Wedge gapping

[FrivolouslyWasted]

How much is too much? I play old school irons with traditional lofts, so I only carry 3 wedges. PW is 50 degrees, sand wedge is 56, and I’m thinking about getting a 62 lob and keeping 6 degree loft gaps between them all. Are these gaps too big? 

 

I’m not a great golfer, but I’m getting better as I’m practicing and playing more than I have in years. I have tended to be fairly solid with my wedges, though. As a kid that was the one thing I could practice in my yard, so I did. Often.

 

Right now, my distance control is a little rusty. This is my first year back from an extended break. I’m assuming that will be a key thing to shore up. I reckon the larger gap will create more in-between shots.

 

Does anybody play with such large gaps between wedges, and if so, does it work out ok or would you discourage it?

[Vinsk]

It’s really just an individual preference. Have you taken your PW, 56 to the range to see what your yardages are? That would certainly help. Many players can have a wide range for each club based on choking down, length of backswing. I wouldn’t worry about the spacing regarding numbers but more on how you play each wedge and see where the gaps are.

[Adam C]

I think 6 is fine. I carry 3 wedges 46,52,57 basically 6 each. Just remember the more loft on that wedge, the harder you have to swing to move the ball forward and the smaller the margin for error. Everyone is different but my belief is use the lowest loft you can get away with on any particular green side shot, especially for higher handicappers. Miss a little with a 52 degree and the result will still be in the ballpark, miss a little with a 62, and the ball might go 12 inches or 50 yards.

Best of luck.

[NM Golf]

I would be very careful getting a lob wedge with more than 60° of loft, as they can be very difficult to hit properly. I once snapped a 64° wedge over my knee, best thing I ever did for my short game.

[FrivolouslyWasted]

10 minutes ago, Vinsk said:

It’s really just an individual preference. Have you taken your PW, 56 to the range to see what your yardages are? That would certainly help. Many players can have a wide range for each club based on choking down, length of backswing. I wouldn’t worry about the spacing regarding numbers but more on how you play each wedge and see where the gaps are.

I haven’t nailed those numbers down solidly yet. The range I frequently visit isn’t the most sophisticated. There’s another nearby that’s a little better. I might do a little work out there

[saevel25]

33 minutes ago, FrivolouslyWasted said:

How much is too much? I play old school irons with traditional lofts, so I only carry 3 wedges. PW is 50 degrees, sand wedge is 56, and I’m thinking about getting a 62 lob and keeping 6 degree loft gaps between them all. Are these gaps too big? 

Nope, you can get away with 5-6 degrees of loft difference.

I would just go with a 60 degree wedge.

[FrivolouslyWasted]

22 minutes ago, Adam C said:

I think 6 is fine. I carry 3 wedges 46,52,57 basically 6 each. Just remember the more loft on that wedge, the harder you have to swing to move the ball forward and the smaller the margin for error. Everyone is different but my belief is use the lowest loft you can get away with on any particular green side shot, especially for higher handicappers. Miss a little with a 52 degree and the result will still be in the ballpark, miss a little with a 62, and the ball might go 12 inches or 50 yards.

Best of luck.

You’re right that it becomes a greater gamble as you try to get increasingly fancy with your wedge play. And I am still a high enough handicapper that chunks, blades and shanks do happen from time to time, but in general my wedge play is probably the best aspect of my game. I’m never scared to attempt a 10 yard flop over a bunker with a wide-open face with my current, mediocre 60 degree.

 

Its probably uncommon for a high handicapper, but the lob wedge is probably my best club. I can’t count how many strokes mine saves me

6 minutes ago, saevel25 said:

Nope, you can get away with 5-6 degrees of loft difference.

I would just go with a 60 degree wedge.

I do currently carry a 60 and have considered having my SW bent to 55 and going 5 degrees across the board

[FrivolouslyWasted]

56 minutes ago, Adam C said:

I think 6 is fine. I carry 3 wedges 46,52,57 basically 6 each. 

I know it will be different for me, but what kind of yardage gaps do you get with that setup?

[Adam C]

46 is 135, 52 is 110, and 57 is 90. That being said I rarely go after the 52 or 57 and would rather take the lower loft with a cut off swing for control and less spin.

[Valleygolfer]

9 hours ago, FrivolouslyWasted said:

I haven’t nailed those numbers down solidly yet. The range I frequently visit isn’t the most sophisticated. There’s another nearby that’s a little better. I might do a little work out there

A 62° wedge is a bit of a challenge for someone who has not nailed down their yardage for their current set up. I don't know your skill set but even for the slightly more experienced golfer, 60° is the generally maximum you should use. I personally use 50/55/60. 3/4 swing results in 90/100/110. Most clubsets increase 4° but you can play anything you get used to. You really need to figure out your distances to be able to utilize another wedge. 

