Players who went from 4 wedges back to 3, why?

[FlyingLaw1]

I've had 3 wedges at times but it's been a while. For me its less about loft and more about grind and what I use the club for.

My pitching wedge is essentially just a short Iron for me (I hit it about 140+) so I'm not sure if you'd really consider it a "Wedge." I have a set GW that's 50 degrees that I use on full shots and knock down shots closer to the green. My 54 Vokey has C-taper shaft and an "S" grind so it's used pretty much the same as my Gap wedge. For Pretty much everything else I use my 58 as the grind means I can position the face just about anyway I want.

[MelloYello]

I've bounced back and forth over the years--mostly as a function of what I'm doing at the longer end of the bag.

 

Typically it's a choice involving whether or not to carry multiple clubs under 20-degrees (i.e 3w & 5w). The more I play however, the less I feel I need to do that. So I've gone back to using 4 wedges this year. I'm either going to carry a single 4w or simply ditch the fairway altogether and throw in a 2-iron to match my set for fairway-finding.

 

IMHO, the number of wedges you carry between 50-60 degrees doesn't really signal anything about your abilities with those clubs. It says more about what kinds of shots you think you need with those longer clubs.

[Mclancy94]

> @agolf1 said:

 

 

> Interested to see if he keeps this setup for the year, as he's historically used 4 wedges. His 5-wood, 2-iron, 3-iron setup at the Players seemed strange as well. I'd think most of the time he'll have the 3 wood and then the choice is 5 wood or 2 iron, implying that the 3 iron or another wedge is the last decision.

>

> Really, I think most people need two greenside/partial swing wedges. 3 or 4 total seems like it's mainly dependent on how strong the PW is. I think a lot of people are playing the PW / GW as 10 / 11 iron full swing clubs.

 

I am definitely going to keep an eye on what he carries throughout the year. I agree about the PW and GW being full shots for most. The courses that I typically play are on the shorter side which either puts me at a mid iron if I lay up or a partial wedge if I go aggresive so I’m thinking if I go to three and just dial in them I will be better off.

 

[Dan Drake]

I really do think this conversation should be less about lofts and gaps and more about grinds and shots, as FlyingLaw1 alluded to.

I've heard from a reputable teacher who works his tour guy's wedge games on TrackMan that they are +/- 3 yds with their partial and full wedge shots. That's right, the absolute best players in the world can have 6 yards of difference on two back-to-back identically "intentioned" wedge shots.

 

And we aren't anywhere near that good.......

 

But, what we can do (and no, I'm not saying don't gap your wedges and don't have a partial wedge shot matrix, you absolutely should, just be realistic about it all!) is fit our wedges to the shots that we like to play, most often play, have the most trouble with, and our own personal swing characteristics.

 

For instance, I carry a 46° that is 99% for full shots, a 50° that is for full shots & the majority of my "stock" chip shots, a 54° that is for full shots and the majority of my "stock" partial wedges and "basic" pitch shots, and a 58° that is for bunkers, bad lies, flops, "other" short game shots, and occasionally for full swings and partial wedge shots. The 50°, 54°, and 58° are all different models of club with different grinds and different shafts, in the hopes of making the shots that I prefer to play and the shots that I see most often easiest, while making the shots that are toughest for me still manageable (and I try to also minimize these with reasonable course management). And my way is just one way of doing things, it is hardly perfect, I just use it as an example.

 

IF, and that's a big IF, you can cover your partial wedge and short game needs with fewer clubs and/or perfectly spaced yardage gaps, then you are fortunate indeed! Use that good fortune to benefit your bag in some other spot to help you shoot lower scores. But, if you can't, don't fret. Set up your wedges for what you need them to do and worry about the yardage gaps later.

[Doyouevenblade]

I tried the three wedge system last year in an attempt to gain a long club and simplify everything. 46-50-54-58 to 46-52-58. I really liked that set up 80 yrds and in, good and simple. But I felt my options from 100-130 were terrible. I could only seem to knock so much off my pw. 115-100 was a true nightmare and this is a common yardage left onto par 4s I'm looking to score on.

 

I went back to 46-50-54-60 this year in a hope to shore up that 130-100 yrd range.

[manima1]

> @Doyouevenblade said:

> I tried the three wedge system last year in an attempt to gain a long club and simplify everything. 46-50-54-58 to 46-52-58. I really liked that set up 80 yrds and in, good and simple. But I felt my options from 100-130 were terrible. I could only seem to knock so much off my pw. 115-100 was a true nightmare and this is a common yardage left onto par 4s I'm looking to score on.

