What shaft for the 56* & 60* wedges?

[the_krulatz]

should they match iron set???

This question is more for the faster temp, long-ball hitters out there who play the extra-stiff shafts in their iron set.
And the question is, since the wedge shaft is very much shorter in relationship to the irons, does anyone find is necessary to play a shaft that is a touch softer than their iron set, or since the club is shorter do people have the tendency to swing the sand wedge and lob wedge a little fast generating more club-head speed and needing similar shaft types in their wedges?
If anyone has advice on the finer points to the golf game(the short game) and knows what they would be talking about, I'm all ears on the matter.

[progolferch]

It just depends on your personal preference if you want a little flex in you wedges or a stick of lumber. Usually if you still have a faster harder swing with a softer flex you would get a lower ball flight with more spin but that could also be the same with a stiffer shaft.

[progolferch]

It just depends on your personal preference if you want a little flex in you wedges or a stick of lumber. Usually if you still have a faster harder swing with a softer flex you would get a lower ball flight with more spin but that could also be the same with a stiffer shaft.

 

It mostly depends on what suits you. And what kind of ball flight you want to go with.

[mat562]

Each to their own, but I find that a softer shaft feels better, particularly on partial shots than an X-flex, which I use in all my irons. I can't see how the spin would be affected from a slightly softer shaft, but feel-wise there is certainlay a tangible improvement - for me.

[progolferch]

It is mostly a timing thing with a softer shaft as far as more spin goes. Say that a person has a swing that comes into the ball shallow a firmer shaft will most likely give a high ball flight with moderate spin since the head of the wedge would most likely be in line with the shaft, where as with a softer flex shaft I should produce a lower ball flight with more juice on it since the head of the wedge should be behind the shaft and having more of a delofting effect. That would more likely be true with a person who has a more shallow swing.

[bhpdg]

i play px6.5 in my wedges, and they feel like baseball bats, but perform well - i am getting a noticeably lower, controlled, piercing ball flight, but i think i'm losing spin, even on perfectly nipped full shots and chips. was thinking perhaps a softer-tipped shaft would help with this, but would i also get a higher ballflight? sorry to threadjack but it's somewhat related...

[bhpdg]

i play px6.5 in my wedges, and they feel like baseball bats, but perform well - i am getting a noticeably lower, controlled, piercing ball flight, but i think i'm losing spin, even on perfectly nipped full shots and chips.  was thinking perhaps a softer-tipped shaft would help with this, but would i also get a higher ballflight?  sorry to threadjack but it's somewhat related...

68311[/snapback]

 

i should add that the losing of spin is more noticeable in shots around the green. for full shots, the ball doesn't suck back, which is fine as long as it lands dead, but for chips and short pitches, you can hear the ball trying to check up, but whereas it used to one hop and stop, now they check and release. i can go at it a little more aggressively, but you lose that finesse around the greens...

[progolferch]

i play px6.5 in my wedges, and they feel like baseball bats, but perform well - i am getting a noticeably lower, controlled, piercing ball flight, but i think i'm losing spin, even on perfectly nipped full shots and chips.  was thinking perhaps a softer-tipped shaft would help with this, but would i also get a higher ballflight?  sorry to threadjack but it's somewhat related...

68311[/snapback]

 

i should add that the losing of spin is more noticeable in shots around the green. for full shots, the ball doesn't suck back, which is fine as long as it lands dead, but for chips and short pitches, you can hear the ball trying to check up, but whereas it used to one hop and stop, now they check and release. i can go at it a little more aggressively, but you lose that finesse around the greens...

68312[/snapback]

[/quote

 

Just depends alot on your swing and how you come into the ball at impact, a softer shaft might help you with that. You might as well try it if you have the luxury of getting a softer shaft put in quickly just to try it.

[bhpdg]

i play px6.5 in my wedges, and they feel like baseball bats, but perform well - i am getting a noticeably lower, controlled, piercing ball flight, but i think i'm losing spin, even on perfectly nipped full shots and chips.  was thinking perhaps a softer-tipped shaft would help with this, but would i also get a higher ballflight?  sorry to threadjack but it's somewhat related...

68311[/snapback]

 

i should add that the losing of spin is more noticeable in shots around the green. for full shots, the ball doesn't suck back, which is fine as long as it lands dead, but for chips and short pitches, you can hear the ball trying to check up, but whereas it used to one hop and stop, now they check and release. i can go at it a little more aggressively, but you lose that finesse around the greens...

