14th Club, yes I know this is asked all the time, but I want to know what you guys and girls think

Ok, so here it is, this is my first post (woooooo!),and I know this one has been asked a lot but whatevs. So I just purchased the Ping i210 irons in 5 through UW and switched from having 3 wedges down to one 56 degree wedge (I want to simplify my wedge game). The rest of my bag goes like this, Driver, 3 and 5 wood, 4 hybrid, putter;that's only 13 clubs. Now for my dilemma, and I'm sure you can tell what that is by the title of the post, but anyway, what should be my 14th club. All data aside about my swing and how I hit different clubs e.g. fairway woods vs hybrids vs driving irons, I just want to know what you peeps would fill your bags with; add another wedge, add another fairway wood, hybrid, or driving iron. I'm leaning towards a Ping 7 wood to fill the gap between my 5 wood at 17.5 degrees loft and my 4 hybrid at 22 degrees loft. Thanks everyone!

I’d go for a lob wedge. Without a shadow of doubt.

I’d go for a lob wedge. Without a shadow of doubt.

Perhaps leave it at 13 until you've played the new set for a bit and the answer on where you could use the 14th club makes itself apparent.

To take a guess, lob wedge.

Perhaps leave it at 13 until you've played the new set for a bit and the answer on where you could use the 14th club makes itself apparent.

 

To take a guess, lob wedge.

Perhaps leave it at 13 until you've played the new set for a bit and the answer on where you could use the 14th club makes itself apparent.

 

To take a guess, lob wedge.

That is not a bad idea. As most of us Golfwrx members are, I'm always so quick to pull the trigger on buying a new club, when I really should feel the new set out first. Thanks!

Stick that 62* in the bag in the meantime! Always useful to have one even if you only use it once or twice per round.

I’ll be amazed if you need something in between a 5W and a 4H.

So the options are another wedge or a driving iron or a utility club of some sort.

Lob wedge, love having one in the bag for shots where you really need drop it in there! Some rounds doesn't get used that much but definitely nice when you need it

Perhaps leave it at 13 until you've played the new set for a bit and the answer on where you could use the 14th club makes itself apparent.

 

To take a guess, lob wedge.

That is not a bad idea. As most of us Golfwrx members are, I'm always so quick to pull the trigger on buying a new club, when I really should feel the new set out first. Thanks!

 

Stick that 62* in the bag in the meantime! Always useful to have one even if you only use it once or twice per round.

 

I’ll be amazed if you need something in between a 5W and a 4H.

 

So the options are another wedge or a driving iron or a utility club of some sort.

Or a SureOut, a chipper, a square wedge or even a teeless driver.

Ok, so here it is, this is my first post (woooooo!),and I know this one has been asked a lot but whatevs. So I just purchased the Ping i210 irons in 5 through UW and switched from having 3 wedges down to one 56 degree wedge (I want to simplify my wedge game). The rest of my bag goes like this, Driver, 3 and 5 wood, 4 hybrid, putter;that's only 13 clubs. Now for my dilemma, and I'm sure you can tell what that is by the title of the post, but anyway, what should be my 14th club. All data aside about my swing and how I hit different clubs e.g. fairway woods vs hybrids vs driving irons, I just want to know what you peeps would fill your bags with; add another wedge, add another fairway wood, hybrid, or driving iron. I'm leaning towards a Ping 7 wood to fill the gap between my 5 wood at 17.5 degrees loft and my 4 hybrid at 22 degrees loft. Thanks everyone!

1. My highest lofted wedge is 55*. So was Seve's. As long as you have a grind that allows you to open it up by half an inch or so, you can make a 56 about a 72 before you start to lose effectiveness to the toe digging. You don't need a lob wedge. Its fine to play one if you are better with your face square, but if you can open your wedge there is no reason you have to do it.

2. You are making the same mistake (IMO) virtually everyone who asks these questions makes - you are gapping in theory by loft, and not by yardage. Its incredibly unlikely you are a good enough ball striker that you have uniform translations of loft to distance. For most players, there is a 10-12 yard gap between a gap wedge and a pitching wedge, given a four degree loft change. Those same players might have no gap at all between 24 and 20 (Because they can't get it in the air).

