# Can we talk wedges???



## Stretch

Wedges, a tricky subject. I am new to golf and I am sure others wonder at all the info on all the different wedges out there.

In the old days all you had was a pitching wedge. Thats all the old 1970 set my dad gave me had in it. Now they have Pitching Wedge, Sand Wedge, Gap Wedge, Approach Wedge and Loft Wedge. They even have some X wedges that go all the way up to 68*'s with 0* bounce!!!

Now I am no expert, just presenting some facts I have found and questions I have and I hope we can discuss what we all know and think on the subject. From the new players to mid range and even the pro's we have on board here.

Now what has me the most curious is the loft and bounce numbers. Lie looks to be set by the club company and kind of standard and can be adjusted by some club fitting so we wont go into that too much as all the charts I looked at they were the same for all the wedges except for the PW.

So my questions are mainly about loft and bounce. So should you go for certain numbers? I have see many different combos among the sets I will list below so it can become very confusing. Do you get different clubs for the different conditions? Find what works best for your swing? Go for the standards or what came with your set and adjust accordingly?

So you take the standard PW and SW, both you have a good idea of what the club should be doing, now throw in AW, LW and GW and do you need them all? Are any better? When looking for new irons, do you go for the set with 3 or 4 of the W clubs?

I wonder if I need the 56* wedge with the higher bounce. Will it really bounce higher? Will it be a different stroke to hit it correct? Should I bother or depending on the sand just keep practicing with the 2 I have and get better?

I have a set of Ram Traditionals, a nice starter set and it only goes down to a PW. I can't find the specs for that club so I can't fill that info in. I do have 2 Ram Tour Grind wedges and will include the info for the third for comparison.

Below are my clubs and some I liked as well. Most were out of my price range for a starter set but I did like the feel of the ones below with the exception of the Watson wedge pack. Those were something I was thinking of purchasing and actually got me into the whole loft and bounce questions.

My clubs.
Loft:	Bounce:
PW	?	?
52	52*	10*
56	56*	14*	Didn't buy yet.
60	60*	10*

Adams Watson wedge pack.
Loft:	Bounce:
GW	52*	8*
SW	56*	12*
LW	60*	8*

Callaway X 22's.
Loft:	Bounce:
PW	45*	7*
AW	51*	11*
SW	56*	15*
LW	60*	11*


TaylorMade Burners.
Loft:	Bounce:
PW	45*	NA
AW	50*	NA
SW	55*	NA
LW	60*	NA

Cobra S2's.
Loft:	Bounce:
PW	43*	NA
GW	49*	NA
SW	55*	NA
LW	60*	NA


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## 373

You sound like me. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed trying to figure things out that I get paralysis by analysis.

I suppose the simple answer is, you need to decide how versatile you are with a smaller selection of wedges and then decide whether you need to hit enough of a certain style of shot that would require another wedge just for those. That decision has to be counter balanced to some extent. If adding another wedge means having to eliminate some other club, you have to decide which club is needed more.

My wedge selection was a decision that was made more simple by the fact that I simply haven't been able to get used to a 60 degree lob wedge. No amount of practice has gotten me to the point that I can convince myself to hit that club as hard as it needs to. It doesn't bother me much since I'm better using my 54* or 56* wedges with an open face, hitting cut shots like I learned as a child. Don't ask me why I can make myself hit a cut shot hard enough, but I can't make myself hit a lob wedge that hard... my personal stupidity.

So, I carry a 46* pitching wedge, a 50* gap wedge, a 54* sand wedge and sometimes a 56* sand wedge that I use like a lob wedge. Sometimes I leave the 56* wedge out and it has almost no effect on my game one way or the other.

Sometimes I think I'm better off without the 56* sand wedge at all.

BTW - Just in general, a gap wedge and an attack wedge are names for the same thing. They are 50*-52* wedges more often than not.


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## 373

I forgot to mention, my usual playing partner has a 64 degree wedge he uses very effectively. He can hit it about 50 yards with a full swing. He uses it from fairways, rough and traps, so he probably hits it 10-15 times a round. He's genuinely excited when he has the right distance left because he has so much confidence in that club.

The only reason I haven't killed him over it is because I adore his wife and kids and wouldn't want them to grow up without a father.


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## Stretch

Thanks for the reply Dennis. I didnt want to seem to analytical but the options were so overwhelming that I wanted to see what others had, use and their thought. I did get a little carried away with the spec and your gonna love that I have even more! It was late and I didnt get to put up the 2 biggest names selections. So those will follow.
(Nice to see you are using 2 of them, wonder the specs and how long they have been in your bag)

Some of the same clubs have different names but I wanted others whom might be unaware to know what they are all called and what their specs were.

Your reply was exactly what I wanted to read. From reading your posts I have gathered you have been playing for a long time and have swung many a club, so your insight to the clubs you swung , their specs and what you thought help me and others because we are all doing the same thing! Sometimes the pressure is a little higher than others but in all examples, somebody, somewhere can relate to it and it might help with club selection. Even the example of your friend, that was great. He has his baby and knows when and how to use it. You have you 2 favs and make them do what they need to do.

