I'm going to have to disagree with Phil Mickelson....

[Crim]

PS:  when was the little guy actually born?  Your first, I assume?  Life changer, isn't it?

Jameson is 3 months old now! Yup he's my first and he's a little clown. Constantly smiling and getting into trouble. He laughs when he watches me swing a golf club.....

[Crim]

It's not foolproof but you may want to check out the rule of 12 method and work on that.

I'll check it out, anything to lower my score

[David in FL]

I'll check it out, anything to lower my score ;-)

Get rid of any wedge over 56* and you'll lower your scores over the long run...... :smartass:

[Jakester23]

Get rid of any wedge over 56* and you'll lower your scores over the long run......

Sorry Dave I disagree with you on that. My scores got lower because of a 58 degree wedge and the quickie pitching shot.  I would get rid of every club in bag except my putter before Id give up my 58. I think its a matter or knowing how and when to use it. I hardly ever take a full swing with my sw or lw.  I only use them in the trap and inside of 70 yards.  I feel like once you work on using them properly they can be a nice addition to anyones bag.

[David in FL]

Sorry Dave I disagree with you on that. My scores got lower because of a 58 degree wedge and the quickie pitching shot.  I would get rid of every club in bag except my putter before Id give up my 58. I think its a matter or knowing how and when to use it. I hardly ever take a full swing with my sw or lw.  I only use them in the trap and inside of 70 yards.  I feel like once you work on using them properly they can be a nice addition to anyones bag.

I wasn't responding to you though. You're a mid-hcp. With practice and what appears to be judicious use, you're probably fine with the 58*......but make no mistake, it was learning to pitch correctly, more than another 2* of loft that's helping with your scoring. :-)

[Jakester23]

I wasn't responding to you though. You're a mid-hcp. With practice and what appears to be judicious use, you're probably fine with the 58*......but make no mistake, it was learning to pitch correctly, more than another 2* of loft that's helping with your scoring.

I agree the technique is by far more important than the club.  I think if I had to pick just one wedge id say Id go with a 56 but thats only if I had to carry one. I like my 50 54 58 setup.

[iacas]

Why wouldn't a high handicapper be shooting at tight pin positions? That's how you learn to get it close.

Uhm… because you aren't anywhere near needing to "learn to get it close" at that point.

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crim

I get too much run out right now with those clubs to be consistent. Perhaps I need more practice. With the 64 I can just aim 5-10 feet in front of the hole (depending on distance) and let it trickle to it.

It's not foolproof but you may want to check out the rule of 12 method and work on that.

Thanks, Dave. This will be good for the future after I have gotten good enough with key 3.

@Harmonious posted this a few years ago.

http://thesandtrap.com/t/38765/control-chipping-distances#post_506785

This is pretty good information. I also saw Brian Manzella's video, very nice.

[Harmonious]

Here's where the rubber meets the road for chip shots (not necessarily for pitches):  Drop 10 balls off a green, say 3-5 yards off, and hit to a pin 30-40 feet away. Use your 64° wedge. Take the average distance away from the hole of ALL the shots, including chili dips, blades, etc. Also, measure your worst 3 shots of those 10. Then do the same with other clubs, like pitching wedge and 8 iron. Again, take the average distance of all your shots. Do this from several locations, uphill and downhill, to get a good sampling.

I would be willing to bet that the 64° gives the highest average distance away with the most dispersion and the worst shots, simply because you have to make a bigger swing. Lower shots roll straighter. Consistency is what you are looking for. Getting the ball on the green and letting it roll out gives the most consistency.

[David in FL]

Here's where the rubber meets the road for chip shots (not necessarily for pitches):  Drop 10 balls off a green, say 3-5 yards off, and hit to a pin 30-40 feet away. Use your 64° wedge. Take the average distance away from the hole of ALL the shots, including chili dips, blades, etc. Also, measure your worst 3 shots of those 10. Then do the same with other clubs, like pitching wedge and 8 iron. Again, take the average distance of all your shots. Do this from several locations, uphill and downhill, to get a good sampling. I would be willing to bet that the 64° gives the highest average distance away with the most dispersion and the worst shots, simply because you have to make a bigger swing. Lower shots roll straighter. Consistency is what you are looking for. Getting the ball on the green and letting it roll out gives the most consistency.

And don't forget to include the putter in that club mix, even from 10-15 feet off the green......

