PW to Gap Wedge Gap

[Joeyvee]

Good afternoon all,

 

I recently started looking at my irons again and noticed my PW is a 45* and the next club from that is 52*. It's been treating me ok, but I was wondering why the large difference in yardage I have been getting, and I actually would appreciate a bit more distance with the Gap Wedge. 

 

So if I was to go to a 50* GW what other wedges would you guys recommend? I currently game a 52, 56, 62. I don't like the 62 though and was willing to move down to 60. Now I'm thinking to go to a 50, 54, 58? 

Or would you recommend 50, 56, 60? Why isn't 55 a more popular option in Vokey world?

 

My ultimate would be SM6 in 50, 55, and 60 loft. Maybe I could have the 56 bent to a 55. 

Edited May 30, 2017 by Joeyvee

[Golfingdad]

30 minutes ago, Joeyvee said:

Good afternoon all,

 

I recently started looking at my irons again and noticed my PW is a 45* and the next club from that is 52*. It's been treating me ok, but I was wondering why the large difference in yardage I have been getting, and I actually would appreciate a bit more distance with the Gap Wedge. 

 

So if I was to go to a 50* GW what other wedges would you guys recommend? I currently game a 52, 56, 62. I don't like the 62 though and was willing to move down to 60. Now I'm thinking to go to a 50, 54, 58? 

Or would you recommend 50, 56, 60? Why isn't 55 a more popular option in Vokey world?

 

My ultimate would be SM6 in 50, 55, and 60 loft. Maybe I could have the 56 bent to a 55. 

Read more  

Yeah, 45 to 52 is slightly larger than you average gap.  I think it's usually 4-5 degrees, not 7.  If it was me, I'd go with the 50-54-58 ... because that's exactly what I have now.

If you wanted to go to 50-55-60, that would probably work well, but remember, if you're bending down, then you're sacrificing bounce.  Bending a 54 up would be better, IMO.  Then again, if you already have the 56, it's probably worth a try first. :)

[Joeyvee]

Hmmmm.. So for every degree of bending down I would lose one degree of bounce? I'll have to look at what my 56 is. 

[hilmar2k]

My wedges are 46, 50, 54, 58, and it gives me perfect 10 yard distance gaps. 

PW - 125

GW - 115

SW - 95

LW - 85

FWIW- I recently changed from Vokey 54 and 60 wedges, to Harry Taylor 54 and 58, and I am loving that combo. I can do way more things with the the HT 58 than I could with the Vokey 60.

Edited May 31, 2017 by hilmar2k

[onthehunt526]

23 hours ago, Joeyvee said:

Good afternoon all,

 

I recently started looking at my irons again and noticed my PW is a 45* and the next club from that is 52*. It's been treating me ok, but I was wondering why the large difference in yardage I have been getting, and I actually would appreciate a bit more distance with the Gap Wedge. 

 

So if I was to go to a 50* GW what other wedges would you guys recommend? I currently game a 52, 56, 62. I don't like the 62 though and was willing to move down to 60. Now I'm thinking to go to a 50, 54, 58? 

Or would you recommend 50, 56, 60? Why isn't 55 a more popular option in Vokey world?

 

My ultimate would be SM6 in 50, 55, and 60 loft. Maybe I could have the 56 bent to a 55. 

I actually play 2 gap wedges, I play 44° PW, 48° AW, 52°, 56°, 60°. Sometimes no 60° in favor of a 4-iron.

With the lofts 56° and higher. The loft gap doesn't matter much. I would definitely go to a 50° for your gap wedge. After that is more of a feel issue, which is all on you.

[David L Yskes]

the iron set i play right now the PW is a 47* then, i go to a 50*/8 wedge, and then i have a 56-8 and a 55-10 that was a 56-11...  

and i think it works well for me...  i have thought about doing a 52/8 and a 58*  but idk

And jmo, i use to game a 60*/4 but found i rarely used it, unless it was like a green side in the rough flop shot... 

