GW with Iron Set

[Vater]

How many of you opt for the GW when buying an iron set?

Do you start from 3i, 4i, or 5i? And then do you go to PW, GW, or even further?

Do your GW, SW, LW all match?

I'm thinking of picking up a Mizuno iron set 5-PW. And keeping my hodgepodge wedges - the lofts would still work with the PW of the Mizunos.

[Rdriver]

I like the Vokey wedges too much to use a Set matching gap. I’ve noticed with most stronger lofted sets the GW is really a PW. I like to start at 4 iron.

[MinimalistGC]

My experience with a GW matching the iron set is if you plan on just using it as a full swing club then the set GW will be perfectly fine but if you like using a GW around the greens I think specialty wedges have way better turf interaction with suitable bounces and grinds.

 

 

[gasman777]

5-GW in i210s. I wanted the iron set gap for easier full swing shots and have been happy with it.

[NDIrish423]

4-GW in Ping ie1. GW is mostly a full swing club so I wanted it to match the set. I’ve found most Ping GW’s are versatile enough to use for some pitches and chips around the green too.

[hanfrac]

I like the AW to match the PW, since it's the 105-115 yard shot for me. I have tried a 50 deg Callaway MD4 wedge, which goes with my 54 and 58, and find I'm not as consistent with it on full swings.

[Hougz79]

4-GW here. GW for approach shots and some pitch and runs around the green. Very pleased coming from a PW, 52,58 setup previously.

[azgreg]

Set GW (51°) guy here. Use it about 50/50 full swing and approach.

 

[jmudo]

Another set GW guy bent to 50*. Fitter told me to get it since I mostly use it for full shots. Like having the forged feel versus the vokey it replaced. If your set is GI then a not set wedge may give better control.

[MikeW2]

Ping G20’s 4-SW. love the U wedge around the green too

[ChipNRun]

As for GW/AW, it depends on the iron model. The AW for the Callaway X20s was a bust. Major problems with distance control. For the TM SLDR irons (in my backup bag), the AW was excellent for both full shots and around the green.

As others have hinted, if you use PW and AW a lot for full shots the set wedges will work. Ditto if you mainly use square-face setup for partial wedges.

My wedges almost match. MD3 for PW and SW, MD4 for LW.

As for matching wedges - it's easier to build a wedge distance matrix if the wedges match. In past, Callaway wedge faces proved to be hotter than Cleveland wedge faces. This led to uneven distance gaps in matrix.

[hagimihale]

I agree with @MinimalistGC - depends on how you plan to use it.
My previous set of irons were Mizuno JPX 825 Pros. Good clubs, but I took the 50* GW out of the bag in favor of a 52* MP-T4.
Sent that GW up to NJ with a spare set of clubs to live at my buddy's house so I don't have to fly with my sticks.
Last time I played a round up there, I had a number of approach shots around 100yds. That GW was $.
But if I had to use it around the green, I would have preferred something with a bit more bounce.

[bombs]

This is not a one size fits all answer and it really comes down to the set of irons you have, the tech in the irons and the strength of the PW loft.

If you have traditionally lofted blades you could probably go straight from PW to a 52* or 54* wedge and have great gapping.

However, if you have game improvement irons the gap will be huge between a PW and 52* wedge and you will definitely want the set gap wedge.

 

The other consideration is that most mid/high handicap players will benefit from the added forgiveness of their set gap wedge vs a specialty wedge.

[Oqvist]

My wedges are all mixed. Proper loft gap seem to create good distance gaps anyway. I bought a wilson D7 5-PW and those goes so long definiatly need a GW with those. I am using my old Ping i3 45 degree PW as PW because my Wilson PW is more like an 8-iron. I do have 50-56-60 degree wedges after that of different makes. My tour titleist and cleveland wedges dunno they are all about feel and zero about playability. Great if you have super ballstriking but surf interaction is nothing they excel at. If you are supergood they are so thin and nimble you can get to the ball easier but they are not built to strike the ball well. But I love them great feel and you feel like a pro when you after a full golf season (short around here) finally feel comfortable with them.

[sdiver68]

I think it depends on the lofts. With the G410 PW @ 44.5, it was a large gap to my trusty 52 Cleveland wedge. So, ordered a Powerspec G410 47.5 U wedge to fill in.

Had the PW been 46-47 I would not have bothered.

[PhilWhitUK]

I am in the match the gap wedge to the irons camp. Partially that is because I play the PM grind and they don’t do a gap wedge and partly because I use the gap wedge mainly for full shots. I don’t like using the sand wedge and lob wedge from the iron set and probably haven’t done so for a decade.

[Roy_Donk]

I carry a 48* (11-iron that matches the set) and a 52* wedge, so I technically have two GWs.

Please don't hurt me.

[xkilgorextroutx]

I'm in the "GW from the set" camp, as for me that's usually a full swing club.

[hanfrac]

I have played a lot of rounds since my course opened in May. I am alternatively carrying my bag and pushing a cart. When carrying, I take fewer clubs and carry PW/50/56. When pushing, I take PW/AW/54/58. Observed the following:

With the 50 MD4 wedge, I have a big distance gap to the PW. The AW covers the gap betterWith full swings, the AW is significantly easier for me to hit consistently than the 50 - or I'm more confident with the AWThe AW is fine for simple pitches and chips around the green, although the 50 looks nicerI don't really need a 3rd wedge for around the green shots - anything I'd want to do with the 50, I can do with the 54The other thing I noticed is that playing with just the 56 vs. 54/58 affects my score almost zero. Maybe once every couple of rounds, there's a 98 yard shot that I can't get with the 56 where I'd want the 54 and I have to choke down on the AW. Or there's a shot I'd prefer the height of a 58 over the 56. But hitting the 56 a lot makes me more confident with it. Reminds me of only having a SW when I was a kid.

[Seidinho]

For me, it depends on the composition of the set. In my AP2s, the GW is 50 degrees, so I'm going straight to a 56* vokey from there. In one of my old sets, the GW was 48*, so I used another 'GW' at 52*, then 56* and 60*.

[14max]

I play PING irons and, up until this year, went with whatever the longest iron was through LW. This year, I decided to switch things up and am playing specialty sand and lob wedges for a bit more touch around the green and out of the sand. With wedges, of course, you have to go with whatever suits you and your game...

[scooterhd2]

Really depends on the iron set, but I'd tend to lean toward an unmatched wedge where you can pick out the loft, bounce, and grind. Get something more useful for partial and touch shots.

[JohnKHawk]

I generally use the matching GW & even the matching SW for my Callaway Apex 19's. The SW is generally used for 100 yards & in. I have a specialty lob wedge that I only use for finesse shots around the green.

[setter02]

Prefer set GW's as 99% of swings with it is full to 3/4 anyway, and I like the consistency. I generally hit a set GW more than if I am carrying actual wedges, just more confidence in it on those full to 3/4 shots. That being said, I keep rotating around through 3 sets of irons currently to see what I want to play.