Using only one club, 56°, for ALL short game work...

[SEP1006]

Unless I have to go over something ( hill, water, bunker, sprinkler head ) I use my 7 iron exclusively. Not bragging but I can get up and down with my 7i probably 65 - 70% of the time. I know exactly how its going to react with whatever length stroke I put on it.

[munichop]

I went to chip and putt yesterday and got to eavesdrop on a short game lesson being given to a senior golfer by a 30 something teaching pro. All I could think was the student hopefully didn't pay much for the lesson.

I noticed a few things that stood out to me:

They were using range balls- biggest short game practice mistake- use the ball you play with to practice short game shots.

The pro would talk and show off more than watch the student try to do what he was teaching.

The student tried to control the shots with his right hand and his left wrist would constantly break down but the pro never mentioned it.

The pro was trying to teach a flop shot to a guy who couldn't control straightforward chips.

I am self taught and believe Dave Pelz has some of the best insights around the greens. I now play with surlyn balls and have reduced my short game to 2 clubs- a 52 deg and a 57 deg. I have done this for a few reasons. The ball simplifies my shot choice, it won't over spin so I know if I choose a bump and run it will run. I know height is the only way to stop things more quickly. I never used a 60 deg right and found it just confused me around the greens. So my short game practice is maybe 30 minutes of typical lofted pitches and bump and runs. I know the limitations so I try not to short side myself too much. The results have been great. I save par over 70 percent of the time when missing greens.

I will never possess the skills and time to practice that the pros have. But I have minimized my big misses thru ball and equipment choices and efficient practice.

[Celebros]

I use my 60 degree wedge for almost everything inside of 100 yards, short-to-moderate length bunker shots included.

Between Cleveland and now Cobra, I've been playing a 60-degree wedge with very low bounce for almost 20 years and just have a feel for it. I've dabbled with working on bump-and-run shots with lower lofted clubs in the past, but never stuck with it/put in the time to actually feel confident.

[Jifmoli]

Though my 56 is used a lot for 3/4, 1/2 and shorter swings if need to get over something or stop it quickly, the pw is used often enough if I need some chip & run work.

[paul_jam]

Generally, I use 45 or 50 for bump and runs, 60 when I'm short sided, and 54 as my default for everything in between.

I try not to hit full shots with anything higher than a 54 so I can better control the flight of the approach.

[randyfitz]

Here is how I use mine:

9 iron - if have any green to work with and don't have to go over anything i use my 9 iron

PW - if the greens are fast or i need a little more stopping power - also 100 yards and in

GW - if i don't have a lot of green to work with or i need to go over something - also less than 100 yard approach

56 degree - all bunker shots and if i need to open it and flop something - try not hit full shots with this club if i can avoid it but will hit a 3/4 shot

 

The 9 iron chipping is newer to me but i have found it gets the ball on green and rolling instead of having to guess how much air to put under it and how much roll you are going to get.

 

 

[GLF4EVR]

My thinking is your wedge make-up should be all about the yardages you are comfortable with. My PW is 47* & a full swing is 135-140. Next is a 52* with full swing 105-110. Then a 58* at 80. From 60 yards in the 58 is used almost all the time. If 12 o'clock is a full swing with the PW for 140 yards.....at 11 o'clock it is 130 yards and 10 yards less for every position. The same with distance and the rest of the wedges. For me this gives me room to work for trying to get the ball in the best position of the green. The vast majority of shots within these yardages are not a full swing. The "controlled" swing gives me more accuracy & that is what it is all about for me. A short chip on the green can be just about any iron, however the 58* is the workhorse. I will use it with the ball in various positions with the face in various positions. Majority of the time I do not open the face much on any wedge, unless I really need to.

[DaveGoodrich]

Didn't see this response earlier...

I use my 58 for most stuff around the green too, for the reasons you mention. But the OP is asking about using a single 56 for everything around the green. I just don't think a single 56* wedge can really do all the work around the green as effectively (lowest cumulative score over time) as having a couple of options for loft and bounce that are optimized for your game and the courses you play.

[Rich Douglas]

For pitching with wedges, I use Dave Pelz’s 4×4 system. I have 4 wedges, each with 3 swing lengths (1/2, 3/4, and full). This gives me 12 different yardages to choose from. This covers almost everything I face inside 135 yards. If I’m in-between, I like to take the next yardage up and open the blade.

For chips, I use a ratio system. I determine where I need to land the ball, then take the distance in the air and the distance rolling on the ground. The ratio then tells me what club to select. For example, if I have a 16-yard chip with 4 yards of carry, that’s 3:1 (3 yards of roll for every yard of carry). Pitching wedge. If I’ve got a long chip relatively close to the green, say 25 yards, I might take an 8-iron (5:1), carry it 4 yards in the air and watch it roll 20, which puts me near the hole. (It isn’t an exact science, but it is a managed approach.) I have to account for the speed of the greens and the slope, adjusting my ratios accordingly.