[Cubiedubie]

I recommend the 4 degree increments but then again club and shaft combinations can alter the yardages. 

I play a 46 King Cobra Pro PW with KBS c taper, then Tommy Armour GXT 52, 56, and 60 wedges with Dynamic Gold. I took my PW to a fitter with a launch monitor and found out my PW was flying 113 on average. We ended up calling that 115 and the 52 degree filled right in at 99 (100), the 56 at 86 (85), and a full swing 60 at 67 (65). Try and get to a fitter/launch monitor, best decision I ever made.  

[FrivolouslyWasted]

13 hours ago, Valleygolfer said:

A 62° wedge is a bit of a challenge for someone who has not nailed down their yardage for their current set up. I don't know your skill set but even for the slightly more experienced golfer, 60° is the generally maximum you should use. I personally use 50/55/60. 3/4 swing results in 90/100/110. Most clubsets increase 4° but you can play anything you get used to. You really need to figure out your distances to be able to utilize another wedge. 

I ended up outbid on the 62 and got a Cleveland 60 instead. Like a child though, the more folks say I should avoid going over 60 degrees the more I want to get an outrageously lofted wedge. I have no fear when I’m standing over the ball with a lob wedge in hand. As much as I do wrong on the golf course, the lob wedge usually goes right for me.

4 hours ago, Cubiedubie said:

Try and get to a fitter/launch monitor, best decision I ever made.  

This is what I really need to do. I’ve never used a launch monitor. It would be nice to get some real, measured data rather than my clumsy estimations on the course

[Adam C]

Last piece of advise. Go do a launch monitor, but make sure it's outdoor on real grass. Fitting wedges off indoor mats is worthless or close to it. Turf interaction is so important with all wedges but most of all with higher lofts.

[FrivolouslyWasted]

5 hours ago, Adam C said:

Last piece of advise. Go do a launch monitor, but make sure it's outdoor on real grass. Fitting wedges off indoor mats is worthless or close to it. Turf interaction is so important with all wedges but most of all with higher lofts.

Thanks for that tip. It’s probably going to be a while before I can afford brand new, fitted equipment, but I’m going to commit this tidbit to memory for when that day comes.

 

Right now I’m in the process of upgrading from considerably older secondhand wedges to unused equipment that’s a just few years old. I ended up getting a “new” Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 60-degree on the bay. Hopefully it will arrive in time for my off days so I can go test it out

[onthehunt526]

I don't even usually play a 60°. I mean it's in the bag for now, but I rarely use it.

6° separation is usually fine. I do 4 degrees. But then again my 52° and 56° don't usually get a lot of work, unless I'm in the shit.

[1badbadger]

On 8/18/2018 at 9:40 AM, FrivolouslyWasted said:

I ended up outbid on the 62 and got a Cleveland 60 instead. Like a child though, the more folks say I should avoid going over 60 degrees the more I want to get an outrageously lofted wedge. I have no fear when I’m standing over the ball with a lob wedge in hand. As much as I do wrong on the golf course, the lob wedge usually goes right for me.

The main thing isn't the gap in your lofts, it's the gap in your yardages.  If you have something like 25 yards between your PW and SW you might have to hit more partial shots, which requires more practice to dial in.

[DrMJG]

As I am in the process of rebuilding my set and my game.  I am following the advice of my golf trainer pro and getting really used to one wedge before I buy the next.  Started out with just a 56º; it remained my only wedge for almost 8 months. Started looking at a number of factors from choking up, full length of shaft, various angles of attack... pitch to lobs, only with the one wedge.  I really became fairly good with full shots and even almost Phil like lobs!  Then, rather than go to a larger loft of 60º, we went down to a 50 and focused on full pitches, how a big divot, smaller divot or no divot affected what the club did. It did mess up my 56º for a month or so recently, but I have a good sense off which wedge when and a solid sense of distance required.  I think the final one, which may come in January will be a 60º as my training pro is not fond of larger for amateurs at my level.

Edited August 21, 2018 by DrMJG

[beaureed445]

Hmmmmm.  Interesting topic, as I'm currently going through the same thing.  I just ordered a set of 718 AP1's, including the "extra" wedge (PW is 43*, extra wedge is 48*).  I also ordered a Vokey SM7 in 54*.  I think I'll be fine with these lofts, as they're similar to the Ping G20's that I'm hitting now (PW-45*, UW- 50*, SW- 45*).  I have a few-year-old Cleveland 60* in the garage if I feel that I "need" a lob wedge.