Wedges - are 50 and 56 enough?

[MtlJeff]

For me no....I have a strong low hand, have a lot of difficulty opening the club face, basically can't hit flop shots. 

 

I actually got a short wedge lesson from Roger Cleveland when i was in San Diego a few years back, and he showed me how to do it.... and i told him like the Seinfeld soup nazi  "please you're wasting everyone's time" LOL

 

So i need as much loft as i can get

[tehuti]

I am learning to live with a 50* and 56*. At least for me, anything more than 58* is probably a waste and will just get me in trouble. So I'll stick with the 2 plus my 45* pw.

[mlp021]

I play 50* and 56*. I find I'm better with fewer options. It forces me to familiarize myself with my options (but honestly, have gotten comfortable and quite good with 'chipping' with my 4 hybrid)

[Strategery]

56 as the most lofted club is unusual these days, but it could work just fine depending on the courses you play and your lob skills.

[scmgoblue]

You can absolutely make this work.

 

I went to this setup two seasons ago to free up a spot in the bag to put a 3 iron back in.  For my short game it has been beneficial. Like many others in this thread, my 50 degree is usually a 80% swing club to hit that gap around 100-110 yards in my bag, while the 56 has long been my preferred short game club. I've worked hard to incorporate some more bump and run type shots recently but if I'm hones I'm just more comfortable with the 56 around the green.  I previously had a 52/56/60 setup and the 52/60 sat generally unused most of the time.  Do I encounter shots where a 60 would be the perfect club? Yes, but only rarely.

[Hawkeye77]

50/54/58 here -- other than going away from 52/56/58 I'd used for years, still committed to that basic number.

 

However, thinking about some irons and the fact I mostly use my 50 degree for shots of around 100 yards or in, depending, but mostly a longer distance, has me strongly considering going with a set AW.  I like my current set PW a lot and don't really see the advantages to a separate or even custom wedge for the few times I use a 50 closer to the green when I could just as easily, or more easily, hit an AW.  

 

 

[DShark1]

I have tried a bunch of different set ups. 48,52,56,60 too many. 50,54,58 just could never fall in love with the 54 finally settled on 50-56 for some reason the 56 just fits my eye better and I can pull off shots I couldn’t with the 54. I went with Vokey S grind 10* bounce on the 56 and I don’t miss the 54 or the 58 I can do anything I need with the 56. Hit hi lob c0ck the wrist early hold and slide under the ball with a slight out to in path. Control the height and distance with speed and it puts a ton of spin on the ball. Learn to stand wedge up on its toe and use a putter stroke for short sided shots hitting the ball middle of the face for longer roll out on the toe for less roll. 

[Is Golf Fun or Work]

Could work, just depends on your skill level with 56.  Often said, learn how to hit one wedge with a range of shots rather than wrestling with several wedges.

 

I play my 58* for pretty much everything inside 75 yards

[Striker Ace]

Yes, but why limit yourself? Say your ball lands at the bottom of a steep hill to the green? I plan to get a 60 for these situations. I don't play a 3 or 4 iron so that leaves room for a 48, 52, 56 and 60 wedges.

[Motoboss]

You can hit any shot with a 56* that you can with a 60, and more. So maybe no need for it.
A 48*, 52*, 56* is excellent scoring gapping for most but everything in golf depends on the individuals own swing tendencies and talent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 11, 2022 by Motoboss

[OnTheBag]

34 minutes ago, Is Golf Fun or Work said:

Could work, just depends on your skill level with 56.  Often said, learn how to hit one wedge with a range of shots rather than wrestling with several wedges.

 

I play my 58* for pretty much everything inside 75 yards

I've played 52, 56 for years with no issue.  Likely due to the era I learned the game.  We never had 60 as an option and the 57.5° Eye 2 L wedge was the highest loft on the market.  My PWs are all 46, 47, or 48, so the 52 fills the gap and my 56/10 with an S type grind is as versatile as they come.  I can flop it, pick it, spin it, long bunker, shot bunker, etc...  

