Reducing the number of wedges in your bag?

[cjblake09]

I actually added a wedge and took out a long iron this year.  I figured i would rather be more precise with the short clubs over the long clubs. 

 

[Hawkeye77]

9 hours ago, jjfcpa said:

Having decided to drop the 58* from my bag, I played 18 without it yesterday and missed a few wedge shots with my 54*.  Most of them were just a little too long.  Went to the driving range this morning to get that distance ironed out and I think it will be much better next time.  I guess that's the price you pay for becoming dependent on a higher lofted wedge and not using the lower lofted wedge that much.  

 

The 54* wedge is a MD5 Jaws with the W grind.  What I really like about the W grind is that it's pretty easy to open it up and use it as a lob wedge.  Practice with that this morning and it felt just as reliable as the 58*.  

 

I think I"m going to like this setup.  Simplifies the club selection process when you only have one for Sand, Lob, and pitches inside 70 yards.

 

You should do what works for you.  Our rough is pretty thick right now everywhere, including around the greens, and depending on the shot, a little 54 is going to come out and run more than you want - so, nice to have 58 in the bag.  Rather hit that with as square a face as I can - opening up a 54 adds quite a bit more room for error when a 58 will do fine.  Little shots from tight lies, certain bunker shots - easier with 58 - that's what the loft can help with.

 

You can turn your 54 into a Swiss Army knife and probably do great if you practice and perfect all those shots, my feeling is the 58 is nice to have when I need it and allows me to hit some shots that would be unnecessary manufacturing with another wedge.  I do find I'm using my 54 more than I used to for control but no way I'm dumping the advantages of my 58 (for me).

Edited August 24, 2020 by Hawkeye77

[glm]

Jack's PW was somewhere around 48* to 50* and a 56* SW may be all they had back then. Ping may have invented the lob wedge. but not sure about that.The gap wedge 50*/52* was added when the golf industry started jacking the lofts up to make us think we are hitting the ball further. PW in some sets now is 43* so now there's 4 wedges in the bag.

My clubs have the weak lofts my PW is 48* and the SW is 55* two wedges have work just fine for me BUT I've been fooling around with a 62* that's been in my bag a lot of late.

Play well  :-)))))

 

[Noodler]

As noted by a few posters already, the PW isn't a wedge any longer in most modern bags.  It's a #10 iron.

 

So that leaves the "real" 3 wedges and for those I believe that there's an opportunity there to have 3 specialty clubs that should differ more than just in their lofts.  It makes sense to me to have each of these wedges with a different level of bounce and a grind that suits how you will typically use the club.  This season I moved to a 50-54-58 set.  The 50 has moderate bounce and a standard shallow grind for bump and run chips (besides being used as a full shot gap wedge).  The 54 has higher bounce with an M grind that I mostly use for longer sand shots or when I catch a fluffy lie.  The 58 has low bounce and an aggressive C grind with more heel relief used for short pitches, sand and lob shots.  3 very different clubs, each with their own unique purpose in the bag.  It's not just about the distance they go... ?

Edited August 24, 2020 by Noodler

[bombs]

Five wedges for me - PW, AW, 52, 56, 60.

 

Preference for full shots into greens, and I feel like I need them given i hit my strong lofted PW 140y. 

 

 

Edited August 24, 2020 by bombs

[harolease]

62,55 , GW PW.  
The 55 is very versatile for me I use that wedge a lot for 40-90 yards 

[crazygolfnut]

My PW and GW match my iron set and I play them with full shots so they are really a 10 iron and 11 iron.  My true wedges are 52 and 56.  I keep wanting to add back in a 60 but not sure what to pull out of the top of the bag. 

[mat562]

I've always been a three wedge man. A pitching wedge at around 49 degrees, a 56 degree sand wedge and a 60 degree. I always played weak lofts though; my 9-iron is 45 degrees, so in modern terms I may qualify as a pseudo 4 wedge player.

 

I play 95% of my shots around the greens with either the sand or lob wedge. Most of my chipping is done with the 60. I play a 56 for most sand shots, with the lob wedge only being used in hard packed sand or in plugged and fried egg lies. Pitching is generally done with the 60 degree out to 40 yards or so, then I move to the sand wedge for longer shots out to 100 yards.

