My gap wedge is superfluous!!!

[harlequine]

I have in my current set of irons a set gap wedge at 48* and in my old set i played a 49* set gap wedge. I am a shorthitter and i found out l never use my gw. Usually a have 7-9 iron on approach shots and occationly a pw will work. My pw is 43* and l think for me a pw at 43-45 is enough before l go to my 54 sw. Anyone else with this experience? These days l see a lot of threads debating the evil strongloft conspiracy that makes the need for more wedges. But for me a pw at 45* is perfect and my gapping in the short end simplifies my game…so bye bye dear gw…

[North Butte]

My driver is supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious. 
 

Sorry, baby boomer humor. 

[NoTalentLefty]

21 minutes ago, harlequine said:

I have in my current set of irons a set gap wedge at 48* and in my old set i played a 49* set gap wedge. I am a shorthitter and i found out l never use my gw. Usually a have 7-9 iron on approach shots and occationly a pw will work. My pw is 43* and l think for me a pw at 43-45 is enough before l go to my 54 sw. Anyone else with this experience? These days l see a lot of threads debating the evil strongloft conspiracy that makes the need for more wedges. But for me a pw at 45* is perfect and my gapping in the short end simplifies my game…so bye bye dear gw…

Not yet but the day is approaching 

[harlequine]

3 minutes ago, NoTalentLefty said:

Not yet but the day is approaching 

Are you a short or long hitter??? My guess is short hitters are more likely in the no need for gw camp…

[lefthack]

I used to not have a gap wedge but now my gap is used for most chipping duties other than sand or heavy rough. It's my low bounce wedge and not a full swing club.

[AC in TX]

I am a short hitter and I use my gap wedge for full swings (95 to 100 yards) and for greenside chipping ...

[acemandrake]

Welcome to the world of the shorter hitting, senior golfer.

 

Your gap wedge idea is a good one & it is only the beginning of identifying & culling other superfluous clubs as swing speed declines.

 

It's just the natural order of things in the golf world.  All golfers experience this if they play long enough.  

[tagermo]

Love my gap wedge ! Truly fills the gap between my Pitching  wedge and my Sand Wedge. Primary use is for chipping also great on long bunker shots as I can hit it and let it release to the pin. The Srixon ZX-5 with the beveled sole grind is a fantastic bunker club and great in cutting thru heavy rough. 

[Jmccas]

I love my Ping Glide 3.0 Gap wedge 50*. Pairs well with my 44* degree wedge. Not a long hitter. 

[North Butte]

I play Callaway irons and my favorite club has a “A” on it. Which is such a ripoff. If I hit a good shot and somebody says, “Great shot, what club was that?” I have to say “That was my A wedge”. Huh???

[kiwihacker]

1 hour ago, acemandrake said:

Welcome to the world of the shorter hitting, senior golfer.

 

Your gap wedge idea is a good one & it is only the beginning of identifying & culling other superfluous clubs as swing speed declines.

 

It's just the natural order of things in the golf world.  All golfers experience this if they play long enough.  

Not sure I agree with the gist of this post. My 80 year old Dad bought the T300 irons and didn't think he needed the 48° wedge but is glad he did get it. He reckons it is the most used club in the bag especially chipping around the green. YMMV of course but I don't think you can generalise that older golfers/shorter hitters don't need a gap wedge. 

[kiwihacker]

11 minutes ago, North Butte said:

I play Callaway irons and my favorite club has a “A” on it. Which is such a ripoff. If I hit a good shot and somebody says, “Great shot, what club was that?” I have to say “That was my A wedge”. Huh???

Just brag that you hit your 'attack' wedge and used it to attack the pin. 

[North Butte]

Just now, kiwihacker said:

Just brag that you hit your 'attack' wedge and used it to attack the pin. 

That sounds good. I am a rather manly and aggressive fellow🤬

[kiwihacker]

1 minute ago, North Butte said:

That sounds good. I am a rather manly and aggressive fellow🤬

When they look quizzically at you follow up with "You don't have an attack wedge? I wouldn't be without my attack wedge!" 

[Spankapotamus redux]

I haven't hit my gap wedge in several months. PW or 52. It's a pretty big gap degree wise between those two, but on the course, I can hit a 3/4 PW or step on the 52 to achieve the same as I would with the GW. Depends on how quickly I need it to stop.

[kiwihacker]

Gap wedge has always been a valuable club for me but I'm generally talking about a 51-52° when I played a 47° PW. I've recently upgraded to the ZX5 irons with a 44° PW. I've added a 50° CBX 2 but I'm finding the majority of my chipping duties around the green are with my 54° wedge. I still rely on the 50° to fill a vital distance gap and also as a chipping club for the stronger loft when more of a bump n run type shot is required. 

[flip flappy]

I love my gap wedge so much that I use two of them. I have Ping ie1 irons and they call it a U or utility wedge. It's 50 degrees and use it for around 125 yards. I have a Cleveland 52 degree that I hit 115. 