In both chipping and pitching, these methods allow me to be focused on a target and be confident that a good strike will result in a good shot, which takes away deadly doubts during the swing.

There is no reason to limit yourself to one club unless you just want to guess and not think. This describes more than 90% of the golfers I meet. So for them, getting comfortable with one club might be a better idea.

[4x4GGG]

Just to counter myself... I say all of this and today playing my new irons I found myself with different shots than I'm used to. That being said my 60* was a hero today. I didn't come up short on a lot of greens... mostly right/left. After a few holes I found myself being very comfortable with the 60 and used it almost all day. Left myself a lot of 1 putts from 5-6 feet. PS, new Bettinardi putter, too. Had some great shots and some OK shots, but really no "bad" shot with her. Long story short... wedge game varies day to day.

[PaddyPXG]

It's too limiting to me.

I have three shots with every wedge, half, 3/4 and full. I carry 3 wedges so that gives me 9 different consistent yardages from inside 115 yards.

Depending on the courses and greens you play, I think you need a 60* wedge, some of the courses I play I would lose 5-6 strokes by not carrying a 60 in the bag.

[minimal45]

I use a 50* game improvement wedge for everything. I go with the minimalist set up so it's the only wedge I carry and my short game is better than ever. I love keeping things simple because I don't get to practice much.

[MPix53]

I've just picked up a 54degree from National Custom, I'm a distinctly average golfer but found my short game got a lot tidier the back end of last year just using a sand wedge - only problem was all the bounce in it. I my minds eye I don't see many high shots when playing approaches, more pitch and putt style flighted shots that bumble up to the hole.

Only time I might find it tricky is being super short sided, but for the most part it's my fault for hitting it to that position anyway so just got to make the best of it.

[atmorrow13]

Same!

[Jmm96]

I have also adapted to using my 56 for everything inside 80 yards. It's the only true wedge I carry. Anything from 80-110 is done with my G25 gap wedge. I have become so familiar and confident with my Vokey M-grind and it simplifies the short game. I can easily open it way up to flop or hit runners from back in my stance. You'll have to pry this wedge out of my cold dead hands.

[LowCut]

Fine to be able to hit a variety of shots with a single club for sure. I personally find it easier to hit short chips around the green with a higher lofted club, but for shots in the 100 yard and in range, I often find myself hitting a knockdown shot with a 50 or PW than a full swing 58. To each his own!

[BCA]

I can see the arguments for 56 only but I couldn't see myself doing it.

I've gone through various wedge setups over the last 20 years, the most recent deviation from my "old standard" being a 50/54/58 setup, but I've now landed back with what I'm comfortable with. And that's a couple of quite different wedge options that cover pretty much all situations:

-A 56 with a normal (not wide) sole with high bounce. In this case a Vokey 56-14 F. This is the modern iteration of the beloved Cleveland 588 sand wedge that I used in my high school days in the '90s. I use this for 95% of bunker shots, many chips and pitches around the greens, and any full or partial approach shot when a 50 is too much.

-A 60 with a wide sole and low bounce. Currently a Vokey 60 low bounce K for me. This again mirrors the beloved Cleveland 588 60 that I used in the '90s, which I believe had a published bounce spec of 3-4 degrees. This club can be used for any shot I need to get up quickly, any bunker shot that I need to get up very quickly (particularly if sand is hard-packed), for tight lies, etc.

I have a 50 that I use almost exclusively for full shots.

As just your average weekend golfer now, I just like having a high-bounce option and a low-bounce option. Those two always seem to cover any situation in any course conditions, and I don't have to think about swapping wedges out if course conditions are overly hard or overly soggy.

[ChipNRun]

I suspect this is easier for the single-digit HDCP people who are usually just off the green after approaches.

I am similar, with 48* (combo PW/GW), 54* and 58*.

For me ( not single-digit), I find the turf matters a lot. If the course is well manicured, an 8i chip and run works well around the green. If the hole is surrounded by first cut, a 48* chip can work. For shaggy shots around the green, a 54* works well. If I need a dart, or to get it up quickly, it's the 58*.

54* and 58* just check up too much for consistent chip and run.

[theothertwo]

I do this when I get the short game yips, replace the 52 and 58 with a 56 and keep it simple. As someone said, a versatile 56 wedge will help, I use a C or an M grind type 56 whenI do this.

[kblahey]

I thought there was a Golf Digest article years back with Ernie Els saying that he used only his 56 for every type of chip.....

