How often do ya’ll change your wedges? I love my PM Grind

[Mookieb10]

I didn’t have patience to read every reply, but this is one area I’d look to tour pros for optimal performance... replace the lob most frequently. For the pitch, gap and sand, you don’t want new groves. They spin up too much. You’ll lose 3-4 yards. 

[BubbaBallesteros]

l usually change my wedges every season or so. In Canada, that's from around May to October and I'll play anywhere from 50-70 rounds a season. 

 

Im a bit of a "wedge guy", so I usually pick up one or two extra lob wedges as well. They are usually the last year's model (ex. SM7 and RTX4) but one that have a little more bouce for when I play in softer conditions and the other would be my practice wedge. 

 

It blows my mind how many golfers I've played with that will buy a new driver because they had a couple bad rounds with it. Then you watch their short game and their leading digs everytime because they play with way too little bounce but they wanted L or M grinds because its more "versitile", yet they can barely hit a normal square face chip shot 😂.

 

Wedge fittings are so underrated. I'm not talking a gapping session where you hit off mats but where you actually go to a outdoor short game area and try different bounces/grinds from different conditions.

Edited January 11, 2021 by BubbaBallesteros

[doctorgriffo]

2 hours ago, BubbaBallesteros said:

 

Wedge fittings are so underrated. I'm not talking a gapping session where you hit off maps but where you actually go to a outdoor short game area and try different bounces/grinds from different conditions.

This - I went to a demo day at Bayonet in Monterey, and they let me grab a handful of wedges and take them to the short game area and hit all sorts of different shots. The MD4 weren’t even on my radar (at the time, I avoided Callaway clubs for some reason) but they were by far and away the best fit and feel for me (I tried Vokeys, Cleveland, Mizuno, and TM, with similar and different bounces and grinds).

[M_B_H]

I have 4 wedge sets (12 wedges total) that I use interchangeably. My setup is 4 wedges each of a 52-56-60 degrees and mix and match depending on how I feel that day. I have a practice set only but sometimes take that to the course. Some of my wedges are brand new and I will use those if I need some extra spin on hard to hold greens.

[NRJyzr]

On 1/9/2021 at 9:24 PM, Sourpuss said:

to me it's not the grooves, i have had the same wedges for 3 years and i still spin them off the greens. it's angle of attack for me....

 

Exactly.  It's definitely not the grooves; early tests with grooveless club faces showed an increase in spin.  It's the structural integrity of the clubface (not perfect, best term I could come up with while prepping for meeting) that determines the spin, along with the obvious friction.  As you hit shots, the clubface develops micropits and defects.

 

Tom Wishon posted several times that hitting the clubface with a bit of blasting with aluminum oxide, or similar, should refresh the club, if you feel the need.  Of course, it'll damage any chrome finish that might be in play.  🙂

 

Edited January 12, 2021 by NRJyzr

[Pepperturbo]

I play about 150+ rounds of golf per year, and practice with my wedges near daily in my office down the hall to a net setting in another office.  Maybe more important to this, I bought my "2" Vokey wedges back in mid-2016 and still have no problems spinning the ball with each.  I even have some very old forged 1018 wedges that are worn, but I still can spin the ball with them as well. 

 

If a person is really skilled with wedges, spinning the ball should not be an issue. 

[AC168]

I bet your scores would go down with new wedges.

[TonyDAnnunzio]

I watched a video on youtube last night with Tiger, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day...  McIlroy said he replaces his wedges every two events.  I can't recall if Day or Tiger commented...

[dropkicked]

I've played about 250+ rounds in the past 2 season's here. I was going over my wedges yesterday and they still look fine. Practiced a bunch in 2019, but not much outside of warmup before rounds in 2020. Still plenty of life left......

However, I want new wedges this year. 😂🖖🏼

[Pepperturbo]

3 hours ago, AC168 said:

I bet your scores would go down with new wedges.

If you're talking to me, you'd lose the bet.  lol  I've tested the new Vokeys and if I thought there was a difference, I'd change.  Remember, grooves are not needed to spin the ball.  I can still stick ProV1 and AVX even draw them back if needed, and do it when ever I need it.  Can't ask for anything more than that.

[bear87]

I practice a lot with my Callaway wedges, a Jaws MD5 and a PM Grind, and they have held up very well.  That being said, I usually think about replacing them every 2nd or 3rd year, as the face begins to wear down.  Any benefit to "brand new grooves" every season is offset by the familiar feeling of having a wedge in my hands that I trust.  

