Are black wedges that have lost color in sweetspot ok?

[StefanUrkel]

When is it time to get a new wedge?

[kpaulhus]

When the grooves are worn and they dont spin the ball. As a general rule of thumb, if you play once or twice a week, you should get a new wedge every year or year and a half.

[Brian W]

I think that losing the color and wearing down the grooves are different things.  I have heard what @kpaulhus said from many people but I have been able to play once a week on average and play wedges for at least 3 years.  I guess I am just not that hard on them.  It will lower your spin with the grooves worn down but getting a new wedge is up to you.  If you like your wedge and have the money, go get one that is similar

You can also purchase a groove sharpener at your local golf store but I do not know much about them.  

 

[Groucho Valentine]

Just because the finish is worn in a spot doesn't mean the wedge is finished. Same with rust spots. I rust spot a wedge just a couple days after i have it. But a spot that have the edges of the grooves turned down towards the back of the club , or when a spot on a face is cupped, are good indicators when its time to replace your wedge. 

I have to replace wedges once or twice a year depending on how much i play/practice. Most often my 52 degree. I stay away from sharpeners because i play in a lot of national tournaments and dont know where the rules fall on that now since the groove ruling a few years ago. 

[Hacker James]

I've had my wedges for years. I am not a very good player so its not a major concern. As for sharpeners and the like, I seem to recall a company that made replaceable wedge inserts that were basically something like sticky emery cloth. Probably illegal?  Then of course, is the "Pal Joey" wedge which did not have any grooves at all. but rather a milled face.  I had one of those at one time, and it worked pretty well. 

[imsys0042]

I've had my wedges for 3 years and I play 100 times a year.   I don't notice any performance difference with them.   Around the green I do not notice any change from year one, and last year on fuller shots I was getting some nice backwards action.   

[Liko81]

19 hours ago, StefanUrkel said:

When is it time to get a new wedge?

Depends on if it's pre-2010 or post-2010. Pre-2010, face grooves on wedges were deep and were supposed to be as sharp as possible; when they wore down, they wouldn't spin the ball as much from any lie. Theoretically these will be illegal for all players in 2020, but my current pair of wedges are non-conforming, and trust me, I don't get a whole lot of advantage from them, but that's on me.

Post-2010, a lot of wedges have been designed with milled faces that are actually supposed to rust; the additional pitting of the clubface as it ages will help make up spin lost as the already-rounded corners of the new grooves wear down. This is especially true for the "raw" finishes, including the black satin finishes.

It all comes down to what you have and how it's behaving. If you're not getting the spin, even with a rearward address and a lot of lag to hit down and punch out, then it might be time for new wedges. However, just because the black has worn off doesn't mean the club no longer works as intended; manufacturers of these wedges account for the wear on these softer raw finishes to keep the club usable long after it's no longer looking new.

[JxQx]

It depends on the person and how much they actually use their wedges during a round. A person who doesn't use wedges a lot or don't mind some slight roll out can go longer between buying new wedges while others who don't want any will have to buy more frequently. For me personally I usually replace wedges every 2-3 years, I play about 3 times a week and I use my wedges a lot during a round but my season is only 6-7 months long.

[GolfLug]

If you depend on check spin for distance control (who doesn't) then yes, grooves should be fresh. Bump and runs won't affected much. I have a black Cleveland Rotex 2.0, that has started loosing color on the face in the last 2 months or so. I think will be making a purchase soon.

[70sSanO]

1 hour ago, Liko81 said:

Post-2010, a lot of wedges have been designed with milled faces that are actually supposed to rust; the additional pitting of the clubface as it ages will help make up spin lost as the already-rounded corners of the new grooves wear down.

Works for me... lol!

John

Edit Added:  This is not my wedge.  But I can see how crusted rust would provide more grip, less directional control, but more grip.

Edited September 20, 2016 by 70sSanO

[Liko81]

11 minutes ago, 70sSanO said:

Works for me... lol!

John

Edit Added:  This is not my wedge.  But I can see how crusted rust would provide more grip, less directional control, but more grip.

Yikes! Chalk one up to "left my $150 raw-finish wedge in the bag in my trunk with the rain fly on until next round". I'd be pretty pissed. But you're right, it'd probably still play.

I was thinking more like this:

This is what even a chrome Vokey SM5 looks like after about two years' good use. Still totally playable and Titleist in fact recommends not trying to remove the rust (you'll just wear down the milling even more). After even a single round, the raw oil can and black finishes will start looking used.

Edited September 20, 2016 by Liko81

[kpaulhus]

2 hours ago, Liko81 said:

After even a single round, the raw oil can and black finishes will start looking used.

My oil can wedges started losing its finish on the first full wedge shot. I cant wait for them to rust a bit. 

[mvmac]

On 9/19/2016 at 1:28 PM, kpaulhus said:

When the grooves are worn and they dont spin the ball. As a general rule of thumb, if you play once or twice a week, you should get a new wedge every year or year and a half.

Yep this. When you run your thumbnail down the face and if your nail doesn't "catch", that's when you're definitely due for new wedges.

[parman]

I'm thinking about replacing this one. It is a Scratch but I have a 588 backup. When they were discontinued I bought a few 588  60s.  

Edited September 20, 2016 by parman

[Hacker James]

You guys remember Titleist BeCu wedges?  a QA nightmare.  I hated those things!  Had to wear special cotton gloves to inspect and run checks. 

[parman]

I meant to say I replaced it with a Cleveland 588 47* 'Special' PW which I hit almost identically.

[Pretzel]

4 hours ago, Hacker James said:

You guys remember Titleist BeCu wedges?  a QA nightmare.  I hated those things!  Had to wear special cotton gloves to inspect and run checks. 

I know health concerns are why Ping stopped making BeCu Eye 2's. 

On 9/19/2016 at 2:18 PM, StefanUrkel said:

When is it time to get a new wedge?

It's time to get a new wedge when the grooves deteriorate to the point where you no longer get as much spin as you used to. The length of time, as mentioned before, for this to happen can vary depending on how often you play. It also can depend on the conditions you play and practice in. Sandy driving ranges or "gritty" soil will accelerate the wear on your wedges and irons, and the amount you use each wedge also affects how often that specific wedge needs to be replaced.

For example: In the last 6 years I have gone through an equal number of lob wedges, each being used until the grooves were worn to the point where it was definitely noticeable. I use my lob wedge for just about every shot between 75-105 yards and every non-chip from inside 30 or 40 yards with a good number of shorter chips added in. It's the wedge I practice the most with and one that I'm just comfortable with, and as a result it gets significantly more use than my other wedges. In the same timeframe I've only had 2 different gap/sand wedges because they see only a little more use than my irons do (pitches between ~35-75 yards and chip shots), and see far less use from bunkers and other "weird" conditions that would accelerate their wear. 

I personally like the black finish on my wedges, but it wears off the face and sole of the club within a couple of rounds. The finish doesn't affect how the wedge plays, just the grooves, and the grooves last for much longer than that (unless you're a tour pro with limitless resources ) I will try to grab a couple pictures of the face/sole of my current wedges to show what I mean.

On the plus side, at least I never really have to regrip my lob wedges!

[bm85]

6 hours ago, mvmac said:

Yep this. When you run your thumbnail down the face and if your nail doesn't "catch", that's when you're definitely due for new wedges.

A good rule of thumb.