adding wedges to your bag

[Chris08527]

Hello Everyone

this is my first post and did some searching but didn't find exactly what i was looking for.

I just bought a brand new set of ping G20's and got fitted for them at my local shop.  The set comes 4-gap or (U wedge) and they come in the following loft's PW 45* and UW 50*

my question is 1.  Should I get the SW 54* and the LW 58* in the G20 or should I go outside and get a cleveland/callaway etc. wedges in the same loft's? or should i just keep in the g20 set

My new clubs are standard length/steel shaft/stiff flex/ blue dot . . .

2.  If i am to get a different sent of wedges, do i need to get fitted for them also?

thanks

Chris

[WUTiger]

Any chance you could borrow a demo G20 SW and LW to try them out?

You if you stay with G20 you would have a 50 - 54 - 58 loft progression, with 1/4" shaft length difference. And, a 58* is easier for many people to hit than a 60*. (Only thing to note: the 45* PW and 50* UW have the same shaft length - might have a yardage bunch-up.)

This is just what I can tell from the Ping 2013 product catalog. I'm not that familiar with Ping wedges - most demo days I'll just hit some of their numbered irons.

Some people go "specialty" on the SW and LW, especially if they have a lot of unusual set-ups (open or close the face a lot) on close-in shots. Others, especially mid-HDCP players who hit plain square-on shots, do well with wedges matching their iron model.

Don't feel you need "specialty wedges" like Ping Wide Sole or Vokeys just to look fancy.

Find out what works for you and go with it. (Remember, demo days start in a few weeks).

[Chris08527]

WUTiger,

thanks for you advice, I haven't got to hit the clubs yet . . .little cold here in NJ, but i plan on going out soon to get the distances of each club and maybe just get a wedge to fit my gaps??? not sure what i am going to do yet . . .

do you think a 54* cleveland wedge will give me more bite on a green then say the ping G20 SW that is 54*?

[WUTiger]

do you think a 54* cleveland wedge will give me more bite on a green then say the ping G20 SW that is 54*?

I play Cleveland wedges, but spin depends on a number of things:

• What ball do you use?
• Does the wedge bounce and head design fit your swing, and your area turf conditions?
• What kind of shaft do you have?

First of all, do you have the CFS steel or the TFC 169I graphite shaft in your G20 irons?

The 2013 wedges from Cleveland included the 588 RTX CB (cavity-back) the 588 RTX, with a Dynamic Golf shaft, and the 588 Forged with a Tour Concept Wedge shaft. These will weigh a bit more than the Ping steel shaft.

Check out the specs sheets on the wedges and shafts, and get an idea of what you want to try out. Test them at the upcoming demo days and golf expos.

[Chris08527]

Tiger,

I have the CFS steel in my G20 irons,

i was looking at the Cleveland 588 RTX

I usually use a Titleist velocity ball and if i am feelinf lucky i will use a ProV1 . . .

thanks again for your help

Chris

[Jakester23]

I have G 15's and I went with a 54/14 & 58/12 vokey SM4. I love my wedges. I was intending on getting Cleveland's but when I hit them side by side with the vokey's there was no comparison in feel(IMO).

[Hammer 4]

I would hit the wedges your interested in, then choose. having a gap wedge @ 50* I would think that a 54 and 58 would be the way to go. Personally I use a 54 and a 60, but my pw is 47* so I have a gap there. The reason I bought those lofts was, I had pretty good success  hitting them in the past. just my 3 cents.

I also use to hit Cleveland's now it's Vokey's.

[GaijinGolfer]

I personally prefer blade style wedges because its easier to open up the face and hit various shots around the green with them.  Theres nothing wrong with getting wedges that match your irons but I feel like you give something up in terms of shotmaking and options around the green.

[MS256]

I personally prefer blade style wedges because its easier to open up the face and hit various shots around the green with them.  Theres nothing wrong with getting wedges that match your irons but I feel like you give something up in terms of shotmaking and options around the green.

I agree and that's what I have. I must admit though that in the winter on dormant grass I wish I had the style that matches my R7s. Funny thing is that I had both a sand wedge and lob wedge that came with the R7 set but I gave them away, not even thinking I might like to use them in the winter. (Now I wish I had them back).

What I do in place of that in the winter is to use my blade wedges sparingly and use the pitching wedge much more often, even on little mini-spinning-flops.

