOOD NEWS, that will come to an end...and you'll start to love the 52/56 for greenside shots...and then your 60 will start to get you out of the sand and over that tall tree in front of you.

You must practice a lot. But they will eventually make you a better short game player.

[Jefferey13]

Yes they will help you in the long run. For the most part if you are great with your PW you can do of all the same things that a 56 can do. But as you really learn all of your wedges, you will get touch you just can't with your PW. Also there are a few times where I have short pitches to raised green and I love my 60 for soft shots. What kind did you get?

[MrSandman]

If you spend serious time learning each club from 30, 60, & 90 yds, you will shave strokes in a hurry. Try playing rounds from ladies tees (5500'ish yards) to learn to get them closer and attack for birdies and realistic par saves. Not joking. See if you can shoot under 40 three times in a row for one of the nines from the red tees.

[trackster]

My game right now is based on distance.  Not so much off the tee but I hit my irons rather far.  As of late I have been trying to cover gaps with choking up and half swings.  I think that this is starting to hurt my iron shots when I have to take a full shot.  I bought a 3 wedge set of Adams Tom Watson.  They were cheap (relatively) and the reviews seemed pretty ok.  Since I don't even use a wedge right now, I figured anything would be an upgrade.  Out of all the 10-15 handicaps in the world I am guessing that my bad consists of the most "antique" (cough ghetto cough) clubs around.    FTI driver, persimmon 1970's wilson 3 wood, Turin golf (don't know if you have heard of them) 3-pw, a 1970s Jack Nickluas Mcgreggor Classic 9 iron, and a 1940s Higgins Sears Putter lol.  I like to pride myself that I cant play top notch with horrible equiptment, but I  think these clubs will help

[MrSandman]

Those Adams wedges will be more than fine. Adams doesn't make crappy products, and Tom Watson doesn't endorse crappy products. 1994-1998 I didn't play with more than a 52. But my home course allowed for that. It hurt me away from home. Read up on Dave pelz's short game bible. Pretty simple theory on distance control (and predictability) for the clubs you just purchased. (his putting bible is far less helpful than his overall short game edition) A substantially improved 52/56/60 wedge game is a good way to take a 10 hdcp to a 7 hdcp. Spend some serious time learning how each of them works from 30-90 yards, don't hit them fat/heavy. Pay attention to how they land and how much roll they get. Dont treat the 60 any different than the 52 (in terms of swing motion, just like you dont treat a 6 iron different than an 8 iron). Know what it takes to fly each of them 50 yds, and also what it takes for each of them to travel 50 yds total. And work on your 6 foot putts and you will drop shots.

[Lost-Ball]

You become best buds with your new wedges and you'll have a lot more tap ins, chip ins, and fun playing the game.

[Dave2512]

Like others have said get ready to put the work in and don't feel that just because you have wedges you need to use them for everything 100y and in. A mistake many make is using a wedge to hit the ball 50y up in the air for what should be a low short distance chip.

[WUTiger]

In my early years the only wedge I carried was a Wilson Triple-Duty wedge (late 1960s). I had a TopFlite SynchroDyned irons (2 - 9) with no PW.

Due to budget constraints, I played the old one-piece balls which didn't generate much backspin. So, I developed a good chip-and-run game from about 50 yards in. Most of the public courses I played had small, hard greens with a soft collar. So, dropping a roller short and bouncing on made good sense. (Most played this shot on occasion)

I later found out the Wilson wedge had a hefty swingweight of E8, so I guess that's why I only used it for partial shots out of the bunker, or out of super fluffy grass.

Circa 1974, I switched to MacGregor MT irons (2-PW) and found a normal-weight MacGregor SW. I started working more  on my wedges. Then, in the early 1980s I took lessons from a pro who emphasized half-swing short-game shots for all clubs, 7i-SW. This kept the chip and run in play quite a bit.

To this day, I will often play a chip and run 40 to 80 yards out if there's a cross wind. Played in a scramble last week in 30 MPH wind, and put two long punches inside 10 feet for my team after the wedge approaches blew into strange places.

I might suggest you take a short-game lesson. I took one several years ago, and it encouraged me to use wedge pitch shots more often - some of my chip and run tries just weren't smart shot selection. But, many times they are.

[Lost-Ball]

Originally Posted by WUTiger

In my early years the only wedge I carried was a Wilson Triple-Duty wedge (late 1960s). I had a TopFlite SynchroDyned irons (2 - 9) with no PW.

Due to budget constraints, I played the old one-piece balls which didn't generate much backspin. So, I developed a good chip-and-run game from about 50 yards in. Most of the public courses I played had small, hard greens with a soft collar. So, dropping a roller short and bouncing on made good sense. (Most played this shot on occasion)

I later found out the Wilson wedge had a hefty swingweight of E8, so I guess that's why I only used it for partial shots out of the bunker, or out of super fluffy grass.

