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Wedges

SuperStroke
I'm playing a Wilson FG Tour V2 PW 47° with a nice S style grind. It really helps to cut through the rough.
For my chip and runs (hinge hold) I mainly use my 54° Mizuno T11 wedge with an C grind.
I also have a 60 degree T11 with 8° bounce which is mainly used for lob shots from tighter lies due to the wider sole(compared to the 54°)+medium bounce, C grind.

My short game is pretty much the only really strong part of my game, therefore I bag wedges with an gapping ranging from 6-7°. Personally I think if you are someone who is really able to rip your irons/woods i would recommend a tighter gapping. I just totally suck at driving and putting. I would also bag at least one wedge with an S grind. The other wedge grinds are subject to the way you deliver the club and your swing characteristics. Sweeper/Digger
 
I'm currently gaming Vokey SM5 in 48° & 56° and a Callaway forged copper at 52°. I'm in love with the 48° and really like the 56° but am wanting something a little higher loft to make those flops a little less daunting. My preferred set up would replace the latter two with 54° & 60° SM5 but based on what we have in the pro shop, a 48/54/58 set up seems more likely. I'm just not sure which grinds I should go with. The F grind on the 48°/08 is a dream, but the bounce on the F grind at higher lofts is higher than I'm used to and is tough to commit to. I dig some serious trenches with the 56° S grind but we have all three turf types on my course so I don't want to hamstring myself with high bounce if I need a delicate pitch on firm turf.

Anyone else use Vokey's that takes a pretty serious divot? If so, what grinds?
 
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Man those look good!! I'll have to check them out if I'm still unhappy once I get the 60* broken in.

Went to course today to chip a few shag balls. Hit about 60 balls, focusing on accelerating through the ball and locking my head and left arm, while thinking about keeping the V between shoulders and grip intact. Noticed a good improvement in distance control and ball striking. Had about 8 skulls, 5 fatties and a shank. For someone who's been playing the game for 20 years, that s***s unacceptable. I'm doing something wrong mechanically with my swing. I think I'm doing it on full shots as well, but have somehow kept my tempo in sync with the error so its not rearing its ugly head as much on full shots.

BTW is there a subforum for swing thoughts/issues/ideas? would probably end up like pandora's box of tips and techniques, but THP is such a well rounded and amazing forum, I thought I'd throw it out there.
 
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I am just a little obsessed with wedges. I currently play the callaway forged copper 52/56/60s. I like how they are a little softer and how they contrast against the grass.
 
Yeti,
I think there's a lot to be learned and strokes to be shaved by sticking with a less is more approach. Less loft for a given shot and fewer clubs in the bag. When I started out, a coach told me to put the sand wedge away and learn to use my PW for just about every shot around the green. I definitely think there is tendency for golfers of any capacity to carry 2 or 3 wedges and be tempted to pull the 60* to hit a beautiful floaty shot that lands within 3 feet, spins and stops a foot short of the hole no matter how much green is between the ball and flag. My coach taught me to look at every shot and select the club with the LEAST amount of loft to get the job done, running the ball further reduces loft used and should increase the probability of hitting a good shot. We typically don't swing as hard as more lofted clubs which create its own set of problems. FWIW I hit an 8i about as fat as you can trying to bump and run one on Saturday so the issues I describe with my swing are there no matter what club I pull.

Of course there are situations where we need more loft with less green or sand involved so those clubs are necessary, but not nearly as much as we tend to use them. I think it is beneficial to learn to hit 3/4 and 1/2 power shots with those lofted clubs. Personally a 100% 60* screams SKULL ME all day long so I regularly hit 3/4 PW on 90-80 yards shots.
 
When I was a kid starting to play my set had a PW, I didn't know there was such thing as a SW. My dad taught me to chip with my 8I. When I got to be a teen, I had to get new irons and it came with a SW... I had no clue what a Lob Wedge was, or loft gaps etc...etc.. Then I started working at a local course got down to a 5 handicap playing 3iron through sw, still chipping with 8, 9, PW or SW. Then I got a 60° Cleveland LW. I now rely on it too much, almost never use my SW or PW around the green anymore, and I come up short with my 60 a lot, lol! I'm going to really focus on re-learning how to use all my wedges around the green.
 
I game TM ATV 50/54/58. I like how they feel and how they hit. It's a lot better than my mismatched 49/54/56 wedges I had beforehand. I find they are good for all shots that I need them for.

But like was mentioned before in this, I've switched to more PW shots (PW is set) and have been happier with my results. That and my 50* is barely used. I think it has been cleaned more often than it's been hit.
 
I have a 54 and a 58 Callaway Forged Dark Chrome, but normally only keep the 54 in the bag. My TaylorMade 51° Gap Wedge I mostly use from the sand. I have a set PW. When I use the a12OS irons, I sometimes put in the Gap from that set.
 
I have a set PW (47*) and then Hopkins 52* Full grind 56* Channel grind 60* Wide Grind. They have all far out reached my expectations. I am just starting to get used to the different grinds. We have super hard sand where i play and the Channel goes through like a knife through hot butter. The Wide grind is as easy to hit in high rough as advertised.
 
