Scratch Golf wedge and iron fitting today in Eugene

I went today to Eugene today to get fitted for some Scratch clubs, primarily wedges but also wanted to try their irons.

Got this all set up with Jon from Scratch last week. We met at a great location with an amazing short game practice facility (I don't want to name the place out of respect for the Scratch guys, but if Jon is reading this, he is more than welcome to talk about it).

Let's just say that any shot you want to hit here, you can. Full shots, 30 yard bunker shots, greenside bunker shots, bump and runs up to 60 yards and flopodopiluses all day long if you want. Pretty much anything you need to do to test out wedges. If the clubs can work for you, you will know it before you leave here.

We started on full shots and Jon (and Zach, another Scratch guy who came out for the fitting) first checked out my current wedges: TM Proto Y-cutter with a big custom C-grind, TM RAC 56* Y-cutter with 14* of bounce and a TM RAC 52* Y-cutter with 8* of bounce.

The LW goes 80 yards, the SW goes 95 yards and the GW goes 110 yards. I use the LW and SW in bunkers and for greenside shots out of the rough. I used the GW primarily for bump and runs from closely mown areas, but not out of the greenside rough.

Jon started handing me wedges and just asked me to hit them without looking at the club. I like this because you aren't predisposed to how the club is supposed to perform, you have to really pay attention to how the club "feels" when you play different shots. I hit 3 types of shots with my wedges: A "normal" shot with the ball in the middle of my stance, a "knockdown" where the ball is inside of my right heel, and a flop shot where I put the ball inside of my left heel.

As I am going through the various wedges Jon and Zach are handing me, I notice how differently the wedges feel at impact depending on how they react with the turf. Based on the Scratch website, I was expecting to like the EGG grind on the 8620 wedge, however as we went through various wedges it turns out that even though my swing type is a driver/slider, I actually seemed to like the digger/driver grind better but wasn't completely sold yet...The difference between the two grinds doesn't appear to be that significant, but it made a difference, I just wasn't sure which way to go yet...

One other thing was that most of the wedges were fitted with KBS Tour shafts. I didn't know anything about them before today and what I do know is that they aren't the right shaft for me. Luckily they also had wedges shafted with DGS300s which is what I currently use. There was a HUGE difference in ballflight between the two shafts in the same head. It was really confusing to me on full shots because the ballflight with the KBS shafts took off on such a lower trajectory, it looked like I was hitting a lower lofted club.

For people who have hit DGS300s your whole life, make sure you hit some clubs with the KBS Tours before committing to put them in your wedges. If you are like me and expect to see a certain trajectory or "window" on your shots, hitting KBSes will require a mental reset, especially if you keep DGS300s in your irons and put KBSes in your wedges... The concept of hitting my PW higher than my GW or SW doesn't work for me...

The other thing was the look at address for the 1018 wedges and the 8620s are very different. The 1018 wedges have a straight leading edge, very reminiscent of my old Hogan irons, the 8620s have a curved leading edge, very similar to my TM Y-cutters. It is amazing what you get used to and how a look at address can set your perception of a wedge. I really didn't like the look of the 1018s and much preferred the look of the 8620s, not to mention the milled faces were sexy as all get out.

One last thing was the feel. I used to be a real "forged" snob, and would not play a cast club because I thought they all felt like Pings. Well, the TM wedges proved me wrong several years ago, and the 8620s were no different. They felt great. Even when I hit the 1018s side-by-side with the 8620s, the feel was different but by no means "bad" with the 8620. In fact, if it weren't for the straight leading edge as a visual clue, I would be hard pressed to say without a doubt which wedge was forged and which was cast, based solely on feel. Cast wedges have come a long way baby....

After the full shots, we moved to the greenside chips and bunker shots. It was here that I got a much fuller appreciation for the different types of grinds Scratch has to offer. There was a noticeable difference when using wedges that were in the D/S category and had only a couple of degrees less in bounce compared to the D/D wedges. What I found was that I liked having more bounce on the Scratch wedges (my TM SW did have 14* of bounce...) to the point that I was leaning more and more to the D/D wedge grinds.

Then we moved to the greenside bunker and I hit shots on the uphill slope, flat and on downhill slopes. After some 20-30 balls, it was clear that the D/D grinds were the right ones for me. Very similar to the feel of my TM sand wedge, gets the ball up very easily and nice bite on the green. Same with the lob wedge. What I found really surprising was that the GW was also great out of the sand with the D/D grind for those 25 yard sand shots. I was not able to hit that shot with my TM gap wedge.