I also just purchased a lightly used set of Mizuno MP 60's in 3-PW. I have got to figure out the yardages in these to see what will work. 

PS, I had to look up the word superfluous. 

[lil'mike]

I am not a long hitter but use my gap wedge 49 degree that matches my set alot for full swings around the 100 yd mark and in until a getting the yardage of my only other wedge at 57 degree!  

 

I do have a 52/56 set but rarely bag them.

 

Edited August 2, 2021 by lil'mike

[Honeybadger]

What does it matter what’s stamped on the bottom? My “new” set of Apex 19’s (combo) the PW is the same loft as my old 9 iron- am I really carrying 4 wedges? Go with 4 or maybe 5 degrees difference in lofts and forget what’s stamped on the bottom. 

[BogeyParBogey]

I'm a short hitter and find the same result.  When I hit a good drive it is going about 220 right now.  I'm playing Maltby TE forged bent 1 degree weak so the gap wedge is 52 degrees.  I hit it about 85 yards.

 

There are not many holes that need the 85 yard shot.  Not par 3s.  The only chance on a par 4 is if i duff the drive or approach on a longer par 4.  Par 5s maybe, but has not happened lately.

 

Dave

[ChipNRun]

Two prior sets of irons both had 46* PWs.

 

The first set I also had 50-54-58 wedges. In a couple of my wedge matrix cells, the 46* and 50* had pretty close overlap. And for greenside pitches and chips they were interchangeable.

 

So, when I decided to replace wedges, I went with 48-54-60. (Note: 60 got swapped out for 58* after one season; see below).

 

Only problem: I've ended up with ~ 20-yd. gap between 9i and "composite" 48* wedge. I may go back to 4 wedges: gripping down on 9i doesn't always give good yardage on long end of the gap.

[bazinky]

I'm not a terribly short hitter, but I am probably the shortest hitter in my handicap range (sub 5) at my club. My swing speed has declined over the last couple of years due to age and some injuries and I was rarely using my gap wedge at 54 degrees. Recently went to 6 degree gaps for my wedges (playing 46, 52, and 58 now) and really like it. 

 

Don't be afraid to go against the grain to find the set-up that works for you!

 

 

[Justsomeguy]

I use mine tons. Short hitter playing from longer tees. Long par 4s I'm often 100-110 short after my approach. Boom. 48* aw. God forbid I mishit the 1 or fairway wood.

[harlequine]

6 hours ago, flip flappy said:

PS, I had to look up the word superfluous. 

I am from Sweden so maybe there is a better word, could obsolete work???😎

[harlequine]

4 hours ago, bazinky said:

I'm not a terribly short hitter, but I am probably the shortest hitter in my handicap range (sub 5) at my club. My swing speed has declined over the last couple of years due to age and some injuries and I was rarely using my gap wedge at 54 degrees. Recently went to 6 degree gaps for my wedges (playing 46, 52, and 58 now) and really like it. 

 

Don't be afraid to go against the grain to find the set-up that works for you!

 

 

For me a gap wedge is in the 48-52 range and then sw 54-56. I have tried 52 and 58 and l like that combo!

[kiwihacker]

1 hour ago, harlequine said:

I am from Sweden so maybe there is a better word, could obsolete work???😎

No your use of the word superfluous in this context is perfect. 👌

[Mookieb10]

2 hours ago, harlequine said:

I am from Sweden so maybe there is a better word, could obsolete work???😎

Nope. Obsolete would work but superfluous is perfect im this instance. 

[larryd3]

I'm in this category and I use my gap wedge quite a bit for around 100-105 but the club I'm not using is my 54* wedge.  I use my 58 for full shots and around the green, bunkers, etc.  the 54 I've probably used maybe once in the last 3 rounds.  

[betarhoalphadelta]

11 hours ago, Honeybadger said:

What does it matter what’s stamped on the bottom? My “new” set of Apex 19’s (combo) the PW is the same loft as my old 9 iron- am I really carrying 4 wedges? Go with 4 or maybe 5 degrees difference in lofts and forget what’s stamped on the bottom. 

 

Exactly. I'm carrying 5 wedges. PW at 44, GW at 48, and then 52, 56, 60. Am I really carrying 5 "wedges"?

 

No, because the clubs marked PW and GW are used basically as "irons" for full swings at the appropriate yardage gaps below the club stamped 9 (40*). My wedges, meaning the clubs that see partial swings and most around-the-green work, are the 52/56/60, so I'm really only carrying three clubs that see typical "wedge" usage. 

[vancouver81]

15 hours ago, Jmccas said:

I love my Ping Glide 3.0 Gap wedge 50*. Pairs well with my 44* degree wedge. Not a long hitter. 

Same here. Love it for full-ish shots (125 or so) and bump and runs around the green. SS in AWT wedge shaft.