Kisner's wedge set up

[BallerNate]

Over the last 14 months I’ve tried every combination of: 

PW, 52, 56, 60

PW, 50, 54, 58

PW, 52, 60

PW, 52, 58

PW, 52, 56

 

What I’ve found works best for my game is PW, 52, 58 for these reasons:

-52 is much better for partial shots than the 50

-58 is better for full swings than the 60

-Everything I could do with a 50, 54, 56, or 60, I can cover with the 52 or 58

 

Everyone’s games are different though, and all about finding the best fit for you.

Edited August 18, 2021 by BallerNate

[foamhead]

I'm playing 46-52-58. It's key to know how to hit diff yardages i.e. full-half-3/4

[SwingMan]

Whatever works for you, but I would not plan my wedge game around a PGA Player. 

[Mookieb10]

I’ve tried everything from a three wedge setup to a six wedge setup for at least two months. 5 and 6 are unneeded. Here’s what I do. I presume I play a 4 wedge setup, but can switch to 3 based on course and conditions. My 4 wedge setup is 47, 52, 57, 62 and my 3 wedge is 47, 53, 60. 

 

just my opinion, but this would be my decision tree:
 

1) how comfortably do you hit partial shots? If you have low confidence, go with a 4 wedge setup (46, 50, 55, 60 or something like that). If you are comfortable, you can consider 3 wedge setup. 

2) what is the highest lofted club you feel comfortable hitting a full shot with? If the answer is 57 or lower, go with 4 wedge setup, if 58 or higher, you can consider a 3 wedge setup. 

 

3) Will the greens be fast this upcoming round?, ie: greater than 11 on the stimp. If yes, go with 4 wedges. (Personally, I feel like I need a 62 to really get the ball high and simply can’t make a 3 wedge setup with a 62* wedge. 
 

4) would you actually benefit from having an extra club at the top this round??? If no, stick with 4 wedges.  ( I’m headed to ireland next month, all the other conditions are met for me and I think I’ll benefit from a driving iron, so it’s 3 wedges for me.) 

[elwhippy]

8 degrees is a huge gap at the scoring end of the bag. My set up is 45, 50, 54, 58 or 60. Shorter courses so more precision needed. I hope Kisner gets a Ryder Cup selection. 

[dekez]

On 8/16/2021 at 10:22 PM, TigerInTheWoods said:

I think this topic gets slightly over complicated. 
 

At as base level, I think that if you hit the ball a decent way, you’re more likely to use your wedges for scoring much more than your irons. I play my course at 7100 and there are maybe 2 holes I’ll have an iron into the green that isn’t a par 3. If you don’t hit the ball a long way and you usually end up leaving yourself short on your approaches into par 4s, you’re also using your wedges a lot, though likely more in the green side-50 yard range rather than 50-140 range. Obviously these demographics will want different things out of their wedges. 

What you need to do is work out how far you hit your PW and how that gaps with your 9i. I play my PW at 47* and it carries 142 on a good strike. Working backwards I figure out what my clock yardages are And see what I can give up if anything

 

47* - 142 full - 130 3/4 - 120 1/2 
51* - 130 full - 120 3/4 - 105 1/2
55* - 112 full - 100 3/4 - 85 half 

60* - 100 full - 85 3/4 - 70 half 

 

My 55* is by far my most used wedge on approaches so dropping it seems stressful. I have tried playing 3 wedges but it feels like giving up too much. 
 

I think for many ams it’s a better idea is keeping the 4 wedges and dropping your 4 iron for a 22* ish hybrid or utility to improve long club gapping, which is much more difficult to get right and not bunch you. Driver - 3w (or 4w) - 5w (or 7w) - Hybrid or utility - 5-9 - P, G , S, L. 

 

 

 

Boy, it doesn't seem fun to be playing a course where only one or two approaches is with an iron.  Hats off that you can maintain such a low handicap in doing so! +0.1 is in the best of the best category from ANY length!

[Tree Levino]

34 minutes ago, dekez said:

Boy, it doesn't seem fun to be playing a course where only one or two approaches is with an iron.  Hats off that you can maintain such a low handicap in doing so! +0.1 is in the best of the best category from ANY length!

There’s a lot of corners to be cut and we have fast fairways. I hit my driver in the 320 range with roll on a good one. Our longest par 4 is 475 so I’ll usually have an 8 or 9 iron into that hole but otherwise a lot of wedges. Our par 3s are pretty long though. 180, 215, 200, 225. 

[cjblake09]

I go in the opposite direction of most and carry 5 wedges and only either a 3 wood or hybrid at the top of the bag.  I can't rely on hitting a 3 wood off the deck so only really hit it off the tee on a tight course.  If i play my normal courses i carry a 3 hybrid and 5 wedges.  I feel i play better if i try to lay up to a number off a par 5 and then wedge in from there.  Not sure why but my stock PW goes about 130 then i have my Artisan 46(i know same loft) goes 120, my 50 goes 105, my 54 goes 90, and then the 58 for anything under that.  I guess i could play more half shots but i use them all around the green as well depending on the lie i have. 