>

> I went back to 46-50-54-60 this year in a hope to shore up that 130-100 yrd range.

 

Bingo, that's exactly why I play this 46-50-54-60 setup - that pesky 100-130 range. I probably use my 54 the least of the wedges, but it certainly comes in handy a few times a round.

 

I've played a 46-52-60 setup effectively as well, but it's nicer to have the stronger lofted gap wedge to bring it a bit closer in yardage to the 46 for again, that 100-130 range. With the stronger lofted gap, the 54 becomes necessary for me just to have a bridge between the 50 and 60.

 

60 will never leave the bag.

[lil'mike]

This depends on which iron set I play! I have a set that is 44, 49, 54, 58 and this year I am going to an older set that has a PW of 47 instead of 44, I am going to try 47, 52, 56. I hope this will help my iron play as I was not excited about it last year! lol

I used the extra club opening to add a club to the top since I have found myself needing some distance on second shots or tee shots that you cannot use the driver one so I added a 3wd. Since alot of these clubs are new to me this year, we will see how these play out in both game wise and yardage wise and then adjust from there if need be. My distances last year were shorter than I expected so I needed to do some changing and figure that out!!

I too carry a 4iron and 4H as two different yardage clubs!

[nostatic]

Like others, I cut my teeth (not literally) without a LW, and I often didn't even have a SW. Instead I spent my time (ah, youth) chipping with a PW (was a 48*) and a 7i, doing a lot of bump and run and opening the face. That said, I never was good at a flop shot, instead preferring to hit a spot and let it bounce/roll.

 

Fast forward to today and I'm using 45-50-54-58 because that seems to be the norm (4 wedges), but truth be told I'm thinking of dropping the 58 or 54. I hit all of them full, and all of them partial depending on the situation, and the 58 is low bounce for tight lies and it open well. But I still feel more comfortable taking a lower lofted club. I will continue to work the 58, but I could see going 45-50-5X and calling it a day.

[LUMA]

I think it's a matter of whats more important to you, having an extra club at the bottom of the bag or the top?

 

For me, I use a 19 degree hybrid for 3 iron and 5 wood shots. If I'm a little short or long from where I want to be with those options, I have a wedge for that. I would rather be working with a wedge around the green +1 shot versus taking a shot and pin hunting with something up top. Being able to get up and down makes the top of your bag less important. Having a 50 deg wedge is great when I'm around the green and the awkward gap 120 distance.

 

If you need to add something up top then 3 wedges might make more sense. I find having more options at the bottom of the bag gets my scores lower than having another option up top. I can hit something at the top of the bag and follow it up with either clubbing up or down one club on an approach shot. In that case, I'm much more comfortable going into my approach shot.

 

I would rather find a flag with a wedge than take a shot at finding a flag with a 5 wood or hybrid...

[MelloYello]

> @LUMA said:

> I think it's a matter of whats more important to you, having an extra club at the bottom of the bag or the top?

>

> For me, I use a 19 degree hybrid for 3 iron and 5 wood shots. If I'm a little short or long from where I want to be with those options, I have a wedge for that. I would rather be working with a wedge around the green +1 shot versus taking a shot and pin hunting with something up top. Being able to get up and down makes the top of your bag less important. Having a 50 deg wedge is great when I'm around the green and the awkward gap 120 distance.

>

> If you need to add something up top then 3 wedges might make more sense. I find having more options at the bottom of the bag gets my scores lower than having another option up top. I can hit something at the top of the bag and follow it up with either clubbing up or down one club on an approach shot. In that case, I'm much more comfortable going into my approach shot.

>

> I would rather find a flag with a wedge than take a shot at finding a flag with a 5 wood or hybrid...

 

I think it depends on your length as well. Somebody who's carrying their 5w 230-yds, their 3w 255-yds and their driver 270 has more room for clubs at the top compared with the more average guy who's carrying driver 250-yds, 3w 230, 5w 210.

 

That shorter guy probably doesn't need a 3-iron in the bag. He can instead go with a 4-hybrid that carries 190 for him.

[LUMA]

> @MelloYello said:

> > @LUMA said:

> > I think it's a matter of whats more important to you, having an extra club at the bottom of the bag or the top?

> >

> > For me, I use a 19 degree hybrid for 3 iron and 5 wood shots. If I'm a little short or long from where I want to be with those options, I have a wedge for that. I would rather be working with a wedge around the green +1 shot versus taking a shot and pin hunting with something up top. Being able to get up and down makes the top of your bag less important. Having a 50 deg wedge is great when I'm around the green and the awkward gap 120 distance.

