Wedges that come with Iron Sets - good or bad?

[lhrocker]

It seems that most Iron sets come with at least a pitching wedge and maybe a gap or sand wedge. If given a choice, what two wedges would most people find the most useful in a set? Then if you keep the set wedges, would you get an aftermarket lob/gap or whatever was missing? Would you just get rid of the combo wedges and buy a whole new set of wedges alone?

[Goonsidious]

I have a PW and GW that came with my set..  but none of those can be used close to the green, so of course I have an individual 56* club to do all the dirty work.

As long as the PW and GW are the right degrees you're looking for, no reason you shouldn't use them.

I hardly ever use my GW though, just haven't seen a reason for it yet.

[Motown88]

I don't see anything wrong with wedges that come in sets.  Since you say you're a beginner you don't need the top of the line Vokey wedges.  Worry about contact and consistency now and when you get to the point where you want additional control around the greens then you can upgrade your wedges individually.

[Jon Robert]

I have 2-9 EW,FW,SW,LW all hogan Apex Edge Matching in all respects.  Key word MATCHING   Mixing and matching can result in total weight, swing weight and balance variations.  I use the gap (FW) and the LW far more than the others. But that is because I always seem to find myself 100 yards away or needing a pop up around the green. You may always find your self 130 or 85 etc. Only you can know what wedge is going to be your go to club.

[Stacey_E]

I personally like matching wedges in the clubs you tend to take full swings on.  For me that is the pitching wedge as I cant remember ever taking a greenside shot with it. I have had and liked matching gap, sand and lob wedges. They are more forgiving on full shots and often have a wide bounce that plays well out of thick grass and sand. That being said, I feel I have a lot more touch with more blade like wedges.  I use the 52* on any greenside shot that I can, and my Vokeys just seem more consistant than a cavity back on those close in shots.

[LuciusWooding]

I'm a fan of blade wedges, but the Sand wedge is best when it's compact with some legitimate bounce. The LW is the same deal. The PW, GW, and below are used for full shots a lot. Unless you're hitting your wedges inside 12 feet from 80+ yards an awful lot, a bit of forgiveness and a square leading edge can be helpful. I don't like offset in the wedges, even in forgiving designs.

I do prefer the feel of blade wedges, but it's more about turf interaction than the feel of contact. IMO if you want a soft feeling wedge, change to a soft ball and it'll make more difference than anything as long as you're middling it. Plus it'll last longer than most forgings.