[GSDriver]

I pretty much stick with my 58* for everything near/around greens

[rkillian]

I'm I high handicapper with holes all over my game. I had a post on here asking about wedge set up. I had felt comfortable/confident with using a 56 for everything and was resistant to changing that as I seemed to be chipping quite well for a stretch. I took the suggestion to start using a 52 for things I would normally use the 56 for and started to see some improvement. The 52 however had too much of a gap after my PW and I was able to find an iron set matching 50. I recently got new wedges and have my iron set GW, then a 54 and a 58. I have a pretty standard full shot with each wedge and can hit a relatively repeatable half shot. I'm working on things in between. I would say that having those standard shots is simpler than trying to feel and adjust for distance control with my old 56. For all around the greens stuff I prefer the 54 unless I have to get the ball up in the air. So I will use the 58 if I am short sided, have to get out of a deep green side bunker, or am playing somewhere with faster greens. That is pretty much only the case if I am not playing on my home local muni course.

[BCA]

I did this when I played 50/54/58. Not that there's anything wrong with it but it is one of the reasons I changed back to 50/56/60. I now feel like I have two options for greenside shots rather than always grabbing the 58.

[mootrail]

"For pitching with wedges, I use Dave Pelz’s 4×4 system..."

You mean Pelz's 3 x 4 system. 3 swings, 4 wedges. Pelz like me only counts wedges higher then a PW. I think his was 51, 55, 60 & 64 for his 3 x 4.

"For chips, I use a ratio system."

Which sounds like the Rule of 12 and has its own thread here: https://forums.golfwrx.com/discussion/1817668/is-anyone-still-using-the-rule-of-12-for-chipping

Wow, that's an awful lot of numbers and calculating going on; I hope you're not using a range finder as well. I can buy into the 3 x 4 system although that would be a 3 x 3 or even 3 x 2 for me. A PW is strictly a 10 iron and nothing more. Pros do the 3 swings and I am planning on giving it a go.

As far as the Rule of 12, I don't buy it. I only chip with my 50° Gap, 53° GSW or my 58° SLW. I would never consider using a set iron unless I was Texas wedging with a DI or hybrid.

Back to the thread: I play just a 58° a lot when I walk and it makes deciding which wedge super easy, no choice. Otherwise I'll carry all three wedges or just the 53° and 58° or the 50° and 58° depending.

[Rich Douglas]

I modifed Pelz's concept because I do carry 4 wedges, each with a distinct set of distances. If you want to call a PW a 10-iron, fine. That makes a GW an 11-iron. In my case, because I use a single-length set, my SW would be a 12-iron, and the LW a 13-iron. So what? That's a distinction without a difference.

You interjected a lot of things I never said, yet attributed them to me. "That sounds a lot like..." No. What I said is what I said. That's all.

Ratios are easy to calculate--simple division with two numbers. The result gives you the club to chip with. Sorry you struggle with math.

Using a range finder is faster. I hope you're not pacing off your yardages while others wait. (Your comment was silly.)

[Zen_Golfer]

Im personally not a fan of this. IMO, youre better off to use the same setup and use different clubs depending upon whether you need to fly it, run it and depending upon how long the shot is.

Ive tried doing the Phil method where you use one wedge and play the ball back in your stance for a low shot or forward in your stance for a high shot and I just found that I was very inconsistent that way.

Now, I just use different clubs, play the ball back in my stance a bit and hit it like a putt. For longer chips or shots that I want to hit higher, I simple add a little wrist action into it.

[ZA206]

Once I learned to use the bounce on the sole of my clubs, chipping and pitching got a LOT easier. I only ever used to use a 56 SW.... and I could cover 95% of the shots I'd ever need with it. That remaining 5% could only ever be tackled with a +60LW. I eventually broke down and got one about a year or so back and It's been great. I had given up on the LW 20 years ago, but the TM Hi Toe was a game changer for me. I mostly use the SW for chipping and pitching, but will use the LW and my GW wedge when needed. The key is to not make excuses to "try" the LW. I only pull it when I need it.

-ZA

[Furykfan13]

It could work for awhile but eventually you will need or want to hit specific shots so having a few different options is always nice!

[MBBG]

I started using a versatile lob wedge for everything inside 40 yards or so 4-5 years ago and it was the best decision I ever made. I can hit a low spinner, I can chip and let it roll out, I can hit it high and land it soft. Having one jackknife type wedge takes all the guesswork out of which club I need and how hard to swing each one etc.

[ebeck66]

"Way back when" during the time that the articles came out on Tom Kite using the 4 wedge type system, I tried it. I really couldn't make it work and simplified with just a 56* sand wedge. I did my own grind on the sole so I could open it up and I haven't looked back. I keep trying to put a 60* wedge in the bag, and it really doesn't work for me. So, I keep it simple with just one wedge.