Graphite in wedges?

[dthrog00]

Doesn't 6 majors get Faldo some slack?

Bryson has turned himself into an amazing golfer, but he does 2 weird things by professional standards for wedges: playing length very long and graphite shafts.

Dave

 

[phoffer]

Doesn't 6 majors get Faldo some slack?

Bryson has turned himself into an amazing golfer, but he does 2 weird things by professional standards for wedges: playing length very long and graphite shafts.

Dave

Not when he's factually incorrect and uneducated, and his literal job is talking about this stuff.

 

[Desmond]

I had them in Steelfiber 125 - it was over 10 years ago but I have no negative memories.

As long as they were 122g or so and good quality made for wedges, fine.

I still prefer to use steel -- Nippon Pro Modus 3 115 Wedges - no aches and pains, whereas KBS Rev's gave me some golfer's elbow. If I have golfer's elbow, I will go back to graphite.

 

[dthrog00]

Not when he's factually incorrect and uneducated, and his literal job is talking about this stuff.

What wedges shafts would you suggest the pros should play?

Dave

 

[Munich77]

I have a Hogan 54 wedge with the Recoil 760ES F4 shaft - and that combo works wonders for me. I will probably get a graphite shaft in my 60 degree wedge eventually.

 

[blueonblack]

Stayed within the same family of shafts and dropped down in flex with the aerotech 110 in the wedges. Super consistent shafts. Heavy enough that I feel like out of heavier rough it will still impart good MOI on the ball. Easy transition down from dynamic golds.

It's a slap in the face by him to all the people that work in the shaft industry who obviously take their craft way more seriously than he does at this point.

Any good commentary, I felt like they read it here and regurgitated it.

 

[phoffer]

What wedges shafts would you suggest the pros should play?

Dave

I'm not going to suggest anything, they know their game. But Faldo made it clear he has no understanding of modern graphite shafts. Graphite is in no way inferior to steel though and the idea that someone who plays 14 graphite shafts would switch 3 wedges to steel is ludicrous.

Not to mention, Bryson's wedge issues have been very overblown since the return. His wedge proximity has ranked pretty well, but it's only brought up when he hits a poor shot. No mention of his wedges when he stuffed it on 18, or when he birdied out of the short sided bunker on 13, or all the other birds he had. Just when there's a bad one, the door is open.

 

[G-Man]

Seems of all people to question for a decision...no matter what it was I'd probably not doubt Bryson...

Never played iron or wedge with graphite.

 

[dthrog00]

Gotcha. Everyone's got to play their game. Bryson won and has been in contention every week so what he is doing is working. Most guys on tour seem to prefer steel in irons and wedges for whatever reason.

Dave

 

[GolfTravelDude]

Let's see...Driver is 60g graphite, 3w is 65g graphite, hybrids are 75g graphite, irons are 65 gram graphite.....wedges what should they be.....seriously they have been the same shaft as my irons for a very long time.....My gap and SW have been the same club and shaft as my irons for several sets going back at least 15 years.

 

[dbigstick]

I have steelfiber I-95's in my irons, PW and AW. I have steel in my SW and LW.

 

[BigMac]

Seems of all people to question for a decision...no matter what it was I'd probably not doubt Bryson...

Never played iron or wedge with graphite.

From listening to Faldo, you'd think Bryson is some dumbo stumbling around randomly trying equipment without any idea of what he's doing. Did Sir Nick forget that Bryson is nicknamed "The Mad Scientist" for a reason? I'm pretty sure that Dechambeau could talk circles around Faldo about golf technology and all the math/physics behind it, he's a freaking propellerhead as well as being a meathead. Dude wears golf shirts specially made for him with mathematical equations incorporated into the pattern!

 

[DufferToo]

Yes, I went with the stock graphite offering in my Cleveland CBX2 wedges. I prefer the overall "feel" of graphite vs steel.

 

[Ockham]

I currently play px catalyst shafts in my PW, AW, SW. I love them.

But I’m not playing a wedge that’s the same length as my 6 iron. I think the extra 2 inches-or-so would probably compromise feel and control, especially when your swing speed is eleventy-billion mph. I’m sure Bryson does his math, though.