So who cares what lofts your 5 wood and 4 iron are. What matters is how far they go. If you can't tell us how far each club goes (because you don't know) and on what trajectory, nobody here can actually help you and you can't really help yourself. Gap to your actual, measured yardages - not lofts.

One of the best things you can do for your game is pick a ball you will always use and go to the first fairway of some course late in the evening. Hit at a target in the distance (telephone pole, tree, etc...) say 20 balls with each club, and take the median 10. This will do a whole lot for your ability to score. Studies have shown most golfers overestimate their actual distance by a club and a half.

1. My highest lofted wedge is 55*. So was Seve's. As long as you have a grind that allows you to open it up by half an inch or so, you can make a 56 about a 72 before you start to lose effectiveness to the toe digging. You don't need a lob wedge. Its fine to play one if you are better with your face square, but if you can open your wedge there is no reason you have to do it.

Right it just the difference between having to take a flop shot and having to come way across the ball, or making a normal swing... not a huge difference at all... :blink:

He was looking for an extra to put in the bag. Lob wedge seems like a decent option. We could all play with like 5 clubs in the whole bag and open and close the face to desired lofts if had to. We don't "need" a lot of clubs

You can always use another wedge unless you are a short game master...if that’s the case go with 13. If you’re not a short game master go with another wedge of your choosing.

There is an excellent series of articles on “how to build your best bag” by another golf website where the guy goes through all the different clubs that you need. Worth a read if you have not seen yet. Just google.

What was interesting to note was that this very situation was mentioned - what if you feel like you have a full and complete bag with 13 clubs? The answer - either leave it at 13 rather than put something that is duplicative to another club or get a “specialty club” like a hi-toe lob wedge or something for very specific reasons.

I know this may sound ridiculous, but I picked up a 68 degree Pinemeadow wedge some years back, and for whatever reason, found it very easy to hit, especially when I have to fly a tree, tight pin next to a bunker. It actually looks like a serving spoon, little, yet extremely easy for me at least to extract myself out of trouble.

I carry 13 clubs, the less choice the better for me - I have learned how to hit shots with fewer clubs; in the case of my wedges this has made me a very very good wedge player - IMO!

I recently dropped my 3 wood in favor of only a 5 wood since I never used it. I added a 4 iron even though it’s a duplicate of my 22 degree hybrid (sort of). I can’t hit the hybrid off a tee and I can’t hit the 4 iron off the deck, so they compliment each other. The 4 iron is also good for punches.

You could look at doing something like that. It’s worked well for me.

Ok, so here it is, this is my first post (woooooo!),and I know this one has been asked a lot but whatevs. So I just purchased the Ping i210 irons in 5 through UW and switched from having 3 wedges down to one 56 degree wedge (I want to simplify my wedge game). The rest of my bag goes like this, Driver, 3 and 5 wood, 4 hybrid, putter;that's only 13 clubs. Now for my dilemma, and I'm sure you can tell what that is by the title of the post, but anyway, what should be my 14th club. All data aside about my swing and how I hit different clubs e.g. fairway woods vs hybrids vs driving irons, I just want to know what you peeps would fill your bags with; add another wedge, add another fairway wood, hybrid, or driving iron. I'm leaning towards a Ping 7 wood to fill the gap between my 5 wood at 17.5 degrees loft and my 4 hybrid at 22 degrees loft. Thanks everyone!

I am in the same boat. I have 13 clubs in the bag and am debating on adding another Glide 2.0 Stealth wedge in the form of a lob wedge (60*). I am a 11.8 hdcp and like to take full swings on all of my shots. I have tried to tone back the 56* less than 50 yards or so and cannot for the life of me become accurate. So I figured the lob wedge on full shots would be better as I can get them to about 50 yds on full swings. To the OP, I think you should add a lob wedge, but who am i to say i am in the same boat :swoon:

Right it just the difference between having to take a flop shot and having to come way across the ball, or making a normal swing... not a huge difference at all... :blink:

Its four degrees, not twelve. A square shot with a 60 that goes 20 feet and a square shot with a 56 that goes 20 feet have virtually identical trajectories when hit square (four degrees of the apex of a ball traveling 20 feet). Telling someone to add a lob wedge when you've never seen them play is silly, especially given the OP's comments that he didn't want to add one.

