Playing with 56 steep pitches: 60 obsolete?

[RoyalMustang]

I have been fooling around on the chipping practice green with my 56 and hitting it everywhere: deep rough, short steep pitches, and bunkers.  I am really working on that radial deviation wrist hinge and hitting that super soft shot with a bigger swing.  I know I don't need something that aggressive most of the time, but even a modified version of that "flop shot" comes in handy in deep rough.  

 

If I can manage this shot, should I just ditch the 60?  What is your experience? Getting the distance right on the 56 is the hardest thing: if I really hit it perfectly with a half swing, the ball floats away as if it was in a soft breeze and goes 10 yards when I want it to go 15.  I don't really have the skulls however so no bad misses, just short.  

 

Do you find that a 60 is just "easier" to hit this shot with, or should I get comfortable with the 56 and call it a day?  Or, to put in another way, what is the advantage of the 60 over the 56 and in what situation?  

[Chadwickog]

If you’re going to ditch the 60 you have to be able to hit the type of shot you describe but also the full face contact shot with the 56. It is easier to hit the shot you describe with a 60, because it is the stock shot for that loft. I personally like to play less wedges and am able to hit those difference shots with one club, but its not the same for everyone 

[martinbns]

I ditched my 60 about 5 years ago.  Do just about anything with cbx 52 and tmag atv 56.

[setter02]

Guess you could try hitting it closer if you are always in the rough.  I wouldn't drop the 60, but maybe just get one with a lower bounce and good grind for the tighter lies you may encounter.  Never a good thing to potentially not have the right tool when you have the spot in the bag for it, even if you rarely hit it.  I rarely hit my 5 and 6 irons, but I wouldn't ever think of dropping them.

[pinestreetgolf]

12 hours ago, Dawgdude said:

I have been fooling around on the chipping practice green with my 56 and hitting it everywhere: deep rough, short steep pitches, and bunkers.  I am really working on that radial deviation wrist hinge and hitting that super soft shot with a bigger swing.  I know I don't need something that aggressive most of the time, but even a modified version of that "flop shot" comes in handy in deep rough.  

 

If I can manage this shot, should I just ditch the 60?  What is your experience? Getting the distance right on the 56 is the hardest thing: if I really hit it perfectly with a half swing, the ball floats away as if it was in a soft breeze and goes 10 yards when I want it to go 15.  I don't really have the skulls however so no bad misses, just short.  

 

Do you find that a 60 is just "easier" to hit this shot with, or should I get comfortable with the 56 and call it a day?  Or, to put in another way, what is the advantage of the 60 over the 56 and in what situation?  

 

This is kind-of like asking "hey guys, what's the best brand of oven for making lasagna?".  There might be a best brand, but technique matters a whole lot more than anything else.

 

Loft is only one element in the equation here.  If I handed you two wedges, a 58/04 L grind and a 58/12 K grind you'd likely find the L infinitely easier to hit this shot with off tight lies and the K infinitely easier to flop out of rough.  But the loft is identical.  The grind is different (the L has almost no metal exposed when you open up, the K a ton.  The K will "bounce" off the deep rough and up into the ball, the L will dig.  But on the clean lie, the L is way easier, as it will never blade).

 

There is no inherent advantage in more loft than less loft.  So with the information you've provided the answer is that it doesn't matter which one you use.  However, you are swinging steep or shallow, you need a plan for different lies, and you have certain tendencies a wedge will either exacerbate or mitigate.  I play a 56* only in the short game, but I'm a Siedeckman (sp) disciple and have a pretty clear short game technique.  So I'd say ditch the 60*.

 

The short game isn't about being able to do flop shots.  Its about:

 

1. Controlling the low point of your swing

2. Controlling loft at impact

3. Controlling speed at impact

 

Whichever wedge does those three the best, keep.  But there are a lot of ways to add loft in a golf swing (not just opening the face - angle of attack, drop hands at address, etc...) and as long as you're above 55* or so it doesn't matter.

[cgasucks]

9 hours ago, martinbns said:

I ditched my 60 about 5 years ago.  Do just about anything with cbx 52 and tmag atv 56.

