Playing 5 wedges with strong lofted players distance irons

[Wilko6]

I have unique numbers and therefore a bit of a quirky bag setup. As you can see below, I have a relatively steep attack angle and if you look at my dynamic loft I am taking around 11.5 degrees of loft off my 7 iron (7 iron loft of 30.5) with a lot of forward shaft lean. This realistically means my 7 iron becomes more like a 5 iron.

I've recently completed a fitting and have a bit of a dilemma.

Here is my current setup:
Ping g425 (9 degrees) - 260m carry
Titleist TSR 5 wood - 220m carry
Titleist TSR 4 hybrid - 200m carry
Srixon ZX5 MKII 5i-Pw - 5iron carry 190, 6-180, 7-170, 8-160, 9-150, PW-140
Vokey SM6 50 degree - 110m carry
Vokey SM6 56 degree - 90m carry
Vokey SM6 60 degree - 75m carry

I love my new Srixon ZX5 irons, the blend of forgiveness, distance and workability they provide, but given my dynamic loft numbers I am left with a large gap between p wedge and my 50 degree. I have hesitated in going with the srixon zx5 gap wedge as I enjoy the workability and versatility of vokey wedges or any wedges seperate to iron sets as I have always felt set gap wedges are a bit too hot.

With a 30m gap between my srixon p wedge and my 50 degree, i am thinking i should put a 46 degree vokey wedge in the bag, which means i would be playing 5 wedges.
44 degree P, 46 vokey, 50 vokey, 56 vokey and 60 vokey. I expect the 46 vokey to carry around 120-125 and bridge the gap between p and 50 a little more.

I have had lots of issues in the past with 115-125m shots as it means i am having to either muscle a 50 or grip right down on a PW.

What are everyones thoughts?

[dabohammer]

I carry 5 wedges and get some odd looks, but it works for me. Here's my setup and arccos distances:

 

Rogue ST Max Driver Ventus TR Blue 6S - 270

Rogue ST 3HL Ventus Blue 7S - 240

T100S w/ Accra iseries 115:

4-205

5-190

6-175

7-162

8-151

9-141

P-125

G(48)-116

Vokey SM9s w/ Accra iseries 115:

52-108

56-90

60-80

 

As you can see I still have a largish gap between 52 and 56. The gap between 3W and 4i is fine because my course has pretty lengthy par 5's. So it's either a full attack mode or layup either way. The only club i'm considering swapping is the 4 iron because it's turned into a little bit of a pull machine, so i'm going to experiment with a 7 wood but it will probably have too much carry. I could probably get down to 4 wedges by going PW, 50*, 56*, 60*, but I don't feel like building another wedge right now.

[Cactus Jack]

I added a wedge and dropped my 5 iron, which was rarely used. Also, I bent my 4 1* weak to close the gap to the 6, but I’m not overly concerned with gapping at 200 yards as I am at 100 yards. 

[LoopySwing13]

As long as it fits your needs, do it. If it’s easier, just think of your wedges as “irons” as well, just an extension to get the yardages you need. 
 

The only concern I would have, which you alluded to, is whether to use a set wedge or a “vokey style.” If you are looking at the many lofts I would prefer to match with a vokey as you said.

Edited May 30, 2023 by LoopySwing13

[MountainKing]

Probably not a popular opinion, but I would mess with the lofts to get the gappings you need.

[North Butte]

44 minutes ago, Wilko6 said:

I have unique numbers and therefore a bit of a quirky bag setup. As you can see below, I have a relatively steep attack angle and if you look at my dynamic loft I am taking around 11.5 degrees of loft off my 7 iron (7 iron loft of 30.5) with a lot of forward shaft lean. This realistically means my 7 iron becomes more like a 5 iron.

I've recently completed a fitting and have a bit of a dilemma.

Here is my current setup:
Ping g425 (9 degrees) - 260m carry
Titleist TSR 5 wood - 220m carry
Titleist TSR 4 hybrid - 200m carry
Srixon ZX5 MKII 5i-Pw - 5iron carry 190, 6-180, 7-170, 8-160, 9-150, PW-140
Vokey SM6 50 degree - 110m carry
Vokey SM6 56 degree - 90m carry
Vokey SM6 60 degree - 75m carry

I love my new Srixon ZX5 irons, the blend of forgiveness, distance and workability they provide, but given my dynamic loft numbers I am left with a large gap between p wedge and my 50 degree. I have hesitated in going with the srixon zx5 gap wedge as I enjoy the workability and versatility of vokey wedges or any wedges seperate to iron sets as I have always felt set gap wedges are a bit too hot.