[Hattie Pants]

5 hours ago, elwhippy said:

8 degrees is a huge gap at the scoring end of the bag. My set up is 45, 50, 54, 58 or 60. Shorter courses so more precision needed. I hope Kisner gets a Ryder Cup selection. 

See but that’s the thing, the loft gap is irrelevant, only how consistently you can produce a number with an acceptable trajectory. 
 

I used to play almost the same setup as you, 46, 50, 54 and 60. The 60 was a low bounce option for around the green, but useless on approach shots 25-75 yds. Had trouble hitting 54 short enough so that made anything under 80 yds really dicey. Then I had 3 wedges essentially that I could hit 100-125, overkill. 
 

Replacing the low bounce 60 with an S grind 58 did 2 things. 1, because it doesn’t dig like crazy can now use just the 58 all the way out to 100 and 2, I don’t try stupid flop shots around the green just because I had a 4 bounce 60. 
 

PW comfortable down to 120 so now there’s only a gap from 100-120, and I sure don’t need 2 wedges for that. Toyed with adding an m grind 62, but then I’d just try stupid shots again. 

[granata10]

I have been 46, 50, 54, 60 (I go back and forth between 58 and 60, both work)  for years and I love it.  Could I use a 3 wedge system, probably but having 4 wedges gives me so much versatility.  The slight overlap in yardages lets me flight or take spin off the ball as needed.  For example if I am 100 - 105 I can hit my 50 low not a lot of spin or my 54 with a lot of spin.  I have this option with every wedge and love it.

Edited August 18, 2021 by granata10

[MountainKing]

Not really sure most people here should be looking at what the tour guys are doing in their bags or wedge setup.  Those guys can spend hours on end to dial in their setup and are capable of manicuring around any possible gaps they have.  Most of us should be taking the simplest route possible in making sure yardage gaps are appropriately covered. 

[Cliffy2020]

22 hours ago, Hattie Pants said:

PW is full 135 down to flighted 120

52 is full 120 down to flighted 100

58 is full 100 on down.

 

 

Similarly with the caveat “full” does not mean 100% it’s more like ~85%

 

PW - full 135 / flighted 120

51 - full 120 / flighted 100

55 - full 100 / flighted 75

60- full 75 and any partials on down

[Golly]

Had 46.5/54/58 for several years before I changed to my current  set where the pw is 47, gap 52 and lob 58. Both configurations worked well, although I tend to use the 58 a lot more on short approach than I did when I had 54 in the bag. I've found the 52 is seldom used, but still nice to have the option if needed.

Come to think of it I would be quite happy with just 48/56. Found 60 to be utterly worthless. What I can do with 60 I can do with a 56 no problem.

[NRJyzr]

This question comes up frequently, and the answers are always the same.  While this is a gross generalization, it can be said there are two camps:

 

Camp #1:  I hit my wedges with full shots and prefer to gap them as I would irons

Camp #2:  I don't hit full shots with my wedges, and prefer to play partial shots with fewer clubs

 

I belong to camp #2, preferring fewer wedges and hitting partial shots for everything once I get inside full PW distance (have played 52-58 on top of 47* PW, and 55-60 on top of 49* PW). 

 

I also recognize not everyone can do that, or wants to do that, and may play the game differently.

 

Golf is very much *not* one size fits all.  

 

Edited August 18, 2021 by NRJyzr

[Mike_C]

15 hours ago, Hawkeye77 said:

Kind of the same old thing - whatever works for you.

 

46-50-54-58 here.  Each has their uses, wouldn't ditch any of them.  Top of the bag is driver, 3w, 5w, 24 degree hybrid, 27 degree hybrid, then 6i.

 

I'm not gaining anything scoring wise with another club covering anywhere from 180 - 235 that my woods and hybrids don't already cover well enough.  

 

Close to what I have, but my "50" is a 52 bent strong and flat, for some reason just feels right that way.   My gapping is kind of strange, 46  is about 135 yards , 50/52 is about 120ish, 54 about 100+, 58 is 90 max....but I am very comfortable hitting 3/4 shots with pretty much all of them, and really don't like swinging hard with wedges, the 46 is the only one I will consistently take a full swing with and feel good about it. 

[DLiver]

45º, "50º", 54º, 58º. This gives me more options where I need them (closer to the hole). Longer than 145 or so, I'm mostly aiming for the fat part of the green. Adding a club at the top of the bag isn't going to improve my scores one bit.

 

I put the 50º in quotes because I can't recall the actual loft. I bent it to fill a gap--it may be 48º or 49º.

[azgreg]

I envy you guys who can pull off full swing wedges. I'm 50/50 on ballooning a full wedge.

