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Herbie's One-Putt Wedge - THP Review

SuperStroke
b4golf said:
I am very lucky to find one of these in the club section of a "used" sporting goods store for $9.99. I don't think they had any idea of what they had. I have used it off and on during my rounds. You do get grief from others, however it is fun to play with. I have never mastered the big flop with hit, but as mentioned earlier it is extremely consistent from 10-50 yards. It is not a club that imparts a great deal of spin with the ball checking up. It is kind of like you tossed it underhanded up on to the green and let it roll out. Once you hit it a few times it is very easy to predict the roll out. For example, for me, the higher softer pitches from about 40-50 yards it rolls about 10-15 feet or so.

One more thing. It kind of makes a wierd tinking sound when you hit it. To me that is an easy trade off for the knowledge that you will not shank this thing. For what I paid for it, I am going to keep it just for grins. As I said, it is fun to play with.
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts here, b4golf.
 
It's great to see several of you giving this a try. I'm excited to follow along and see how you like it.
 
Castor Hades said:
Yeah, I got it...but had to write it also, just as an opinion generally about these kind of clubs.

How much spin does the club put on the ball? Enough to make the ball stop quickly?
You did mention that not much...but can you make a shot with a lot of spin if you try?
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As discussed, here are some numbers for you with the One Putt Wedge and my 57° 588. These were using a Z-Star with what I'd consider my 7:30 wedge swing. Typically I'm playing my ball back of center about a ball with this shot. Trajectory is lower, but spin is usually high enough to get a urethane ball to stop pretty quickly. I just prefer the lower trajectory on this shot for whatever reason. Can hit it higher if I want to. For the sake of testing, I took some numbers with the OPW in the ball forward position. I didn't do that with my 588 because I'd never do that in real life.

One Putt Wedge - ball in normal position

Vertical Launch - 22.2°
Back spin - 5739

One Putt Wedge - ball in forward position

Vertical Launch - 24.8
Back spin - 7242

57° 588 - neutral face

Vertical Launch - 32.2
Back spin - 8085


Now, what does that tell me?

First of all, there's quite a difference in launch. However there is also quite a difference in loft between the two clubs. The OPW comes in at 48°, however the company says it can play to an effective loft of 56° depending on ball position, which is why I put the ball in the forward position as well. Still, launch is quite lower, even if it is supposed to play to that loft.

Why did I compare to the 57°? Mostly because the OPW sort of takes the chipping duties that would normally get relegated to that wedge. Probably not a great comparison on pitches though. I'll try to compare to my 49° wedge soon.

Regardless, I could probably work with the ball forward shot pretty well. I suspect the lower trajectory would result in a little more roll out, but that's still pretty substantial spin for a pitch shot in the 50-60 yard range in my opinion.
 
Glad you are going to try and get some hard numbers Hawk, I will be interested to see what they say. I need to just learn to chip better and I wouldn't have to worry about it,....hahaha

b4golf said:
I am very lucky to find one of these in the club section of a "used" sporting goods store for $9.99. I don't think they had any idea of what they had. I have used it off and on during my rounds. You do get grief from others, however it is fun to play with. I have never mastered the big flop with hit, but as mentioned earlier it is extremely consistent from 10-50 yards. It is not a club that imparts a great deal of spin with the ball checking up. It is kind of like you tossed it underhanded up on to the green and let it roll out. Once you hit it a few times it is very easy to predict the roll out. For example, for me, the higher softer pitches from about 40-50 yards it rolls about 10-15 feet or so.

One more thing. It kind of makes a wierd tinking sound when you hit it. To me that is an easy trade off for the knowledge that you will not shank this thing. For what I paid for it, I am going to keep it just for grins. As I said, it is fun to play with.
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Now that's a hell of a deal...$10!! wish I ran into deals like that!
 
TripleBogieTim said:
Glad you are going to try and get some hard numbers Hawk, I will be interested to see what they say. I need to just learn to chip better and I wouldn't have to worry about it,....hahaha



Now that's a hell of a deal...$10!! wish I ran into deals like that!
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Beat you to the punch! Right above your post.
 
Wow, just found this thread. It came up while I was away from Internet during a holiday vacation. Wow. Not sure what to think. Shank proof at least. Is this trying to compete with the Niblick or establish its own niche?
 
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Hawk said:
As discussed, here are some numbers for you with the One Putt Wedge and my 57° 588. These were using a Z-Star with what I'd consider my 7:30 wedge swing. Typically I'm playing my ball back of center about a ball with this shot. Trajectory is lower, but spin is usually high enough to get a urethane ball to stop pretty quickly. I just prefer the lower trajectory on this shot for whatever reason. Can hit it higher if I want to. For the sake of testing, I took some numbers with the OPW in the ball forward position. I didn't do that with my 588 because I'd never do that in real life.

