Wedge Setup and Why?
Yep, your right...I have a 60, 56 and 52. My 52 I hit about 110 to 115. My PW goes about 135. I dont' like being 120-130 out due to that exact reason. But I've gotten my PW dialed down enough times that I don't want to change as then I would have to rework 3 clubs instead of 1. Nice thoughts from everyone.
jwalker497
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I love this topic. It's something I've debated with myself many times.
I tend to view wedges as the artistic tools of golf as compared to the Irons which are more ultilitatian. Generally speaking, my irons have but one function and that is to produce consistent distance gaps on primarily full shots. My irons have 4* of loft difference and typically produce about a 12 yd differential. OTH, I tend to use my wedges in a variety of different conditions sand, rough, tight lies, fairway etc and thus I find myself manipultaing the face/club more often as well as distance control by choking down. Therefore, I prefer a larger loft gapping between clubs becuase of the versatility of their design and the ability to handle a variety of situations.
The argument then goes well how many wedges is too many and how many is too little?
Right now I've settled on 3 blade style type wedges in addition to my PW which is from my iron set @ 45*. My Vokey wedges are 50, 55, and 60, which I feel covers all of my basis really well. There are always compromises so I did experiment with more wedges and smaller loft gaps ie, 4 wedges (45) 49-53-57-61, and even 3 wedges with closer lofts (45) 50,54,58 but I found more problematic in that it inhibited my thought process because it created too many options given the playability factor I mentioned earlier. I also experimented with the only 2 wedges after my PW of 45*, I went 52* and then 58* While I found this to be a more simplistic approach on creative shots, I often found myself in trouble when it came to full shots as the gaps were just too big. I either had to hit a strong 58 or weak 52 and I am not that good. I will say that if I had to pick between the 4 wedges or the 2 wedges, I would definetley go with 2.
But in the end, I keep coming back to the 50-55-60. This setup produces about 20-25yd differnetial on full shots and gives my a bunch of creative options from 100yds and in.
Hope that makes sense.
I tend to view wedges as the artistic tools of golf as compared to the Irons which are more ultilitatian. Generally speaking, my irons have but one function and that is to produce consistent distance gaps on primarily full shots. My irons have 4* of loft difference and typically produce about a 12 yd differential. OTH, I tend to use my wedges in a variety of different conditions sand, rough, tight lies, fairway etc and thus I find myself manipultaing the face/club more often as well as distance control by choking down. Therefore, I prefer a larger loft gapping between clubs becuase of the versatility of their design and the ability to handle a variety of situations.
The argument then goes well how many wedges is too many and how many is too little?
Right now I've settled on 3 blade style type wedges in addition to my PW which is from my iron set @ 45*. My Vokey wedges are 50, 55, and 60, which I feel covers all of my basis really well. There are always compromises so I did experiment with more wedges and smaller loft gaps ie, 4 wedges (45) 49-53-57-61, and even 3 wedges with closer lofts (45) 50,54,58 but I found more problematic in that it inhibited my thought process because it created too many options given the playability factor I mentioned earlier. I also experimented with the only 2 wedges after my PW of 45*, I went 52* and then 58* While I found this to be a more simplistic approach on creative shots, I often found myself in trouble when it came to full shots as the gaps were just too big. I either had to hit a strong 58 or weak 52 and I am not that good. I will say that if I had to pick between the 4 wedges or the 2 wedges, I would definetley go with 2.
But in the end, I keep coming back to the 50-55-60. This setup produces about 20-25yd differnetial on full shots and gives my a bunch of creative options from 100yds and in.
Hope that makes sense.
Damaikis
Fairway Finder
I'm really not sure what to go with. Some new wedges are likely in my future and right now my PW is 46*, AW is 50*, and I have a 56* and a 60*. I'll likely only get a new SW and LW, so I'm not sure what lofts to get. Logic would say 54* and 58* to keep distance gaps consistant, but I rarely hit my 56* or 60* full so I don't care too much about that. I love my 60* now, but I'm not infatuated with my 56*. I was thinking of trying a 54* or a 55* and a 60*.
neova
Member
Been playing a 47* PW and 56* SW and 60* LW for the longest time...
Then was told I need to bridge the gap as I needed a club in between my PW and SW so I bought a 50* GW and dropped the 60* LW.
I found that I'm not good at hitting full GW shots and much better at hitting 3/4 PW to cover that distance as well as really missing the 60* LW around the green for flop shots..
So I sold the GW and went back to my original set up. I never hit full shots on SW or LW as they higher lofts makes it easy to over scope under the ball leading to distance loss. Much safter to hit 3/4 and 1/2 PW shots for distance and only use the SW for sand and LW for green side chipping.
Also having only 3 wedges makes my short game a lot less confusing
Then was told I need to bridge the gap as I needed a club in between my PW and SW so I bought a 50* GW and dropped the 60* LW.
I found that I'm not good at hitting full GW shots and much better at hitting 3/4 PW to cover that distance as well as really missing the 60* LW around the green for flop shots..
So I sold the GW and went back to my original set up. I never hit full shots on SW or LW as they higher lofts makes it easy to over scope under the ball leading to distance loss. Much safter to hit 3/4 and 1/2 PW shots for distance and only use the SW for sand and LW for green side chipping.
Also having only 3 wedges makes my short game a lot less confusing
Wedge gaps..
Wedge gaps..
I'm playing:
PW - 47*
GW - 50*
SW - 54*
LW - 58*
I haven't had my 50 for that long, when I first hit it I thought it seemed a little short, so I compared it with my 54 and it was the same length, I then lengthened my 50 1/2 inch and now it ever so slightly longer than my PW. I hit 47,50 and 54 on the same hole to see the gap difference, it was 47 - 50 about 6 yard gap. 50 - 54 about 11 yard gap.