 

I've tried a 64 degree wedge in the past, but it doesn't really do anything that my 60 degree club can't, and in many cases it's less effective. Opening up the 60 a bit engages the back of the sole, even with the very low bounce I play in that club, and I get a nippier strike and a softer shot than I get with more of a square-faced shot with a 64. 64 degree wedges are also a bit limited in scope for me. I can play an array of shots with my 60 degree, but with a 64 I struggle to get the low spinner with an open face off the back foot or to pitch with it consistently from 40 yards. It's got too much loft, it seems.

 

My wedge lofts mean that I have a gap in yardage between my pitching wedge and my sand wedge of about 25 yards,  but I'm happy filling that in with shots with the longer club or, on occasion, squeezing out another five yards with the sand wedge when the situtaion calls for it. To me, a sand wedge, like a lob wedge, is primarily a club to score with around the greens, and needs to suit that role. I play a sand wedge that is the same basic design, loft, sole width, camber and bounce as I've played for years, and it's the same story with the lob wedge. I've played a few different designs, but they essentially are the same. Very low bounce, all the back edge taken off, and a club I can lay pretty much flat if I need to. In terms of modifying my set up by using a sand wedge that's tweaked a couple of degrees strong, or moving to a 54, that doesn't make sense to me; either option would potentially spoil the club for what it's generally used for. Having a sand wedge that I'm comfortable with and with which I can save shots around the greens is far more important to me than having perfect yardage gaps. The gap in yardage isn't so big that I need a 52 or 53 degree club either, so I live with the slight issue of the gap, which, after many years, isn't really an issue. I also value having an extra option at the top of the bag that living with the gap gives me.

Edited September 4, 2020 by mat562

[Sean2]

The first iron in my bag is a 7-iron, which has the same loft as a 5-iron I used to play, so I don't see my top end wedges as wedges, just mislabeled 8 and 9 irons. ?

[BIG STU]

On 8/21/2020 at 7:59 PM, vmann said:

Jack Nicklaus had more loft on his PW than your GW.  So, your 4 wedges aren't much different than his two.

Correct his PW I do not know the exact specs on but I know Macgregor clubs and old school Mac blade PW runs from 48* to50* respectfully. P;us traps and egrony has changed since his hey day.

[BIG STU]

17 minutes ago, mat562 said:

I've always been a three wedge man. A pitching wedge at around 49 degrees, a 56 degree sand wedge and a 60 degree. I always played weak lofts though; my 9-iron is 45 degrees, so in modern terms I may qualify as a pseudo 4 wedge player.

 

I play 95% of my shots around the greens with either the sand or lob wedge. Most of my chipping is done with the 60. I play a 56 for most sand shots, with the lob wedge only being used in hard packed sand or in plugged and fried egg lies. Pitching is generally done with the 60 degree out to 40 yards or so, then I move to the sand wedge for longer shots out to 100 yards.

 

I've tried a 64 degree wedge in the past, but it doesn't really do anything that my 60 degree club can't, and in many cases it's less effective. Opening up the 60 a bit engages the back of the sole, even with the very low bounce I play in that club, and I get a nippier strike and a softer shot than I get with more of a square-faced shot with a 64. 64 degree wedges are also a bit limited in scope for me. I can play an array of shots with my 60 degree, but with a 64 I struggle to get the low spinner with an open face off the back foot or to pitch with it consistently from 40 yards. It's got too much loft, it seems.

 

My wedge lofts mean that I have a gap in yardage between my pitching wedge and my sand wedge of about 25 yards,  but I'm happy filling that in with shots with the longer club or, on occasion, squeezing out another five yards with the sand wedge when the situtaion calls for it. To me, a sand wedge, like a lob wedge, is primarily a club to score with around the greens, and needs to suit that role. I play a sand wedge that is the same basic design, loft, sole width, camber and bounce as I've played for years, and it's the same story with the lob wedge. I've played a few different designs, but they essentially are the same. Very low bounce, all the back edge taken off, and a club I can lay pretty much flat if I need to. In terms of modifying my set up by using a sand wedge that's tweaked a couple of degrees strong, or moving to a 54, that doesn't make sense to me; either option would potentially spoil the club for what it's generally used for. Having a sand wedge that I'm comfortable with and with which I can save shots around the greens is far more important to me than having perfect yardage gaps. The gap in yardage isn't so big that I need a 52 or 53 degree club either, so I live with the slight issue of the gap, which, after many years, isn't really an issue. I also value having an extra option at the top of the bag that living with the gap gives me.

