What wedge?

[jgras]

After a very long lay-off from golf, I'm picking up the game again as I near retirement.  Just purchased my first new set of clubs after about 40 years.  Last set I had was a set of McGregor clubs with wooden shafts and no iron numbers, just niblick, mashie etc. They were hand-me-downs from my grandfather when I was a teenager.

I was fitted for and bought a set of RAZR-X clubs 3h, 4h, 5-PW.  I really need to purchase another wedge since the Callaway PW that comes with the set is a 44 degree loft.  Amazing how the technology and come along over the past 40 years.  These clubs so much easier to hit with and I'm much more accurate!

So, my question is which additional wedge is a must have and will provide the most utility?  A gap wedge at about 49 degrees, or go with a sand wedge at about 54 degrees?  Can I get by with just one new wedge or should I just buy both?

Thanks for any suggestions.

[Motown88]

I'd recommend both wedges.  If you're strapped for cash and can only get one then I'd go with the 49° wedge just so you don't have a large gap.  You can always open up the club face if you need to.

[clearwaterms]

If you can only afford to buy one, I would tend to recommend a sand wedge with a lot of bounce. When you are playing out of sand, you really want to hit about 2 inches behind the ball and use the sand, not the club to lift the ball out of the trap. This requires a club that can dig into the sand. Buying both is preferred. Also, with the distances of today's club I would recommend the gap wedge is part of the set you are already playing, and the sand wedge can be which ever one you like the best.

[WUTiger]

Start with a sand wedge, but identify the other wedge to fill in later. If you get the GW and SW from the same model, the two will "work together" better.

You could go with RazrX, or pick up a GW and SW from another model. You should be able to find RazrX GW and SW if you hunt around a bit - Callaway just recently quit making them.

If a friend has RazrX GW and SW, you might "test hit" them to make sure they feel good to you. Sometimes an iron model's upper wedges work well, other times not.

Outside Callaway, you might look at Cleveland. Brand new CG14 and CG16 wedges (three to five years back) are available for $75 each. Adams wedges can be had for $49 (good wedges, cheaper due to lower advertising costs).

When you're looking at non RazrX wedges, pay attention to the shaft length. If you the AW and PW are the same length, the distance between the clubs won't be that much.

[Golfingdad]

If you can only afford to buy one, I would tend to recommend a sand wedge with a lot of bounce.

Totally agree. You'll eventually probably want to fill the gap later ... But way way way more important than that is a club that you can use around the green and in the sand.