> >

> > If you need to add something up top then 3 wedges might make more sense. I find having more options at the bottom of the bag gets my scores lower than having another option up top. I can hit something at the top of the bag and follow it up with either clubbing up or down one club on an approach shot. In that case, I'm much more comfortable going into my approach shot.

> >

> > I would rather find a flag with a wedge than take a shot at finding a flag with a 5 wood or hybrid...

>

> I think it depends on your length as well. Somebody who's carrying their 5w 230-yds, their 3w 255-yds and their driver 270 has more room for clubs at the top compared with the more average guy who's carrying driver 250-yds, 3w 230, 5w 210.

>

> That shorter guy probably doesn't need a 3-iron in the bag. He can instead go with a 4-hybrid that carries 190 for him.

 

This is true! Which is why finding out where it's important is the key. I would say the longer you are, the more important wedges _**can**_ become. Key word there, "can".

[LaymanM]

I'll still take more options inside 125 yards. All day! Much higher impact in your score imo then 1 club you might, might hit 1 time a round. Have 4 wedges gives a lot more versatility for approach shots and up and downs.

[caniac6]

I am a terrible LW player. It has cost me way more strokes than it has saved. So, pw,gw&sw for me.

[MKPAPA]

Ya know, I recently took my 56/60 out and put a 58 and a 3 iron in my bag and after the first round I played with this config, I wish I hadn't. Then I remembered why I went with a 4 wedge setup anyway. If you're not hitting that 3 iron good and missing greens, you'll more than likely benefit from having more options around those missed greens.

 

[jpaul155]

I have gone back and forth on this many times (and probably purchased more wedges than needed because of it). I have come to the conclusion that it simplifies the game for me when I only have 3 wedges. I plan to go 46,52,58 this year. If you have a PW at 45 or stronger, I think you almost have to carry 4 unless you don't want to carry any more than a 56.

[MarkieMark21]

For me it depends on the set of irons I am playing and the loft on the PW. My 54, 60 deg PM19 ar not going anywhere. In my Hogan FT worth 15 set the PW is a 48 so I only carry the two extra wedges. When using the apex pros with a 46 deg PW the 50 deg GW is required.

[LeftDaddy]

I went to 3 wedges so that I could add a driving iron to the top of my bag. I have a few holes at my club where driving iron is the better play, and I felt I could handle any wedge gaps with pw, 52, 58 .

 

I’m not sure this is helping me though. I might hit the 2 iron twice a round max. Seems a waste..,

[Titleist_PT23]

> @LeftDaddy said:

> I went to 3 wedges so that I could add a driving iron to the top of my bag. I have a few holes at my club where driving iron is the better play, and I felt I could handle any wedge gaps with pw, 52, 58 .

>

> I’m not sure this is helping me though. I might hit the 2 iron twice a round max. Seems a waste..,

 

Interesting that you say this. I know some people are more confident with a driving iron than a fairway wood, but I feel like much of the same could be accomplished by gripping down on the 3 wood an inch, tee the ball low, and swing easy.

 

As others have mentioned, I think playing three wedges is fine from the distance gap perspective. If you take the typical 46, 52, 56, 60 setup, I think I could easily use a 54 (vs. 52, 56) and a light PW (or bend weak) to accomplish most of the same on approach shots. But I think the add'l wedge gives you much more bounce/sole options on the 52 and 56. However, I can also see how this specific aspect may only really matter once or twice a round too and is largely a "waste."

 

Maybe we are all just wasting time and money on bag setup...

[MelloYello]

> @agolf1 said:

> Interesting that you say this. I know some people are more confident with a driving iron than a fairway wood, but I feel like much of the same could be accomplished by gripping down on the 3 wood an inch, tee the ball low, and swing easy.

>

> As others have mentioned, I think playing three wedges is fine from the distance gap perspective. If you take the typical 46, 52, 56, 60 setup, I think I could easily use a 54 (vs. 52, 56) and a light PW (or bend weak) to accomplish most of the same on approach shots. But I think the add'l wedge gives you much more bounce/sole options on the 52 and 56. However, I can also see how this specific aspect may only really matter once or twice a round too and is largely a "waste."

>

> Maybe we are all just wasting time and money on bag setup...

