Why Don't More Good Players Use Their Iron Set Wedges?

[iacas]

For me, the bounce is too high. I simply cannot flop, chip or pitch with my sand or lob.

Depends on your technique.

This club has over 20° bounce, and the lie is hardpan.

[WUTiger]

From 1994 to 2008, I played Ping Eye2 clones (made by Pro Tour), which were custom-fit by a local pro down in Texas. The set came with a 50* PW, a 56* SW, and a 60* LW. I used these wedges the whole time, although the LW saw little use on the hard soil in Southwest Oklahoma.

When I swapped out irons in Spring 2009, the biggest challenge was "all those wedges" that were available on the market. It took me a full season to find a mix I liked.

[David L Yskes]

While I am far from a good player, I use my pw in my titleist 735cm set... I also have a 52-8 588 wedge, 2 56 volkeys, and a 60-4 volkey... Now I have thought about getting a 48 degree volkey wedge to replace my standard wedge.. but I can hit my wedge so good that I dont see the point.. I consistently hit my pw about 100 to 110 yards... and I also am not one who can at will put , backspin on the ball,,, if I do its totally by accident. .

[14ledo81]

While I am far from a good player, I use my pw in my titleist 735cm set... I also have a 52-8 588 wedge, 2 56 volkeys, and a 60-4 volkey...

Now I have thought about getting a 48 degree volkey wedge to replace my standard wedge.. but I can hit my wedge so good that I dont see the point..

I consistently hit my pw about 100 to 110 yards... and I also am not one who can at will put , backspin on the ball,,, if I do its totally by accident. .

I realize this may sound "nit-picky", but you put back-spin on all of your shots.  If you did not, they would not travel very far at all.

*Maybe I am just irritated by the comment I heard Friday night when I stepped into the golf shop.  The tournament was playing, and I watched someone hit.  The announcer said something along the lines of "Well, that one certainly has some over-spin on it".  I would hate to think that the average listener would think that that is possible.

[Golfingdad]

... and I also am not one who can at will put , backspin on the ball,,, if I do its totally by accident. .

I realize this may sound "nit-picky", but you put back-spin on all of your shots.  If you did not, they would not travel very far at all.

*Maybe I am just irritated by the comment I heard Friday night when I stepped into the golf shop.  The tournament was playing, and I watched someone hit.  The announcer said something along the lines of "Well, that one certainly has some over-spin on it".  I would hate to think that the average listener would think that that is possible.

Yeah, I hear ya.  Although, it's a pretty safe bet that you can assume comments like the one @David L Yskes made are in reference to the ball after it hits the green.  Maybe the technically proper term would be something unfamiliar like "back roll," but we know what he means.

[dkolo]

My set is the cavity-backed Callaway X-24 and it came with a PW and SW. The PW is fine, and I used a PW as just a 10 iron, but the SW I didn't like. It's totally fine for full shots, but I just couldn't use it from the sand. Opening it up, it's so unbelievably chunky, I can't bring myself to use it from the sand or on chips with the club face manipulated. When I tried to do splash shots from the hard sand, I bladed everything. Just couldn't get it into the sand consistently. I bought a used Nike SV 56° that's a traditional blade style and it's great. Have no problems with it in the sand, and I find it's my most versatile club that I use for most chipping and stuff around the greens. I also bought a 52° and 60° from Tommy Armour when they were on sale at Sports Authority. Also blade style. I feel much more comfortable using them and my SW for shots that involve sticking into the turf. With my irons and chipping, I'll only play putting-type strokes with them.

[newtogolf]

I've noticed most of the iron sets that are intended for lower handicappers (<10) don't offer wedges beyond the PW, though the trend is starting to change.  Sets for higher handicappers typically offer a gap wedge and a sand wedge but aren't always included with the boxed set so anyone buying irons off the shelf (especially lefties) will have to special order the GW and SW.  Some don't want the hassle and wait of special orders and instead opt to buy OTS wedges.

I don't know many that have replaced the PW from their set with a dedicated PW but for those that want the same look and feel for all their wedges they might do so.

[Valleygolfer]

I've noticed most of the iron sets that are intended for lower handicappers (<10) don't offer wedges beyond the PW, though the trend is starting to change.  Sets for higher handicappers typically offer a gap wedge and a sand wedge but aren't always included with the boxed set so anyone buying irons off the shelf (especially lefties) will have to special order the GW and SW.  Some don't want the hassle and wait of special orders and instead opt to buy OTS wedges.