With a 30m gap between my srixon p wedge and my 50 degree, i am thinking i should put a 46 degree vokey wedge in the bag, which means i would be playing 5 wedges.
44 degree P, 46 vokey, 50 vokey, 56 vokey and 60 vokey. I expect the 46 vokey to carry around 120-125 and bridge the gap between p and 50 a little more.

I have had lots of issues in the past with 115-125m shots as it means i am having to either muscle a 50 or grip right down on a PW.

What are everyones thoughts?

There has to be some better way to deal with your gapping, rather than carry two Vokey wedges differing only by a couple degrees of loft, 44 vs 46. If you really need to start at 44, then go 44/48/52/56/60 or even 44/50/56/62 for a 4-Vokey solution. 

[North Butte]

30 minutes ago, dabohammer said:

I carry 5 wedges and get some odd looks, but it works for me. Here's my setup and arccos distances:

 

Rogue ST Max Driver Ventus TR Blue 6S - 270

Rogue ST 3HL Ventus Blue 7S - 240

T100S w/ Accra iseries 115:

4-205

5-190

6-175

7-162

8-151

9-141

P-125

G(48)-116

Vokey SM9s w/ Accra iseries 115:

52-108

56-90

60-80

 

As you can see I still have a largish gap between 52 and 56. The gap between 3W and 4i is fine because my course has pretty lengthy par 5's. So it's either a full attack mode or layup either way. The only club i'm considering swapping is the 4 iron because it's turned into a little bit of a pull machine, so i'm going to experiment with a 7 wood but it will probably have too much carry. I could probably get down to 4 wedges by going PW, 50*, 56*, 60*, but I don't feel like building another wedge right now.

I would not consider your set up to have but three wedges. The P and 48* clubs have iron clubheads and iron shafts. To me those are just high lofted irons. 
 

[Fuscinator]

You could swap that 50° for a 51°, or 52°, then add a 47°, or 48° (your PW is at 44°).

[RoyalMustang]

I love the feel of the Cleveland RTX4; they are forged wedges. Depending on my set, I will carry a 60 (shots around the green/SW), 54 (40-115 yards/sand/shots around the green), 50 (95-130, depending on situation), 48 (105-135), and 46 (110-140). Going 60/54/50/48/46 is overkill, but I wouldn't hesitate to go 60/54/50/47 then space to 43/44 for your "PW". The forged wedges are so much better than any GI/SGI wedge I have used. As I am learning shotmaking (shape/height), I can keep the ball flighted low with spin, or hit it up as necessary. The SGI wedges tend to be more foolproof but only have one shot style and less spin. These things are like throwing darts at the green. 

 

I hit balls at my local park (mostly just a grassy area) with my 48 and work on shots anywhere from 30 yards to full 135 yard swings (depending if others are around, of course). It is really starting to pay off at the course; being able to flight down shorter distances with that forged wedge gets spin way up. I would definitely suggest you add a "scoring" wedge in as your gap wedge. I have the 50 in my bag currently and if I have it in my hand anywhere between 125 and 95 yards, I have that confidence that in my head, I am hitting it to within 12 feet. 

[Jayjay_theweim_guy]

2 hours ago, Wilko6 said:

I have unique numbers and therefore a bit of a quirky bag setup. As you can see below, I have a relatively steep attack angle and if you look at my dynamic loft I am taking around 11.5 degrees of loft off my 7 iron (7 iron loft of 30.5) with a lot of forward shaft lean. This realistically means my 7 iron becomes more like a 5 iron.

I've recently completed a fitting and have a bit of a dilemma.

Here is my current setup:
Ping g425 (9 degrees) - 260m carry
Titleist TSR 5 wood - 220m carry
Titleist TSR 4 hybrid - 200m carry
Srixon ZX5 MKII 5i-Pw - 5iron carry 190, 6-180, 7-170, 8-160, 9-150, PW-140
Vokey SM6 50 degree - 110m carry
Vokey SM6 56 degree - 90m carry
Vokey SM6 60 degree - 75m carry

I love my new Srixon ZX5 irons, the blend of forgiveness, distance and workability they provide, but given my dynamic loft numbers I am left with a large gap between p wedge and my 50 degree. I have hesitated in going with the srixon zx5 gap wedge as I enjoy the workability and versatility of vokey wedges or any wedges seperate to iron sets as I have always felt set gap wedges are a bit too hot.