 

Club selection is more about what you practice with than any special formula that suits every game.

[HoosierHacker89]

Can it be done? Yes. Would I like it? Probably not

[miles2go]

I’d get a serious case of the yips if I didn’t have my 60* wedge on a short sided chip.  The phrase “Opening the face” translates to “I’ know I’m going to scull it” in my brain if I use a less lofted wedge. 

[Albatross Dreamer]

I think it depends a lot on your playing style, the types of courses you play and what distances you hit clubs amongst other things. Doesn't seem to be one of those "THIS is the way to do it" type of things.

[Hat Trick]

Your short game is what you create it to be with the clubs you like - it's that simple.  If you like 50, 56 then go with it.  If someone wants to do all their work with a 58 or 60 then good for them.  Is someone wants 48, 52, 56, 60, 64 then go for it.

 

I committed myself to at least one hour a week to my short pitches and chips and I have gotten better.  I wanted to improve using a more lofted wedge this year (Vokey 58-08 M Grind).

[SteelieD]

For me, a 50 and 56 is mostly sufficient. I like opening the face of the 56 when needed. 
 

What I like about having the extra wedge, a 60, is that it gives me a low bounce option off of the hard/thin lies that I sometimes encounter. 
 

YMMV

[ShortGolfer]

Last year I played 49 and 54 and found the ball would roll to the edge of the green on some holes no matter what I did.

I just played a round with 49 and 58 and found that to be a much better combination for tiny greens as my shots would stop on the greens.

 

I ordered a new set of fitted clubs which will have 48, 56, and 60.  

[HoosierHacker89]

1 hour ago, SteelieD said:

For me, a 50 and 56 is mostly sufficient. I like opening the face of the 56 when needed. 
 

What I like about having the extra wedge, a 60, is that it gives me a low bounce option off of the hard/thin lies that I sometimes encounter. 
 

YMMV

I’m pretty much of the same mindset, but I like a high bounce 60* from the thick stuff and sand. My 56* has a low leading wedge and 9* of bounce. I can open it up pretty easy. The lob wedge is the get out of jail club and is exclusively used around the greens. 

[JamesWA]

I've been gaming set wedges up 50 degree gap, plus CBX Zipcore 54 and 58 wedges. I recently decided to get a 56 RTX Zipcore in place of the CBX 58. Keeping the 54 for fuller shots up to 60-70 yards away, then 56 for everything else. It's working really well so far - the versatility of the full face RTX 56 is far superior to the CBX 58. 

And it's one less choice to make, which is good.

Edited August 11, 2022 by JamesWA

[tomathist]

I rarely use my 60 deg wedge for lob shot since I suck at most times. However, 60 deg for me is really useful when I have 60 yards left - my 3/4 swing gets it to 60 yards every time consistently with no roll. So yeah, I need the lob wedge for that particular situation.

[Zena]

I see we resurrected a year dead thread.

 

I rarely use my 50. My 54 and 58 get a lot more use, but i’ve been wishing for my 54 to lean more towards a 52 and my 58 to be a 60. I’m thinking next season I’ll be going PW (46) 53 60.

[dulaney22]

Thinking about this exact change as well.  Love my 50 and use it several times a round for full and partial.  Use my 54 almost exclusively with the 58 pulled every other round or in bunkers depending on firmness.   Probably gonna play next year with a 3 added and find a versatile grind 56.  20 years ago it was the most lofted club I had.  Not sure why today should be different.   

[forrester_fire]

If you get the right grind on your 56, sure.  I used to play the same wedge setup and was able to hit flops with my 56, no problem.  I've since put the 60 back in the bag, as I play better out of bunkers and those really tight, delicate short-sided chips with a 60.  Other than those specialty shots, it doesn't see much action.

[ezra76]

I'm still trying to figure out how to go with the Apex PW being being pretty much a 9iron at 43*. I got a 48 zipcore which I like but is a little on the long side. I'm flying it about 120 but my PW is only about 130. I'd like to back it off a few yards. 