 

[jt2gt]

3 hours ago, Golly said:

Had 46.5/54/58 for several years before I changed to my current  set where the pw is 47, gap 52 and lob 58. Both configurations worked well, although I tend to use the 58 a lot more on short approach than I did when I had 54 in the bag. I've found the 52 is seldom used, but still nice to have the option if needed.

Come to think of it I would be quite happy with just 48/56. Found 60 to be utterly worthless. What I can do with 60 I can do with a 56 no problem.

Agree, I can slide under, decel and leave short a 56 or 58 just as easily as a 60. 😁

[Tdsjfb]

On 8/17/2021 at 11:34 AM, animalgolfs said:

This right here....more yardage shots from 50* than  52*

It is bizarre that 100-110 shots happen 4/5 a round. For me, that's the 50.

[Tdsjfb]

The other thing is that I like the F grind. So I've gone 46F (turned down to 45), 50F to 49, 52F weakened to 53, then 58. I like this setup.

[animalgolfs]

2 hours ago, azgreg said:

I envy you guys who can pull off full swing wedges. I'm 50/50 on ballooning a full wedge.

 

 

Not giving advice- hopefully it's a refresher 

 

[bogeypro]

Most people carry too many wedges and don't practice enough.  So, why waste so much money on wedges?  Simplify simplify simplify.  Carry a pitch and maybe 2 others... A lower lofted wedge like 50 or 52.  Then, a higher lofted wedge around 56 or 58.  Done.  That should cover anything you need in the bottom of the bag.  Get more hybrids or woods.  

[TLUBulldogGolf]

I have played PW (47* typically)-54-60 for years but I am transitioning to 47-52-56-60. I just need to find a 3 iron I can nuke off the tee and land on a green when needed. If you are good with partial shots with the PW there is nothing wrong with the 3 wedge, I just find myself in too many situations where I'm either having to take way too much off or trying to nuke a wedge which I hate. 

[Golly]

1 hour ago, jt2gt said:

Agree, I can slide under, decel and leave short a 56 or 58 just as easily as a 60. 😁

He he easy peasy. 

One of my regular game partners is a plus handicap said he would kill for my wedge game. In response I said learn to hit 3/4, 1/2 and 1/4 wedge shots. Basically instead of full bore lob wedge, dink a 1/4 pitch or half lob wedge. You'd be surprised how much more you can control the trajectory and spin with these type of shots. This said it takes a lot of practice and doesn't happen overnight.

 

[dekez]

11 hours ago, TigerInTheWoods said:

There’s a lot of corners to be cut and we have fast fairways. I hit my driver in the 320 range with roll on a good one. Our longest par 4 is 475 so I’ll usually have an 8 or 9 iron into that hole but otherwise a lot of wedges. Our par 3s are pretty long though. 180, 215, 200, 225. 

I misunderstood completely. I read your initial post like you were hitting fairway woods and hybrids into every green.

[brew4eagle]

I simplified many years ago and now carry 52 and 58.  I can hit each full, 3/4, and 1/2.  Never do I find myself at a yardage where I feel another wedge would help.

 

Lately I've extended that to my irons and only carry 5i, 7i and 9i but that's a different topic altogether. 

[JosephNewton293]

I have a 49* gap wedge that matches my set (Mizuno Hot Metals). After that the only wedge I play is a 56* that is very versatile. After watching Sei Young Kim clean house on the LPGA with only a 56* I opted out of the excessive wedge game and put a hybrid in the bag. 

[cgallery]

For all the 3 wedge users out there.. what grind/loft set up you have? Thinking about going 46/52/60 this year

[mgoblue83]

2 hours ago, cgallery said:

For all the 3 wedge users out there.. what grind/loft set up you have? Thinking about going 46/52/60 this year

 

Similar to this question.

 

My set PW is 46 degrees and I'm thinking about going 52/58 this year (adding a hybrid to the bag). What grinds and bounce is recommended for the 52/58. Thanks.

[animalgolfs]

5 hours ago, cgallery said:

For all the 3 wedge users out there.. what grind/loft set up you have? Thinking about going 46/52/60 this year

 

2 hours ago, mgoblue83 said:

 

Similar to this question.

 

My set PW is 46 degrees and I'm thinking about going 52/58 this year (adding a hybrid to the bag). What grinds and bounce is recommended for the 52/58. Thanks.

IMO this is strictly individual preference & course conditions 

 

I always want a rolled leading edge on my 52 - as it's my main club for chip/pitches greenside. I want heel relief & backside trailing edge relief on my 58 as I generally want to open up the 58 & get some type of check - I'm trying to pick the ball

 

Again this should be an individual decision for your own game. I played Eye 2+ SW & Eye 2 SW for years....I generally played the Eye 2 sw squared faced - so it's strictly individual 

Edited January 12, 2022 by animalgolfs