Low spin wedges?

[Pepperturbo]

17 minutes ago, BallerNate said:

a partial shot with a lower lofted club is usually the better option than trying to full swing out of your socks, which I try and do too often.

For me its about distance, spin and trajectory control.   I have 3 distances per club, easy, standard and hard. 

 

Last weekend I faced 102yd to front-middle pin, and deep big front bunker cover was 81yds.  I opted for 52' and the hard yardage swing.  My ball landed just past the pin 105ish and spun back pin high.  I hit it as hard as I could, it was pur-dee too.  Nobody else went for that pin.

 

I knew I couldn't reach the back green edge with 52, and knew spin back wouldn't reach the bunker, it was the best choice.  PW would easily reach back edge or way too long.  LW is easy 75, normal 85yds, and 100yds long, but spin back is big.  It could have easily spun back into the front bunker.

Edited June 12, 2021 by Pepperturbo

[BallerNate]

1 hour ago, Yoshifan151 said:

I'd say look into the ball you play too, I went from Tour B XS to Tour B X because my gap wedge was spinning shots back off the green, and now I don't have to worry about that but I still have plenty of check around the green. But since you mention height being way too high for your liking then I think the shaft is the main culprit. Just another thing to consider though.

Yeah, good thing to keep in mind for sure. I still lose too many balls to invest in super expensive balls. The ones that have worked best for me are good old Noodle Long & Soft, and TaylorMade V3 Speed.
 

Eventually I’ll get to the point where I’ll be more advanced with ball selection, but not there yet. I agree that it’s mostly a swing issue and shaft issue right now overall.

[Jc0]

6 minutes ago, BallerNate said:

Are you saying don’t drop the 50* or don’t adjust my swing?

 

You’re 100% right though, huge difference with standard clubs, +0.50”, +75”, +1”, and +1.5”. I’ve played clubs at all those lengths since I didn’t get a fitting until this year.

 

Don't adjust your swing. You'll play better if your swing is comfortable. 

[BallerNate]

4 minutes ago, Pepperturbo said:

For me its about distance, spin and trajectory control.   I have 3 distances per club, easy, standard and hard. 

 

Last weekend I faced 102yd to front-middle pin, and deep big front bunker cover was 81yds.  I opted for 52' and the hard yardage swing.  My ball landed just past the pin 105ish and spun back pin high.  I hit it as hard as I could, it was pur-dee too.  Nobody else went for that pin.

 

I knew I couldn't reach the back green edge with 52, and new spin back wouldn't reach the green, it was the best choice.  PW would easily reach back edge or more.  LW is easy 75, normal 85yds, and 100yds long, but spin back is big.  It could have easily spun back into the front bunker.

Sounds amazing!! 😍😍

 

My wedge game is nowhere near that advanced…but look forward to getting there eventually!! 

[Pepperturbo]

2 minutes ago, BallerNate said:

My wedge game is nowhere near that advanced…but look forward to getting there eventually!! 

It says you're a "6."  That's pretty damn good, and without a strong wedge game???   I am hovering 4, with a low of 2 a few years back.  Except I have intermittent days like last weekend, when I walk off 2 birdies and EVEN Par ... Love those.

[BallerNate]

2 minutes ago, Jc0 said:

 

Don't adjust your swing. You'll play better if your swing is comfortable. 

For sure! I should’ve added that I came back to golf last June after over 10 yrs away from the game. So really my swing is still a work in progress and it’s getting better with every practice session and every round.

 

I made a ton of progress from June-November last year, but Winter, Lockdowns, and turning over my whole bag had me starting from scratch this season pretty much.

 

Had some breakthrough rounds last Fall where I shot a 69, 71, and 72, but haven’t broken 90 yet this season. It’s coming though little-by-little, and more breakthrough rounds will be coming up soon!

[joostin]

For me, not much in the shaft... the wedges can spin full shots too much regardless.  For this reason I'll usually favor a partial/knockdown GW vs a full SW (and knockdown SW vs full LW), unless I really want the spin. 

 

It's part of why I like a set GW over a specialty one - no extra milling on the face or sharp grooves.  It can still hit high and spin too much, but it's easier for me to hit full and knockdowns without ripping back too much vs past specialty GWs that seemed to come up short.  Also I figure Tiger's PW loft is basically a set GW - not that we have similar short games 🙂.  I'll take the spin on the SW and LW though for partials and pitches, but GW, nah.

[BallerNate]

5 minutes ago, Pepperturbo said:

It says you're a "6."  That's pretty damn good, and without a strong wedge game???   I am hovering 4, with a low of 2 a few years back.  Except I have intermittent days like last weekend, when I walk off 2 birdies and EVEN Par ... Love those.

Yeah, my wedge game is my weakest area for sure, and the area I spent the most time over the Winter/Spring.