Now that I was fully warmed up we went back to the full shot area and I hit the SB-1 irons. I had seen these in my buddy's bag and was very interested in them since my Titleist 681s were getting a little old. However, after hitting various grinds with KBS Tours, Nippon 1150s and DGS300s, it was clear that they weren't a good fit for me. I just hit my 681s better. What did surprise me was how well I hit the AR-1s (the cavity backed forged irons). Those I hit just as well as my 681s, it is just the head shape that wasn't quite right for me (a little large), but I will at least keep them in mind when I do need to look for new irons.

All in all, it was a great experience. Jon and Zach were great to work with. I hit balls with the for a good hour, maybe longer. We all learned a lot and realized that there is no replacement for hitting clubs on a real range. Jon and Zach felt the KBS shafts were higher launching that the DGS300s, but after seeing shot after shot from me it was clear that statement was not an absolute. Some people may hit the KBSes higher, but I consistently hit the DGS much higher. So good data point for them and future fittings.

Also, I would NEVER have picked D/D grinds based on what I know. I figured those were for "chunkers". I would have sworn that the D/S grind was the one I needed. I do not take what I consider to be a big divot, but I do make a descending blow to the ball and do take a divot after the ball. After hitting enough different types of shots, I was sold on the D/D grinds. Personally, I think the D/D grind designation is a misnomer. I believe a lot of good players will like the D/D grind more than the D/S grind if they actually hit them side-by-side. For those who think that a D/D grind will have too much bounce and lead to thinned shots, don't knock it till you try it. The D/D grind wedges sit very nicely on the ground with the leading edge comfortably below the bottom of the ball.

So I now have 3 8620 wedges on order with Scratch with my full custom specs at a fraction of the price of Vokeys which is probably the closest OEM to having the wedge combinations that Scratch offers.

Thanks again to Jon and Zach for a great outing, and to Ari and his "wedges for clunkers" program which finally got me off the dime and got me to try his company's wedges!!!

Feel free to ask any questions, while the day is still fresh in my mind...

Very cool. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Very cool and fun to read. Only missing one thing, PICs!!!!!

[quote name='toofless' post='1951000' date='Sep 14 2009, 06:43 PM']Very cool and fun to read. Only missing one thing, PICs!!!!![/quote]
Y'know, I didn't even think about doing that

All their clubs are on their website and Ari has plenty of threads with pics of their new wedges.

Sorry about that...

If you were at a course in the Eugene area that has a good short game area, that pretty much leaves you with one option. And yes, it is incredible. Tour quality in my opinion.

well I did my fitting with Ari In Chattanooga in August, I set up for the Ds grinds in my irons, and the DD grinds worked better in the wedges. So I have Slt in the Gap and sand, and Dog on the 60. I probably hit balls 90 min. The Kb shafts worked best for me. I hit the Nippons too high, and hate DG 300 Kb's were a better flight, and I thought they were more responsive through the whole swing.

Now if they would hurry up and finish my set, I could go out and play them and give a full review.

I've been experimenting with KBS shafts in my wedges for the past couple months now (I have played DGS300 in my irons and wedges previously) and initially noticed the same ball flight characteristics ( low with KBS) as dpark. But once I learned how to load these shafts, which required a smoother transition, the ball flight was indeed much higher than DGS300 WITHOUT sacrificing distance. Furthermore, you can really feel the smooth "kick" of the KBS shafts, which becomes extremely addicting. Needless to say, I am waiting to get a good deal on mizuno MP-58s to get the KBS shafts in my irons as well at a reasonable price. JMO.

sounds good! I may have to go again and get re-fitted, I went with s/s grinds and while they work well in my irons I think I should have gone with more bounce in my 58. Glad to hear you had such a good time, that short game area is sweet! I wish we had a similar one here in P-town.

[quote name='truck13' post='1951279' date='Sep 14 2009, 08:53 PM']sounds good! I may have to go again and get re-fitted, I went with s/s grinds and while they work well in my irons I think I should have gone with more bounce in my 58. Glad to hear you had such a good time, that short game area is sweet! I wish we had a similar one here in P-town.[/quote]

About the only thing close to that practice area is the one on the private side of Pumpkin Ridge. It made the drive down there insignificant compared to being able to test out the wedges in all the various types of conditions...