[PirateJim]

I have been playing G20s for a bit over a year now and am currently thinking I'll probably be using them for 2014 as well.  I was just getting back into golf when I bought them and I got 4 - LW because I didn't have much idea what other wedges I'd pick at that point.  The 58* lob wedge, 12* bounce, works just fine for me and became my go-to club around the green.  I agree a 58 is easier to hit than a 60.  Around July/August I started being annoyed by the very wide sole both because it limited options for fanning the face open as has been noted, and because the shape of the cavity back sole flange would sometimes hang up in the grass as I started my back swing.  It's a little thing, but bugged me more and more.  So  began the search for a new wedge.

I currently own a Cleveland 60, a Vokey 58, a Ping Tour 58, and just ordered up a SCOR 60 that seems to be hung up because of options I requested.  For me, I'm really just as happy with the original G20 as any of the others to tell the truth, but obviously I have real high hopes for the SCOR.  I experimented with the 51* demo wedge SCOR will send out for testing and really liked it, but since I'm so lob wedge dependent the jury is still out, but the demo did prompt an order.  If the lob works out, I'll likely end up with a 45, 50, 55 and 60 in the lower row of my bag.

One of the things I've learned reading this and other forums is that people's games differ enough that there is no single answer when it comes to set make-up, and wedge selection is probably the most dependent on personal style of all.  It will also probably evolve as your game does.  For me it certainly has.  As I said, I started primarily using the 58* lob wedge for everything around the green, and PW - SW simply for full swing approach shots.  Over the last year my handicap has dropped from 21 to the current 10.2 and I am feeling more and more like what happens inside 100 yards of the green is the key to dropping it much farther.  I am trying to gain proficiency in a number of different kinds of shots in that range so I'm looking at a more complex wedge solution than others may need at this point in their games.

Quote:

1. Should I get the SW 54* and the LW 58* in the G20 or should I go outside and get a cleveland/callaway etc. wedges in the same loft's? or should i just keep in the g20 set.

2. If i am to get a different sent of wedges, do i need to get fitted for them also?

I don't think you would go really wrong with the G20 wedges assuming price and availability are not objects, but I've already listed reasons I'm changing them out.  I also quite like the Ping Tour wedges, and you can order those to the same Blue Dot specs.  Titleist (Vokey), Cleveland, Callaway, and others all make wedges people swear by, but I would definitely suggest being fitted, particularly for lie angle which is said to be really important by people that seem to know such stuff.  A really good fitter, working with you on a grass range/practice area, can also help you select the right bounce for your swing.  The G20s come with a pretty high bounce (12 degrees on the SW and LW).  Most others offer at least a couple of bounce options for each loft.  Hitting balls off an artificial mat won't help in determining what sort of bounce works best for you.

This turned longer than I meant it to be.  Guess you can tell wedges have been on my mind too.  Hope it helps a little!

[WUTiger]

...  A really good fitter, working with you on a grass range/practice area, can also help you select the right bounce for your swing.  The G20s come with a pretty high bounce (12 degrees on the SW and LW). ...

...   Hitting balls off an artificial mat won't help in determining what sort of bounce works best for you. ...

G20 or specialty wedges depends in part on how you approach your short game. If you primarily hit basic, square-on short shots, the G20s could work just fine. This method is reliable , and is used by a fair number of better players.

If you like short-game creativity - you open and close the face quite a bit, and move your ball forward and back in your stance a lot - the specialty wedges might be of use to you. But, this will take more practice than square-on.

Hitting off a mat - maybe not the best way to choose wedges. But , you can get ideas on bounce you need from hitting off a lie board. Wedges with sole tape make a scuff when they hit the ball off a lie board; the scuff shows where the wedge bottoms out on your swing. Helpful in choosing grinds.

Before spending any more money, I would suggest you go to the Cleveland, Callaway, and Titleist/Vokey online sites. Their wedge sectors explain sole grind and other factors in the design of wedge heads.

[airguard]

Might I suggest first purchasing "Dave Pelz's Short Game Bible" . I picked one up used on eBay for $5.00. This explains everything you want to know about wedges and how to know which ones to add to your bag. Super easy to read without a lot of tech stuff and very interesting as well. I really think there is something for everyone in this book. The last few chapters explain which wedges YOU need and why. This book really helped me understand what I was trying to accomplish around the greens. This book will help you make your own decisions based on your game (swing). Just my 2 cents!