68312[/snapback]

[/quote

 

Just depends alot on your swing and how you come into the ball at impact, a softer shaft might help you with that. You might as well try it if you have the luxury of getting a softer shaft put in quickly just to try it.

68321[/snapback]

 

swing is on plane and come into the ball on top of it - these observations are based on play w/spinner 6.5 shafts (and previously dg s200) which were nice but spun high and floated. maybe this is the trade-off. or maybe i'll try an 8-iron shaft in px6.5 for a softer tip?

[the_krulatz]

The discussion is nice, I like all the comments....but what I'm wondering is if I can get some feed-back and input on a crazy high ball flight(we're talking about bringing rain here) which I want to get away from, and bringing back some green side finesse which seems to be lost when moving to a stiffer shaft. I've played the S200's and those were horrible. I hit a buddy's 6.5 spinners and those were all over the place at the bottom. I decided to go with some X100's and Rifle 6.5's in some wedges, and as mentioned, they feel solid at the bottom, but I still get a crazy high ball flight and spin the ball way too much. And for all that, I lose the touch around the green like what bhpdg was referring to. Does anyone think S400's maybe a way to go at all? Desperate for an answer here! :tongue:

[bhpdg]

The discussion is nice, I like all the comments....but what I'm wondering is if I can get some feed-back and input on a crazy high ball flight(we're talking about bringing rain here) which I want to get away from, and bringing back some green side finesse which seems to be lost when moving to a stiffer shaft.  I've played the S200's and those were horrible.  I hit a buddy's 6.5 spinners and those were all over the place at the bottom.  I decided to go with some X100's and Rifle 6.5's in some wedges, and as mentioned, they feel solid at the bottom, but I still get a crazy high ball flight and spin the ball way too much.  And for all that, I lose the touch around the green like what bhpdg was referring to.  Does anyone think S400's maybe a way to go at all?  Desperate for an answer here!  :tongue:

68350[/snapback]

 

not sure if this settles anything, but i've been told by various clubmakers that s400s are the choice of a lot of top players on various tours ranging from mini tours to nationwide, etc because of the heavier weight and softer flex. one of the reasons i don't use them is because they force me to put a different swing on my wedges as the load pattern between px and dg has quite a different feel to me. i kind of switch back and forth between spinners and px, but neither one feels just right. you do get a lot of head movement with spinners at the bottom and sometimes i can feel the ball run away on chips due to the softer tip, so for now i'm using px for control and taking my medicine on delicate chips...

 

in terms of height, i think a heavier shaft will bring flight down a bit. also, i've been taking a little more club and playing more of a knockdown shot as opposed to playing a full shot (i.e. on 90 yards, a full LW for me, i take my 54 or 56 and take 1/2 to 3/4 swing, ball back a bit). this has helped me keep a more piercing trajectory that falls dead or takes a short hop and stops. also my finish is an abbreviated finish with hands in front. so far this seems to work for me, but i'd be interested in hearing other ideas...

[progolferch]

I also think that a more knockdown shot would help alot with a super high ball flight.

[StaffBag]

You can do what you want, but most players, including tour players have slightly softer shafts in their wedges. I think it's because the clubs are the heaviest and also the shortest ones in your set.

 

Softer for feel.

[Onebulldogs]

I have a theory that "transition" points in a clubset are always a problem. From the wood/hybrid/iron transition to the set/wedge transition, any "change" causes a loss of confidence which affects performance.

 

For me, the swingweight of my Mizuno wedges are the same as my Mizuno irons. Same shafts (Dynalite Gold) and grips (Tour Velvet). Most stores want you to buy out of inventory but Mizuno will special order minor changes like that for free.

[Four-NL]

I play PX 6.5 in My Callaway irons and they are pretty stiff in the bore through heads. In My wedges I play Tour Concept X1 in my 50 and 54 but I play a spinner 5.5 in my 58. I like my wedges a little weaker flex especially my chipping wedge. Works good for me but each to his own.

[swing981]

I read this in a recent golf world magazine...9/30/05....John Daly uses very weak penley graphite shafts in his wedges because he likes the soft feel.....on the other hand....jeff slumans sand wedge has a 5iron shaft in order to achieve a swingweight similiar to his other clubs....