Three wedges or four

[The Big Pinch]

some opinions please

Just thinking of my set for this year and I can't make up my mind wether I should carry three wedges (pw, 52*, 58*) or four (pw, 50*, 54*, 58*). How about some ideas from the membership.
Thanks in advance :drinks:

[KevCarter]

Here's my stock answer.

 

There are a bunch of threads about how many wedges to carry and what lofts are the best to go with. I am always interested in reading these threads and never get tired of it. The first thing you should do is look for these threads and study them. There is no right or wrong. That being said, I have my own opinions and not everybody will agree with them. I use 4 wedges, I just always seem to get stuck in between when I try to carry fewer. Its seems the vast majority of tour players use only 3 wedges, but they have the time to practice hitting half and 3/4 all day long. My setup is:

 

PW 47

GW 41

SW 55

LW 59

 

I feel to get the proper set up we first have to know the loft of your pitching wedge. In my opinion, if your PW is stronger than 47°, you are going to need three more wedges. If your PW is 47 or 48 you can go with 3 more or can get away with 2 more if you use a fairly strong L wedge.

 

That brings us to step two. What loft are you going to use in your L wedge? If your PW is fairly strong and you are going to use a fairly strong LW 58°, perhaps you won't need 4 wedges. If you like to use a 60° LW, again I think you will need to carry 4 wedges. I never want gaps of more than 5°, and am happier with 4. Here are some combinations that work for 4 wedges.

 

47 - 51 - 55 - 60

48 - 52 - 56 - 60

46 - 50 - 55 – 60

46 - 50 - 54 – 58

 

 

If your PW is 47 or weaker and you want to carry 3 wedges, here are some popular combinations, although they don't work for me.

 

47 - 52 - 58

48 - 53 - 58

48 - 54 - 60

 

In the past pitching wedges were a little weaker and we didn't need so many wedges, some guys will still make their PW a little weaker closing the wedge gap to carry 3. Depending on the lofts of the rest of your clubs, this might leave to big a gap between your 9 and PW

 

49 - 53 - 58

49 - 54 - 60

 

Hope this helps,

Kevin

[cmarkmyers]

Hmm, that answer from 704 KC/Kevin looks very familiar :drinks:

 

I am in the same situation as Ezpincher (even posted a very similar thread the other day) and based on what he is torn between it sounds like he too has a 46* PW.

 

If that is the case, Ez, then maybe I can add to your indecision and tell you I considered those options as well as a 51* and 56* setup with the option to add a 61* later. For me the 50/54/58 route is not an option, as I really want a bit more of a noticible difference between my wedges to make it easier to decide what club to do with. My decision may be made based on what I can get trade-in wise at Second Swing or what deals I can find on eBay.

[joesgonegolfing]

I really like 50-54-58. The wedges do very differnt jobs around the green in conjunction with my 8 iron, PW and 3wood for putting. I still use my PW to hit the green with on 3/4 shots and just believe that a full swing onto a green with wedge is usually the WRONG PLAY.

 

The 50 is great for putt/chips and the 50/50 shot half carry/half roll, the 54 is great out of bunkers for a longer shot and the 58 is great on the short bunkers and anything a 60LW can do. It's a bet I win all the time, flop my 58 degree up, take one step and catch it.

 

I think the 3 wedge or 4 wedge decsion comes into play based on your length everywhere. Do you need that extra hybrid or fairway wood to help you get to the green? Most players do and the difference then is that 4th wedge is not helping them much when they need a 7, 9 or hybrid to get to the green.

 

I own 16 or 17 clubs and base my decsions on the course I play and what I think I will need. I pop the 50 out for the 3 iron or additional hybrid.

 

Joe

HCP Scratch

[KevCarter]

Hmm, that answer from 704 KC/Kevin looks very familiar

 

I am in the same situation as Ezpincher (even posted a very similar thread the other day) and based on what he is torn between it sounds like he too has a 46* PW.

 

If that is the case, Ez, then maybe I can add to your indecision and tell you I considered those options as well as a 51* and 56* setup with the option to add a 61* later. For me the 50/54/58 route is not an option, as I really want a bit more of a noticible difference between my wedges to make it easier to decide what club to do with. My decision may be made based on what I can get trade-in wise at Second Swing or what deals I can find on eBay.