You can't "make a normal swing" and flop a lob wedge either.

If you want to simplify your wedge game, stick with 13 clubs and see how it goes with just the 56*.

Make the choice only after getting some rounds in with your new setup.

What lofts are the PW and U wedges?

If you want to simplify your wedge game, stick with 13 clubs and see how it goes with just the 56*.

 

Make the choice only after getting some rounds in with your new setup.

Two drivers.

To me it doesn't sound like you really need another club. I don't think you need one on the top of the bag or on the bottom of the bag! Just use the ones you have and enjoy/learn the game! Then in time if you have a yardage gap, fill it. If not, keep playing what you have!

You've seen the threads, so you'll know my answer. Play for a while and you'll say, "I wish I had a xxxx for this shot."

Then you'll know, but for now, play 13.

I had a similar dilemma...ended up going driver, driving iron, 3-pw, 52, 58, 62. Honestly I hit my driver better and straighter than I tend to hit a 3 wood and if I need least than a driver then a driving iron is sufficient. Love the 62 in the bag for those times when I'm really short sided. It has definitely saved some shots the last few rounds

If you want to simplify your wedge game, stick with 13 clubs and see how it goes with just the 56*.

 

Make the choice only after getting some rounds in with your new setup.

When I bag 14, it always feels like too many. I can deal with having to choke down on a club from time to time. It doesn't make me Seve but if I can't handle one little gap, maybe I should try until I can, right? One step closer to scratch. Sorry, I'm just ramblin', I think I may have a touch of sunstroke and for some reason, that can turn me into a ramblin' man.

When I bag 14 it always feels like too few. I have 16 and leaving two at home hurts, makes me sad for the clubs.

But, along with a couple of others above, a lob wedge is a diamond of a club on occasion. And stays in the bag simply for those very infrequent shots that would be much more tricky with my 58.

9 Driver

15 fairway

19 DI

22.5 4 iron through to 46 PW

51 GW

56 SW

61 Lobber

The bag set up entirely depends on how good you hit long irons in my opinion. If you struggle, add a 5 wood or extra hybrid. If not, add a wedge.

What lofts are the PW and U wedges?

This post was made really because I like to hear what everyone has to say and I love reading everyone's witty banter. My end decision won't be solely based on what everyone is saying because I know in the end it matters how I swing a club and strike the ball but I do love the input and I like everyone's posts so far. I know my yardages pretty well and now that I have read all the posts so far, I'm probably going to stick with 13 clubs and make them work. I live by the motto in my everyday life that "variety is the spice of life" but simplifying things in golf, can only do good for your game. Now I just need these beautiful i210's and Stealth wedge to get shipped to me.

This post was made really because I like to hear what everyone has to say and I love reading everyone's witty banter. My end decision won't be solely based on what everyone is saying because I know in the end it matters how I swing a club and strike the ball but I do love the input and I like everyone's posts so far. I know my yardages pretty well and now that I have read all the posts so far, I'm probably going to stick with 13 clubs and make them work. I live by the motto in my everyday life that "variety is the spice of life" but simplifying things in golf, can only do good for your game. Now I just need these beautiful i210's and Stealth wedge to get shipped to me.

Those stealth wedges are really hard to locate.

So I’ve heard.

I would think a 60* would do the trick. I see that you didn't mention a gap between your 5 iron and 22 degree hybrid, so I'm guessing that you hit your hybrid more like an iron than a wood and keep the distance in check. You could possibly put a hybrid between your current hybrid and your 5 wood and choose a shaft that flights the ball lower, so you have one hybrid with a higher flight and one with a lower flight. I think that could be more useful than a 7 wood since you can also play it out of the rough easier.