[Got941]

Once the groove started to smooth out and I see the ball keep rolling instead of stopping. I play about 3-4 time a week in florida the sand really wear down the wedge here. Usually last about a year, year and a half for me. 

[dlygrisse]

I change mine about every 3 years, usually by then if it's chrome plated they will be starting to brown on the face and sole.  Also if the mill marks are gone thats a good time to start thinking about it.  

[DLiver]

I change my LW about every year and a half (we play year round where I live). It definitely makes a difference on shots I need to spin around the green. I like to let my SW get old, because I never try to spin chhips with that club, and I don't want those chips to check up unexpectedly..

[B_of_H]

LW = 1-2 years

SW = 2-3 years

GW = 3-4 years

Irons = 4-5 years

 

if you have raw wedges they go faster than chromed in my experience. If you practice a lot and play a lot then replace your most used wedge (for me LW) every year.  I use all 3 of my wedges around the greens and from the sand so I should probably replace them more than I do.  

[Booker]

On 07/01/2021 at 7:47 AM, nitram said:

If I like what I'm playing I'll play it until I see a noticeable drop off in spin on short pitches. As an example, I played PING eye 2 wedges for over 2 decades. In that time I played over 4,000 rounds of golf and practiced roughly that many times including bunker work. I went through 2-61* LW, 4-57* SW, and 2-50* PW's. Since 2012 I've used the same LW, on my 3rd SW, and my 2nd GW, all the same brand and style while still playing around 200 rounds a year and practicing chips and pitches a couple days a week. 

 

Find a wedge that works for you and stick with it 'til it doesn't.

I play an eye 2 57.5, have now for the past 5 seasons. I switch when my fingernail doesn't grab any grooves. Im on my 3rd one and have two more kicking around in good shape. The grind on them is perfect.  

[moolman]

On 1/7/2021 at 5:53 AM, JermWRX said:

I’m an admitted club ho, so I change stuff out often. But right now I’ve gamed PM Grind ‘19 wedges for 2 years. A 54 bent to 52, a 56 and a 60. This will be the third season. I’d say I play 40-50 rounds a year with range time ~3 times a week. Is it time? Would I see any noticeable benefit in a new set with fresh grooves? I mostly ask because I love the hi toe, full face style of PM’s and it doesn’t sound like Callaway is doing a new launch of them. TM makes the hi-toe but they’re not all full face. Any info/experience is greatly appreciated!! Thanks!!

 

I tried replacing my Callaway PM 19 this year too. Wasted my money, something about these wedges, maybe it's the forward offset, I just couldn't get my new wedges to work, so I went back, replaced the whole bag except wedges, even the putter got replaced. I'm using the PM 19 54 and 58.

[Kid B]

On 1/12/2021 at 6:36 PM, TonyDAnnunzio said:

I watched a video on youtube last night with Tiger, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day...  McIlroy said he replaces his wedges every two events.  I can't recall if Day or Tiger commented...

Thats the dream, but I can’t afford that s***. 
 

I play 150 times a year, practice a ton, and coach high school golf. So I’ll go through two lob wedges per year, and usually replace sand and gap every year. 
 

Pitching wedge will hang around longer if it’s part of the iron set, but the times my PW matches my wedges that’s been once a year too. 

[me05501]

On 1/9/2021 at 10:24 PM, Sourpuss said:

to me it's not the grooves, i have had the same wedges for 3 years and i still spin them off the greens. it's angle of attack for me....

You, and everyone else too!
 

 

[dubbelbogey]

Sure - brand new wedges would be great. For a pro that gets them free, why not?

 

My opinion is that for the rest of us, the initial drop of in bite happens relatively quickly, but then stabilizes to a very playable state that can last a very, very long time. 

 

As Tom Wishon has stated, a bit of a sandblasting can refresh a club's friction considerably more than sharpening the grooves. Also according to Wishon, grooves (and their corners) are only a secondary contributor to spin and the friction from the face flats between the grooves is a more dominant factor. The main job of grooves is for allowing the displacement of water, grass pulp, etc.. 

 

Of course, technique dominates everything else, as usual.

 

[timmekang]

3 years for me. Personally hate full swinging fresh new wedges such as PW and gap wedge so those won’t be changing for perhaps another year.