 

There are so many threads on this subject that I decided to put together all my thoughts and saved to use whenever this question is asked. You will no doubt see it again! :drinks:

 

Kevin

[tylerbrowder8-4]

it really depends on the course length to me

 

i use 48 52 56 60

[TReed]

It depends what the pw loft is but for me my ping eye 2's have a pw loft of 50.5

so I carry pw-56-60 an that works for me well

[cmarkmyers]

Ha! It is very good information.

 

Now, thanks to this thread and after looking at the Golf Digest Hot List I too am thinking 50/54/58. It is hard to find a 58 with a lot of bounce but Tour Edge (which made the list) has a 50 and 58 with medium bounce and a 54 with high bounce. And they are cheap. And they would match the Tour Edge Irons in my bag.

 

God I wish I could just pull the trigger and finish that damn bag off!

[tariq]

i play 3 wedges

48*120m-110, 5390-110m and 58<90m depending on the situation, but they are all the same lengths. i find i can always choke down a bit to shorten the distances but its hard to get evry bit out

[fpmdl3]

i play 4.

mostly bc i dont like the pw that come in the iron sets.

but also i can control them better and they look better

[chisag]

Here's my stock answer. There are a bunch of threads about how many wedges to carry and what lofts are the best to go with. I am always interested in reading these threads and never get tired of it. The first thing you should do is look for these threads and study them. There is no right or wrong. That being said, I have my own opinions and not everybody will agree with them. I use 4 wedges, I just always seem to get stuck in between when I try to carry fewer. Its seems the vast majority of tour players use only 3 wedges, but they have the time to practice hitting half and 3/4 all day long. My setup is:

 

PW 47

GW 41

SW 55

LW 59

 

If your PW is 47 or weaker and you want to carry 3 wedges, here are some popular combinations, although they don't work for me.

 

47 - 52 - 58

48 - 53 - 58

48 - 54 - 60

 

...great post kev. if i could start over again, i too would go with 4 wedges. 48-52-56-60. but i started with 3 and honed my short game with that configuration. i had the 48-56-60 to start with, but soon found i needed sumpin for that gap between my pw and sw. i went to a 54* and also began knockin down shots with a 3/4 swing using all 3 wedges. found i also had more control. 100-105 is my last full shot distance. inside of that i almost always hit a lower trajectory shot that hops and stops. of course there are specialty shots like a pin just over a bunker or a pond in front with with the pin right up front too. but it has taken years of prctice and dedication. if i could do it again, and just add another wedge, i would gladly do so...

[KingOAces]

I have always used 4 wedges, but tell myself that I should use 3. The extra club can be used if i need a lower lofted iron when I play in windy conditions/ lighter rough or a higher lofted wood/hybrid for deeper rough/ less windy conditions

[KevCarter]

Here's my stock answer. There are a bunch of threads about how many wedges to carry and what lofts are the best to go with. I am always interested in reading these threads and never get tired of it. The first thing you should do is look for these threads and study them. There is no right or wrong. That being said, I have my own opinions and not everybody will agree with them. I use 4 wedges, I just always seem to get stuck in between when I try to carry fewer. Its seems the vast majority of tour players use only 3 wedges, but they have the time to practice hitting half and 3/4 all day long. My setup is:

 

PW 47

GW 41

SW 55

LW 59

 

If your PW is 47 or weaker and you want to carry 3 wedges, here are some popular combinations, although they don't work for me.

 

47 - 52 - 58

48 - 53 - 58

48 - 54 - 60

 

...great post kev. if i could start over again, i too would go with 4 wedges. 48-52-56-60. but i started with 3 and honed my short game with that configuration. i had the 48-56-60 to start with, but soon found i needed sumpin for that gap between my pw and sw. i went to a 54* and also began knockin down shots with a 3/4 swing using all 3 wedges. found i also had more control. 100-105 is my last full shot distance. inside of that i almost always hit a lower trajectory shot that hops and stops. of course there are specialty shots like a pin just over a bunker or a pond in front with with the pin right up front too. but it has taken years of prctice and dedication. if i could do it again, and just add another wedge, i would gladly do so...

