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Anyone Simplified Wedge Setup?

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Acesteve

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I've carried a 4i to 48degree iron set plus normally 3 additional wedges for almost 30 years. currently I carry a 52, 55, and 59 degree on top of my 8 normal irons. Related to all the practice during covid, I have worked on chipping quite a bit and my conclusion is that I've actually got more variables then I can manage. My ability to judge just how far a chip will go in combination with reading slight slopes on dry summer greens has me confused at times. I have a prettty good idea how far my wedges will go on a 3/4 to full swing but in hot summer weather not seeing forced carries that much

planning to go out this weekend with only the 55 degree. Interested if others have tried reducing complexity and what the result was.
 
I've been the opposite. Played with set irons to PW and a 53 for most of my life until recently. I think it's harder to be consistent with several different wedges if you don't play a lot.
 
baylrballa said:
I've been the opposite. Played with set irons to PW and a 53 for most of my life until recently. I think it's harder to be consistent with several different wedges if you don't play a lot.
Click to expand...

this is what I'm seeing especially in chipping. When I step up to putt a ball I survey slope then don't over think it. If I had 2 other putters of different lofts then I don't know that I could say that. I play mostly a links style course so lots of bump and runs and chips for me in this dry weather.
 
Set 45* PW, 50* GW, and a 54* SW. Trying to teach myself to rely on the GW for most of my shots. (I have a tendency to leave the SW short of the pin.)
 
Will be when I get home to the RTX’s to review, 46 PW, 54, 62.

Versatility is key, and fun.
 
My wedges are 48/54/58.... the 58 is only used from a greenside bunker or thicker rough. Otherwise anything inside of 75 yards or so the 54 does anything I need. The 48 works the 110-75 range.

this has helped take a lot of guess work out of my game and simplify wedge selection.
 
Mine got more complicated. I’ve been working on different shots with the wedges and now I feel comfortable putting a few of them into play. Results TBD...
 
I went to 4 wedges a few years ago and haven’t looked back. But with That being said, I will bring all 4 wedges with me when within 100 yards as I can use each one differently to produce the shot I need/want. For instance it makes so sense using my 8 deg bounce 58 from thick rough when I have a high bounce 54 that will lesson the likelihood of my skulling it or duffing it.
 
3 wedges for me. Set PW and AW at 50 degree, then a 56 sand wedge. Nearly every shot is played with my 56 from 70 yards and in. Bump and runs are played almost exclusively with my 50. If there is little green to work with, I’ll bump it with the 56.
 
Being a shorter hitter, my wedges get a lot of use, and I rely on them for scoring. So I have 4, PW, 50, 54, 58.

There is a lot of overlap in them, especially with different swings, but carry vs rollout is different, obviously, and I try to use that in my calculations on which club to use.
 
46 and 50 as part of my iron set, 56 and 60 in addition. Use them all every round.
 
Having to make four different swings with a single wedge to hit a 75, 90, 105 and 120 yard shot (for instance) rather than having four clubs that go 75, 90, 105 and 120 yards with a stock swing is hardly "simplifying". I'd term it more like making golf harder than it already is.

Nothing says that you can't have four wedges in your bag but always use the same one of them for a stock chip shot from 20 yards off the green. I reckon the "simplicity' you're searching for is best achieved by changing the way you think rather than taking clubs out of the bag.
 
I use four wedges and spent some time learning what each one can do around the green. I can do all of that pretty well with one wedge, but I get more up-an-downs with four, and that's the story.
 
My favorite wedge setup of all
Time was when I kept it simple. 46 PW and then a 52 and 58. Took alot of the guesswork out. I do like my current 50/54/60 setup as it gives me options
 
I like the idea of having a club you use most and are then most comfortable with. About half the time around the green maybe. If I had to go with one specialty it would be a 54. It does most of the heavy lifting, but I'm a 4 wedge guy. Too many shots out there to try to work them all with limited tools.
 
I used to be very minimalistic when it came to my wedges.
I only carried a PW and a 56* sand wedge.
Since then, I have really learned to use 4 wedges, PW, 50, 54, 60 and love it.
I don't see myself going back to less wedge options.
 
Just getting used to my new Vokey wedges and excited to use the 60 degree from 50 yards in. I will then use my 56, 52 and PW for full swing only and for specific yardage as I have trouble with partial swings.
 
I have y iron setup through PW and then i have a 50 Deg Wedge....I play that from the fairway rough and sand with just adjusting my grip and opening the face. That with adjusting my swing to a 3/4 or half and flighting the ball up or lower.
 
I have 4 wedges in the bag. My set PW a 52,56 and 60. I do not use the 60 very much but it’s nice to have if the situation comes up
 
i have worked my chipping game more than ever this year.
i carry 52-56-60
with that said, anything green side or relatively close like less than 5 yards, i will only be using a 9 iron or PW.
now outside of that 5 yards or difference in green elevations, the 56 and 60 come into play.

now for 20 yards and out, i have come to find out my 60 just doesnt cut it, meaning i can hit a low pitch with my 56 or 52 and check them up nicely for a better shot.
the 60 has become a specialty wedge around the green for a certain shot and thats about it..
 
Another advantage to having multiple wedges (three in my case) is bunker play. When ones bunker technique is fairly rudimentary like mine, it's nice to be able to play a normal 10-15 yard bunker shot, a very short bunker shot or a longer 20-30 yard one all using the same swing.

I use my SW for routine bunker shots and don't have to open the face super or swing super hard to hit it the usual distance from a greenside bunker. But if I happen to get the dreaded 30-yarder, I do exactly the same thing with my GW. And if there's little or no green to work with, I make that same swing with a LW.

For a year or more I tried really hard to just stick to one wedge from the bunkers and vary my stance, how open the face is and the length of my swing. What a disaster, eventually I was so mentally bollixed up I couldn't even execute the easiest bunker shots with any confidence. Since reverted back to the most basic technique and using all three wedges as required, I'm not a great bunker player but I don't leave 'em in the sand or blade 'em over the green any more.

The other day I blasted a 35-yard one out of a pretty deep bunker and it happened to roll up 10 feet from the hole. The guys I was playing with thought it was a great shot but it was just a normal explosion swing with a 50-degree Vokey. No tricky swinging required.
 
I have a set PW and AW in the bag, and I also have RTX3 54 and 58 both in low bounce. Thought my wedge game really improved once I put the low bounce options into the bag, mainly just for the conditions we play (very firm), and my swing). 54 and 58 only get partial swings, with the 54 getting most of the work.

Used to have 52, 56 and 60. That setup I felt like the 52 just never got used, and the 60 was very very seldomly used.

Overall though, it isn't about what is in the bag, it is more about how you use it.
 
Sure, I use the LW for 99% of my greenside shots. Simple enough. Not that I'm anywhere near a master, but it's much easier to approach mastering one wedge than it is multiple.

I keep a 48 and 54 in the back but they are used primarily for 1/2, 3/4, and full swing shots from specific distances. I'll usually pull the 54 if I'm facing a long greenside bunker shot, say 20-30 yards or so.
 
I have the Apex irons and the PW is strong at 43*. I go 43, 48, 54, 58 as a result and use them all. I am going to tweak the 54 to 53 but I definitely see a place for all of these clubs, hit them all with full swings and use them all around the greens at times.
 
I am happy now with my setup and finally getting them fairly dialed in. Hoping by fall to have them really dialed. After the 9 iron, I got 44 PW, 48 AW, 54, 58.
 
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