The Wedges Question and Callaway Rogue X irons set

[Curt]

I know, I know... it's an age-old question and there have been many Wedges discussions priorly, but it seems to me stock clubs are getting really good, if fit w proper shaft, so here's what I'm currently going through... >>

I have always hit my Callaway stock X-Hot A-wedge high (49 degree, I believe, but maybe 50), straight, and "drop and stop" onto the green far better than I've hit any specialty wedge that I've found and tried so far from about 100 yards.   I have never had a problem with it stopping on the green with a full shot.  The closest thing I've found to it, performance wise, is the Cleveland CBX.

Now I've been fitted into Rogue-X irons with a light stiff Recoil graphite shaft... excellent performance with the light stiff Recoil 460, which surprised me (because I'm strong lifting weights forty years and athletic...)  For Me, on all observable measurable data, including Spin, from top of bag on down...  although we didn't formally "fit" the wedges.  I was also surprised about the Rogue X, because I went in thinking the Ping g700 would win out...  Now, it's a strong-lofted set, yeah yeah but it really works For Me... the PW is 41, then a AW at 46, a GW at 51, and an SW at 55... I don't have them yet, haven't bought them yet, and I have a wedge and woods fitting coming up next week.  That said, my thoughts are leaning towards the A 46 and the G 51, and possibly even the SW 55 in the Rogue X (with the correct shafts, all the other irons were spinning great)... then just have my Cleveland Smart Sole 58 wedge for sand and little pops over traps and such... 

(and maybe even a Smart Sole chipper!!!  hey, my dad is 78 years old, shoots under his age, still plays and has played for decades tournament golf, and has had an old wide-flanged Hogan 60 degree and an old Wilson or TopFlight chipper, then the rest of his set, after a two-decades or more run of winning tourneys with the same old set of Titlest irons, is now Stock Cally Apex 14 though he still carries the decades-old Titlest 3-iron for run shots, no hybrids... he says "I'd rather have my chipper than another wedge".. on the other hand, the Rogue X sole is wide, so maybe I can just dial in the 8-iron as my chipper).

I'm just thinking that since I'm not even close to as good as my dad, and do not have the time nor the burning desire to approach a 5 handicap, all I want to be happy in my golf life is to shoot around 85 or 86, and based on my experience with the X-Hot AW (compared to various iterations of Mack Daddys 2. 3. 4, Clevelands in CBX and others, and yes Titlests).. for me, I could totally see advantages to keeping same shaft and forgiving heads right on down to low in the new Rogue X wedges... look, feel, weight, forgiveness, gaps, etc.,   I don't need to bend it like Beckham to get it on the center of the green, because if I need to I can do a low run-up shot to get under obstacles instead of up and around them if needed.  I dunno.  I think I need to go down to at least the 51 GW in the Rogue X, and maybe a Cleveland CBX 54 or 56 instead of the stock Rogue X SW 55, plus my beloved Smart Sole 58...   BUT I'll know better in a week after I "finish" my fitting at Club Champion, with The Wedges Question. 

What are your thoughts?  Thanks.

[Curt]

On 6/16/2016 at 9:16 PM, CR McDivot said:

Kinda funny how every golfer 30 years ago learned to hit a muscleback, but now GI or SGI is required for newbies to make contact.

Sells shovels, but a mishit on a SGI MIGHT give one a 5% advantage over a mishit with a well made muscleback. KEYWORD = MIGHT

Developing a good swing requires a dedicated long term commitment. There are NO SHORTCUTS.

 

On 6/17/2016 at 4:04 AM, boogielicious said:

However, if the GI irons help the newbie get the ball in the air, then they will enjoy the game more. Blades are designed for faster swing speeds and require more accuracy. GI irons are designed for average swing speeds and are more forgiving and launch the ball higher.

I've played with blades, cavity backs, AP2 and AP1. I would not go back to blades again. Blades will not improve your swing. Correct practice and instruction will improve your swing. Might as well have fun while you're improving!

 

On 6/20/2016 at 10:14 AM, BigUnit68 said:

why would you not take advantage of any help you can get in this difficult game?  Especially if you are playing for fun...make the experience of playing as fun as you can and unless you are an above average ballstriker, why would you not give GI/SGI Irons a look?

 

I am a single digit and I would never play blades...I play Taylormade M2's and love the game immensely....more so since I've upgraded to these irons because I am carding lower scores more consistently this year than I have in years.

Wow, hey I appreciate everybody's thoughts!  Thank you, McDivot et al.

If the point of playing golf was to make it harder, then pros and everyone else would play a limited number of old-school Harry Vardon or at best Bobby Jones clubs off the shelf with no customizations allowed, yeah right... And to underscore the points of boogieliscious and BigUnit... I am playing for fun, plus "dedicated long term commitment" is fine and on the table but many hours of range time is hard to come by, timewise, when like me and only start really playing more than twice a year until once you're over 50 and then you're 56 years old working overtime peak career phase of life with another four or five years left until you retire... maybe I get to practice once or twice a week and play once a week and sometimes only nine holes at that.  I'll never be a threat to somebody who started young and dedicated years to being an excellent near-scratch golfer, but I'm confident I can learn to play a decent game and have fun doing so, with the right equipment For Me.  

Plus, there's no such thing as a "perfect swing, period" - sure, Hogan is a model, yes, and he practiced full-time hours each day but Hagen looked "like a duck" and smooth Sam Snead's swing is a lot different than the smash and gouge pros of today (who will not be healthy when they're old if they keep punishing their bodies the way they do, btw...).  

So, given that, yes I am going to play GI or SGi with lightweight but stiff graphite shafts (with the added benefit of not tearing up my joints) while I enjoy the game and I take further instruction and practice to do what I can to improve my swing, which isn't too bad anyway, and play as time allows.  I'm not going to be shamed out of GI clubs; in fact I take take pride in my enjoyment of them.  I'm just trying to figure out a simple system upon which to build my game up over time as I age so that I can at least play a respectable game - 14 handicap is my goal, and that's supposedly in the top 20-25% in the world of golfers according to the research I've done, good enough for me for fun and self-respect, and if I get past that it's all gravy - WALKING the course amongst peers and enjoy a sport hopefully into my older age 70s and 80s years. 

One of the things that holds back my improvement, other than time limitations, is "mental chatter" about equipment, hence my long posts, sorry about that,  and my efforts to settle the question in a way that will last me for five or ten years... THEREFORE, I'm just trying to figure out the bottom of my bag and be done with it.  I still have my formal wedges fitting next week, but as an update: >>  just yesterday my irons fitter assured me that actually I am not crazy to consider using the actual set wedges from the Rogue X, with my Cleveland 58 SmartSole as the final kicker on the bottom... given my situation and goals.  Keep it simple, he advised, which as an English and Philosophy professor I have enough trouble with, and settle out my golf equipment "chatter" so I can focus on just playing and over time grooving something proximal to my own long-term healthy repeatable swing... 

[dbuck]

I use both gaps in my set, and am more comfortable that way as opposed to using specialty wedges for those gaps. My PW-G-G2 are 43-48-53. I am not good at full shots with specialty wedges. I carry 56 and 60 Vokeys, but am toying with the ideal of going to 1 specialty wedge.