You are like me in the respect you have been playing golf long enough to work those wedges with manuipulating the face and sometimes the hands to create loft and bounce. For me mostly it is 48 56 60. To the OP and others I have said this for years but it bears repeating----- There is no one etched in stone Holy Grail way to properly play this game and that goes equally for swing method or equipment set up. Do what works for your game

Edited September 4, 2020 by BIG STU

[SA Steve]

This is an interesting topic. We get to play year round here. Summer, fairly soft, winter quite hard. Almost every green raised. Lots of slope, very fast and small landing areas. Not a long course. With those greens, i carry either a 62 or a 64, depending on the irons, and go down in 5* to the 10 iron. So, with the modern set: 44, 49,54,59,64...With the traditional set: 47,52,57,62. I have dropped the 3 wood in the modern set, as I only used it from the tee, and my 5 wood gets me enough when I need a safer tee option, fortunately. 

[MartinKB]

I am going the other direction here. I suspect many of you with fewer wedges have higher club head speeds. I swing the driver about 95 mph. This means that I can't really use a lot of clubs at the top end of the bag; 6i is my longest iron.

I have:

D, 3w, 19h (set to 20.5), 22h (set to 23.5)

Then in "set" irons (JPX 919 Hot Metal):

6i, 7i, 8i, 9i, PW (45), GW (49)

So with a putter, that leaves room for three more clubs.

Although I have in the past carried a left-handed club for getting out of certain trouble spots, now I use all three remaining spots for wedges:

MP-20: 53/10, 57/11;  Hi-Toe: 60/12-ATV

Yardages from 60 through 19h are 11-13 yards.

I don't see a reason to leave any clubs out, unless I just want the bag to be lighter.

I also don't feel like this makes for more practice. The 60 through GW are all about the same length, so I'm practicing the same two swings with every wedge. That is, full swing, and an abbreviated punch swing that goes a little shorter and lower. That's for pitching, say down to 65 yards.

Below 65 yards, I'm using mostly the 60, 57, and 53, depending on distance, but again, the swing is the same with each, it just goes different distances depending on which club I use.

BTW, LPGA golfer Lexi Thompson has a very similar wedge setup in the last couple of years.

 

[mharr]

When I was younger (read that as longer), I would carry 4 wedges for gapping yardages.  I didn't need as many longer clubs, and have wedges to specific yardages was easier; PW:115yd, GW:100yd, SW:80yd, LW:60yd; and in-between by choking down ½" on longer club. 

But as I got older (shorter), the gaps on the wedges got too close and I needed to add longer hybrids at the top.  So I removed the GW, and use PW for all shots inside 100 yds, SW-54º only for sand, and LW-60º only in wet/hard sand (LW has only 4º bounce), and never use SW or LW for full shots.

[FormerDimer]

For 20 + years, my set was a 48-56-60. I grew up and learned the game this way, but always struggled with the 110-115 yd shot.

 

A couple years ago, I switched to 48-54-60 to close the gap up and space it better. It felt closer, but there were still some yardages that gave me a fit and I wouldn't have called it a strength of my game.

 

Earlier this year, I upgraded irons which have a 46 deg PW as part of the set. I decided to dump the 3 iron, and add another wedge. Now I'm at 46-50-54-60 and my wedge game has never been better. I have a full swing yardage and a 3/4 swing yardage for each wedge, and I've found myself wedging it consistently closer which has yielded more overall good looks at birdie and even a bunch of kick-ins. I use my 60 for the majority of shots around the green, the 54 occasionally for longer bunker shots, and the PW/46 for long bump and runs.

