Three Wedge Set Up

Hope everyone is safe and for those without golf, that you are managing.

I am looking to change my set up and thought now was the best time to tinker. I have a 58 degree lob wedge which I never use (maybe once or twice a round) and I was thinking of going to a wedge set up of 48, 52 and 56. So my question is which bounce and grind would be best in most models? I've been playing SM6s and I have found myself to prefer a straighter leading edge, with my current wedges having around 10 degrees of bounce in the M grind.

Also looking to bring in a U500 three iron.

Thanks in advance guys!

I have played this setup for a few years. The PW in my set is 48 degrees and I rounded out my bag with a 52-56. that being said I found myself using my 56 exclusively from 100 and in and not hitting my 52 much at all. MAYBE once a round if the yardage came up. I originally went to this setup bc I felt like I got too cute with my 60 and it cost me shots. But I’m a better golfer now and I think I’m missing something not having a lob wedge.

All that said I have a 54 and 60 on the way and going to give that setup a shot. I figure the 54 will replace my 56 for most of my straight forward shots and the 60 will be used when I’m short sided. Not getting rid of my 52-56 bc it doesn’t work out I’ll go back.

I recently switched from a four wedge set up (46, 50, 54, 58) to a three wedge set up (46 52 58).

My 50 was seeing very little use, and I had too big of a gap between my 4 hybrid and 5 iron. Replacing my 50 and 54 with a 52 let me put my 4 iron back in the bag, and I seem to be able to cover all my short game yardages just as good with three wedges as I could with four.

Im currently on PW@49*, 54* bent to 55* SW (I like the reduced offset look and added bounce) and 60* bent 62* LW (same reasons as my SW).

I found a GW redundant and no way I could live without a SW/LW combo because of the uniqueness in grind, sole and bounce options. I totally get it that people are proficient with a 56* SW around the greens. The LW is my 911 club when I’m short sided in the rough or bunkers.

In the past, I did go 54 and 58 with low bounce options because I would always open up the face but risk the riding the ball. Now I focus on utilizing the bounce on the stated number by striking with a more squarer face but open so the ball doesn’t ride the face now.

I would say leave the 58* and to the 48/52/58 set up. Regardless of not using it much, it's likely going to be more versatile than a 56* over the long run.

For me its really about how much/comfortable a person is with partial shots vs full shots. I find i make more consistent contact when i take more full swings so i like 46 (set pw) and 50 54 58 as it gives me more options.

I also havent really had any issues with the opposite end of the bag or felt like anything's is missing so that helps make the decision easier.

I've got 45 PW,50,55,60, but just bought a 56 low bounce for the tight lies and wet bunker shots.

The only thing that matters is making sure you have all the shots you need covered. If you like the 10* M grind and a straighter leading edge you'd probably get along fairly well with the Callaway MD5 S grind in the 56*. However, for a lot of people 10* of bounce isn't going to be enough if it is wet or you are playing a particularly difficult, thick course set up. You also have to remember that a 48* and 52* wedge are going to be basically the same wedge with different yardage targets. Unlikely that you are going to use the 52* out a hard pan bunker or thinner rough, and likely will only use them for full swings, pitches, and chips. I would suggest going out of your comfort zone a little bit and getting something a bit more versatile in the 56*, like a 12* or even 14* bounce to make sure you have everything covered. Unless of course you are 100000% certain you will never need to hit out of wet sand, thick rough, or play after it has rained.

My new irons have a 44* PW, so I went with a 48 F grind, 52 F grind, and a 56 M grind. I did have to take my 4 iron out of the bag and I miss it a few shots per round, but I can choke down on my 4 hybrid a bit and get closer with not as much gap between it and my 5 iron. If I decide to put the 4 iron back in the bag, I will probably go with a 52 and a 60... I’m still not sure I want to do that...

With my T100s set wedge at 44, I changed my setup to 48, 54, 58 from 51, 56, 61.

SM8 48 08F for full shots and around the green when I got some to work with.

SM8 54 10S for full shots, around the green and open face.

SM8 58 12D for green side bunkers, fluffy lies, rough and open face action.

44 goes 110 meters, 48 goes 100 meters, 54 goes 90 meters and 58 goes 75.

I think this setup gives me more versatility than my previous one that also had lowers bounce overall.

I go driver -> 17 FW -> 20 utility -> 22 4 iron or driver -> 15 FW -> 18/19 FW -> 22 4 iron depending on the course.

I have long bounced back and forth between 52/58 and 52/56/60 off a 47 PW. I found that I needed an extra option for longer par 4, par 5, or par 3s, and I ran into a few situations where I would need to take out the 5W or 3UDI to keep my wedges in. I noticed that I didn’t hit many 60s and so I sold the 56/60 and got a 58.