Great review!!!

Having been up there recently I can echo the sentiment directed at these guys, they care and will not send you out with the wrong product in hand. When it's time for new wedges, which will probably be next spring, I'm planning another pilgrimage as there's no other set of wedges that will grace the interior of my bag.

Hmm wonder why you would have those 25-30 yd bunker shots ? Must be talking about South hehehe

As I posted a couple of weeks ago, I went down to Eugene to get fitted for some Scratch wedges by Jon and Zach, taking advantage of Ari's "cash for clunkers" program. Pretty hard to pass up new wedges for $75 considering that I was able to hit them in an outdoor range prior to purchasing.

The wedges arrived today and here are the pics of the GW with some additional side-by-side photos with my current GW, the original TM RAC Y-cutter which has been in the bag for a good two years now.

Heads are pretty similar in size with the Scratch head maybe a bit smaller. The grind configuration is the SND or Digger/Driver. What is most suprising is that the Scratch wedge has very little camber on the sole compared to my y-cutter.

The Scratch grooves and milling are outrageous!!!

Pics of the SW and LW will be in subsequent posts since there are too many pics.

[attachment=473707:scratchGW_01.jpg]
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[quote name='dpark' post='1984943' date='Oct 2 2009, 09:53 PM']As I posted a couple of weeks ago, I went down to Eugene to get fitted for some Scratch wedges by Jon and Zach, taking advantage of Ari's "cash for clunkers" program. Pretty hard to pass up new wedges for $75 considering that I was able to hit them in an outdoor range prior to purchasing.

The wedges arrived today and here are the pics of the GW with some additional side-by-side photos with my current GW, the original TM RAC Y-cutter which has been in the bag for a good two years now.

Heads are pretty similar in size with the Scratch head maybe a bit smaller. The grind configuration is the SND or Digger/Driver. What is most suprising is that the Scratch wedge has very little camber on the sole compared to my y-cutter.

The Scratch grooves and milling are outrageous!!!

Pics of the SW and LW will be in subsequent posts since there are too many pics.

[attachment=473707:scratchGW_01.jpg]
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[attachment=473712:scratchGW_12.jpg][/quote]

Very nice dpark. Looks like excellent craftsmanship (as you would expect). I think next time I'm in Eugene I will probably have to take the plunge. Thanks for posting.

Here is the LW and side-by-sides with my TM RAC Proto Y-cutter:

Similar to the GW, the lack of camber on the sole is the most noticeable difference. The heel and toe relief is very similar and is what I liked most about the C-grind on my TM y-cutter.

[attachment=473740:scratchLW_01.jpg]
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Final pics of the SW.

Notice in 2nd and 3rd pic from the bottom how wide the Scratch grooves are compared to the grooves on the y-cutter. I would not have thought that grooves could get much wider than the Y-cutters and still be legal...

[attachment=473750:scratchSW_11.jpg]
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i wish i still lived in oregon so i could take advantage of that program. sweet wedges

man these wedges are soooo sweet! They need to come out to AZ and do a fitting, Id buy a set!

Well, I needed some tweaks done to the wedges after I got them. I play my LW at 35.75", my SW at 36" and my GW at 35.25" which is around +1/2" give or take depending on the manufacturer. My wedges all came in at D9 or higher which was just too heavy for me.

I called Jon and Scratch and we talked about what could be done and we decided to port the heads.

Here is how they came out:

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Swingweight came down to D-5 on the wedges and the feel and spin is fantastic.

These guys at Scratch are the REAL DEAL. They totally care about their customers and do everything they can to make sure that you are satisfied with their clubs. If you are in the market for a new set of wedges, you really need to give these guys a call.

DP,
these are great looking wedges! I currently have similar TM wedges, the RAC Satin in 52 with 8 bounce and the RAC Satin in 56 with 12 bounce (I think, could be 14 on the latter). I get along well with these wedges but also wondered what type of Scratch wedges would suit my swing. I think I have a similar swing type, i.e. relatively steep attack but thought on short wedge shots and pitches around the green, I don't take that much divot but rather kind of "sweep" through the ball. On longer pitches, I do take divots most of the time though. How do these perform around the greens for you and do you take divots as well on short pitch shots, e.g. 10-30 yrds?