 

Admittedly, not having a 3 iron/215 club/club for punch-outs was a bit of a concern, but so far that gap hasn't really been an issue and my 4 iron with the C-Tapers (which are new to me... previous PXer) allow me to actually hit an even lower stinger/punch shot than before. To me, the yardages at the bottom of the bag with my short irons were much more of a priority and the change to add a wedge has really helped step my game up a little. 

 

Edited September 4, 2020 by FormerDimer

[Clubhoe]

My PW is 48°. Therefore I only need a 54 and 60. It also means I have the luxury of carrying an extra long iron, utility, hybrid or wood in the bag.

[el_rousso]

I'm currently playing PW (47*), then 52-56-60, which seems pretty standard when looking at most of the replies on topics like this one. I find I'm not using the 56 quite often though, so I'm looking at maybe moving to PW-52-58, using the 58 as I use my 60 at the moment, but with some added distance when I need to use it on a fuller swing.

Edited September 6, 2020 by el_rousso
typo

[joostin]

Bringing up a post I had a couple months ago in the tech forum, showing the actual lofts you get when opening up wedges.  I know playing an opened up 56* isn't the same as playing a square 60* (sole grind, spin, etc.)... but for example opening up a 56* by 7.6* gives you 60* of actual loft.  Just something to play around with to cover for a dropped wedge with another wedge.  There's a PDF printout in that thread you can use to see what those angles look like on the ground.  FWIW I like set 46 and 50*, for full shots and chipping with less spin, then specialty 54 and 60*.

 

[randylean]

Faldo only played a pw and a 55 in his 6 majors. 

You have to be an ace to hit 58 plus loft.

 

If you ride,  you carry 2 instead of 3 and have more experience with the 2 favorites than the extra.  You can't see

the green side shot from a cart,  so carry 2 and be confident. Carrying 3 wedges and a putter just in case is overkill.

Edited September 12, 2020 by randylean

[ChipNRun]

On 8/21/2020 at 5:45 PM, jjfcpa said:

 I remember reading that Jack Nicklaus played with a PW and SW.  I can see how this would make one more consistent because you'd learn how to use that SW in a lot of different circumstances.

 

Nicklaus played most of his golf in era in which course architects allowed a way out (chance for bogie) on really tough holes. You get to circa 2000, and new designers think their public course (somehow) will host the US Open.  They plug in lots of tough shelf portions on greens where LW is on almost mandatory.

 

Also, consider that strong lofts have made Gap Wedge (between strong 44* PW and 54*/56* SW) almost mandatory. And, dart throwing pin placement make LW almost mandatory for many. If a 2020 player carries 5i-9i and four wedges, vs. 4i-9i and three wedges for a 2005 player, it all comes out even for 14 total clubs.

 

Strategy changes also cause shift. As a schoolboy, I shagged range balls for the pro giving lessons to amateurs. One rule of the universe: If you're not a pro, stay out of the 40-100 yard range. Lay back for a full wedge shot if you can't get your approach really close. But, this appears to be "faded wisdom."

 

Research by the Lowest Score Wins crowd suggests that the closer to the pin your approach goes, the better your chances of hitting the green on your clean-up shot. As per LSW, the person with a 45-yard approach shot has a better chance of hitting the green than someone who lays back for 80 yards in.

 

These are great truths to ponder.... Night, all.

[Shakespeare]

On 9/4/2020 at 7:28 PM, Clubhoe said:

My PW is 48°. Therefore I only need a 54 and 60. It also means I have the luxury of carrying an extra long iron, utility, hybrid or wood in the bag.

This^^^^

[ChipNRun]

On 9/4/2020 at 5:35 AM, BIG STU said:

You are like me in the respect you have been playing golf long enough to work those wedges with manuipulating the face and sometimes the hands to create loft and bounce. For me mostly it is 48 56 60. To the OP and others I have said this for years but it bears repeating----- There is no one etched in stone Holy Grail way to properly play this game and that goes equally for swing method or equipment set up. Do what works for your game

 

Stu, I hope you won't think less of me, but I ended up with 48-54-58. I tried the 60, but unlike you I couldn't handle the 60*. I dropped back to 58*, and life is better.