 

Thanks man,

 

I respect your posts no matter what forum you are on! I don't mean to threadjack, but I heard a rumor that your VS Proto shafts will be offered by Titleist custom this year. I am really anxious to try one!

 

later chisag,

Kevin

[cmarkmyers]

To muddle it up a bit more, what bounce is recommended? I assume a low bounce for what would essentially be the lob and gap wedge and high for the sand wedge, but after some searching on the Internet I could not really find good recommended bounce degrees.

 

And I gave up on torturing myself over what to get and pulled the trigger on a 50, 54, and 58, with the 54 having 12 degrees of bounce and the others 10. I can change the 54 to 16 if you all think that is a good idea.

[hacker17]

You should be like me.

47,52,58

[br61]

Here's my stock answer. There are a bunch of threads about how many wedges to carry and what lofts are the best to go with. I am always interested in reading these threads and never get tired of it. The first thing you should do is look for these threads and study them. There is no right or wrong. That being said, I have my own opinions and not everybody will agree with them. I use 4 wedges, I just always seem to get stuck in between when I try to carry fewer. Its seems the vast majority of tour players use only 3 wedges, but they have the time to practice hitting half and 3/4 all day long. My setup is:

 

PW 47

GW 41

SW 55

LW 59

 

If your PW is 47 or weaker and you want to carry 3 wedges, here are some popular combinations, although they don't work for me.

 

47 - 52 - 58

48 - 53 - 58

48 - 54 - 60

 

...great post kev. if i could start over again, i too would go with 4 wedges. 48-52-56-60. but i started with 3 and honed my short game with that configuration. i had the 48-56-60 to start with, but soon found i needed sumpin for that gap between my pw and sw. i went to a 54* and also began knockin down shots with a 3/4 swing using all 3 wedges. found i also had more control. 100-105 is my last full shot distance. inside of that i almost always hit a lower trajectory shot that hops and stops. of course there are specialty shots like a pin just over a bunker or a pond in front with with the pin right up front too. but it has taken years of prctice and dedication. if i could do it again, and just add another wedge, i would gladly do so...

 

Thanks man,

 

I respect your posts no matter what forum you are on! I don't mean to threadjack, but I heard a rumor that your VS Proto shafts will be offered by Titleist custom this year. I am really anxious to try one!

 

later chisag,

Kevin

Kevin, that was a very good post. While I'm a 3 wedge man right now due to 14 club rule. But if I could carry one more club, I'll go to 4 wedge setup. Right now, I'm using 48-54-60 because I'm more of a finesse player that likes to hit some soft and hard shots upon demand. In 1980's until early '90's I was using 2 wedge setup, 49-56 and was quite good at it. When someone introduced me to 60*, I knew I had to have it in my bag.

 

I'm gonna try VS shaft very soon, I hope. Did not know much about VS shafts until I read Chisag's post today so I told some guy to get me one very soon. Hehe.

[dbleagleks]

I would have to agree with Tyler. I think it depends on the length of the course you play most regularly. If you play a short course perhaps 4 wedges might be best, a longer course perhaps 3. Personally I carry 3. I have learned over the years how to control my distances (grew up on a short course) with the wedges I have, and don't really have a problem with half shots. Good luck.

[VTHOKIES]

I go with 4. I have for a good while now, and can't ever see myself changing back. When growing up, my father, who also is a club pro like myself, told me to work on short game 75% of the time. He told me "Everyone can hit it long, but not everyone can get up and in from 100yds when it counts". So, using that as a base, I worked very hard on the short game, and I think its helped my golf career a lot.

 

Obviously, there are many schools of thought on this. But, I've always thought that more options from 125yds on in, the better. Some people might just work on hitting more shots with less clubs, and just altering swing. I go the other way. I try and keep the swing very similar to other shots, just change the club. So, I have 4 wedges. I have the 48* 52* 56* 60* setup. I've had a similar setup for many years. And, since going from 3 to 4 wedges, I've seen my short game get much sharper.et a

 

Like I said, its very personal. I have a good friend that I played HS golf with, and who is also a club pro here in Omaha with me, who plays with only 2 wedges. He has a 49* PW and a 55* SW. And he can hit many, MANY shots with those 2 clubs. He's practiced very hard, and knows how to hit them. I, on the other hand, like to have 4 wedges. Like I said, I keep the swing similar, just change club for trajectory and distance. I'll gladly lose a wood or long iron to keep 4 wedges in there. So really, it just depends on how you look at your game and setup.

