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High Handicappers playing a 60 degree?

caeleric said:
i wonder how much that discouragement is more based on the typical bounce we see with a 60, which is usually less than the bounce on a 56 or 58 (custom options aside). and as we all know, bounce is your friend.

my biggest beef with the 60 is that it is so often unnecessary, or encourages shots that are low percentage. that said, i recently put one in the bag based on a fitter's recommendation. i haven't had enough rounds with it to judge whether it was a good move, but so far i've hit some decent shots.
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I think people do go low bounce in high lofts more than they should. If you're missing heavy or digging holes, it's a bad match. People think low bounce will reduce bladed shots, when the two aren't really related.

That and like you said, they take stupid shots with them, don't commit, and decel or something else bad.
 
My first 60* was an ATV wedge. I think that helped me a ton and I would recommend that to almost any handicapper. But I will say, once I went to the 58 ATV, I had more confidence in my wedges. I'm currently rolling with a 60 again, but I'm tempted to go back to the 58. I liked it that much.
 
Your handicap number doesn't determine what clubs you play. Why is your handicap high? A high handicap can have a pretty decent wedge game, and kill themselves elsewhere to get the big numbers on a hole.

I have a 58° wedge and I use it sparingly, but I feel comfortable using it on full swings in a bunker or on grass, and pitches in rough where I can get under the ball. The shot I do the worst with it is a greenside chip, so I won't go past my 54° for those. Like others have said, the key is committing to the shot.

If you fel comfortable using it, then use it. Your handicap number doesn't tell you what clubs you should use.
 
TripleBogieTim said:
I have holed out more shots since I put the Smart Sole in my bag than ever before, including 3 times in a single round on one occasion playing with some Houston THP peeps.
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I will never forget that flop you holed with SS. It was a ridiculously difficult shot.
 
Jank said:
I will never forget that flop you holed with SS. It was a ridiculously difficult shot.
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yep and I stuffed it to a few inches several other times that day with the SS.....it's such and easy club to hit high soft shots with
 
I do not currently game a 60 and I think my game is better for it.
 
My first attempt with a 60* was a disaster because I had the wrong bounce for my game. Once I got the right one, there's no going back.
 
Hawk said:
People overstate the difficulty involved hitting a 60° wedge. They'll tell you a 58° or 56° is fine, but those extra few degrees somehow makes it an unusable club. Poor wedge play (regardless of the loft) comes from poor technique, bad shot selection, and lack of practice.

That said, a 56° wedge is plenty of loft to get you out of the bunker if that's the only reason you're pondering it.

If you get one, taking full swings with it probably isn't a great idea. Look at more bounce than less. Get some instruction and practice.
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Hawk said:
I think people do go low bounce in high lofts more than they should. If you're missing heavy or digging holes, it's a bad match. People think low bounce will reduce bladed shots, when the two aren't really related.

That and like you said, they take stupid shots with them, don't commit, and decel or something else bad.
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This is without a doubt accurate. The problem is definitely more about bounce than it is loft. In fact according to some of those in the industry including Roger Cleveland at the Grandaddy, the average amateur plays far too little bounce in most of their clubs. Bunkers are the perfect example of that, where far too many grab their highest lofted wedge. Then they struggle and never realize that they need significantly more sole/bounce to play out of a bunker generally speaking.
 
JB said:
This is without a doubt accurate. The problem is definitely more about bounce than it is loft. In fact according to some of those in the industry including Roger Cleveland at the Grandaddy, the average amateur plays far too little bounce in most of their clubs. Bunkers are the perfect example of that, where far too many grab their highest lofted wedge. Then they struggle and never realize that they need significantly more sole/bounce to play out of a bunker generally speaking.
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late last year I started playing my set AW out of bunkers. Perhaps the best my bunker game has ever been. Could really see where a wider sole was helping me.
 
I am currently a 18 handicap and I play a 60 degree wedge. What you have to ask yourself is how good is your short game and what do you plan to accomplish adding a 60 degree. I use mine for flop shots around the green and from 40-80 yards out. I am a very good wedge/short iron player. My issues are at the top of the bag. Don't let your handicap deter you from using a club that can help you cut strokes.

My friends laughed at me at first because I am pretty bottom heavy. I only game a Mini driver and 2 hybrids as woods and I start my irons at 5. But at the bottom of my bag I have AP1 PW, AP1 48W, AP1 52W, then Vokey 56, Vokey 60. But that was by design because I have perfectly gapped my wedges to 10 yards apart. It was an experiment that actually worked out for me. I have dropped from a 28 down to a 18 and trending down more.

