Adam C

New lead tape will not be a problem. Yes, if you have had tape on for 15 years then its soft nature will start to mold into the club from the constant banging together of clubs but new tape is not an issue. I own a repair shop and worked as a club maker for Golfsmith for 3 years and have literally used pounds of lead tape. If you can pull off duct tape, you can pull off lead tape.

Any finish will start to wear off eventually. The dark finishes will be more noticeable. Chrome is probably the longest lasting of any finish but it will also wear. The more the club interacts with sand, either in bunkers or coastal soils, the faster it goes. Good news is none of that will affect play, although a well worn face or sole means the grooves are also well worn.

Lead tape comes off very easily, that is kind of the point. You can go one piece at a time and build it up. There is no need for any grinding! Just get a roll of lead tape and place it on the back or bottom of the club. Just stick it on, don't try and mash it into the crevices. If you need to remove it, just pull it off. If it needs a little help use a hairdryer for a minute to heat the adhesive. Worst case, you may have to remove a little adhesive residue with some solvent.

Half an inch will lighten the SW by about 3 points. Can vary slightly based on the shaft weight and if it's counterbalanced. Midsize grip will also lighten the SW. Basic rule is 4 grams in the grip = 1 SW point, 2 grams in the head = 1 SW point. Could also go with a lighter grip like a midsize Winn which are usually significantly lighter than pure rubber. Assume if you are using a standard size rubber grip, it weighs 50g. If after all that the head feels too light I would recommend using lead tape first to figure out what feels right. Remember, once you HotMelt, there is no going back. Once you find the right feel and if you don't like the tape look, a decent club maker can replicate with either HotMelt or installing a tip weight. Good Luck.

You just have to decide where you plan on using the PW more. For full swings I would stick with the set wedge. For shorter shots, you could gravitate towards the blade style. But like the other post said, you just have to see where your distance gaps fall and possibly adjust some lofts need be. As far as what most tour guys are doing, from what I have read and seen it's about 50/50.