 

Hilg

I think this is excellent advise. Try to play the clubs so that you do not have to very your swing for different distances.

[J_Tizzle]

being a feel player, I can do all the loft/distance changes with my hands. with that being said I play 48/54(bent to 53)/58 Ping tour wedges with the TS grind. I'm just worried about the bounce in the summer when things firm up a bit.

[SCameron009]

Here's my stock answer.

 

There are a bunch of threads about how many wedges to carry and what lofts are the best to go with. I am always interested in reading these threads and never get tired of it. The first thing you should do is look for these threads and study them. There is no right or wrong. That being said, I have my own opinions and not everybody will agree with them. I use 4 wedges, I just always seem to get stuck in between when I try to carry fewer. Its seems the vast majority of tour players use only 3 wedges, but they have the time to practice hitting half and 3/4 all day long. My setup is:

 

PW 47

GW 41

SW 55

LW 59

 

I feel to get the proper set up we first have to know the loft of your pitching wedge. In my opinion, if your PW is stronger than 47°, you are going to need three more wedges. If your PW is 47 or 48 you can go with 3 more or can get away with 2 more if you use a fairly strong L wedge.

 

That brings us to step two. What loft are you going to use in your L wedge? If your PW is fairly strong and you are going to use a fairly strong LW 58°, perhaps you won't need 4 wedges. If you like to use a 60° LW, again I think you will need to carry 4 wedges. I never want gaps of more than 5°, and am happier with 4. Here are some combinations that work for 4 wedges.

 

47 - 51 - 55 - 60

48 - 52 - 56 - 60

46 - 50 - 55 – 60

46 - 50 - 54 – 58

 

 

If your PW is 47 or weaker and you want to carry 3 wedges, here are some popular combinations, although they don't work for me.

 

47 - 52 - 58

48 - 53 - 58

48 - 54 - 60

 

In the past pitching wedges were a little weaker and we didn't need so many wedges, some guys will still make their PW a little weaker closing the wedge gap to carry 3. Depending on the lofts of the rest of your clubs, this might leave to big a gap between your 9 and PW

 

49 - 53 - 58

49 - 54 - 60

 

Hope this helps,

Kevin

 

Kevin,

 

I couldn't have put it any better :drinks: I have played a four-wedge set up for a while and am very confident with the lofts that I have settled on. Since I started playing golf I had always played Cleveland irons, which means that the stock PW in the set is 46º, which is quite strong compared to other set-ups. When I decided to add a fourth wedge, I put in a 50º, to go along with the 54º, and 58º that I had been playing for a while. The 4º spacing makes for fairly even yardage spacing between my short irons.

 

There are many different ways that one can go when picking your wedge lofts as Kevin stated above. It all depends on what your short iron lofts, are, whether you are able to carry a 3 or 4 wedge set-up, etc. There are many different routes to go. The main reason why I think that some people are moving away from the 4 wedge set-up is due to the fact that they are adding an extra fairway wood, or hybrid to the bag that may take up that 14th spot.

 

If you are currently playing a three wedge set up, say PW, SW, and LW, and you find that even one or two times a round that you feel that you are stuck between your PW and SW yardages, it may be time to look into a 50-52 degree wedge.

 

Good luck everyone, and hit 'em well

- Bryan

[asterbar]

i just added a 60 degree cleveland 900 low bounce that i bent to 61.5 degrees and its one of the best decisions ive made in a while . i now carry a 48,53,58 and 61.5. i wasnt able to flop the 58 like i wanted. my only problem was at the top end so i did what i thought i would never do and replaced my 2 and 3 irons with a 20 degree adams pro gold and its working out fine. now if they would only change the 14 club rule to 15 clubs then i wouldnt have to compromise at all.fat chance of that happening