[iHack]

I have a 52 only because from70-50 yards I can give a nice full 3/4 swing. I suck at controlling wedge distance so I carry 4 of them and no 4 iron.besides the p wedge I have the 50-54-58-62. This allows m full swings at various distances. I refuse to chip with the high loft 54 s generally highest loft I'll chip with.

[uno6518]

I wasn't responding to you though. You're a mid-hcp. With practice and what appears to be judicious use, you're probably fine with the 58*......but make no mistake, it was learning to pitch correctly, more than another 2* of loft that's helping with your scoring.

Definitely agree with this, even/especially as a high handicapper. When I first started playing, I had no wedges other than a 46 PW. When I went to buy a used club, I knew nothing, and I was recommended a 58 wedge. I have no idea how much harder I made it on myself looking back, but learning good technique from the quickie pitching thread made a great club for me around the green. I can play a high or low trajectory with it, and it's my go to full and 3/4 swings around 100yds and 75-80, respectively.  It's still the only wedge in my bag, and I'll look forward to filling in some gaps there, especially for the 30-50 yard range, which is a really awkward distance for me to judge with the 58.

If I could go back, though, I definitely would have gotten a 56 to have just one wedge in the bag.

[Crim]

Uhm… because you aren't anywhere near needing to "learn to get it close" at that point.

I guess I'm confused. Why wouldn't I be wanting to get it close at any point in time? Is there a specific handicap that you have to hit in order to start using a more lofted club?

[iacas]

I guess I'm confused. Why wouldn't I be wanting to get it close at any point in time? Is there a specific handicap that you have to hit in order to start using a more lofted club?

Pros aren't "trying to hit it close."

[Crim]

Pros aren't "trying to hit it close."

Can you elaborate? Are you saying that they are just trying to hit it in? Because when I say I'm trying to hit it close...it's not like I'm not trying to get the ball in the hole. I mean, that's what we're all trying to do. My thoughts when hitting a golf ball at a hole is to get that thing IN the hole. At some point I've had to realize though that in certain spots around the green my 64 chip/flop and short run has been more consistent then my SW or 7 iron pitch/chip and runs...and I've practiced with the 64 a LOT less.

I'd also like to reaffirm what I said earlier in that I do not hit ridiculously high Mickelson-esque flops. My goal with the 64 is to (i'm still bad with golf terms) I suppose pitch the ball in front of the hole with about 5 feet of run. And so far it's been consistent.

[iacas]

Can you elaborate? Are you saying that they are just trying to hit it in?

No. I'm saying that pros are rarely trying to "hit it close." Unless by "close" you mean "to 20 feet."

If you're talking about the short game - I'm not, which is why I've kept my replies short, but usually when people say "shooting at tucked pins" they're not talking about a greenside chip shot or something.

[Crim]

If you're talking about the short game - I'm not, which is why I've kept my replies short, but usually when people say "shooting at tucked pins" they're not talking about a greenside chip shot or something.

Ahhh, my bad, yeah I'm talking more about the short game.

I mainly only practice with the 64 at 20 yards and in. I'll occasionally practice at 30-50 yards depending on what pin I'm aiming for at the facility I'm at.

I don't know, maybe I'm using the 64...wrong? Do pros not use a high lofted club to pitch sometimes? I guess I don't really know. If the general consensus is that I should get rid of it, well, maybe I should get rid of it. I just feel that it works so well. What is the maximum loft you guys would recommend for someone still learning the game?

[Meltdwhiskey]

I tend to agree with Mickelson.  Of course there might be a person here or there with some kind of knack for one of these clubs, but for the masses at the course every weekend, this club will cause more harm than good.  These lob wedges and super lob wedges have 2 problems in my opinion:

1 - they are harder to hit cleanly for the average guy - more chunks and more thins

2 - since they require a bigger swing to make it go anywhere, the consequences of a mishit are magnified

A buddy of mine liked to employ a 60* for almost all chip shots.  Didn't even carry a sand wedge or a gap wedge.  Once in a while he hit a fantastic flop that left us all in awe.  But mostly - he was a terrible chipper.  Lots of strokes lost skulling across the green or landing short of it.  I begged him to try a 54* (he wouldn't go all the way to 50*) and hit a very average looking chip shot.  Overnight he became a much better chipper.  He still isn't great at it - just doesn't have the knack.  But the damage is greatly minimized as compared to before.