Yeah.  Same here.  I've been playing a 60 for years but ditched it around the same time you did once I learned to make flop shots and other cutsey shots with my SW as well.

[Moonlightgrm]

My PW is 48*, GW is 52* with 6* of bounce, and my SW is 56* with 12* of bounce. I ditched my 60* 4-years ago and the benefits came after I became savvy with my 56* SW.  Depending on the course I am playing, I carry a 3-wood/5-wood combo or a 4-wood/2-iron combo at the top end of the bag. 

[RoyalMustang]

Thanks for the responses so far!  I haven't played around with grinds: that is one more factor to consider-this is all new to me. Back when I played as a kid, a sand wedge was a sand wedge, end of story..  I am meeting with my coach next week so hopefully he can give me a little more clarity after seeing my tendencies.  I figure I need to master at least 3 swings; chip, soft hands square pitch, and open faced-steeper angle pitch. 

[Carl Spackler3]

1. I have carried as high as 60, but with face manipulation,I feel I can hit any shot with a 56.

[ChipNRun]

On 9/17/2020 at 7:32 PM, Dawgdude said:

Do you find that a 60 is just "easier" to hit this shot with, or should I get comfortable with the 56 and call it a day?  Or, to put in another way, what is the advantage of the 60 over the 56 and in what situation?  

This triggers memories from a previous century... I was hitting close-in cut shots with a 56* SW for 15 years before the LW emerged.

 

Fast-forward... For 1.5 seasons I played with 48-54-60 set-up. That was a Calla MD-PM 60*/10 U-grind wedge. I had trouble with distance control on the 60* (it's happened before!). So, in November I swapped it out for a 58*/8 MD4 C-grind - easier to control, and I can hit a 3/4 swing with it (no go with 60).

 

Whether it's a 58* or a 60* makes a big difference with me. Even with the 58*, I have to make sure I turn through the ball firmly, or I have those same little pop-ups which you worry about.

 

Several seasons ago I used 46* iron set PW, and 50-54-58 specialty wedges.

 

One thing: a SW will handle uneven, shaggy lies much better than a LW. The SW seems to get more clubface on the ball, less chance for pop-ups, in jungle lies. Same if the grass is coarse or very dry. And, SW carries longer than a LW.

 

LW works best for me in zoysia cushion fairway, or first-cut rough or plush greenside lies.

 

In past, I was looking for link for beginners on different types of wedges. A couple of these charts caution that the LW does not handle shaggy lies very well.

 

It's your call. Whatever works. Just don't expect magic from a 60* if you misuse it.

[golfandtennisfan]

I come from the other direction. I would much rather give up my 56 than 60 because when around the green and I need high and soft or a flop, the 60 is better (for me). It is harder to hit because you have to swing harder with most shots due to the extra loft but I find it an advantage. The key is don’t quit on the shot and practice.  It there are many ways to play the game. Good luck. 

[Fairway14]

1) A 60*to 64* wedge is fine to have within the bag, but should rarely be played.

2) If a player is leaving his/her ball in good sense positions then chipping clubs such as 7, 8, 9 , PW,, or  52* or 56* pitching clubs are the best sense clubs to play.

 

[pinestreetgolf]

On 9/18/2020 at 11:23 AM, Dawgdude said:

Thanks for the responses so far!  I haven't played around with grinds: that is one more factor to consider-this is all new to me. Back when I played as a kid, a sand wedge was a sand wedge, end of story..  I am meeting with my coach next week so hopefully he can give me a little more clarity after seeing my tendencies.  I figure I need to master at least 3 swings; chip, soft hands square pitch, and open faced-steeper angle pitch. 

 

Its good to think in terms of what Stan Utley calls "the six building blocks of routine pars" -

 

1. Short tight

2. Long tight

3. Long rough

4. Short hardpack/hard sand

5. Long hardpack/hand sand

6. Short Fluffy sand

 

Short rough and long fluffy sand are too hard to care about.

 

If you have a plan for each of these you should feel pretty prepared in the short game.  Don't think of it in terms of "swings to master" think of it in terms of "lies to master".