I have two sets.
One - ping tour gorge 50, 54, and Callaway forged 60.
Two - ping anser 52 bent to 51, vokey SM4 56, and Bridgestone j15 60 bent to 62.
I have a 58 ping gorge, a Cleveland BeCu 52, and a Ben Hogan Special 56 around. I am thinking about going all WS FG Tour wedges, as I saw them on sale today.


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Right now I game 54 and 58 Callaway Forged Copper, and I've just added a 50* Mizuno JPX wedge since my new iron set doesn't have a set GW. Went with the JPX vs another bladed wedge to get a little extra forgiveness since I use the gap wedge for a lot of full shots.

When the Callaways wear/I get tired of them though, I'll probably pick up a 54 and 58 of the Wilson Staff FG Tour TC's. My favorite wedges I've hit in a while, great feel and they bite HARD.

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O'Carroll said:
50° set Apex AW which I'm not in love with (I love set AWs normally, the distance just seems off to me with this one).

55° Hopkins with a shelf grind; and a 60° Hopkins with a wide grind. Both have KBS hi-rev shafts and I use the 55° from tight hard packed lies and the 60° from soft fluffy rough lies.
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Is the AW long or short to you? I have it and I had to add loft to it. Was 50.5 now 52 to get the gapping right. But now I'm adding another wedge (54) so I might have to adjust it back to 51.

So soon I will be gaming 51Apex Aw, then 54 and 58 bent to 57 both rtx 2.0 satin wedges. Changed my 57 to a C grind recently to get more versatility around the greens.

Used to game Callaway wedges but just didn't get the same spin I'm getting with my rtx now. Also adding a KBS hi-rev 2.0 shaft to my 57, will see how that goes.
 
current set PW is a 47. is 5* too much gap in lofts on the short clubs? thinking a 51 would be ideal instead of 52, then 55 and 58. I'm always leaving the 60* short as well.

I think this setup would give me as much variable shot control as I'm capable of playing
 
I have a 52 and 56. Been thinking of ditching my 3 hybrid, and getting a 62 0r 64 degree. Should have bought a 52 and 58 instead of the 56 originally.
 
several of you hitting SCOR wedges, how do you like them? there are certainly quite a few grind options out there and I found a site that got some of their inventory
 
denverd1 said:
Man those look good!! I'll have to check them out if I'm still unhappy once I get the 60* broken in.

Went to course today to chip a few shag balls. Hit about 60 balls, focusing on accelerating through the ball and locking my head and left arm, while thinking about keeping the V between shoulders and grip intact. Noticed a good improvement in distance control and ball striking. Had about 8 skulls, 5 fatties and a shank. For someone who's been playing the game for 20 years, that s***s unacceptable. I'm doing something wrong mechanically with my swing. I think I'm doing it on full shots as well, but have somehow kept my tempo in sync with the error so its not rearing its ugly head as much on full shots.

BTW is there a subforum for swing thoughts/issues/ideas? would probably end up like pandora's box of tips and techniques, but THP is such a well rounded and amazing forum, I thought I'd throw it out there.
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Sounds like too much arm, not enough hips on the downswing... as Tiger would say, "I forgot to activate my hips before the arms."
 
EaglevsFalcon said:
I'm currently gaming Vokey SM5 in 48° & 56° and a Callaway forged copper at 52°. I'm in love with the 48° and really like the 56° but am wanting something a little higher loft to make those flops a little less daunting. My preferred set up would replace the latter two with 54° & 60° SM5 but based on what we have in the pro shop, a 48/54/58 set up seems more likely. I'm just not sure which grinds I should go with. The F grind on the 48°/08 is a dream, but the bounce on the F grind at higher lofts is higher than I'm used to and is tough to commit to. I dig some serious trenches with the 56° S grind but we have all three turf types on my course so I don't want to hamstring myself with high bounce if I need a delicate pitch on firm turf.

Anyone else use Vokey's that takes a pretty serious divot? If so, what grinds?
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I have Vokey SM5 in 52,56, and 60. The 52 and 56 are F Grind and the 60 is K Grind. I like you also take some very deep divots and for me the higher bounce option works best. With lower bounce options I always felt like the leading edge would stick in the ground and not allow the club to get thru the turf. Leading to a lot of shots coming up short especially chip shots from around the green. With the higher bounce option the club seems to glide thru the turf and has eliminated shots coming up short. It has also made getting the ball out of deep rough around the green easier.

I play on all the different turf conditions and have found the high bounce options very versatile. I use my 60 on almost all green side shots, and have no issue hitting delicate little shots from skinny lies. For me switching to higher bounce in my wedges was one of the best changes I have made.
 
Titleist vokey sm04 with the lowest bounces, 48, 54, and 58 degrees, which I deloft in fluffy lies.
 
I swing a 54 and 58 degree Bridgestone J40 as well as an XR Pro 50 degree AW. My wedge game was pretty pathetic until I got the J40 set up. Now it is just slightly pathetic, lol. Got them new for about $40 each and couldn't be happier.
 
