Wedges – same as irons or something different?

[backtees]

I am about to compose my set for 2014. Pretty sure about how it will look like but there’s one thing I am uncertain:

 

Shall I buy the same Gap-Wedge and Sand-Wedge as the irons or something differently?

 

In the past I always had different wedges (Vokeys) than my irons. But my last set (R11) was 4-SW.

I really liked the constant loft-gap, the same swing weight, same head shape and the same feel over all irons including wedges.

 

On the other hand I perceive wedges as scalpel and not a breadknife, but the R11-SW will never become a scalpel like a Vokey or Cleveland CG or Mack Daddy – it’s a breadknife although it is called Sand Wedge.

 

How do you handle this? Sure, fitting is key and one buys what matches best. Do you buy your wedges separately or try to buy the same as your irons are? Do you think that buy now those "integrated" wedges are at a comparable level with the "stand alone" wedges?

[Donnierparker]

I never get matching wedges. I just don't think they can perform as consistent. Especially if it's a cavity back set of clubs.

[Agent Jim]

In the past my experience with the offered gap wedge was not good. I gave it a shot when switching to G25's and love the UW. It's 50° and I use it for a lot of shots. I like it so much I am thinking of trying the G25 sand wedge. I love the forgiveness of these clubs. My 4-PW are CFS Stiff and I went with a DGS300 in the UW. I love the DGS300 in my wedges. I am glad I did it.

I absolutely hated the Diablo Forged GW. I tried different shafts and nothing worked.

[backtees]

[quote name='Agent Jim' timestamp='1389061142' post='8412551']
In the past my experience with the offered gap wedge was not good. I gave it a shot when switching to G25's and love the UW. It's 50° and I use it for a lot of shots. I like it so much I am thinking of trying the G25 sand wedge. I love the forgiveness of these clubs. My 4-PW are CFS Stiff and I went with a DGS300 in the UW. I love the DGS300 in my wedges. I am glad I did it.

I absolutely hated the Diablo Forged GW. I tried different shafts and nothing worked.
[/quote]

Yeah, i started with "regular" wedges but bought some in-line with my TM TP irons a few years back. They were absolutely great - just like the irons.
I think it really depends on the making of the iron, doensn't it?!

The reason why i liked those in-line wedges was mainly because PW is a kind of iron 10, GW an iron 11. So much easier to play them than regular wedges.

[RocketballzTP]

Great question. The answer really depends on the number of wedges you plan to carry as well as how you plan to use them. As a club fitter, I almost always recommend getting the gap wedge to match the set. Most players tend to use their gap wedge like a weak PW, and there is a benefit to having a consistent feel. And there is always the added forgiveness that you will not get from a blade style wedge like a Vokey.

From a pure performance standpoint, there really is not a significant difference between set sand/lob wedge and a specialty sand/lob wedge. The set wedges typically have a slight advantage in terms of forgiveness. Specialty wedges are superior in terms of feel and bounce/grind options. The question here is which of those playing characteristics are more important to you.

[backtees]

[quote name='RocketballzTP' timestamp='1390023656' post='8482141']
Great question. The answer really depends on the number of wedges you plan to carry as well as how you plan to use them. As a club fitter, I almost always recommend getting the gap wedge to match the set. Most players tend to use their gap wedge like a weak PW, and there is a benefit to having a consistent feel. And there is always the added forgiveness that you will not get from a blade style wedge like a Vokey.

From a pure performance standpoint, there really is not a significant difference between set sand/lob wedge and a specialty sand/lob wedge. The set wedges typically have a slight advantage in terms of forgiveness. Specialty wedges are superior in terms of feel and bounce/grind options. The question here is which of those playing characteristics are more important to you.
[/quote]

I carry 4 wedges with me: PW, GW, SW, LW and i consider the PW as iron 10 and the GW as iron 11. So they are always the same as my irons.

The SW, i use it mainly for short pitches, short chips from the fringe of the green and out the bunker. Ealier I always carried a classical wedge but for a few years I chose the SW the same as my irons as well as PW and GW because i do not see such a difference compared to a classical wedge out of the main use is definitely to attack the green from up to 80-90 yards.

