Anyone playing a 56 deg SW as their highest lofted wedge?

[Hit em good]

I used to carry 52/56 for several years and was very good with the 56. However, I found that I was always opening the 56, because I miss a lot of greens. I need up going to. 54/58, and it has been an improvement for me. Now I just play it straight, don't have to open club face very shot.

[myspinonit]

I added the 60 with 7 bounce mostly for the firmer and/or damp bunkers I encounter but I've come to like it for other shots as well. Doing so also allowed me to put in a 4 wood instead being tempted to try to kill a 3W, and the driver/4W, 3H gaps work fine for me at the upper end. I'd rather err on an extra wedge for shot options than too much gap overlap at the high end.

That said, most of my wedge shots are played with the 55 /10 (bent from 56/11) and 51/07 (bent from 52/08). I really like the gaps and turf interaction better with the changes to the 52 and 56 lofts/bounce this season.

OP it sounds like you might have other serviceable wedges around in the 52-60 range? Maybe bending one or two of them might be a worthwhile experiment? They could always be bent back.
Such as your 52 to a 51 and the 56 to a 57, or a 60 to 59? Or bend your 56 to a 55, and add the 50 and 60.

[Tex1986]

I play 50* and 58*. My 58 is purely for bunkers. I hit the 50 high enough that it really is a go to for pitches and green side chipping.

I would definitely consider a 56 if I needed something for full shots inside 110 yds. However I don't have the need and the 58 for specialty bunker shots works great.

[kiwihacker]

Used to play 52, 56 & 60 but didn't like having to leave a club out at the long end of the bag so I tried 52, 58 for a while but eventually just settled on 52, 56. I was never very consistent with the 60 or even the 58 so just decided to go back to 56 as my highest lofted club and specialist sand wedge. I use the 52 for about 90% of short game shots anyway. The 56 mainly gets used out of bunkers or I may use it more often if I have been practicing with it and feel confident. But for most shots the 52 is my go to club.

[MelloYello]

The 60* wedge is designed for particularly difficult shots that arise on very challenging layouts. Namely, the deep and knarly greenside rough of Championship-style golf courses.

It was never intended to be in the bag of the mid-to-high handicapper, or anyone who plays local (<6,800 yd) muni or country-club tracks.

The majority of golfers improperly use their wedges because they deloft the club far too much and use little to no bounce. As a result, they compensate with 58, 60 and 60+ degrees of loft.

It doesn't take a Professional golfer to be able to recreate what Rocco is doing in that video. That's very fundamental stuff. I would expect any legitimate golfer to have figured that out and to use those principles regularly, even if they couldn't explain the physics of what's actually happening (which is also quite mundane).

I'll usually carry a 60* only if I'm playing a full round and even then I use it sparingly around the green as I see fit. The majority of my wedge work is done with a 56* and that's usually the only wedge I carry if I'm taking a half-set to go walk 9-holes after work.

[LittleLeftToRight]

When I was a young'un 20-30 years ago we didn't have a clue what the lofts of our clubs were. We just played them. As a result, we just carried a full set through the pitching wedge then a sand wedge, which it turns out is a 50º/55º combo.

Today things are different. When I started playing again, thanks to the internet, I learned about all of the options out there. A new set of irons made me buy new wedges. I decided to go 46º/52º/58º for a while but the real problem for me was gapping for full shots. I can give the ball a solid poke, so a lot of my approach shots are inside 150 yards. Only having two clubs (52º/58º) for full shots inside 150 didn't make much sense. I ended up going to a 46º/50º/54º/58º setup which makes life much easier. The 54º has copious bounce for sand shots and the 58º has a rounded sole with little bounce for the trickier shots around the green.

I recently picked up a 64º to give a go. The jury is still out on it. I don't really see a particular need for it yet even though I like to play difficult courses. Growing up with only the 55º made me quite good through necessity at hitting flops which I still do quite a lot.

I think for around the green an appropriate 55º/56º is adequate if you know what you are doing.

[Good1sideClyde]

Have carried a 60* before and found it to cost more strokes than it saved to be honest. I carry 46/52/56 and I don't think there are many situations that a 56* can't handle if you use proper technique. And IMHO if you don't have the techniques down I seriously doubt that relying on a 60+* wedge to make the shots for you is going to pay off in the long run.

I don't think I've seen more clubs slammed into the ground after a shot than lob wedges:-)

[Guileman]

My highest lofted wedge is a 55 scor. I used to use a 60 but lacked consistency and found that with the 55 I was actually hitting it better. I am not moving to a higher lofted wedge for some time.

[Froth]

I carry a 60° and probably always will, a solid 3/4 55° Sand Wedge is a good 115-120yds for me, it works out better for my game if I also carry a 60° which is a perfect 3/4 100yd shot. Due to my length off the tee I tend to hit a whole bunch of wedges so I like having options. I carry older lofts, so my 9iron is 45°, PW is 49° so I basically carry four wedges by the crazy loft standards of today.