YetiLooper said:
This thread and my own response earlier go me to thinking about wedges and whether we over obsess about them. I know manufacturers sites recommend a 4°-5° gapping on wedges. From my pitching wedge that puts me at 50°, 54° and 58°. I always wonder though if we need that many wedges in reality. I love wedge play and to me they are super versatile, playing 3/4 of 1/2 power shots isn't terribly difficult if you practice them. Lets say you hit a 60° wedge 75 yards on a full swing. How hard is it to hit a 56° that same 75 yards? What about a 52° or even a 50°. Would it be more beneficial to find your 100 yard club and learn to hit it 75 yards and 50 yards, then have a higher lofted club but not super lofted, let's say a 58° for those creative around the green shots?

Sorry spent a lot of time in the car today and really mulled it over.
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Up until now I gamed my set PW (46 degree), a 52 degree Vokey SM4, and 58 degree SM5. On my short home course that setup was fine because I only had to hit a 100-140 yard a couple times per round. But when I played longer courses and had more of those types of shots, trying to cover such a wide range with my 52 was an issue.

I picked up 50 and 54 degree SM5s to replace the 52 since I only had 13 clubs anyway, and have been using them for a week or so now. When I play in the evenings I've been dropping a few balls in the fairway or rough to get my distances figured out, as well as trying a variety of shots on the shorter par 3 holes. I like it a lot better already and feel more comfortable with those distances now.

My 58 is used for almost every shot under 100 yards, so that may be why I'm comfortable taking partial swings with it and wasn't with my 52. I really like my setup now because I know my 50 carries ~125 and my 54 is 110-115. I find it a lot easier to add or subtract ~5 yards from one of those clubs to fit the yardage than I did trying to take 15 yards off my regular 52 swing or trying to crush it and deloft it for other shots.
 
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I have been using the vokey tour van wedges and love them. I use old becu ping eye 2's and the pw is 50.5, so I use 54 and 58 in the tvd wedges. They feel heavier than any other vokeys or clevelands I have used but I like it.


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denverd1 said:
Hogan_Banner_TK15.jpg


Man those look good!! I'll have to check them out if I'm still unhappy once I get the 60* broken in.

Went to course today to chip a few shag balls. Hit about 60 balls, focusing on accelerating through the ball and locking my head and left arm, while thinking about keeping the V between shoulders and grip intact. Noticed a good improvement in distance control and ball striking. Had about 8 skulls, 5 fatties and a shank. For someone who's been playing the game for 20 years, that s***s unacceptable. I'm doing something wrong mechanically with my swing. I think I'm doing it on full shots as well, but have somehow kept my tempo in sync with the error so its not rearing its ugly head as much on full shots.

BTW is there a subforum for swing thoughts/issues/ideas? would probably end up like pandora's box of tips and techniques, but THP is such a well rounded and amazing forum, I thought I'd throw it out there.
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The 60 is not an easy club to master. With the 60, contact with the ball has to be perfect, that's why you're getting all sorts of results. Meaning, on the course, if you're presented with anything but a perfect lie, you need to default on a lower-lofted wedge. You can deloft the 60 for more control, but that defeats the purpose of the 60.

For me, I use my 58 only in the bunker and finesse pitches inside 15 yards.
 
theoverswinger said:
The 60 is not an easy club to master. With the 60, contact with the ball has to be perfect, that's why you're getting all sorts of results. Meaning, on the course, if you're presented with anything but a perfect lie, you need to default on a lower-lofted wedge. You can deloft the 60 for more control, but that defeats the purpose of the 60.

For me, I use my 58 only in the bunker and finesse pitches inside 15 yards.
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I don't necessarily agree with this. I think the fact that many 60* wedges have low bounce is what makes them difficult to hit, not just that all 60* wedges are difficult to hit. bounce is your friend, bounce helps. I think the default should be to hit the wedge with the highest bounce at all times (ESPECIALLY in the bunker), unless something about the shot dictates otherwise.


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caeleric said:
I don't necessarily agree with this. I think the fact that many 60* wedges have low bounce is what makes them difficult to hit, not just that all 60* wedges are difficult to hit. bounce is your friend, bounce helps. I think the default should be to hit the wedge with the highest bounce at all times (ESPECIALLY in the bunker), unless something about the shot dictates otherwise.


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I don't completely agree that bounce is your friend EXCEPT in the bunker. Given a good lie in the first cut fringe or fairway, wouldn't more bounce create more of an issue on anything less the a perfectly struck ball? Seems more bounce would make it harder to get good contact off good grass. Just one hacker's opinion. Enjoying the discussion, yall post your opinions and experience please.

Picked up a 58* nike vr with 8* of bounce and am loving it. Made a few up and downs with it today. IMO less bounce gives me a better chance to get ball in the sweet spot on clubface

sent from my Samsoon S5 from the bottom of a mud hole
 
BTW my 60 has 8* of bounce as well. Left it in the trunk but will bring it out soon.

Ran a few bump and runs real close today. Had a great round. Biggest lesson I learned today is that practice helps ALL your shots!

sent from my Samsoon S5 from the bottom of a mud hole
 
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