 

Last season I was above average off the Tee and on the green, but my iron and wedge game is where I need to get more consistent.

 

My goal for this season is to get to scratch. Long way from that right now with a ton of rust and getting used to all new equipment, but I’ll get there!

[BallerNate]

7 minutes ago, joostin said:

For me, not much in the shaft... the wedges can spin full shots too much regardless.  For this reason I'll usually favor a partial/knockdown GW vs a full SW (and knockdown SW vs full LW), unless I really want the spin. 

 

It's part of why I like a set GW over a specialty one - no extra milling on the face or sharp grooves.  It can still hit high and spin too much, but it's easier for me to hit full and knockdowns without ripping back too much vs past specialty GWs that seemed to come up short.  Also I figure Tiger's PW loft is basically a set GW - not that we have similar short games 🙂.  I'll take the spin on the SW and LW though for partials and pitches, but GW, nah.

I agree 100%! Much prefer my set PW to the Zipcore GW. My next set I’ll get the set GW for sure if it’s available.

 

That’s part of why I’d have no problem dropping the 50*…I have much more success with partial PW shots and much better control.

[BallerNate]

Deleted

Edited June 14, 2021 by BallerNate

[AP76]

On 6/12/2021 at 12:47 AM, BallerNate said:

I know everyone always talks about the wedges with the highest spin rates, but just wanted to ask you guys if there are any wedges that are designed to be lower spin?

 

I’ve found that I’m a high spin player, and my current RTX Zipcore wedges in 50-54-58 Mid with DG Spinner shafts are spinning too much and launching too high which is causing me to lose a lot of distance with each of those clubs compared to my previous TM Milled Grind’s.

 

Is that something that is mainly addressed with changing shafts, or are there heads that are lower spin?

I must say I like the spinner shafts in the zipcores although I mostly play 3/4 shots with them and prefer to knock the flight down a bit. I think they feel great but we all have different swings/techniques. Hope you get to the bottom of it as they are lovely wedges 👌🏼

[BallerNate]

3 hours ago, AP76 said:

I must say I like the spinner shafts in the zipcores although I mostly play 3/4 shots with them and prefer to knock the flight down a bit. I think they feel great but we all have different swings/techniques. Hope you get to the bottom of it as they are lovely wedges 👌🏼

Thanks. Yeah I agree the Zipcores I have with the Spinner shafts (54-58) feel much better than the one I have with the S400 shaft (50). The feel and control on partial shots with the Zipcores and the Spinner are fantastic for sure.

 

I agree with what most people said on this thread that it’s probably likely that it’s a technique issue and I have to keep working on getting the spin and trajectory down. I think I’ll probably end up just going with the PW-54-58 when I’m carrying my bag, or picking up another 52* w/ DG Spinner and go PW-52-58. Had a 52* Zipcore and sold it to go all-in on the 50-54-58 setup…another lesson learned.

[markheardjr]

If you're launching & spinning wedge shafts too high, congrats, you've learned how to release and whip the wedge through impact and hit a high soft lob-ish shot. Keeping your speed generation through impact is key to getting up and down from thick rough, bunkers, shortsided scrambling or steep lie angle shots.

 

Now, that is only 1/2 of a wedge game.  Now you need to learn how to lead with the back of your left hand through impact, no release, to flight it down and get more distance. (Assuming you're right handed) if you need less spin, use a longer club and swing slower. Keep the back of the left wrist pointed towards the target. And Instead of a held off 56° from 80y, learn to hit a 50% PW from the same distance. Choking up on the grip 1" at a time can help dial in distances also. then play with where in the stance the ball is.  High shots go more forward. Lower shots go more backwards. But always accelerating through the ball!

 

Too many amateurs trying to help the ball get elevated, or try to slide under the ball, and their left hand is pointed up at impact. This adds spin loft to a club which already has a ton of loft, and has milled grooves for extra spin. So its spin on spin on spin and high.  Get that low flat attack, with a shorter backswing, and use less loft. You'll round out your shortgame and start noticing when to hit the high flop to short sided pins and when to hit the low bump n run to the back pins over the ridge. Those will cut out bogeys when you flop one short into the upslope on the green leaving a longer putt to save par.

[BallerNate]

17 minutes ago, markheardjr said:

If you're launching & spinning wedge shafts too high, congrats, you've learned how to release and whip the wedge through impact and hit a high soft lob-ish shot. Keeping your speed generation through impact is key to getting up and down from thick rough, bunkers, shortsided scrambling or steep lie angle shots.