Best of both worlds for me, as I can now keep the top end of my bag and reduce the options in my lower bag. The more I practice with just the 52/58 I don’t ever see a need for 3. I do play the 52 as an extension of the set and rarely hit a full 58 unless I need to get to a tight pin or if it’s down wind I may do it to help it stop quicker.

PW 47* - 127 yds

52* - 110 yds

58* - 95 yds

it works well that I can swing easier in any of them to hit the gaps as well.

I like 4 wedges. PW, GW, SW and LW. I bent a 47* pitching wedge that’s the same model as my pitching wedge to 51 degrees and used acetone to remove the paint fill on the bottom so I recognize it more easily in the bag. I could probably get away with 3 wedges that were 46, 51 and 57 but have more shots inside of 200 yards so I don’t need a 3 iron or 5 wood anything like that. My setup includes two Srixon 765 PWs and the new Vokey SM8 54 & 58 that I bent.

PW 46* - 132ish

GW 51* - 120ish

SW 55* - 100ish

LW 59* - 80ish but mainly 60 yards in.

I am entering my third season with three Callaway wedge. First two years I played with 48-54-60, and over winter dropped MD-PM 60 (below) in favor of MD4 58/8 in C-Grind. The 58* gives me a lot more shots shots.

The prior 46-50-54-58 had two problems: duplicated yardages in my wedge cells, and too much on-course "choice."

Callaways aside, I do have quality time with your Vokey wedges. In 2016, I showed up at test range at a golf expo at lunch time - only V rep was there! - and had an hour to play around with the then-new SM6 wedges. This was the first Vokey model with the progressive center of gravity.

I really liked the F-grind in GW and SW, and was undecided for LW.

Two years later, I went to a Titleist Thursday and came away with a Vokey plan: 50* and 56* in F-grind, and M-grind in 60*. (The Callaways won out, however; I just like the feel better).

In your case, the Vokey 48/10 and 52/8 or 52/12 are all F-grind. These are ideal for a person who hits mainly square-face wedge shots. That said, you can still open up or close down the clubface a couple of degrees, just don't overdo it or the leading edge starts raising up.

As for 56*, you have four choices. You could go with F-grind, or might go to S-grind for a little more versatility. (Face it your 56* will end up a combo SW + LW). D and M grind are also available. Vokey site details what type of swings benefit from these different grinds.

Great comments from all and I really do appreciate them. I think dropping any form of a lob wedge is the way forward for me, I never use it on any full shots and get out of jail shots it can be used for, I'm sure I can work on my technique enough to use that 56 degree wedge. I think going 47 - 52 - 56 will be the way forward and I have grown to be able to use my 47 & 52 to hit half or three quarter shots.

I just hope to get out on the course soon enough - not looking like any time soon over here in the UK. Now it is just time to work out on the 3 and maybe 4 iron I will be adding to my bag.

Thanks and stay safe.

I personally feel an often overlooked wedge set up is 48 53 58. Gaps are a bit tighter compared to the more common 48 54 60 and the 58 is a lot more consistent compared to the 60 on fuller shots for me.

I appreciate thedefinitely a sub thread...”on course choice”.I am working on discipline. PW and 52 are full shot clubs with the exception of PW bump and run. 56 is sand and rough and utility inside 60 yards. 60 is to stop the ball. May not use 52 and 60 in a round. These are 4 clubs that can produce similar but imperfect results, and here is the point, be sure with two of your wedges. For me it’s PW and 56. Fill the gaps with clubs that work for a few shots in a round but avoid game day wild ideas like full swing lobs. Unless you are Philip Alfred Mickelson, the great.

I'm currently in this dilemma. I have a 46PW, 50, 54, 58. My 50 honestly looks brand new after two years, I never use it. I hit it 110-115, but in even the slightest of wind, I'm opting to flight down my PW so I don't end up short. My 54 is my go-to 100 yd club and all greenside chipping and fairway pitching, but it can balloon on me and leave me short as well. So between those two, I'm think a 52 is the perfect mix for me.

My first question is, if I want to hit full shots and do some chipping with it, would I go for 12* of bounce or 8* with the SM8? I like the idea of more bounce honestly for full shots, but worried about blading a chip. I figure I can have a lower bounce wedge in my 56 for tighter lies.

Then regarding my 58, I dont like it all that much. 50 yds out, I'm always opting for a lower flighted 54 than a 3/4 swing with my 58. I never swing the 58 full out. I just dont find myself needing a lob wedge all that much, even though I completely understand the use for it, I'm able to get what I need with my 54. Based on this, I'm strongly considering with just rolling with a 52-12F and a 56-10S in the SM8 this year. Thoughts?