If I ever go back to a driver I will take the 5 iron out my bag and maybe switch out the Mini for a 3-4 wood
 
I haven't read the entire thread. But high lofted wedges aren't a problem really. It's the desire to hit big high flop shots with those high lofted wedges that cause the problems.


That was my case anyways, so I am extrapolating that all amateurs have the same issue.
 
I am a 23hc right now and play a 60 degree wedge. I have good days and bad days with my irons, but when I have a bad day its a swing issue and affects my irons from 3i to 60*. When my irons are on (for me) I'm most confident with my 60* wedge. I also use it *almost* exclusively around the green for chips/pitches/bunker shots. * I occasionally use a lower lofted club (52*, PW, etc) if I want to do a putt/chip hit that stays low and rolls a long way.
 
Hawk said:
People overstate the difficulty involved hitting a 60° wedge. They'll tell you a 58° or 56° is fine, but those extra few degrees somehow makes it an unusable club. Poor wedge play (regardless of the loft) comes from poor technique, bad shot selection, and lack of practice.

That said, a 56° wedge is plenty of loft to get you out of the bunker if that's the only reason you're pondering it.

If you get one, taking full swings with it probably isn't a great idea. Look at more bounce than less. Get some instruction and practice.
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ddec said:
late last year I started playing my set AW out of bunkers. Perhaps the best my bunker game has ever been. Could really see where a wider sole was helping me.
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The one area where I say it can absolutely cause problems is with the decel. More loft will generally mean more height and then of course also mean more movement to get the ball to a certain area. So working with one around the green, golfers that are not really really stable with their chipping and pitching movement will almost always give strokes away around the green the higher loft they go because the decel comes into play quite a bit.

Not to say it would not happen with 58* also, just that more loft leads to that when the decel is in play. Would be better off pulling far less loft and working with a club that even offered perimeter weighting in those instances.
 
I am shafting 1 up currently and am an 18.1 index. My only reasoning is to use it from about 60-80 yards out. I used to play one, but tried using it too much around greens. Ended up getting fed up with flubbed ship shots and pulled it from the bag. When that happened I started hitting 1/2-3/4 wedge shots inside 100 yards and I am just too inconsistent. I think as long as I can keep myself from using it around the green this time, I will be fine. The key to wedges is finding something you are comfortable with and interacts with the turf the way you like. I play higher bounces as I dig quite a bit. My fairways are also pretty soft normally.
 
JB said:
The one area where I say it can absolutely cause problems is with the decel. More loft will generally mean more height and then of course also mean more movement to get the ball to a certain area. So working with one around the green, golfers that are not really really stable with their chipping and pitching movement will almost always give strokes away around the green the higher loft they go because the decel comes into play quite a bit.

Not to say it would not happen with 58* also, just that more loft leads to that when the decel is in play. Would be better off pulling far less loft and working with a club that even offered perimeter weighting in those instances.
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I think it's a good point - sort of goes back to the practice part and shot selection part.
 
Not trying to derail the thread just asking for clarification. So higher bounce is better for people who dig more with wedges? And lower bounce for more of a sweeper?? Just trying to understand as I Had a huge problem trying to game a 60*. Yet a 58* in the same model made a huge difference. Just trying to figure out if its more about the change in bounce and less about the change in loft or what??
 
In general terms, yes.
 
Thank you Hawk!
 
musicmaster6921 said:
Thank you Hawk!
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Cleveland golf has a wedge analyzer app that works with the Swingbyte monitor to help you pick the right bounce. But you can get an idea of what to try based on their diagrams of swing/bounce/turf conditions.

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I think the app is only for the iPad right now.

 
I use one and have never taken a full swing with it. My home course has a lot of elevated greens which require a high shot that sits quickly if you end up short on approaches. However, a guy I play with regularly uses one for every shot from 100 yds in. It is like any other club in my opinion, it may or may not suit your game. Try not to get caught up in perceptions of what clubs are for what level of skill you have. If it works, it works. There are some tour pros playing Super GI irons now for that exact reason.
 
No they shouldnt. I very rarely take a full swing with any wedge, in fact I can't remember the last time I did. They are hard to hit. Use the bump and run as often as possible. Put from off the green as often as you can. That's my advice
 
I play one but very rarely every take more than a half swing.
Sure sometimes it doesn't work out well but every other club in my bags acts stupid occasionally.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
mcrobertsjmac32 said:
Im bad in deep bunkers. Thats why I was thinking higher loft could pop me out of them
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You may also consider the bounce angle of you 60* wedge to help you get out of the deep bunker. A good club fitter should be able to help you with this.
 
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