How To - Chose the right wedges

This is the second part in the how to series for juniors. I know many juniors recently have been in the chat talking about wedges, so i thought that this would be a good way to post something that will generally guide you in the right direction when it comes to picking your new wedges.


This is a breakdown of what those of you looking for wedges may want to consider before purchasing anything:


Consider your needs - By this I mean consider the type of golfer you are and the type of shots you regularly use your wedges for. Are you a long hitter? Are you a short hitter? High spin player? These are definately three major things to consider when making a wedge purchase. If you are a long hitter you have a couple of options. Some longer players who tend to hit more wedges into greens than other clubs opt for the 4 wedge system bc it provides them versatility and fills all gaps better. They tend to carry a 47/48* pw, then some sort of gap wedge about 51-54*, then a sand wedge 56-58*, and then a lob wedge 60-62*. This wedge system provides you the versatility on shorter end shots to have varying trajectories when coming into greens bc you may be hitting a punch gap wedge instead of a full sand etc. This also makes sure that you don't really find yourself in an akward yardage where you dont really have a club that goes anywhere near the ydg. you gave yourself on the upcoming shot. This however often times means that you must remove a club from the other end of your bag (long iron etc.) The other option is to play a greater gap in the lofts of your wedges. For example I carry only 3 wedges with lofts: 47*, 58*, and 63*. I hit my pw about 140-150 yds. my 58* goes about 115-120yds. and my 63* goes about 90ish yds. I find that this provides me personally with the most versatility on both chips/pitches as well as on full shots. I can and regularly use my wedges from all sorts of ydgs. and find myself hitting my sw anywhere from 60-120 yds. This allows me to keep a full range all the way up to 2 iron without having any other gaps in my bag. For shorter hitters the 4 wedge system also works well as it allows you to have wedges that go slightly farther. The 3 wedge system can also work but on stronger lofts than say mine. Something the likes of 47*, 54*, and 58*. This will provide you more distance but also enough loft to chip and get out of the bunker with etc. For higher spin players you may want to consider grinds as well as just your lofts. You may find you spin it too much and want to take a little off, you in this case may want to grind the leading edge a little duller so as to not dig as much meanin you wont trap the ball as much. You may find that you dont put enough spin and want to sharpen the leading edges to get through the grass better. This aspect also carries over into your course conditions which ill get into in a bit. So b4 rushing out and buying the std. loft standard lie standard grind wedges consider this.

Consider your course conditions - You may find that you play most of your golf in the south where it tends to be wet and you have very soily dirt conditions. Meaning that the grass is easy to rip through bc it tends to be longer and the dirt underneath is well...real dirt as opposed to say northern clay type soil. Therefore you may want to consider a higher bounce wedge with different leading edge grinds, bounce grinds etc. You may find the opposite and that you play most of your golf on very short grass thats very tight and compact with clay type soil underneath. In this case you may find yourself wanting more sharp leading edges bc its harder to get deep down into the earth and put a lot of spin on the ball as well you may want a lower bonce wedge so it wont skid off the turf quite as much as a higher bounce wedge. Also consider the rough at your course. Undoubtedly your going to hit some shots with wedges from the rough espeically around the greens. Is the rough long and thick or whispy and long or is it short and not much different than a normal fairway. Consider this fact when deciding what bounce and style leading edge you want.

Consider your shots - do you tend to miss it a lot around the face? do you tend to hit low shots with lots of check spin? Consider these aspects when buying wedges as this makes a difference. Dont necessarily go with the high spin forged wedge bc the tour guys are playing the oh so great TP y cutter etc. This may not be what you specifically need. If you tend to mishit your wedges (and be honest with yourself bc itll only help you out) you may want to try a slightly larger cast wedge. Maybe you want something in between such as the ping tour which provides forgiveness but traditional shape. If you dont swing all that fast or hard then the y cutter style or spin milled which are meant to provide insane spin may not do quite the same for you bc your not imparting as much spin as say a scratch golfer with a steep swing plane.

Consider your preferences - do you like the look of a small/large wedge? shiny/dull wedge? Consider this when buying a wedge bc your optical reaction to the club will actually have something to do with how well you hit it. Maybe you tend to miss it and therefore the look of the old callaway forged or the y cutter's small head doesnt instill confidence. You might want to try something bigger. Maybe you wear a spot the size of a golf ball bc your wedge game is that consistant. In that case maybe the optics of the smaller wedges make you feel more comfortable bc its a traditional look. You definately want to consider optics when chosing. Even down to the finish, if you play a lot where its very bright you may want to buy a dull finished, black or satin wedge to prevent from having to deal with the atrocious glare you can get in say the florida summer. If you dont play where its bright glare may not be as much a factor and maybe bc of that the chrome that suits your eye wouldnt really have any adverse impact on your wedge game.

Consider all of this when making a wedge purchase and you'll definately come out buying a wedge that instills confidence, fits your game, and inspires you to hit better wedge shots. So go out there try some wedges, see what you like and improve your scores with your excellent chipping. Good luck and enjoy the links.


Thanks,

Adam

thanks adam, great posts.

yay! another :)

Great post. I'm really going to consider waht you said when I purchase new wedges

Thanks, im looking for new wedges now and this helped alot!

Glad to see this is still helping people 5.5 years later.

This is great information and advice on a subject a lot of players overlook, thanks for taking the time to post.

Łulysnfv

very well written for information wow