The LW is a different story - i still have an old TM RAC TP with the non-conforming and agressive grooves in play if i need a huge amount of spin for really close pins, high bunker fringe, a lot for backspin etc.

[GWD]

I had the same issue with my current set. The irons went from 4i to AW in graphite. Sand wedge was Callaway forged 56* and lob 60*. Then the 56* was replaced with a forged 52* to act as sand wedge. Steel shafted and wedge (stiff) flex.

Just recently went to a matching graphite-shafted 54* in regular flex for the sand wedge. It has made quite a difference since the feel is the same as the rest of the set and more forgiving than the steel shafts with forged heads. Chips have improved as well as sand shots.

Although the forged 60* lob wedge is rarely used, a search is underway for a set-matching 59* lob wedge. The recommendation on GolfWRX is for a senior flex so I'll give that a go if it can be found.

[backtees]

[quote name='GWD' timestamp='1390061387' post='8483427']
I had the same issue with my current set. The irons went from 4i to AW in graphite. Sand wedge was Callaway forged 56* and lob 60*. Then the 56* was replaced with a forged 52* to act as sand wedge. Steel shafted and wedge (stiff) flex.

Just recently went to a matching graphite-shafted 54* in regular flex for the sand wedge. It has made quite a difference since the feel is the same as the rest of the set and more forgiving than the steel shafts with forged heads. Chips have improved as well as sand shots.

Although the forged 60* lob wedge is rarely used, a search is underway for a set-matching 59* lob wedge. The recommendation on GolfWRX is for a senior flex so I'll give that a go if it can be found.
[/quote]

Reading your post and that you chose a matching shaft I forgot to mention:

The shaft of my wedges and irons are identical. Same shaft model, same flex, same CPM.

[Msaxen]

With as strong as lofts are getting in GI irons, the gap wedge really is your pitching wedge and I'm a fan of it matching for middle and high handicaps (10+). But as some others have said you should swing whatever gives you confidence.

[naths]

I had the Nike VRS Forged gap wedge, I did use it but not that often, i'v got my Covert 2.0 forged coming this week, but i'm only going 4-PW, and will be getting 50, 56, 60 VR Forged wedges, 45 degree PW, so these gaps suit me and I will be using the 50 for a lot more chip and runs rather than my PW, I tried to use the VRS GW for these, but could never get on with it.....ended up buying a real cheap 50 degree wedge just to try and found I was using a fair few times during a round....

[Tactical Golf]

Have you tried the scoring clubs from SCOR? As to the comment about added forgiveness from your Super Game Improvement irons vs blade wedges, nothing could be further from the truth. It is an old paradigm that may hold true with Vokeys, but they are the most inaccurate of all the current big name wedges. The people at SCOR had an independant company ask to test their 45* club vs two very high profile companies' PW. The testing was done using Iron Byron and the results are incredible. The dispersion numbers are not even close...the SCOR is more forgiving by a LOT. Must be a reason a small company from Victoria, TX in only its 3rd year made Gol Digest Hot List 3 years in a row with out a single design change. By the way, that has never been done before...check them out, all you have to lose is strokes...

[ebk]

I'm kind of backwards. Had a GW that matched set, but I found a ( brand new, never been hit) Hogan Special Pitching Wedge that I bent to gap wedge loft. That knocked the GW right out of the bag. And I have a 54 (bent to 55) and a 58 (bent to 59) degree Sonartec pair. Hogan wedge has AMF Apex shaft, and the Sonartecs have DG. I play Tour 90 KBS in my irons.

It works for me.

[Tarheel72]

I don't have a matched set but there are similarities. I have G-20 irons 4-Gap Wedge (U Wedge). All of these irons have the same Ping SR graphite shaft. But for my SW and LW I still use my trusty BeCu Ping Eye 2+ wedges. These have True Temper Tour Concept wedge shafts in them. I prefer a stiffer shaft for more control on short finess shots and out of greenside bunkers/rough. The loft on these are 54 and 58 so that are a perfect spacing for the G-20 U Wedge. And the Eye 2+ heads are forgiving but also heavier which give me a little more feel. I will probably always hold on to these two wedges. For comparision, I use R shafts in the hybrid, 3W and driver. The longer shafts get too whippy on me with the softer SR version.