One Putt Wedge - ball in normal position

Vertical Launch - 22.2°
Back spin - 5739

One Putt Wedge - ball in forward position

Vertical Launch - 24.8
Back spin - 7242

57° 588 - neutral face

Vertical Launch - 32.2
Back spin - 8085


Now, what does that tell me?

First of all, there's quite a difference in launch. However there is also quite a difference in loft between the two clubs. The OPW comes in at 48°, however the company says it can play to an effective loft of 56° depending on ball position, which is why I put the ball in the forward position as well. Still, launch is quite lower, even if it is supposed to play to that loft.

Why did I compare to the 57°? Mostly because the OPW sort of takes the chipping duties that would normally get relegated to that wedge. Probably not a great comparison on pitches though. I'll try to compare to my 49° wedge soon.

Regardless, I could probably work with the ball forward shot pretty well. I suspect the lower trajectory would result in a little more roll out, but that's still pretty substantial spin for a pitch shot in the 50-60 yard range in my opinion.
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Good stuff Hawk....still pretty decent spin on the ball forward position
 
Hawk said:
As discussed, here are some numbers for you with the One Putt Wedge and my 57° 588. These were using a Z-Star with what I'd consider my 7:30 wedge swing. Typically I'm playing my ball back of center about a ball with this shot. Trajectory is lower, but spin is usually high enough to get a urethane ball to stop pretty quickly. I just prefer the lower trajectory on this shot for whatever reason. Can hit it higher if I want to. For the sake of testing, I took some numbers with the OPW in the ball forward position. I didn't do that with my 588 because I'd never do that in real life.

One Putt Wedge - ball in normal position

Vertical Launch - 22.2°
Back spin - 5739

One Putt Wedge - ball in forward position

Vertical Launch - 24.8
Back spin - 7242

57° 588 - neutral face

Vertical Launch - 32.2
Back spin - 8085


Now, what does that tell me?

First of all, there's quite a difference in launch. However there is also quite a difference in loft between the two clubs. The OPW comes in at 48°, however the company says it can play to an effective loft of 56° depending on ball position, which is why I put the ball in the forward position as well. Still, launch is quite lower, even if it is supposed to play to that loft.

Why did I compare to the 57°? Mostly because the OPW sort of takes the chipping duties that would normally get relegated to that wedge. Probably not a great comparison on pitches though. I'll try to compare to my 49° wedge soon.

Regardless, I could probably work with the ball forward shot pretty well. I suspect the lower trajectory would result in a little more roll out, but that's still pretty substantial spin for a pitch shot in the 50-60 yard range in my opinion.
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Thanks Hawk, great work.

The numbers did surprise me, the 7242 vs 8085 back spin is quite good from the OPW, and for me who has always had some trouble with stopping the ball in pitches & chips, this could definitely be worth a test run. I got to check out if it's available somewhere! I like to bump and roll the ball a lot, so if I can sort of keep doing that, but still be able to get the ball to stop, I'd be invincible! :D
 
Nice feedback with the numbers Hawk! Definitely a lower launch but the spin is still up there.

Question: have you noticed that the OPW is any easier to hit, even in the bay? I know on short pitches around the green I can easily flub one with a 56 or 58 standard wedge so wondering if that is significantly harder to do with the OPW.
 
Interesting numbers. good work Hawk!
 
Thanks for the kind words, guys. I actually thought that was very cool myself. Surprised me in all honesty. Of course, spin is going to depend on many things, but for me it seems like it would pass.

J4U said:
Is this the same club:
http://www.thehackersparadise.com/forum/showthread.php?17951-One-Putt-Wedge-Co-rocks!
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Yes it is.

Oregon Golfer said:
Wow, just found this thread. It came up while I was away from Internet during a holiday vacation. Wow. Not sure what to think. Shank proof at least. Is this trying to compete with the Niblick or establish its own niche?
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There's actually a pretty decent sized group of these utility wedges out there at the moment and I think they are trying to find their place in that market.

Castor Hades said:
Thanks Hawk, great work.

The numbers did surprise me, the 7242 vs 8085 back spin is quite good from the OPW, and for me who has always had some trouble with stopping the ball in pitches & chips, this could definitely be worth a test run. I got to check out if it's available somewhere! I like to bump and roll the ball a lot, so if I can sort of keep doing that, but still be able to get the ball to stop, I'd be invincible! :D
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lol at invincible! I think it goes to show that this is more than a 'chipper' for sure. Chip shots are a strength and the pitch shots can be done as well. Now, with that trajectrory I'd still expect to see some rolll out - even with the spin. However, the ball would certainly stop prett quickly.

Still going to work on getting my trajectory higher with it.

mcook77 said:
Nice feedback with the numbers Hawk! Definitely a lower launch but the spin is still up there.