With a 30m gap between my srixon p wedge and my 50 degree, i am thinking i should put a 46 degree vokey wedge in the bag, which means i would be playing 5 wedges.
44 degree P, 46 vokey, 50 vokey, 56 vokey and 60 vokey. I expect the 46 vokey to carry around 120-125 and bridge the gap between p and 50 a little more.

I have had lots of issues in the past with 115-125m shots as it means i am having to either muscle a 50 or grip right down on a PW.

What are everyones thoughts?

I'm guessing there's a reason you don't just bend your 50 to 49 and your 56 to 55?  Your PW is 44; your LW is 60.  48/52/56 works (and is what I do, but I don't use a 60.) 

 

Alternately, bending the 44° PW to 45, then going 50/55/60 seems like a possibility.  Apologies if this is already stated upthread.

[DoughBack18]

I use a 5 wedge setup too and feel that it works pretty well. I have the P70’s and the stock PW in that set is more like a lofted 9 iron, so more of a conventional shot type club. I then bump down to a 46*, which is close in loft but carries about 10 yds shorter due to shaft length and club design. This is a conventional style wedge, so it gives me more versatility for flighting shots, pitches and chips, etc… It is also rare that I use it for a full shot, where I will do so more often with the stock PW. The I have a GW, SW, and LW to round out the 5. 
 

I was on the fence about this initially, but my thought process was that I am scoring more from 135 and in than I am from 215+, so having some slightly larger gaps at the top of the bag isn’t as much of a concern for me. That is a personal preference, skill level, and courses played factor that will be different for everyone. But for the courses and tournaments I play, that setup has worked well.

[Jeff58]

Just an idea.
 

48 degree Cleveland CBX Zipcore with the same shaft as your irons.

 

54 Vokey S at 53

 

58 Vokey M 

[jomatty]

48 degree gap wedge, 54 and then 58 or 60 is the best I have found to deal with this issue.  I tried going 44,48,52,56,60 but it was not worth it when so many wedge shots are partial shots.  Not to me anyways, but ymmv.

[gvogel]

3 hours ago, Wilko6 said:

I have unique numbers and therefore a bit of a quirky bag setup. As you can see below, I have a relatively steep attack angle and if you look at my dynamic loft I am taking around 11.5 degrees of loft off my 7 iron (7 iron loft of 30.5) with a lot of forward shaft lean. This realistically means my 7 iron becomes more like a 5 iron.

I've recently completed a fitting and have a bit of a dilemma.

Here is my current setup:
Ping g425 (9 degrees) - 260m carry
Titleist TSR 5 wood - 220m carry
Titleist TSR 4 hybrid - 200m carry
Srixon ZX5 MKII 5i-Pw - 5iron carry 190, 6-180, 7-170, 8-160, 9-150, PW-140
Vokey SM6 50 degree - 110m carry
Vokey SM6 56 degree - 90m carry
Vokey SM6 60 degree - 75m carry

I love my new Srixon ZX5 irons, the blend of forgiveness, distance and workability they provide, but given my dynamic loft numbers I am left with a large gap between p wedge and my 50 degree. I have hesitated in going with the srixon zx5 gap wedge as I enjoy the workability and versatility of vokey wedges or any wedges seperate to iron sets as I have always felt set gap wedges are a bit too hot.

With a 30m gap between my srixon p wedge and my 50 degree, i am thinking i should put a 46 degree vokey wedge in the bag, which means i would be playing 5 wedges.
44 degree P, 46 vokey, 50 vokey, 56 vokey and 60 vokey. I expect the 46 vokey to carry around 120-125 and bridge the gap between p and 50 a little more.

I have had lots of issues in the past with 115-125m shots as it means i am having to either muscle a 50 or grip right down on a PW.

What are everyones thoughts?

The easy solution is to get the 50* AW in the Srixon ZX 5, and then go 56*, 60* in wedges.  Keep it simpler, and practice with the Srixon 44* and 50*, and perhaps bend one or both a degree to obtain your desired gapping.

[Jeri6gt]

stupid question, but are you using the same shafts for your ZX5s and your Vokeys?

 

that gap between a 44 and a 50 degree club is alot so I am wondering what other factors could be contributing to that.

 

Edited May 30, 2023 by Jeri6gt

[Sean124]

2 hours ago, Jeri6gt said:

stupid question, but are you using the same shafts for your ZX5s and your Vokeys?

 

that gap between a 44 and a 50 degree club is alot so I am wondering what other factors could be contributing to that.

 

A large part of it is likely from the ZX5 PW spinning much less than a Vokey. 