[Groucho Valentine]

If your PW is 45 degrees, then i think a 50 degree is probably a smart play if you're accustomed to taking full swings with your GW. But the types of in-between distances you get between a PW and GW are easily compensated for with setup or swing control, so i don't think its super critical.

The next wedge is probably the tougher choice. Using that gap in a typical three wedge setup, your next wedge is a 54, which more or less a weak GW and may not be as versatile as you would like. I would consider a 56 or 58 instead of 54 if that ends up being the decision. You tend to get more bounce and playability options with 56-60 degrees. 

[rehmwa]

2 hours ago, hilmar2k said:

My wedges are 46, 50, 54, 58, and it gives me perfect 10 yard distance gaps. 

PW - 125

GW - 115

SW - 95

LW - 85

 

math

I'm 46/50/54/58 and get full swing (120, 110, 100, etc)

Edited May 31, 2017 by rehmwa

[Mr. Desmond]

I go 50, 55, 59

Bent a 56 to 55 - bounce is 12 deg and sufficient at 55. 

Remember, bounce is more than a number. One needs to look at trailing edge relief to see where the grind cuts off bounce, heel and toe relief, as well as sole width and camber. Depends whether you are looking for more versatility or a full sole. Some like heel relief and a fuller toe for the bunker.

[Golfingdad]

On 5/30/2017 at 11:54 AM, Joeyvee said:

Hmmmm.. So for every degree of bending down I would lose one degree of bounce? I'll have to look at what my 56 is. 

Yes.  If you have a 56 with, say, 10 degrees of bounce, then the angle between the face and the sole is 44 degrees (90-56+10).  That angle is never going to change, regardless of the relationship between clubhead and the shaft.

That said, it's one degree we're talking about here, so if you have a 56 that goes just a hair too far for your liking, then I say give it a shot.  One degree of bounce isn't going to matter that much, and besides, you could always bend it back. (I presume - no idea how many times you can bend a club before it breaks)

[WUTiger]

On 5/30/2017 at 0:52 PM, Joeyvee said:

I recently started looking at my irons again and noticed my PW is a 45* and the next club from that is 52*. It's been treating me ok, but I was wondering why the large difference in yardage I have been getting, and I actually would appreciate a bit more distance with the Gap Wedge. ...

What is the yardage gap between 45* and 52*?

And are the 52-56-62 a different model wedge than your 45* (probably from iron set?)

If so, there's no guarantee the yardage gap from 45* to 52* will match proportionally the 52* to 56* gap. You would have to test and measure.

50-45-58 is a popular combination for specialty wedges.

You mentioned you don't like the 62*. You are not alone. A Golf Digest study from a couple years ago said half the PGA tour pros have a 58* as their highest-lofted wedge. Wedges 60* and above require a special touch.

I had a 60* LW that worked down in Texas with plush bermuda turf. A couple of years later on the tight lies in Oklahoma, a less-than-perfect LW shot could produce a low bullet to neverland. I rarely used it.

I recently have started carrying a 60*, but only after I found out during multiple demo days that it would work.

[proto]

my sm6 wedges are, 46, 54, 60

used to run jus a 54 and 60 but rather have more control and spin with a 46wedge then a stock pw.

i use my 54 more then anything and i can stop it on a dime if i need it too. i used to run all 4 wedges but got 

to the point where i wasn't really hitting my 50 at all so i took it out and took my 55 out and put in a 54 and love it ever since

if i feel like i need to go 100-122y ill jus use my 46. jus running three wedges have lighten up my bag and its nice when 

your walking all 18 holes on a hot day

[onthehunt526]

3 hours ago, proto said:

my sm6 wedges are, 46, 54, 60

used to run jus a 54 and 60 but rather have more control and spin with a 46wedge then a stock pw.

i use my 54 more then anything and i can stop it on a dime if i need it too. i used to run all 4 wedges but got 

to the point where i wasn't really hitting my 50 at all so i took it out and took my 55 out and put in a 54 and love it ever since

if i feel like i need to go 100-122y ill jus use my 46. jus running three wedges have lighten up my bag and its nice when 

your walking all 18 holes on a hot day

I, hilariously can hit the matching wedges to my iron set better than "speciality" wedges. Around the greens say 50y and in I'm better with the speciality wedges. 