I’ve recently gone 48-52-56-60-64, to stay under 14 clubs I took out my 4-iron and bent my 5-iron strong to be the club dead between my 3-iron and 6-iron. This is probably not for everyone but I have really liked having that many wedges(read:options), and so far have had zero issues with the gapping at the top of the bag. I based it on the Dave Pelz's equipment philosophy from his book Short Game Bible.

This is my exact experience and setup, 47-52-58. I learned to play with a set of Wilson clubs from the 7Os that had a classic PW and SW and learned to hit most shots around the green with those two clubs. While I played with 47-52-56-60 for several years, the trajectory of the 60 never suited me and I’m comfortable opening the face of the 56. I ended up replacing both the 60 and 56 with a 58( which I have basically as a weak SW with 12* bounce) and it’s been working well. Also opens up options with long clubs. I also don’t find opening the face of the 52 for lofted shots that require more run out than 58 and sometimes use it for long bunker shots.

I've used 46, 54, 56, and 60 for few years. I had some issues with too much gap between pw and gw so switched to current set up which runs 46, 51, 56, and 60. I feel most comfortable shots between 90 and 140 and often find myself going to 51 gw for 90 to 100 yard shots with less than full swing (1/2 to 3/4 swing). My previous set up had me second guessing between pw and gw, but I don't have to do that with current set up which has boosted my confidence and score. Getting wedges fitted definitely helped my game.

I own enough wedges to put one in every divider of my 13 divider bag, plus a few more, so I may be the perfectly wrong person to comment but...

For a long time I was a 52 56 60 guy, but then I was tempted to put a 48 in to fill the gap between my PW and the 52.

Last year I changed to 50 54 58 and at least for now, I like this fit.

My back and forth comes down to wrestling with two factors: How I'm hitting my gap wedge, and how my green-side short pitching is working.

Sometimes the 50 feels like a great club around 100 yards for me, and sometimes this is too strong - in which case i back off to an easy 52.

Sometimes the 56 just feels right around the greens, and sometimes the 54 does.

Depending on the push/pull of either the gap wedge or the greenside wedge, I can end up making a change.

Theoretically, I prefer 50 54 58 because it keeps the dreaded 48 out of the bag (not enough space for it and then too many decisions between PW, 48 and 52). As long as the 54 behaves around the green for me, this seems to work.

Of course none of the above contemplates bounce variations and adjustments, that's a whole extra thread altogether :-)

Bringing this one back. If my set G/A wedge is 49° do I ....

1. Set G @49°,52 , 56, 60 or

2. Set G/A at 50°, 55, 60 or

3. Set G/A at 50°, 54, 58. 

I do use my wedges as full shot clubs and play as many greenside shots with a square face except bunker play. 

565 PW, ZipCore 48*, CBX 52* and ZipCore 56*

Let me begin by saying that I never swing any of my wedges at 100%. I shorten my backswing to 3/4 and accelerate through the ball. My current set up is 48* PW with 6* of bounce. A 52* GW with 8* of bounce. A 56* SW with 12* of bounce. 
 

The max yardages for each are PW 110 yards, GW 95 yards, and SW 80 yards. 
 

PW and SW are Ping and GW is a Vokey.

I’m using PW-50-56-60 right now and am liking that setup. 50, 56, and 60 are Vokeys. Have a little higher bounce on the 56 and lower on the 60 which gives me some versatility around the greens. I like hitting the 50 at 3/4 which covers the gap between it and the 56 nicely. If I went to a 3 wedge setup, I’d probably go 54 (higher bounce) and 60 (lower bounce). 

I played 48, 53, 60 for years and when I was playing competitive golf I was pretty dialed in with them (my 9 iron was 44*) .  distances were 137/112/93 roughly. Playing 7k yard courses 20+ years ago called for a lot more options at the other end of the bag.  Now, I have stronger irons and go 46/50/55/60 and the gaps are about 15 yards between each on a stock shot.  I don't have long shots into par 4's as much now with modern equipment but a lot of short irons and wedges.  If modern irons had weaker lofts I might still only carry 3 wedges.  I basically switched because of the changes in lofts on modern irons but what i've found is that the modern ball goes so much further that you need tighter loft gaps in the bottom of the bag.  what used to be 10-12 yards is more like 15 now.  

I started with 4 thinking I was missing something, then pulled the GW when I got my new irons and now I find I never pull my 60 out and use my 56 for everything within 40 yards of the green. So I guess I'm down to two now and not sure what clubs to run otherwise. Lol