[betarhoalphadelta]

6 hours ago, LoopySwing13 said:

As long as it fits your needs, do it. If it’s easier, just think of your wedges as “irons” as well, just an extension to get the yardages you need. 

 

This is what I do. I have two clubs that are marked as P (44*) and G (48*), but I think of them more as my 10i and 11i. They are full swing clubs, and my three "wedges" at 52/56/60 are more used as specialty wedges and rarely full swings unless I'm a a perfect distance for them. 

 

That said, I'm thinking of having the P bent to 45* and the G to 50*, which are the stock lofts, and dropping the 52*. I rarely use it for partial wedge shots, as the 56* fits for the majority of situations and the low bounce 60* covers the places where I don't want to use a high bounce 56*. If I need to make room at the top of the bag to fill a gap there, I would need to drop the 52*. 

 

[black bnr32]

7 hours ago, Cactus Jack said:

I added a wedge and dropped my 5 iron, which was rarely used. Also, I bent my 4 1* weak to close the gap to the 6, but I’m not overly concerned with gapping at 200 yards as I am at 100 yards. 

This is a good strategy, dropping a 5 iron and adding a wedge or short iron.

[Pepperturbo]

7 hours ago, Wilko6 said:

With a 30m gap between my srixon p wedge and my 50 degree, i am thinking i should put a 46 degree vokey wedge in the bag, which means i would be playing 5 wedges.
44 degree P, 46 vokey, 50 vokey, 56 vokey and 60 vokey. I expect the 46 vokey to carry around 120-125 and bridge the gap between p and 50 a little more.

I have had lots of issues in the past with 115-125m shots as it means i am having to either muscle a 50 or grip right down on a PW.

Did you consider T100s irons???  Gaping problems are frequent on here. 

 

Titleist figured that out and designed T100s irons accordingly.  I have T200 17' 2i & 22' 4i, and T100s 5i-W, + 52 & 58 wedges.  4i at 22' replaced 3i.  PW is 44' and set Wedge is 48'

[Wilko6]

7 hours ago, North Butte said:

There has to be some better way to deal with your gapping, rather than carry two Vokey wedges differing only by a couple degrees of loft, 44 vs 46. If you really need to start at 44, then go 44/48/52/56/60 or even 44/50/56/62 for a 4-Vokey solution. 

Just to be clear, the 44 wouldn’t be a vokey also. The 44 is my Srixon ZX5. And the 2 degree gap between 44 and 46 isn’t really a 2 degree gap. The zx5 PW spins much less and carry’s much further with a hotter face than the the vokey, so that 2 degree gap is more like 4-6. ZX5 44 degree PW carry 140, anticipating 46 degree vokey carry 120-125

[North Butte]

1 minute ago, Wilko6 said:

Just to be clear, the 44 wouldn’t be a vokey also. The 44 is my Srixon ZX5. And the 2 degree gap between 44 and 46 isn’t really a 2 degree gap. The zx5 PW spins much less and carry’s much further with a hotter face than the the vokey, so that 2 degree gap is more like 4-6. ZX5 44 degree PW carry 140, anticipating 46 degree vokey carry 120-125

Got it. That makes sense, I did not understand that from the original post, sorry.

 

I have T300 irons and have found in the past the 48-degree "48*" wedge gaps pretty well with a 50-degree SM8. I'm now using a 52-degree Hi Toe wedge and there is a maybe wider than optimum gap between the 48-degree T300 iron and the 52-degree Hi Toe.

 

[Wilko6]

3 hours ago, Jeri6gt said:

stupid question, but are you using the same shafts for your ZX5s and your Vokeys?

 

that gap between a 44 and a 50 degree club is alot so I am wondering what other factors could be contributing to that.

 

I am using stock “vokey wedge flex” shafts in all my wedges and KBS $-Taper 120 stiff in my irons. Given the ZX5’s are a players distance iron (hot face and low spin rates) mean they carry slightly further than the loft suggests, hence my gapping issue

[Wilko6]

7 hours ago, LoopySwing13 said:

As long as it fits your needs, do it. If it’s easier, just think of your wedges as “irons” as well, just an extension to get the yardages you need. 
 

The only concern I would have, which you alluded to, is whether to use a set wedge or a “vokey style.” If you are looking at the many lofts I would prefer to match with a vokey as you said.

I really like this mentality, as you mention, those 5 wedges would be in play just to get the yardages I need.
 

At the moment I love my 50 degree vokey and the versatility it provides, replacing that with a 50degree ZX5 AW, I feel like I would lose workability, particularly for shots around the green. 