I gamed some graphite one-length F8s for a bit last year. It was the wedges that were the most challenging, and I chalked it up to their length.

 

[JB]

Doesn't 6 majors get Faldo some slack?

Bryson has turned himself into an amazing golfer, but he does 2 weird things by professional standards for wedges: playing length very long and graphite shafts.

Dave

True, but can you think of another time anywhere during a golf telecast where a color commentator has recommended a shaft change or any equipment change for that matter?

Players struggle and universally they talk about a swing issue. Bryson has 7 top 10s in a row and a victory and somehow needs new equipment? Faldo came off as normal to a few and severely uneducated to those that understand shafts.

It was such an odd commentary that if it happened no sweat. Even questioned it, as "I wonder if going all graphite has played a role in that wedge issue". But watching him double and triple down on it as fact was so strange.

 

[ddec]

Thanks to some great commentary by Sir Nick Faldo yesterday haha we know he doesn’t approve of graphite shafts in wedges

Have you ever tried graphite shafts in your wedges? If so what shaft and did you notice any issues or benefits?

I ordered my SM8 wedges with graphite in them. Shall be a fun experiment.

 

[jfrigo1003]

I put steel fiber 110’s in my wedges this year and they have been great. Really consistent and easy to hit. That was hard to listen to yesterday, old man not wanting to evolve.

I had steelfiber 110's also and it was the best my wedges have ever played. loved the stable feel with them and surprisingly had better spin with them vs a typical "wedge" shaft. Ive never been a fan of s400's anyways

 

[Jman]

It’s proof that the miseducation of graphite still exists.

The fact that there are people still so uneducated on the matter to not grasp that graphite can be as heavy and as “strong” as steel if you’re want it to be just blows my mind.

 

[Acesteve]

Faldo made the comment twice in the broadcast. I took the comment to mean in bryson's case it served no point and steel was more predictable. I did not take the comment to mean that non-tour pro's needed to worry about it. Each time it was said I cringed not because of the comment but rather Bryson's swing in itself because of the speed of the backswing would make a consistent speed at impact with a wedge tough even for the very best in the world.

 

[Luchnia]

To me the Bryson comment by the commentator was simply one of ignorance. The way Bryson swings I am not sure it would be a huge deal, but you can bet he knows what works for his game no matter how many guesses we make.

I switched from steel to graphite in my wedges to better match the "feel" of my irons and it was a little rocky at first due to the weight differential, but now after about 4 rounds they are fitting nicely and much more comfortable. Except for the putter my whole set is now graphite.

The graphite simply feels better to me and I like the closer matching weights which makes the transition to wedge more natural. Had an exceptional wedge game yesterday. Each game out they have improved.

 

[ddec]

It’s proof that the miseducation of graphite still exists.

The fact that there are people still so uneducated on the matter to not grasp that graphite can be as heavy and as “strong” as steel if you’re want it to be just blows my mind.

When something is different it's easy to point to that as the reason/scapegoat.

 

[Jman]

When something is different it's easy to point to that as the reason/scapegoat.

Yup, like

 

[smgoldstein]

I have two sets of wedges that I use on a regular basis and they both have graphite: Steelfibers and KBS. Love them in the wedges. Great feel. Then again I don't have a 130 SS.

 

[AverageJoe]

Project X 5.5 graphite in these
Aerotech steelfiber in my Ping Glides

 

[GoldenBuff]

Interesting to see several THPers with graphite in wedges. I went to graphite in irons this year -- very happy. Haven't tried graphite in wedges yet.

As to the Faldo misinformation. From my experiences, he is just like many, many golfers and golf pros out there. I can see his comments as a healthy part of changing the narrative. If shaft companies aren't hammering Faldo right now on this topic (Bryson should follow up too), they are missing the boat. The best outcome would for Faldo to come out and update on his graphite shaft bias. Until the old guard changes, this kind of anti-graphite thinking will continue at all levels. But it will happen. It did with skis and bikes. Just a matter of time.