Also, how come that the swingweight was so high? Did you intentionally order them in such a high swingweight? Usually the gap should be D3 and the SW D4. I tend to hit my current wedges really high (have the standard DG wedge flex I think) and was wondering whether the KBS Tour shaft would lower the ball flight just as it did for you.

Thanks!

[quote name='spark' post='2007499' date='Oct 14 2009, 11:36 PM']DP,
these are great looking wedges! I currently have similar TM wedges, the RAC Satin in 52 with 8 bounce and the RAC Satin in 56 with 12 bounce (I think, could be 14 on the latter). I get along well with these wedges but also wondered what type of Scratch wedges would suit my swing. I think I have a similar swing type, i.e. relatively steep attack but thought on short wedge shots and pitches around the green, I don't take that much divot but rather kind of "sweep" through the ball. On longer pitches, I do take divots most of the time though. How do these perform around the greens for you and do you take divots as well on short pitch shots, e.g. 10-30 yrds?

Also, how come that the swingweight was so high? Did you intentionally order them in such a high swingweight? Usually the gap should be D3 and the SW D4. I tend to hit my current wedges really high (have the standard DG wedge flex I think) and was wondering whether the KBS Tour shaft would lower the ball flight just as it did for you.

Thanks![/quote]
After going through a fitting with Scratch, I would hesitate to try to guess what the right grind is for anyone. I would have bet a large pile of money that I was a driver/slider guy, but after hitting all of the different grinds off of different lies and out of bunkers, I felt that the digger/driver was the best grind for me. You really have to demo them to know for sure.

As for the weight. I play all my wedges overlength because I have short arms for me height. They are between +1/2 to +3/4 depending on which OEM you compare my clublengths to. According to Jon at Scratch, the stock swingweight for their standard length wedge is D5. Each 1/2" of additional length adds 3 swingweight points so you can see how my clubs got to D9+ and why they needed to be ported.

Hope this helps.

Scratch customer service is without peer. I played their wedges and now their irons. They have went above and beyond to help me. I would recommend them without hesitation. Enjoy your wedges, I am sure you will love them.

DP,

thanks for that! Unfortunately, I don't live close by to take advantage of getting fitted but I like these so much that I guess it will be a trial and error process.

Wow, D5 as standard is pretty high....

[quote name='spark' post='2009196' date='Oct 15 2009, 07:48 PM']DP,

thanks for that! Unfortunately, I don't live close by to take advantage of getting fitted but I like these so much that I guess it will be a trial and error process.

Wow, D5 as standard is pretty high....[/quote]
Their online fitting process is a good place to start, however, there is no replacement for being able to actually hit their clubs to know for sure. My understanding is there is a possibility for them to send out demo clubs. Email them to find out more. They are great guys!

Couple of questions

Is the cash for clunkers program still running as can't see it on the website.

Also appreciate feedback on the tour department setup as wondering if that includes as standard custom firring by their experienced team in Oregon like the OP had and also wondered how long they then take to make up a tour department set if I stayed down there for instance to play Bandon

Great honest review!

[quote name='Pleasedwith3putts' post='2009691' date='Oct 16 2009, 09:49 AM']Couple of questions

Is the cash for clunkers program still running as can't see it on the website.

Also appreciate feedback on the tour department setup as wondering if that includes as standard custom firring by their experienced team in Oregon like the OP had and also wondered how long they then take to make up a tour department set if I stayed down there for instance to play Bandon[/quote]
Tour department sets are generally 6-8 weeks from start to finish.

Aggressive much? Those grooves are crazy wide.

Have fun and enjoy the juice!

I want to buy an 8620 wedge, but the site still does not have them up. Any suggestions as to how to get one?

[quote name='gburgs' post='2093355' date='Nov 30 2009, 01:59 PM']I want to buy an 8620 wedge, but the site still does not have them up. Any suggestions as to how to get one?[/quote]

Easy, email Jon or Ari, or just call them up. I called, spoke to Jon on the phone, he answered some questions, made some suggestions, and my two 8620's shipped out the next day and I had them in two days. The customer service is TOP NOTCH. Just call them, Jon will hook you up with custom everything, ferrules, stamping, length, shaft, grip, paint fill, grind, lie angle, and all for $99. Well, I take that back, I paid $104 since the Full Cord Grip was a $5 upcharge.

Go to their website and look the number up.

Thanks, I'm talking to him now....by the way, I can't find the SCRATCH WEDGE PICTURES link. Wasn't there a thread started with nothing but SCRATCH wedge pics inside?