 

Here's why I went back to using 4 wedges:

 

I had been awkwardly trying to stuff a Gap-Wedge of some sort in the bag for a few years until I finally split the difference with a single 54 last year and it seemed to work out. So I had a traditional 47 followed by the 54 and 60 at that point and for a guy who didn't practice a ton with wedge distances I felt that simpler was probably better.

 

Around the green, the 54 and 60 were fine. However, I felt I got into a number of situations on approaches where I was guessing quite a bit with the 54. I had to basically do everything by creativity alone and that created some risk. The partial shots weren't really the problem. What I disliked were the times that I felt I needed to over-power the 54. I didn't like going after a wedge like that. Although _'bashing a wedge'_ can sometimes work out, it feels clumsy and inaccurate.

 

Earlier this year I stumbled across a guy selling a 52 and 56 so I scooped them up and put them in the bag. To go along with that I also started practicing my partial wedge swing more actively on the range.

 

So far, I think my wedge game is improving. I can now put a limit on how hard I'll hit a wedge thanks to the 52 being there beyond my 56 and 60. I don't have to go beyond what feels like a full-but-smooth swing. Yes, having a 52 can still feel a little excessive after a round wherein I don't use it much but the same can always be said of carrying multiple fairways, extra hybrids or additional driving irons all of which are specialty clubs, too.

 

 

Furthermore, when I really studied my game I concluded that I didn't need two different fairway metals. That really sealed the deal for me. If I felt the need for a separate 3w and 5w I likely would've keep the 54. I can only speak for myself, but I bet a lot of players over-estimate the important of carrying multiple clubs under 20-degrees. I just want a single club that I can use as an alternative to the driver on shorter holes and which can potentially be played into Par-5's if the need arises. To me, that seems like it would describe most golfers, but who knows?

 

While I'm a good player, I still don't feel like my long game skills are elite enough to justify having one fairway for the tee and another for approaches. That requires being able to hit both clubs equally well which is no small feat. With all the distance-boosting technology in fairways these days and all the options available, it seems easy enough for me to just go find a single fairway that I can hit well-enough off the deck and then use that off the tee when I need it.

[manima1]

> Here's why I went back to using 4 wedges:

>

> I had been awkwardly trying to stuff a Gap-Wedge of some sort in the bag for a few years until I finally split the difference with a single 54 last year and it seemed to work out. So I had a traditional 47 followed by the 54 and 60 at that point and for a guy who didn't practice a ton with wedge distances I felt that simpler was probably better.

>

> Around the green, the 54 and 60 were fine. However, I felt I got into a number of situations on approaches where I was guessing quite a bit with the 54. I had to basically do everything by creativity alone and that created some risk. The partial shots weren't really the problem. What I disliked were the times that I felt I needed to over-power the 54. I didn't like going after a wedge like that. Although _'bashing a wedge'_ can sometimes work out, it feels clumsy and inaccurate.

>

> Earlier this year I stumbled across a guy selling a 52 and 56 so I scooped them up and put them in the bag. To go along with that I also started practicing my partial wedge swing more actively on the range.

>

> So far, I think my wedge game is improving. I can now put a limit on how hard I'll hit a wedge thanks to the 52 being there beyond my 56 and 60. I don't have to go beyond what feels like a full-but-smooth swing. Yes, having a 52 can still feel a little excessive after a round wherein I don't use it much but the same can always be said of carrying multiple fairways, extra hybrids or additional driving irons all of which are specialty clubs, too.

>

>

> Furthermore, when I really studied my game I concluded that I didn't need two different fairway metals. That really sealed the deal for me. If I felt the need for a separate 3w and 5w I likely would've keep the 54. I can only speak for myself, but I bet a lot of players over-estimate the important of carrying multiple clubs under 20-degrees. I just want a single club that I can use as an alternative to the driver on shorter holes and which can potentially be played into Par-5's if the need arises. To me, that seems like it would describe most golfers, but who knows?

>

> While I'm a good player, I still don't feel like my long game skills are elite enough to justify having one fairway for the tee and another for approaches. That requires being able to hit both clubs equally well which is no small feat. With all the distance-boosting technology in fairways these days and all the options available, it seems easy enough for me to just go find a single fairway that I can hit well-enough off the deck and then use that off the tee when I need it.

 

I think it's critical to have a gap wedge close to the PW so you are not trying to stretch the SW or awkwardly take some off a PW in that 100-130 range.

[Radeon962]

I'm going to try 46, 52, 58 after the past few years of 45, 50, 55, 59 or 54/58 off and on.