I don't know many that have replaced the PW from their set with a dedicated PW but for those that want the same look and feel for all their wedges they might do so.

It was $125 to add the GW to my current set and $105 to add another Vokey. I hit my other wedges well so I decided I would just add another Vokey. I probably would have been happy with either one but just decided to keep my wedges consistent, save 20 clams and plus if I don't like the wedge set up I can sell it to anyone for the most part.

[Jim260]

I play Ping G15 irons but for wedges I went with "Fourteen" wedges, the grind, bounce, grooves and shape just fit my game and my eye. (If you are looking for a good wedge check them out.) I put a lot of time in practicing my wedge shots. I was taught by a Pro who recommended the Fourteen wedge. I purchased them through the Pro Shop at my local golf course. My instructor worked with me (on grass not a mat) and recommend each wedge, he ground them to fit my swing. I now have a lot of confidence in each wedge. It may be psychological but it worked for me. For a club you use all the time, more than your driver for example, putting the time (and money) into a good set of wedges I think is worth it. I separate class with a Pro to teach you how to use them is worth it as well.

[bjwestner]

Good question....I noticed this recently too and decided that I wanted to keep my PW, AW, and LW consistent as I occasionally change the iron set I'm using.  Thus all my wedges will not change and that's one less club that changes if my irons change.  I ordered a 46 degree 588 rtx cb Cleveland PW that was to my specs.  I have a 52 degree gap wedge and a 58 Cleveland smart sole wedge.  I also have a 42 degree Chipper/utility club that rounds out my wedges.  Those four stay in my bag regardless of what irons I'm playing.

I think that this is what happens to tour players as the better irons (like my Bridgestone J40's) only are available up to a PW.  Personally I find wedges that I have purchased oustide of the iron set to be of better quality than the ones that are part of the iron set.

[MasonAsher2014]

My iron set is just 4-9. I actually have a 47,54, and 58 vokey

[BuckeyeNut]

I think some players just want the most expensive wedge they can find in their bag to have a big name wedge.    Either that, or they play inferior clubs that don't make good wedges.   Maybe they figure....at least I'll get some good wedges??

[WUTiger]

... I think that this is what happens to tour players as the better irons (like my Bridgestone J40's) only are available up to a PW.  Personally I find wedges that I have purchased oustide of the iron set to be of better quality than the ones that are part of the iron set.

Why do so many avid golfers and certainly tour pros go with specialty wedges vs. stock iron set wedges? In part, because they spend more time practicing on their game. The extra practice means they can develop the kind of shots that you can get more reliably with special grind wedges.

• Vokey offers lots of wedge choices. The SM4 model group had 21 different loft/bounce combinations, each matched with one of the six different sole grinds available.
• Cleveland: The 588 RTX and the earlier 588 Forged models offer 18 different loft/bounce combos each / the RTX CB (cavity back) offers eight different combos.

Does anyone have personal examples of why they chose specialty wedges over stock wedges?

[Valleygolfer]

I think some players just want the most expensive wedge they can find in their bag to have a big name wedge.    Either that, or they play inferior clubs that don't make good wedges.   Maybe they figure....at least I'll get some good wedges??

I do not think this is the case at all. Most people who play "inexpensive" clubs don't use high dollar wedges unless they are really old and cheap (the wedge not the person). When I first got back into golf I had one northwestern 60 degree wedge which was given to me and I hit it horribly. It is rather funny now when I think of the maximum of 30 yard shots I hit with it. I didn't add a quality wedge until I got new high end irons, woods, putter and learned to hit the wedge. I think most of us use the best clubs we can afford.

[MS256]

I certainly can't speak for "good players" but in my case:

Back when I got my R7 irons the set came with a GW, SW, and LW.

They all had much more bounce than anything I had ever used and it was impossible for me to hit the type of very extreme flop shots I was used to being able to hit.

So without really giving it much thought I gave them all away.

In hindsight at the very least I should have only replaced the 60* with something with less bounce. Going with less bounce costs me many more strokes than I can ever gain back in those rare situations where I'm 20 yards from the pin and need to flop the ball over a 50 foot tree.

Those extreme shots don't come up often enough to justify changing something that was working very well on more standard type shots.

[BuckeyeNut]

Why do so many avid golfers and certainly tour pros go with specialty wedges vs. stock iron set wedges? In part, because they spend more time practicing on their game. The extra practice means they can develop the kind of shots that you can get more reliably with special grind wedges.

Vokey offers lots of wedge choices. The SM4 model group had 21 different loft/bounce combinations, each matched with one of the six different sole grinds available.

