i carry a GW but very rarely use it. i just feel more comfortable with the PW. as for a SW, can't hit a full shot with it, so i only use it around the green or from the bunker.
Wedges. Are they really necessary?
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For a long time I carried 4 wedges for different full swing distances. They came in handy since I only had to use one swing for 4 different distances.
They came in handy around the green for various chips, and short pitches. Again for various distances using one stroke.
These days I could probably get by with jus a P, and S wedges. I can manipulate them, and other clubs to use in place of my A, and L wedges.
Most of my chips these days are being done my 7-9 irons ever since I learned the value of getting the ball rolling quicker with less carry time.
I'd say carrying multiple wedges is still needed by most golfers. At least until they figure out easier ways to not use them.
They came in handy around the green for various chips, and short pitches. Again for various distances using one stroke.
These days I could probably get by with jus a P, and S wedges. I can manipulate them, and other clubs to use in place of my A, and L wedges.
Most of my chips these days are being done my 7-9 irons ever since I learned the value of getting the ball rolling quicker with less carry time.
I'd say carrying multiple wedges is still needed by most golfers. At least until they figure out easier ways to not use them.
you do you, whatever works for you.
I hardly ever use my LW, but when I do it's from a close greenside bunker.
My first set of irons had a make up of 2-10. The 10 iron was not called a SW then, but was used for that purpose. Then along came Mr. Sarazen, putting a glob of metal on the sole of a lofted wedge and thus the birth of the Sand Wedge. My PW in years past was used in a variety of situations around the green, later followed by a gap wedge.
I think its an adaptation of the game that makes it more fun. Couldn't you make the case for all the irons? you could avoid wedges all together by playing old school with bump and run 7/8 irons. I think the bag is a truly personalized approach to a relatively simple game. There are more than 1 way to outfit it. If you only need PW great, for me I think at a minimum it would be PW -54 - 58 due to greenside shots that require spin and limited distance.
You do you, boo. Whatever you are comfortable with and works for you. Me, I game 4 wedges, and like having them.
The best way to lower ones handicap, if you are a 36 handicapper, is to improve the short game/wedge play. To do that you'll need more tools in the tool kit-IMHO.
Et Tu Brute?
Well-known member
An acquaintance of mine, an extremely good player, used to bust my chops about carrying and using a laser rangefinder. He said if you always know the exact distance, you'll never develop any touch and feel. He said, "Anybody who can shoot under par with a laser could also shoot under par if he just set his mind to him".
He might be right. I wouldn't know. I've never been under par later than the 4th hole of a round of golf, laser and all.
Not using any club shorter than a PW is probably the same way. If you don't use a laser you might eventually get good at eyeballing distance. And if you don't have any wedges you might eventually learn some amazing shots with an open-face PW or something. After all Seve famously learned to hit bunker shots with a 3-iron, right?
But I only have so many rounds of golf to play in one lifetime. I don't really care to waste any of them trying to find out if I can guess the difference between 142 and 166 yards by eyeball or hit a 30-yard pitch shot over a bunker to a hard green by using a PW.
GenErr
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The first set of clubs I bought close to 60 years ago, were used Wilson Staff irons, 2-9 (the guy kept the PW). At that time most golfers at the course I caddied, carried 2 wedges, PW and SW.
I think I could adapt to using just 2 wedges, although I carry 4. However I would definitely need the SW to complement the PW.
I think I could adapt to using just 2 wedges, although I carry 4. However I would definitely need the SW to complement the PW.
Back when I always walked a course and had no measuring devices whatsoever and having to relay on the painted yardage markers, I seemed to do better. Partly due to walking versus riding, I believe I got a better perspective as I walked up onto the ball. Also, my perceived distance back then was probably longer than actual distance and I would pull the appropriate iron, but with a range finder or GPS watch, I pull the club as indicated by the device and more often than not, come up short. I really need to get on the range and dial in my lengths much as I really do not like hitting balls at a range. OTOH, maybe I actually have lost 40 yds throughout the bag.
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This is about where I’m at as well. I’ve got a PW matched to my set, then a 52, 56 and 60. I’ll play entire rounds and not touch my 56. But when I want to play a shot with it, I’m glad it’s there. My 52 and 60 are the most used.
that's what i'm looking to add....i just don't know if i want to get a CBX 56 as well...
Et Tu Brute?
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Back before lasers, the first several years I played golf, I was at a cheap public course with like two water hazards and half a dozen bunkers on the entire course. Tiny little push-up greens and on all but a couple a holes if you wanted to you could have played a bump and run all the way from tee to green. Not sure a laser would have meant much. We had the bushes at 150 and marked sprinklers on the Par 3 tee boxes only. The rule was, if you weren't sure of the distance then club down and be short of the green.