The OP said he had a 45° PW and a 52° Vokey... I can't see his sig on mobile, so my question is: what's the loft of your 9-iron? Trust me. It relates to this topic... Then, once I know that I'll give him my thoughts. @Joeyvee what is the loft of your 9-iron? Or if you tell me the model I probably know the loft.

[zipazoid]

I've had a Vokey 52 & 56, then I got a new set of Callaway irons & the PW was 44. So I bought the matching Approach Wedge, 49 degress. So 44-49-52-56 are my wedges. I really don't see the need for a 60 - just open up the 56.

[boogielicious]

11 hours ago, zipazoid said:

I've had a Vokey 52 & 56, then I got a new set of Callaway irons & the PW was 44. So I bought the matching Approach Wedge, 49 degress. So 44-49-52-56 are my wedges. I really don't see the need for a 60 - just open up the 56.

Good point. I rarely use my 58 lately. My 54 is my go to wedge around the greens.

[zipazoid]

53 minutes ago, boogielicious said:

Good point. I rarely use my 58 lately. My 54 is my go to wedge around the greens.

Before I got the 49, I was sitting on 13 clubs in my bag (D, 3W, 3-PW, 52, 56, Putter), so there was room for one more, and I considered a 60. But when I realized there was a loft gap of 44 to 52  degrees, and it really showed in my game, getting the 49 degree AW just made sense. 

I guess it comes down to, what shot do you need to cover more? In my case it was hitting a full 80-90 yard shot as opposed to having a club that my 56 already covers - I have no problem with opening up the blade & hitting a lob shot with it...it's not like that extra 4 degrees is gonna stop the ball faster on the green or, basically, give me a better result than an open 56 does.

Plus the AW is a pretty good chipping club.

Edited June 7, 2017 by zipazoid

[Apoc81]

I'm seriously thinking of adding my 60* back in my bag, I hit it very well, i'm just not sure what club to replace, my only real option is my 5 wood, which is about the same carry as my 3 hybrid, but gets a lot more roll where I need it. The hybrid lands, hops, and stops, even on a hard green, I guess because it's coming down at a much steeper angle. But I love that 5W roll-out I get with it on really long par 5's, those few where I have no chance on getting on in two, but the extra ~20 yards roll gives me a short pitch to the green. Golf club choice is the bane of my existence, so if you are anything like me, good luck. 

 

I have a bunch of putters too, and I can never decide between two of my Scotty's and my Nike B2-01. I know many here don't like Nike clubs, but the stuff they made their last two years in business (Especially Irons and putters) were truly excellent clubs. Maybe an Edel putter fitting is in order (I just hate the 4 1/2 hour drive to the only Edel fitter around, but it's not so bad, they always give me a free 18 holes with my purchase of anything Edel, and the course is stunning). That E-3 Platinum is a beautiful short stick. 

Edited June 7, 2017 by Apoc81

[Joeyvee]

18 hours ago, onthehunt526 said:

I, hilariously can hit the matching wedges to my iron set better than "speciality" wedges. Around the greens say 50y and in I'm better with the speciality wedges. 

The OP said he had a 45° PW and a 52° Vokey... I can't see his sig on mobile, so my question is: what's the loft of your 9-iron? Trust me. It relates to this topic... Then, once I know that I'll give him my thoughts. @Joeyvee what is the loft of your 9-iron? Or if you tell me the model I probably know the loft.

I will do you one better. I carry a 4-PW of the Titleist 710 AP 1

AP1			Loft	Length	Lie	Swingweight
4 Iron			23°
5 Iron			26°
6 Iron			29°
7 Iron			33°
8 Iron			37°
9 Iron			41°
P			45°

Ok, so I think I will add a 50 Degree GW, and keep the 56. Maybe bend it to 55. I NEVER use the 62 unless I want to line drive one over the green. I seriously think I have only ever hit it well at the range. 

 

p.s. for the record I have a fairly step angle of attack. 

Edited June 7, 2017 by Joeyvee