 

[BetterAtBingo]

I recently challenged myself to learn to hit my PW from 130 yds and in by mostly adjusting the club length up and down the grip.  I've become far more consistent with spin and release as a result.  I have two wedges now other than the PW:  51° for slightly more delicate shots from 50 yds and in and a 55° with a versatile sole grind that I play from the bunker or short-sided shots.  I'm amazed at how much less anxiety I have now in my short game.

[PorkChopExpress]

It’s part gapping but about shots you’re comfortable hitting on course when you need it. 
having the right grinds on your wedges makes a ton of difference in shot selection. 

[roncee]

I only use 3 wedges. I learned from a young age to feel yardages from PW and down. So instead of having stock wedge numbers for 4 clubs and being on auto pilot, I prefer to feel more engaged and feel the half and 3/4 shots more. 
definitely no Wrong answer. 

[jomatty]

I could easily go with 45, 52,  58.  But there really isn’t another club that I need more so I carry 4 wedges. If I decided I needed a 3 wood and a 5 wood rather than just one FAirway wood then I’d drop one.

[dsturnic]

I don't find any of my wedges underutilized having played with PW, 52, 56, 60 for so long, but to keep both my 2 hybrid and 3 iron in the back when I'm not hitting driver well or I know of a lot of long shots on the course, I'll swap a 58 for the 56 and 60.

[Sparty4202]

On 8/21/2020 at 6:45 PM, jjfcpa said:

I currently have 4 wedges in my bag - PW (43*), GW (48*), SW (54*), and a LW (58*).  I personally think this is just too many wedges and actually makes me much less consistent.  I remember reading that Jack Nicklaus played with a PW and SW.  I can see how this would make one more consistent because you'd learn how to use that SW in a lot of different circumstances.  Open it for lobs and reduce the loft for bump and runs or controlled chips.  

 

I've found that when I carry the 58* wedge, I tend to use it too much... and the 54 seldom gets used.  However, before I put a 58* in the bag, I used my 54* for everything. The other side of this is that each wedge requires its own practice time, although I don't spend a lot of time with the PW or GW on the range.  I just need them to fill gaps.  The 54* and 58* just don't have that much of a gap between them.  Consequently, I ordered a 56* and will pull the 54* and 58* and reduce the number of clubs to 13.

 

Anyone else done this and if I'm not thinking of this correctly, let me know.

Because of your 43* PW I think you only option would be to replace the 54* with a 56* and drop the 58*

[pinestreetgolf]

On 9/11/2020 at 9:09 PM, ChipNRun said:

 

Nicklaus played most of his golf in era in which course architects allowed a way out (chance for bogie) on really tough holes. You get to circa 2000, and new designers think their public course (somehow) will host the US Open.  They plug in lots of tough shelf portions on greens where LW is on almost mandatory.

 

Also, consider that strong lofts have made Gap Wedge (between strong 44* PW and 54*/56* SW) almost mandatory. And, dart throwing pin placement make LW almost mandatory for many. If a 2020 player carries 5i-9i and four wedges, vs. 4i-9i and three wedges for a 2005 player, it all comes out even for 14 total clubs.

 

Strategy changes also cause shift. As a schoolboy, I shagged range balls for the pro giving lessons to amateurs. One rule of the universe: If you're not a pro, stay out of the 40-100 yard range. Lay back for a full wedge shot if you can't get your approach really close. But, this appears to be "faded wisdom."

 

Research by the Lowest Score Wins crowd suggests that the closer to the pin your approach goes, the better your chances of hitting the green on your clean-up shot. As per LSW, the person with a 45-yard approach shot has a better chance of hitting the green than someone who lays back for 80 yards in.

 

These are great truths to ponder.... Night, all.

 

I love most of what you post, but its faded wisdom in the same sense that a horse and buggy is a faded way to get around town.

[GeauxGolfLSU]

Funny, I've been playing with 5 wedges for most of this year. 45 PW, then 50, 54, 60 and 64. All the wedges have different grinds and bounce and I use them differently. I actually experimented recently taking out the 50 and 64, and I scored worse the rounds I played without them, and realized how much I missed the 64 in certain situations around the green and the gap between my PW and 54 was significant. As much as I wanted to simplify things with fewer choices, I seem to do better with more options depending on the shot at hand. I'd rather more scoring clubs like wedges than clubs at the top of the bag. As always, YMMV.