My question being shall I bend my 50 to a 51 so it plays like a 50 again.
Or shall I go- 47, 52 ( play like 51*), 55, 59.
Sorry if this seems confusing but it's been on my mind and wanted to know what you guys think
Wedge gaps..
I'm playing:
PW - 47*
GW - 50*
SW - 54*
LW - 58*
I haven't had my 50 for that long, when I first hit it I thought it seemed a little short, so I compared it with my 54 and it was the same length, I then lengthened my 50 1/2 inch and now it ever so slightly longer than my PW. I hit 47,50 and 54 on the same hole to see the gap difference, it was 47 - 50 about 6 yard gap. 50 - 54 about 11 yard gap.
My question being shall I bend my 50 to a 51 so it plays like a 50 again.
Or shall I go- 47, 52 ( play like 51*), 55, 59.
Sorry if this seems confusing but it's been on my mind and wanted to know what you guys think
barryboymunro
Active member
I would stay with your current set-up to be honest. I read an interesting article from Bob Vokey in the latest Golf Monthly and he was saying that you should always have 4 wedges in the bag as an amateur golfer and the gaps should be pretty equal which looks like you have done but he also said the highest wedge any amateur golfer should go to is a 58 as anything more they don't really utilise it. Going by that rule of thumb and staying with a 58 then your gaps are regular going down to your 47.
others may disagree but thats my two cents
others may disagree but thats my two cents
Nicklausfan
New member
marshallucf
Member
I have 52, 56, 60 and my PW is 47. When I got the wedges my gaps were pretty even, but when I got the mizuno irons the gap between PW and 52 got a little bigger than I would like. When I can finally afford to replace my wedges I will prob reevaluate my gaps and most likely get a 50
- Staff
- #385
New set up will be:
PW - 45
588's - 49, 53, 57
Sort of a little experiment for me and I can always bend them if it doesn't work. However, I am relying on my wedges more for full shots and I'm think that I can better utilize all three of them this way. 57 will likely get most of the sand work.
PW - 45
588's - 49, 53, 57
Sort of a little experiment for me and I can always bend them if it doesn't work. However, I am relying on my wedges more for full shots and I'm think that I can better utilize all three of them this way. 57 will likely get most of the sand work.
Hanks
On the Fringe
I think I'm going to keep my current set up I have now barring any drastic changes. With stronget lofted PW's I think it's important for me to have at least a 50,54 set up but I like the 58 for those little chips to tight pins when I can't bump and run
I'm going 46* PW, then 52* GW and 58* SW. I can open the 58 up if I need a lob shot. I like this set up, less choices means I can focus on execution and it keep its simple out there for me. I mostly find myself using the 52 around the greens for chips that need a bit of run out. The 58 is for sand play or when I really need to get over something. The 52 is also a great approach shot club, its 120 yds on the button for me, so I try to lay up to 120 if I can.
I think that is a very smart move as Ive found this setup to be the best one Ive done yet. You will never miss the 60* ish wedge and the 58* is much more versatile.
I agree....reading a bunch and playing around more with other shots around the green convinced me.
I think so as well, I use the 57 a TON around the greens and really like it. Nice mix of flop and bumpandrun ability.
psampaio
New member
I'm still building my first full set, little by little. Right now, I game a 47*PW and a 56*/14. Still a bit torn between getting one or two more wedges (not even sure which) or instead, get a 20.5* Mashie.
My initial idea was to get a 52 and a 60. That would get me pretty even gaps and develop my short game better, but I've read here that the 60 would be tough to play without a lot of practice. Still trying to figure out why, the theory behind the shots with the 60.
On the other hand, getting the Mashie would allow me to work on getting some more distance, especially since the longest club I carry is a 24* 4-iron.
My initial idea was to get a 52 and a 60. That would get me pretty even gaps and develop my short game better, but I've read here that the 60 would be tough to play without a lot of practice. Still trying to figure out why, the theory behind the shots with the 60.
On the other hand, getting the Mashie would allow me to work on getting some more distance, especially since the longest club I carry is a 24* 4-iron.
psampaio
New member
Yes, could be. I'm concerned that having the 56* as the highest lofted club (especially with the 14* bounce) will make it harder to carry over obstacles near the green. I'm thinking I'll blade too many shot. Does this make any sense? Or is it something I would be able to do?
Snypa13
New member
I have that problem with my ap2 set. the PW is 47deg and i have a 53deg gap which I notice lack of coverage. Im gonna try a 50-51deg gap and adjust sand and lob accordingly.
Take that 53* out, get a 50* gap and bend that 57* to 55*.
- Staff
- #399
With the J40's incoming and bent 1* strong I'm changing the wedge setup a bit. Going to go with 4* gaps that match the iron set, so, the PW is 45* and I'll be going with 49/53/57. After talking to alot of guys on here (mostly One-T though haha) I really think the 57* will give me enough versatility while being easier to use than my 60* Eidolon. I think this will be a VERY good change.
kevin58
New member
I've got a standard set matching pw, then I I've got a vokey 52 & 56 and a Cleveland cg15 60. Its a yardage coverage issue for me. Even though the Cleveland is no longer legal by groove specs, I'm still an amateur technically, so I've got 12 years to play it..lol. actually I use the 60 for short sided bunker shots and 30-70 yard awkward yardage shots. I'm a 56 chipper unless I have green to cover and need more run out. Really its a feel issue that depends on the shot. I'm not going to hit the lob 80 yards into the breeze, it'll spin too much, the 52 works better to keep it low and stop quickly and not dance all over. Its all based on feel and shot conditions.