My distances with 4 wedges:

45-125

50-110

55-95

59- 75

 

My anticipated distances with 3 wedge:

46-120

52-100

58-80

I don't plan on adding anything to the bag so I'll just carry 13 clubs.

[iceman1118]

Went PW, 52, 56 and 60 for years. As my short game progressed I started tinkering with a 58. Late last year I went to PW, 52 and 58. Great decision for me. PW covers 135-120 yards, 52 is 120-100 yards and 58 is everything 100 and in. This has simplified my short game with zero indecision by learnings to hitting multiple shots with these 3 clubs and quite frankly it has translated through my entire bag. It was a mild adjustment but worth it in my book.

[Moomitch]

I think it really all comes down to how far you hit your first wedge and your goals from that range. If you hit your first wedge 120 or so, the gapping probably wouldn't be much of an issue. If your game is at the point where your goal from 150 in is just to hit the green, you can get away with larger gaps. I carry 4 wedges for full shots and gapping, since I'm already at about 15 yards between each wedge with 4.

[3jacker]

I have always just carried a PW, 52* GW and a 58* LW.

LW is good around the greens with a max (comfortable) range of 80 yds.

GW is good on out to about 115 yds.

PW is good from 100 on up to 140 yds.

I get decent overlap with this combo and it let's me carry both a hybrid (3-iron) and a utility/driving iron and have a high-hitting and low-hitting club to cover the gap between my 4-iron and 4 wd (in lieu of 3 woods, these are so hot nowadays I've backed down a slot in my fw woods).

[nostatic]

> @"Dan Drake" said:

> I really do think this conversation should be less about lofts and gaps and more about grinds and shots, as FlyingLaw1 alluded to.

 

^^^ this

Never having played a lob-type wedge, I've had some trepidation with anything over 54 (or really, 50). Back in the day I used to just hit a lot of partial shots. First higher loft wedge I tried had a fair amount of bounce and I didn't get along with it at all. Part of that was being used to opening up an old-school type wedge. Messed around a bit more and have landed on a 58 Ping with TS grind, which is supposed to be harder to hit (not protected as much from digging), but the face sits at address in a way that doesn't bug me. Now just working through how hard I have to swing to get certain distances and sometimes a get frustrated but that's golf. I certainly like it way more from tight lies near the green. But totally YMMV - one size doesn't fit all.

 

 

[MelloYello]

> @iceman1118 said:

> Went PW, 52, 56 and 60 for years. As my short game progressed I started tinkering with a 58. Late last year I went to PW, 52 and 58. Great decision for me. PW covers 135-120 yards, 52 is 120-100 yards and 58 is everything 100 and in. This has simplified my short game with zero indecision by learnings to hitting multiple shots with these 3 clubs and quite frankly it has translated through my entire bag. It was a mild adjustment but worth it in my book.

 

You've got me thinking about blending my 56 and my 60 into a single 58 now..._thanks!_

[shakey]

A long time ago I went PW, 52, 56, and 60. I would always be second guessing myself on hitting one loft hard or the other soft. I moved to PW, 52, and 58 and it simplified all the wedge shots.

I did try PW, 50, 54, and 58 year before last and ran into the same issues as before.

I’m going back to a 3 wood and a 5 wood this year. I kept having a dead zone yardage last year around 220. 3 wood is too much and my 3 Hyb wouldn’t quite get there. 5 wood will fill that.

[ZNDavis]

I've always been a 46-52-56-60 player but I've tried 46-52-58 for the last several months. It's been pretty terrible. I do much better with my 58 now than I did with the 60, but everything between 80 and 130 has been really, really poor. Going to give 46-50-54-58 a shot now and hopefully have some more predictable gapping.

[nostatic]

> @shakey said:

> A long time ago I went PW, 52, 56, and 60. I would always be second guessing myself on hitting one loft hard or the other soft. I moved to PW, 52, and 58 and it simplified all the wedge shots.

> I did try PW, 50, 54, and 58 year before last and ran into the same issues as before.

Hmm...I had thought 45-50-56 as a 3 wedge solution, but maybe 45-50-58 (or even 45-52-58 - swap the existing GW for a 52) might be easier. On paper the 45-50-54-58 I have seems like good gapping, but looking at recent rounds seems like I don't have a lot of shots for the 54 that I couldn't do just as well with either partial swing on the 50 or full swing on the 58.

 

 

[Chuck905]

I found a GW redundant.

 

I’m set with a 48*, 56* and 60* that can accomplish everything I need into and around the greens.