[cmatthews77]

6 hours ago, jomatty said:

48 degree gap wedge, 54 and then 58 or 60 is the best I have found to deal with this issue.  I tried going 44,48,52,56,60 but it was not worth it when so many wedge shots are partial shots.  Not to me anyways, but ymmv.

This is what I was going to recommend also based on OP. Instead of adding a 46. I’d change my wedge setup to 48 then 54 and 58 (or 60). Then you can bend those one degree either way as needed and fit all the gaps. 
 

Not to thread hijack but this is why I hate strong lofted irons. 

[KGrinols]

I often consider that more wedges, makes swapping irons easier and cheaper.

Personally, I don't go through wedges very quickly, I like them and I stick with them.

Irons on the other hand... I always want the new shiny toy.

So if you set your bag up for 5-9 or even 6-9, you can justify buying a new set (5 or 4 clubs) every year and not break the bank. (Relatively)

 

Driver, 2 or 3 long clubs of your preference, 6-9 irons, then a 4 wedge setup.

Now suddenly, every year you can just buy 4 irons of the newest model, for about $800, sell last year's model for 70-75% and you're basically just leasing irons annually for 25%, to always have the latest and greatest.

 

Theoretically of course.

 

Ultimately, how many irons and wedges you use is irrelevant.  Do the clubs go the distances you need, and is your gapping correct for your swing.  No one knows or cares if you use a 45 degree PW or 45 degree Vokey to get to the green.

 

How many people even use set Sand wedges, utility wedges, or approach wedges these days?  I don't pay a lot of attention, but I assume the vast majority of iron sets in people's bags, stop at the PW these days.  So why care where we split the set now or dictate it's okay to stop at PW, but not 9.  Or AW but not SW, etc so on and so forth.

[Arlin964]

21 minutes ago, KGrinols said:

o if you set your bag up for 5-9 or even 6-9, you can justify buying a new set (5 or 4 clubs) every year and not break the bank. (Relatively)

 

Driver, 2 or 3 long clubs of your preference, 6-9 irons, then a 4 wedge setup.

Now suddenly, every year you can just buy 4 irons of the newest model, for about $800, sell last year's model for 70-75% and you're basically just leasing irons annually for 25%, to always have the latest and greatest.

This is elite level WRXer status and I am sooo here for it. 

[JDIL]

Not what you want to hear, but you are likely hitting your PW too long. Rule of thumb is the PW should go half your driver carry. So 130m for you. Weaken the loft and/or swing a little softer. 48/49, 54, 58/60.

[Climbhard]

11 hours ago, dabohammer said:

I carry 5 wedges and get some odd looks, but it works for me. Here's my setup and arccos distances:

 

Rogue ST Max Driver Ventus TR Blue 6S - 270

Rogue ST 3HL Ventus Blue 7S - 240

T100S w/ Accra iseries 115:

4-205

5-190

6-175

7-162

8-151

9-141

P-125

G(48)-116

Vokey SM9s w/ Accra iseries 115:

52-108

56-90

60-80

 

As you can see I still have a largish gap between 52 and 56. The gap between 3W and 4i is fine because my course has pretty lengthy par 5's. So it's either a full attack mode or layup either way. The only club i'm considering swapping is the 4 iron because it's turned into a little bit of a pull machine, so i'm going to experiment with a 7 wood but it will probably have too much carry. I could probably get down to 4 wedges by going PW, 50*, 56*, 60*, but I don't feel like building another wedge right now.

Your yardages are spot on with mine except I go:

G(48)-115

Vokey SM9s 

54-95

60-80

If I need that 100-110 shot I have this great little three quarter punch I hit with my Gap.  At the top end I only carry Driver and 4 wood, 20* and 24* hybrid, 6-gap for 13 clubs total.  My bag weighs less that way.

Edited May 31, 2023 by Climbhard

[Pens #1 fan]

Unfortunately a lot of golfers are finding this out with iron lofts. You either have to change you wedge lofts, 44,48,52,56,60 or learn to hit different shots with both 44 and 50. The issue is the loft maybe 44* but the ball is coming off at 8 iron ball speed. You could always bend and go 3*. Also have to consider how often you have that yardage when you play. Depending on my set that day 50 or 52 are hardly ever used 

[MiloMalt]

Something no one else has mentioned yet that may work out for you because you have some speed is to combo the ZX5 with ZX7 in the scoring irons. The ZX7 might gap a lot better at the lower end of your bag and gap nicer with your wedges.