At that point I was younger and carried my bag. No cart, no trolley, no laser, no nothing. It was wonderful, unencumbered golf. Nobody ever scratched their head worrying about being "between clubs". Of course I was doing well to keep my score in the 90's then and I'd never played a course with greens where you didn't have to make a full shoulder turn on a uphill 30-footer. I sometimes wonder if I'd still be playing golf 3x a week if I'd stay on a dead simple, no hazards, boring course like that. Probably so.
P.S. And for $55/month it was all the golf you wanted to play, walking. Those were the days.
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I really like the looks of those ZipCore.
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I think this is a very personal decision. No right or wrong way. My way is a 47* set PW, a 52* high bounce Vokey, and a 60* full face milled lob wedge. Those 3 do everything I need inside of 50. My shot distribution inside of 50 looks like this:
50% PW
25% 52*
20% Other (putt, 8 or 9 iron, etc.)
5% LW
50% PW
25% 52*
20% Other (putt, 8 or 9 iron, etc.)
5% LW
You get 14 clubs...Want to game less...Go for it. Me I'll game my 4 wedges.
I started golf in the mid 70's with a 48 deg PW and 55 deg SW. Learned to chip, pitch and flop with those clubs and how to play by feel. Today I have four wedges all based on yardage gaps I need to cover. Very thankful that I learned in a time without technology. While I very much appreciate technology today especially as I am older I have mixed thoughts regarding it. IMO, it is good you have learned to play with just a PW but at the same time I think you would benefit with a modern higher lofted wedge. Of course a lot depends on your comfort, capabilities regarding full swing wedge shots and partial swings (i.e. 1/2, 3/4 shots). You probably have the chipping down pretty good with the pw. Question I would ask how much more would you benefit regarding pitches and soft/flop style wedge shots? But its cool you can play with just one wedge. Tells me you have some skill.
I thought of this thread while I was playing today. I don't yet have a wedge for the AW/GW/50-ish* slot with the iron set I was playing, and forgot to swap out my specialties, so I was kind of in no-man's land on a real short par 3. Decided to go with the traditional PW and just a less-than swing. Worked out REAL well. So thanks for having this fresh in my mind.
blueonblack
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A sand wedge say 54 or 56 loft would be a good addition. Bounce for in the sand (if ya ever go in there.) 
And if you ever need extra shot height to get over something, or the ability to land it softer with less rollout.
You definitely deserve one. Master it like your PW and you'll be deadly with it!
I saw a guy hit a CONTROLLED flop shot once with a PW. Blew my mind. And he wasn't all that well-versed thoughout the rest of the bag, but man, he knew THAT club.
And if you ever need extra shot height to get over something, or the ability to land it softer with less rollout.
You definitely deserve one. Master it like your PW and you'll be deadly with it!
I saw a guy hit a CONTROLLED flop shot once with a PW. Blew my mind.
And he wasn't all that well-versed thoughout the rest of the bag, but man, he knew THAT club.
I suppose that depends upon how you define, "need". People certainly played golf for hundreds of years with nothing more than a, "rut iron", which doesnt really ressemble anything that we would call a wedge nowdays.
It certainly does make shots around the green and out of bunkers easier though.
I do believe that most people get too carried away with how many wedges they carry and probably carry both too many wedges and wedges with much too much loft. IMO, a 54 or 56 is all you really need.
It certainly does make shots around the green and out of bunkers easier though.
I do believe that most people get too carried away with how many wedges they carry and probably carry both too many wedges and wedges with much too much loft. IMO, a 54 or 56 is all you really need.
Same here. I used to carry either a 50 or 52 but I found that I seldom ever used it and can get the same result by just taking a 3/4 swing with a PW.
Well, no individual club is necessary.
Does a 52-60 help your game?
If you choose the right loft and sole grind, a good wedge will save you strokes.
I play an air game with wedges from 100 and in, and around the greens. Use a 53 and 58. I'd use a PW to bump and run from 50-60 yds if needed. You will need to work on technique - sometime the ball won't release as much as I want with the 58. I try to use the 53, but sometimes you need a stop, or want to air it out on a green slanting uphill
Does a 52-60 help your game?
If you choose the right loft and sole grind, a good wedge will save you strokes.
I play an air game with wedges from 100 and in, and around the greens. Use a 53 and 58. I'd use a PW to bump and run from 50-60 yds if needed. You will need to work on technique - sometime the ball won't release as much as I want with the 58. I try to use the 53, but sometimes you need a stop, or want to air it out on a green slanting uphill
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For me, having 4 wedges is critical. My 54 and 58 degree wedges save me numerous times per round and are the primary reason I am able to shoot in the 70's almost every round. My ball striking and putting are not great so I rely on these clubs around the green for missed greens to get me close enough to have a stress free par putt. I'm sure I could learn to do more with a PW if need be but see no reason to.