Cleveland: The 588 RTX and the earlier 588 Forged models offer 18 different loft/bounce combos each / the RTX CB (cavity back) offers eight different combos.

Does anyone have personal examples of why they chose specialty wedges over stock wedges?

Very good question.....

I'd love to see some replies.    My jaded 2 cents...........Aside from touring pro's or Elite Am players, the loft and bounce is all that is relevant because nobody else hits the ball well enough to dial-in the wedges beyond these basic criteria.  For example, if I am looking for a 56 degree sand wedge.........13deg bounce is a no brainer.

As some of you have read in other threads, I play Mizuno irons recently broke my 56 degree Mizuno MPR wedge so for me, buying a replacement was a no brainer because I love the feel/look of the MP line.    I went online.......56deg....13deg bounce....found a Mizuno MP......point & CLICK...easy purchase and a new  MP wedge was on my doorstep in 5 days.   I really didn't consider any other criteria.

As somebody who can play just a 'little bit' who considers his wedge play a strength , I don't believe 99.5% of the golfing public benefits from buying specialty wedges separately.  I'd love to read others opinions.........

[amac]

I certainly can't speak for "good players" but in my case:

Back when I got my R7 irons the set came with a GW, SW, and LW.

They all had much more bounce than anything I had ever used and it was impossible for me to hit the type of very extreme flop shots I was used to being able to hit.

So without really giving it much thought I gave them all away.

In hindsight at the very least I should have only replaced the 60* with something with less bounce. Going with less bounce costs me many more strokes than I can ever gain back in those rare situations where I'm 20 yards from the pin and need to flop the ball over a 50 foot tree.

Those extreme shots don't come up often enough to justify changing something that was working very well on more standard type shots.

I don't consider myself a good player, but I do appreciate the importance of getting fitted.  I play MP 64's and replaced my Vokey wedge's with Edel's.  A day with a fitter revealed that I had too little bounce, the shaft was creating a ballooning flight and the standard lie angle was too flat.  Before the Edel's, I had played Vokey's since I can remember.  Why, they do nothing but Wedge's!  They specialize in wedge development.  If you want to maximize your game, why not purchase one of the most important clubs in your bag from a manufacturer that specializes in that one club?

I certainly agree that we are influenced to make purchases based on what we see on TV.  Most people are probably playing clubs, drives and golf balls they will never fully appreciate.  But if it inspires confidence, and that relates to one or two strokes better play per round, then I say it's worth it.

Why do so many avid golfers and certainly tour pros go with specialty wedges vs. stock iron set wedges? In part, because they spend more time practicing on their game. The extra practice means they can develop the kind of shots that you can get more reliably with special grind wedges.

Vokey offers lots of wedge choices. The SM4 model group had 21 different loft/bounce combinations, each matched with one of the six different sole grinds available.

Cleveland: The 588 RTX and the earlier 588 Forged models offer 18 different loft/bounce combos each / the RTX CB (cavity back) offers eight different combos.

Does anyone have personal examples of why they chose specialty wedges over stock wedges?

I don't consider myself a good player, but I do appreciate my custom wedges.  I play MP 64's and stock wedges are not offered.  I had to purchase after-market wedges.  I did replace my Vokey wedge's with Edel's.  A day with a fitter revealed that I had too little bounce, the shaft was creating a ballooning flight and the standard lie angle was too flat.  At this point, I wouldn't trade my Edel's for all the Vokeys in the world.  Vokey makes a great wedge, but my Edel's were made for me!

I am a proponent of purchasing specialty items from a specialist .  My wedges are in and out of my bag all day on the course.  I don't want a stock, "generalist" club when I know there is a better club designed by a company that spends millions of dollars developing the best wedges in the game.  Does my handicap justify the money spent?  To me, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks when they look in my bag.  The clubs I have inspire confidence and knowing bad shots are not the result of an improper fitted club - it's on me!

To the point above about the multiple offerings from Vokey and Cleveland - both are specialist's offering an excellent product.  The difficulty is knowing which club is right for your game.  Where I live, the sales guys are not fitting wedges and or matching shafts to your swing.  What good is sole grind selection if you don't understand the difference and have no example of how your swing is impacting each one?  There is no replacing custom fit.  IMO, buying any club off the rack will always be a crap shoot.

amac

[WUTiger]

@amac ,

Golfers in our area are lucky, if they know where to go. A female clubfitter at a local shop worked a few seasons with one of the PGA tour vans, specializing in wedges. She knows little details about wedges that never make it in the ads, but could really help out certain golfers.