 

Now, that is only 1/2 of a wedge game.  Now you need to learn how to lead with the back of your left hand through impact, no release, to flight it down and get more distance. (Assuming you're right handed) if you need less spin, use a longer club and swing slower. Keep the back of the left wrist pointed towards the target. And Instead of a held off 56° from 80y, learn to hit a 50% PW from the same distance. Choking up on the grip 1" at a time can help dial in distances also. then play with where in the stance the ball is.  High shots go more forward. Lower shots go more backwards. But always accelerating through the ball!

 

Too many amateurs trying to help the ball get elevated, or try to slide under the ball, and their left hand is pointed up at impact. This adds spin loft to a club which already has a ton of loft, and has milled grooves for extra spin. So its spin on spin on spin and high.  Get that low flat attack, with a shorter backswing, and use less loft. You'll round out your shortgame and start noticing when to hit the high flop to short sided pins and when to hit the low bump n run to the back pins over the ridge. Those will cut out bogeys when you flop one short into the upslope on the green leaving a longer putt to save par.

Great stuff, thanks for the tips! Yeah, my short game is the weakest part of my game and everything you mentioned are parts of my game that are under construction.

 

Distance, spin, and, trajectory control are the biggest struggle for me, and that’s where I’ve been spending most

of my time over the Winter and Spring. For sure that’s the area I can cut the most strokes and see the biggest improvement in my game…coming together little-by-little.

[Hack Daddy]

You're delofting and coming in steep. Small divots don't mean you are shallow or sweeping; it just means you didn't go any further past the ball. 

 

Learn to stop rotating your wrists at impact, which is delofting your club. Easy quick fix is to open the face a little bit. At 6'3" your swing plane is going to be steep (I'm 6'2"+). You have to stop delofting the face.

[BallerNate]

7 hours ago, Hack Daddy said:

You're delofting and coming in steep. Small divots don't mean you are shallow or sweeping; it just means you didn't go any further past the ball. 

 

Learn to stop rotating your wrists at impact, which is delofting your club. Easy quick fix is to open the face a little bit. At 6'3" your swing plane is going to be steep (I'm 6'2"+). You have to stop delofting the face.

Yeah you’re right, I’ve been de-lofting too much lately to ensure solid contact. I’m actually 6’7, and my swing is still a work in progress. 
 

Consistent control of loft and spin are definitely something I’m learning, especially with all new irons and wedges. It’s coming though.

[bvanlieu]

I think people get too wrapped up in shaft marketing. Unless the shaft is drastically effecting your delivery, this is technique Ballernate as discussed and to a lesser extent the club design.

 

I am not suggesting a spinner shaft doesn't work: but its not adding thousands of RPM, few hundred at best. 

 

Low strikes on the head (so it doesn't roll up) and shallowing of strike can produce very good spinning and penetrating 100y or less wedge shots. If you are fast, then working the partial swings to hit a number helps as speed is speed and speed will always produce launch and spin. 

 

For reference, I have had 4 different shafts in my wedges, and have settled more on feel with 10g heavier but similar family as my iron shafts for 50/56 which I will hit full shots. My 60 is a PM Grind which as a head is known to elevate the ball a bit more (I have a 60g miura for example that launches lower) and rarely do I hit full shots with it. I go with a heavier shaft for basic feel but honestly its so subtle that the stock KBS was fine with it.

 

If I hit a high wedge shot that lands short, its me being flippy, or hitting higher in the face. I want to blame the club...but no, its me 🙂 

 

 

[BallerNate]

5 hours ago, bvanlieu said:

I think people get too wrapped up in shaft marketing. Unless the shaft is drastically effecting your delivery, this is technique Ballernate as discussed and to a lesser extent the club design.

 

I am not suggesting a spinner shaft doesn't work: but its not adding thousands of RPM, few hundred at best. 

 

Low strikes on the head (so it doesn't roll up) and shallowing of strike can produce very good spinning and penetrating 100y or less wedge shots. If you are fast, then working the partial swings to hit a number helps as speed is speed and speed will always produce launch and spin. 

 

For reference, I have had 4 different shafts in my wedges, and have settled more on feel with 10g heavier but similar family as my iron shafts for 50/56 which I will hit full shots. My 60 is a PM Grind which as a head is known to elevate the ball a bit more (I have a 60g miura for example that launches lower) and rarely do I hit full shots with it. I go with a heavier shaft for basic feel but honestly its so subtle that the stock KBS was fine with it.

 

If I hit a high wedge shot that lands short, its me being flippy, or hitting higher in the face. I want to blame the club...but no, its me 🙂 

 

 

Good to know. Yeah, I’m just learning about differences in shafts and really didn’t know if there were wedges that are lower spin than others.

 

All the feedback I’ve gotten has been really good and it’s good to know that it’s a technique issue. That’s a much cheaper and easier fix than buying new wedges or new shafts, and I’ve had 2 really good practice sessions with all the info/tips I’ve gotten on this thread.