Grinding a wedge!!!!

[Coheed]

I'm bored and there is no end to winter it seems so I decided to change a shaft in my Titleist non-conforming 60-10 SM2. I really like the look and idea behind Vokey's new J grind but they are too expensive.

So I decided to try my first grind. And who cares if I screw up, it's an old wedge anyways. So I sharpied the line I wanted and did thin little passes on the grinder until I got what I wanted. Worked pretty good. Just need to sand it off to get the finished look. Who knows if it'll make a difference but it kept me busy for a little bit!

Here are some pics...(forgot before picture so I added a stock one).

 

 

 

 

[c5bubblechaser]

Looks like fun! What will cutting off the BACK end of a wedge do? Does it help it rock "up" on the bounce? Came out nice! What are you going to do for a finish after sanding? Will it rust immediately if you don't put a finish on it?

[Gatorchomp894]

Looks cool hope it works out for u!

[Coheed]

Thanks guys!

I haven't had a chance to try it out yet because there is still quite a bit of snow on the ground here. I should get a tad bit of heel relief with that grind. I'm going to leave the finish as is, I know it will rush but I'm not concerned about that.

I'm hoping to be able to open the face a tad without worrying about the bounce coming into play.

[joey3108]

60.07 with trailing edge grind will make it play a lot less bounce. Tight firm fw and green with an extra good creative striking skill, can do magical shots...! Other wise you'll dig to China. :)

 

Joe

[Coheed]

Luckily it's a 60-10!

[Wardonation]

 

what grind is this?

[norcalgolf]

SM5K with a little "J"

 

[Coheed]

Nice job norcal...looks great!

[Rackm007]

why do we grind wedges? heard the concept but never knew why?

[joey3108]

Good question!

 

Honestly, Most people just wanna have it and think they can do all the shots and some they think know how to grind it but not really know what's that for.

 

For those who know "how and why" are basically to make the wedges more versatile to get the ball closer to the cup.

 

Looks good only a lot time not always correct. It's very important when you are getting good at manipulating your hands action to create the shots.

 

Ideal case players need two sets of wedges in the trunk to suit the course condition without altering their swing too much.

 

My2 cents!

Joe

[norcalgolf]

^Well said

[Rackm007]

Thanks Joe... When you play in Fl. with morning dew bermuda with a sand base, you better have great

wedge game. the tour can't stand bermuda... anyways I've learned a lot from this topic! thanks Ken

[Rackm007]

is grinding a good thing or bad? so it removes gm weight and will give you a lighter feel..

what else?

[norcalgolf]

I did a little more on that K I have and some minor toe and additional heel relief on my S grinds..

 

[Mongo_Smash]

I did a little more on that K I have and some minor toe and additional heel relief on my S grinds..

 

 

Did you use a flap wheel for the finish? That looks great!

[norcalgolf]

I did a little more on that K I have and some minor toe and additional heel relief on my S grinds..

 

 

Did you use a flap wheel for the finish? That looks great!

thanks! I do use a flap wheel for some applications, I finish by hand.

[boggyman]

 

Nice looking wedges right there!!

[ChillyDipper]

I've actually dragged mine on asphalt in alongside a moving car, a la Sam Snead, and it works.

[HitaHouse]

I did some grinding on an old Hogan Sure On wedge tonight. My objectives were to straighten the leading edge and make it more blunt, square up the toe, roll the trailing edge, and ease the edge around the back of the head. I also wanted to lighten it up as it was 308g and now is 303g. The pictures show the modified head next to an unmodified head. This is after grinding and belt sanding and I'll do some more with a file and sandpaper. It definitely looks better and I could envision playing it with the straighter, blunt leading edge. These were originally 55 deg fairway wedges and I would probably set it to 53-54 degrees. It still has kind of an odd look to it - too boxy looking, the toe is too high, the top line too thick?? These old forged Hogan wedges are inexpensive and nice to practice on

[the_big_cow]

Wedges are tricky to design. Even harder to enhance good job there

[CallawayKid86]

I did some grinding on an old Hogan Sure On wedge tonight. My objectives were to straighten the leading edge and make it more blunt, square up the toe, roll the trailing edge, and ease the edge around the back of the head. I also wanted to lighten it up as it was 308g and now is 303g. The pictures show the modified head next to an unmodified head. This is after grinding and belt sanding and I'll do some more with a file and sandpaper. It definitely looks better and I could envision playing it with the straighter, blunt leading edge. These were originally 55 deg fairway wedges and I would probably set it to 53-54 degrees. It still has kind of an odd look to it - too boxy looking, the toe is too high, the top line too thick?? These old forged Hogan wedges are inexpensive and nice to practice on

 

Excellent job sir. What did you use to grind? My brother has an old bench grinder sitting in his garage and I have been thinking about getting it from him to play around with. I have a few old wedge heads I can practice on.

[HitaHouse]

Thanks for the feedback. I used a small bench grinder for the heavier grinding and a belt sander for the leading edge and smoothing out steps. I'm a still a hack and the lower power machines are nice so you don't take off too much too fast. I did polish this up, shafted it, and my first shot with it was a hole out chip shot. It's a decent wedge, looks cool, and will be in the bag for a while. A bench grinder is all you need to do some experimenting - let s know how it goes.

[Jude]

Here is the one i did for a player!

 

Refinished it w/ bead blast finish!

 

I'll add some more pics when i have time and found all the pics.

 

What type of blast material did you use?. I tried a sandblaster on one of my old chrome wedges and basically removed the chrome to the nickel finish in some spots.

[Rbh32]

60-10 with what I think would be a Miura/JP type heel grind. I can definitely tell a difference in bounce after this grind. Have to get used to it though, this is my first time actually gaming a lob wedge, but could not stand that giant hunk of metal back there. This makes it thinner, and I wanted to play with my Dremel. ?

[Nooney]

I was wondering what does a rounded/cambered sole do? I have a set of older irons that I hit better than my new set that have a rounded sole

[Lagavulin62]

I'm in the market for a grinder and as soon as I buy and mount to my workbench I think I will give this a shot, just because it looks fun. What type of wedge do you suggest starting with, if that matters? My instincts tell me a nice thick sand wedge due to the fact there is more to grind off to my liking. Then again I know loft is a consideration. But I'm thinking a lob range that can be used for tight lies, as I tend to find the beaten down parts around the green often. What do y'all think?

[A.Princey]

Here's my first attempt at a grind, not sure how to classify it though, M-ish??? Used a stone wheel bench grinder and took about 12grams off, will be needing more lead tape! Hopefully now, my tight-lie flops will be easier to get under...

 

Added a little stamping while the head was off too.

[CallawayKid86]

Here's my first attempt at a grind, not sure how to classify it though, M-ish??? Used a stone wheel bench grinder and took about 12grams off, will be needing more lead tape! Hopefully now, my tight-lie flops will be easier to get under...

 

Added a little stamping while the head was off too.

 

That looks excellent for your first shot. Great work!

[Gh0st]

is it possible to polish a wedge with a grinding wheel?