Question: have you noticed that the OPW is any easier to hit, even in the bay? I know on short pitches around the green I can easily flub one with a 56 or 58 standard wedge so wondering if that is significantly harder to do with the OPW.
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Honestly, Cookie - it's the easiest damn thing to hit. The face is really large, so there's plenty of room to miss there. The sole will slide if you catch it heavy, but I haven't seen the bouncing that the Worx Wedge gave me. The leading edge is still straight/sharp enough to allow clean contact if you put a good swing on it too. I've hit outside as well and it was tough to really screw it up. I'm not sure I've flubbed one yet to be honest. Not to say I wouldn't or it couldn't be done. Just hasn't occured yet.
 
Hawk said:
Thanks for the kind words, guys. I actually thought that was very cool myself. Surprised me in all honesty. Of course, spin is going to depend on many things, but for me it seems like it would pass.



Yes it is.



There's actually a pretty decent sized group of these utility wedges out there at the moment and I think they are trying to find their place in that market.



lol at invincible! I think it goes to show that this is more than a 'chipper' for sure. Chip shots are a strength and the pitch shots can be done as well. Now, with that trajectrory I'd still expect to see some rolll out - even with the spin. However, the ball would certainly stop prett quickly.

Still going to work on getting my trajectory higher with it.



Honestly, Cookie - it's the easiest damn thing to hit. The face is really large, so there's plenty of room to miss there. The sole will slide if you catch it heavy, but I haven't seen the bouncing that the Worx Wedge gave me. The leading edge is still straight/sharp enough to allow clean contact if you put a good swing on it too. I've hit outside as well and it was tough to really screw it up. I'm not sure I've flubbed one yet to be honest. Not to say I wouldn't or it couldn't be done. Just hasn't occured yet.
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Well dang, looks be damned I could really use something like this. Call me gimmicky if you will but I like making the game easier and this seems to do just that.
 
mcook77 said:
Well dang, looks be damned I could really use something like this. Call me gimmicky if you will but I like making the game easier and this seems to do just that.
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You can sort of look at it this way - at least in regards to chip shots. How many fat putts are you hitting? If you really struggle with that, or even occasionally, this could be a solution. Just set up like you would a putter, keep your head centered, and rock the shoulders. If you miss a little heavy, I suspect the sole would offer a little relief.
 
Chipping into a chipping net in close quarters. 10 for 10 in the net with 6 landing in the center "target" section. With my standard wedge 7 went in 5 in the target section. That is best of 3 Attempts for both. Worst was 9/5 with OPT and 6/3 with my wedge. Out of the box with no practice chipping feels easier with this. This was chipping off the fringe type practice off a Matt. Misses with my standard wedge were falling short of the target. Wish I could do more testing but snow and cold in NH.
 
chasd3 said:
Chipping into a chipping net in close quarters. 10 for 10 in the net with 6 landing in the center "target" section. With my standard wedge 7 went in 5 in the target section. That is best of 3 Attempts for both. Worst was 9/5 with OPT and 6/3 with my wedge. Out of the box with no practice chipping feels easier with this. This was chipping off the fringe type practice off a Matt. Misses with my standard wedge were falling short of the target. Wish I could do more testing but snow and cold in NH.
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Stupid cold weather. It looks like we are going to get a little warmup next week. I will searching for grass lol.
 
Great reviews guys!

Hawk those numbers are really impressive on the OPW.

Keep the info coming guys when the weather permits!
 
Thank you sir. Broke a couple preconceived notions after doing that.
 
Hawk you have played a niblick, correct?
If so which loft niblick and how do the two compare?
Thanks for testing these "specialty" clubs
 
ryebread said:
Very interesting. You could potentially replace a couple of Niblicks with this.........
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If you buy into the method of changing ball position I do think that's a possibility.

majBC said:
Hawk you have played a niblick, correct?
If so which loft niblick and how do the two compare?
Thanks for testing these "specialty" clubs
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Thanks. I like testing different things like this. It challenges the prejudices I've built up and sort of forces me to see for myself rather than go by popular opinion.

As for the Niblick, I've never played one regularly. Have tried them out a number of times, but I'm not sure I have enough experience to give you a good comparison on how they perform. There are some pretty big differences in how they look and are built though.

-The shaft on the OPW is closer to what a putter shaft looks like with the double bend. Also, the flat sole sort of makes it set up like a putter at address.

-The OPW is onset, while the Niblick has a good deal of offset.

-Seems to me like the OPW has a lot more surface area on the face. Much of that is because it's a taller face.
 
Is this thing really shank proof?:act-up:
 
LOL I honestly don't see any way you could shank this sucker, Gray.
 
Hawk said:
LOL I honestly don't see any way you could shank this sucker, Gray.
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Well if this sucker is shank proof, I don't care what it looks like, it's a no brainer for those who throw shots away from sideways horrors.
 
Hawk said:
LOL I honestly don't see any way you could shank this sucker, Gray.
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I think the same shot would result in an inside thin, but directionally it should be fine correct?
 
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