Circa 1974, I switched to MacGregor MT irons (2-PW) and found a normal-weight MacGregor SW. I started working more  on my wedges. Then, in the early 1980s I took lessons from a pro who emphasized half-swing short-game shots for all clubs, 7i-SW. This kept the chip and run in play quite a bit.

To this day, I will often play a chip and run 40 to 80 yards out if there's a cross wind. Played in a scramble last week in 30 MPH wind, and put two long punches inside 10 feet for my team after the wedge approaches blew into strange places.

I might suggest you take a short-game lesson. I took one several years ago, and it encouraged me to use wedge pitch shots more often - some of my chip and run tries just weren't smart shot selection. But, many times they are.

hah im the total opposite. i dont trust chip and runs. i like to pop them up high, watch them take a small bounce of two and roll 3-4 ft. i used to flop shot everything and was very good at leaving nothing but tap ins. everyone kept saying u gotta learn hot to chip, u gotta learn how to pitch, and they were right. sometimes ur near the green but under a tree and have to keep it low so you cant just get air born with everything. but in the open skys i like to pop it high

[trackster]

They finally came in the mail today.  I immediately took them to the range and the first thing that I noticed is how high they shot.  It was kinda cool to be able to take a full swing and watch a ball sail 75-85 yards.  I think that they will fit my gaps nicely.  Going to play 9 tonight and test them out on the course

[Mattplusness]

They are great once you get the feel for them. This is my second season with them and I'm still not totally used to the touchy-ness of my 60. But a full shot is fun with them, not hard to get one to come back with a full 60* swing.

[Stargaze]

I just got a sandwedge a week ago or so.  I use it almost exclusively when I'm 30 yards or so from the cup.  I'm not skilled enough yet to get it to just plop on the green and not roll but I'll get there.

[MrSandman]

They finally came in the mail today.  I immediately took them to the range and the first thing that I noticed is how high they shot.  It was kinda cool to be able to take a full swing and watch a ball sail 75-85 yards.  I think that they will fit my gaps nicely.  Going to play 9 tonight and test them out on the course

It is not the full, high lofting swings that are going to shave the most strokes. It will help having a full shot from 75, 90 and 105 (or however far you hit them). But the real shots will be saved from 40 or 50 or 60 yards. Look into Dave Pelz's 3x4 system and try to practice that a bunch. You can buy the book used on amazon for $6. You don't have to take every word as gold, but it will help you.

[tiger187126]

Originally Posted by trackster

They finally came in the mail today.  I immediately took them to the range and the first thing that I noticed is how high they shot.  It was kinda cool to be able to take a full swing and watch a ball sail 75-85 yards.  I think that they will fit my gaps nicely.  Going to play 9 tonight and test them out on the course

good luck tonight. i love hitting my 58* full from 80-100 and actually hit the flagstick from ~90, but the little greenside shots i do with my 8-iron if i care about my score. i have a propensity to either get under the ball too much and hit a high spin pop-up that travels 10 feet or i'll thin it and roll it off the other side.

my course doesn't have a good chipping area, so when i play alone and the course is empty i like to drop a couple balls for my greenside shot and practice feel. i just score my first ball and then go back and play the same shot maybe 3 more time. i worked on hitting down and the shot where you stick the club and pop the ball up, it seemed to be more consistent than my other swings.

anyway, it was definitely a new experience from hitting full irons, but i think you're right that having a different club in the bag to do "trick" shots with is a better idea than changing the feel of your irons.

[mtsalmela80]

Originally Posted by tiger187126

good luck tonight. i love hitting my 58* full from 80-100 and actually hit the flagstick from ~90, but the little greenside shots i do with my 8-iron if i care about my score. i have a propensity to either get under the ball too much and hit a high spin pop-up that travels 10 feet or i'll thin it and roll it off the other side.

my course doesn't have a good chipping area, so when i play alone and the course is empty i like to drop a couple balls for my greenside shot and practice feel. i just score my first ball and then go back and play the same shot maybe 3 more time. i worked on hitting down and the shot where you stick the club and pop the ball up, it seemed to be more consistent than my other swings.

anyway, it was definitely a new experience from hitting full irons, but i think you're right that having a different club in the bag to do "trick" shots with is a better idea than changing the feel of your irons.

wow thats some strange siruation. you can hit a 58 degree like a pro but cant chip with it?

[tiger187126]

Originally Posted by mtsalmela80

wow thats some strange siruation. you can hit a 58 degree like a pro but cant chip with it?

i just don't practice greenside shots and trying to baby a shot will lead to me leaving the face open and hitting a flop.

and i wouldn't say the full shots are pro, just that i can rely on it for ~ 100 yards with a full shot, but can't control it up close.