 

I have a 56 bent to 55 Titleist prototype wedge I absolutely love but the grooves are beat beyond beat. I got a 60 a few weeks ago and I like it in the greenside rough but fuller shots I can't really get the hang of it. I hit it about 50yds. on a "full swing" which is really like a 3/4 swing. 

 

So basically I'm thinking about bending the 48 to 49* and one 56* with a versatile grind and spinny grooves or a 48-54-60 setup. 

 

1st issue is will a 56 with fresh grooves give me the spin I need to stop out of the this thick summer greenside rough. They just water the piss out of it and let it grow... let it grow... to damn hot to mow... sorry. Other times of year they cut it down and the greens are not so quick so the old 55 was enough.

 

2nd issue is I miss my 50* so so much when it comes to chipping. That club had so many chipin's. Back when I got to a sub 10 cap I actually had an average of 1.2 chip in's per round, nuts right? I'm lost now and don't even know what club to use half the time. 

 

 

[JCortiz]

Switched my set up this year from a 52/56/60 2 years ago to a 50/54/58 a year ago, to this year's 52/58.

 

Best wedge game I've ever had and I've never been more confident with a wedge in my hand. Probably has more to do with the simplification of picking what club I need and how to play the shot instead of adding more swing thoughts to it, and that's with playing the least amount of rounds I've played in along time this summer. My 52 I use for most shots since I can control spin from multiple scenarios and prefer it around greenside shots. I really only use the 58 on weird/very tight lies and prefer a half/ 3/4 shot with a 52 over a full 58 anyway. 

[WilCox]

My 50* & 56* are my workhorses.  I do not carry a 60* and instead carry a PM19 58* as my primary bunker club.  Out of a soft or shallow bunker or when I'm short sided, it just gets the job done.  I've never had a wedge that I could open up like the PM and feel so confident with.  Where it falls short is on full shots and that's where the Vokeys take over.

Could I play with just the 56?  Sure, but it wouldn't be as much fun.

 

[ezra76]

I just got vokey 56-12 D grind. Going to try that with my 48 zipcore for 2 wedges. Hit it in a field nearby and 3/4 70yds. and 90yds. pretty much full. Easy to hit low skip stops from 20-30yds. and flopped it over the baseball backstop a few times just to play around. 

 

I might ditch the Zipcore and get a 50-12 vokey bent to 49-11. The 48 zipcore flys 115-120. I like it but in real world application it's pretty close to my PW yardage. 

[chadly643]

Lot of comments saying you’d be just fine around the green and 98% of the time I would be as well with just 50/56. Where I’d miss the 4 wedge system the most is from 125-70 yds. I love having multiple options when hitting short shots. If I want to lower the trajectory I just take a smaller swing with my pitching wedge. If I want to bring the ball in higher I’ll use the 58. I love not really trying to hit different shots but having them available just through club selection. 

[J_Tizzle]

I'm a proponent of more wedges than less, they all can (should) serve a purpose.  I'd bet you'd use a 58/60+ just as much as you'd use a 3i for example.  I carry 5 wedges (45/50/54/58/62) and its been the best set up for me personally.  I'll always think its more beneficial to have a wedge for a specific situation for an up and down vs having a perfect 3i or other longer club in your bag.  Cut down the longer clubs in your bag, you should try to hit a green with more than a 7i not stiff it, but when you get into pitching/chipping with wedges a 62 vs a 56 is the difference in a stroke or more for sure.  

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

19 hours ago, tomathist said:

I rarely use my 60 deg wedge for lob shot since I suck at most times. However, 60 deg for me is really useful when I have 60 yards left - my 3/4 swing gets it to 60 yards every time consistently with no roll. So yeah, I need the lob wedge for that particular situation.

 

Similar to me. I can hit pitches of 60~90 with my 56*, but I can hit them more confidently with a 60*. I don't use my 60* for shots around the green, and rarely for bunker shots; where I use it is when I want to stick a mid-range pitch close. If I use the 56*, I'm always worried about going too long, or slowing down and pulling it.