[JimNewton]

Since switching from the 54 and 58 to just the 56 earlier this year, I can count ONE time where I wanted the 58 ... flop shot over a bunker. I pulled it off fine with the 56 way open. The full yardage gap took a little practice but is a non issue. I use the 3 iron all the time.

If you want to see some funny stuff, give me a 60 degree wedge. [size=4] [/size]

[high_draw_1_iron]

I play 56 as my only wedge. I've tried every setup. 50, 54,58...52 56 60...52 58...50 56...54 60... basically every system you can think of with gaps bigger than two degrees. Nowadays, my 714 mb PW is bent to 48.5, and i play it from 140 down to 120, and I have a cast ping tour w 56 that goes a little further than my old Vokeys that i play from 120 down. It also has a heel grind you can't believe so when I'm short sided i still don't second guess it

[btjones110]

This thread actually has me thinking about just going back to 56 and doing away with the 60. Wish I hadn't given away my old cg12 56. The MD2's I have been using are nice but I had grown accustom to the more rigid clicky feel of the Cleveland. Not sure I could make the MD2 56 work as well as I did the CG12.

A lot of it I think is due to the sharper leading edge on the CG12. Might be time to finally give vokey's a chance. Looks like I've found the next club to hunt for.

[calc61]

I use just my GW and cleveland 56. works well for me. my issue was that I tried to get to cute with a 60 and left it short at least with a 56 i can get it on the green and give my self a chance to make a putt.

[btjones110]

[quote name='calc61' timestamp='1409690835' post='10051683']I use just my GW and cleveland 56. works well for me. my issue was that I tried to get to cute with a 60 and left it short at least with a 56 i can get it on the green and give my self a chance to make a putt.[/quote]

Dude, are you me? I just went through this exact thing. Unfortunately I had given away my Cleveland 56 and bought an MD2 56 and 60. HUGE mistake. Went and picked up a 56-14 SM4 today and already feeling like my old self around the green. Love and learn I suppose. If only these mistakes weren't so damn expensive.

[ZA206]

Stop short siding your approach shots and you won't need to hit flop shots..... When I realized that is when I dumped the 60 and added a 52, always had the 56. I always preferred the 56 out of sand, and always preferred chipping with the 56 or the PW, depending on the conditions.

Basically I figured out I only needed the 60 for flop shots and 60-70 yard shots. I also figured out laying up to 90-100 yards so I could hit the 56 was a much better idea than trying to layup to 60 or 70, so I changed my game for the better and will never play anything more lofted than a 56.

ZA

[Tiptx1122]

I have just recently made the switch as I'm now playing 52* and 56* There are so many combinations out there that for now this seems to work well for me.

[BreakingPar]

Gave away my 60* and saved 4 or 5 strokes/round on avg.

My 54* works just great (although it came with a 58* that is collecting dust in the closet)

[tjumper78]

my dad plays pw-gw (51*)-56*.
the things he can do with his 56*...

[jmvargas]

sori for all those guys who can't seem to effectively play a 60* wedge but like a great 3-wood it's an awesome weapon once you have confidence in it...

i used to be on the fence with mine until i learned to use it well and now feel there is no situation i cannot handle with it...

but that's just me.

[1970.gpp]

My highest lofted wedge is 55*. I don't see the need for any more loft than that...

[norcalgolf]

I just did my own grind on a 56.08 and it's been awesome the last few rounds. Hardly used the 60. Not sure how great it will be when things soften up, but for now it's working out...

[rainkingjr]

I appreciate all of the feedback.

[KC35]

I used to carry a 60* wedge but now only carries the 56*. My fitter recommends 56* as the highest lofted wedge, which I was skeptical at first. But after using it I definitely don't need a 60* anymore. With a versatile grind it can do anything a 60* can do with my skill level, and it is so much easier to use!

[hdgolf44]

I tried a 52/56 setup earlier this year in order to add a 5-wood to my setup, but wasn't pleased with the results, TBH.

I guess since I've played a 52/56/60 setup for over 10 years, I had gotten used to having the 60* LW option around the greens, and subsequently struggled with playing the 56* SW from everywhere. Despite practice, I wasn't nearly as adept as I had hoped with opening the face, using the extra bounce, etc. that the shots required.

Instead, I've picked up a 58* weak SW to give me a boost around the greens when I play the 2 wedge 52/58 setup (usually only when I need an extra long club). However, for the most part, I've returned to my familiar 52/56/60 setup for the majority of rounds.

[gvogel]

My highest lofted wedge is a Vokey TVd Mgrind 54* bent to 55*. I have a 60* wedge, but it resides in the trunk of my car 95% of the time. That is partially because I like to carry my clubs, and 10 is about the limit these days. I can score in the high 70's with that set, and I can score the same with a full set. I think that for most of us, it is beneficial to get a wedge that you love, and then use it for most all of your pitch shots. I also pitch with my PW from time to time, and I chip with my PW and 8-iron.

[acolombo]

I have my 12 yo son playing a Cleveland 56° as most lofted wedge, to learn how to use it for any kind of shot around the greens, and it's working fine... low running, flops, and everything in between.
I have a 58, but the 56 is more versatile!