Glad you brought up the 14 club "legal" limit. If you are going to carry lots of wedges, you have to dump some of your other clubs. Thats where the fun comes in. What do you fill your bag with? If you know the course you are going to play on, that makes it a heck of a lot easier. Sp I would guess most will have 3 or 4 W clubs in their bag. If anyone carries more, please share!


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## Stretch

Vokey Wedges.
club-Loft-Bounce
PW 48 6
GW 50 8
GW 52 8
SW 54 8,11,14
SW 56 8,11,14
SW 58 4,8,12
LW 60 4,7,10
LW 62 7
LW 64 7


Cleveland CG15's.
Loft-Bounce
46 8
48 8
50 10
52 10
54 10
54 14
54 16
56 10
56 14
56 16
58 8
58 12
58 14
60 8
60 12
60 14
62 8
62 12
62 14
64 8
64 12
64 14


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## 373

As I'm sure you're aware, the Vokey and Cleveland lines are so varied for the sake of marketing themselves to people who use other brands of clubs, not just Titleist or Cleveland. Based upon what you read and hear from the surveys on the pro tours, those 2 brands along with Callaway fitting in there somewhere, tend to dominate what the pros carry in their bags.

The advent of multiple wedges is something that has been popular for... I would guess maybe only 7-8 years at the most. Part of the need for a gap wedge was created by club manufacturers who strengthened lofts on their iron sets, then advertised their clubs hit the ball farther than the other guy's brand. The set of irons I played through 2003 had a 48* pitching wedge. At that point, I carried a 56* sand wedge and that was it. The rest of the set included the 1-3-5 woods and irons starting with the 2 iron.

Since then most sets have been made with a PW around 45*-46*, so the "gap" of nearly 10 degrees to the SW was too large. The issue became one of manufacturers convincing us we needed a club to fill the gap so we could still make a full swing, instead of us having to become more versatile with our PW. No matter how devious their thinking was or wasn't, the gap wedge is here to stay.

Going back to the set makeup of old, hybrids justified themselves very well and replaced the 5 wood, the 2, 3 and 4 irons in most bags. Those were pretty much direct trades, remove a club that is hard to hit and replace it with a club that is easier to hit. What turned out to be the trend though, was that most of us really didn't hit a 3 or 5 wood but a couple times a round. Most of us hardly ever hit a 2 or 3 iron more than once a round. All of a sudden, this idea of ditching a club all together began to make sense and I certainly believe we amateurs at a certain level lose more shots within 100 yards than we do otherwise around the course. I know I sure do. Thus, the marketing of multiple wedges took hold and worked, even on the PGA Tour.

I met a Titleist rep in an Edwin Watts store one day. Over coffee, (I was literally the only customer in the store, so I got included in this conversation), we were talking about technology as it applies to golf and the rep mentioned some things I never really thought of, not just wedges or drivers that come apart to be set the way you want to shape the shot.

Forget ball tech, lots of that going on and overwhelming advertising to support it.

Get this... Look at the gloves available right now. You'll see 99% of them, even to the highest level of price and so called quality, have integrated a lot of elastic into the seams. That elastic helps form the glove more around our hand to fit better, but it's also been included due to the economy too. Gloves now last an estimated 30% longer on the typical amateur who puts one on at the start of his or her round and doesn't take it off until after the round is over. And we can sure see the design of golf bags and how they have changed, except for staff bags.

It's amazing how the game has remained the same, but the way we play it and what we play it with has changed so much.


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## FrogsHair

I carry 4 wedges 48/08, 52/10, 56/14, and 60/00. Of the four, I use the 60*, zero bounce LW the most, usually to get out of green side bunkers with very firm sand in them. It's no secret the thinner the lie of the ball, the less bounce you want to use. Zero bounce wedges are hard to find, I had to pay a little extra for my LW. Now my 56/14 sand wedge probably is my second most used wedge. I use it most for softer sand, and those fluffy lies you find around the green, or rough. If I were to use my zero bounce wedge from those softer lies, the club would dig in too much, or slip to easily beneath the ball. My 48/08, and my 52/10 are my 100, and 85 yard, full "easy" swing clubs from fairway lies. I don't claim to be a long hitter, but I can still put up good scores. I chip and pitch with all four wedges, including my 5-9 irons. Just depends on what shot I need to pull off based on distance, and the lay of the land, as to which club I can use. I should also add that when I purchase a new iron set, I buy the 5i through LW set. I want the same brand/model of irons through my entire set to basically feel the same. It's a personal quirk on my part. I have never actively pursued that 4 club 12 distances swing scenario made famous by Pelz. I look at the shot, and decide. Sometimes a 60 yard shot can be 40, or 60 yards shot, depending on the terrain. 

I also have a 72* super lob wedge that sits in the corner, and laughs at me when ever I even think about using it. It's nothing more than a novelty. One thing I do know for sure about any lob wedge. That is the user cannot be afraid to swing it. 

This iron/wedge set up is what works for me, and is not for everyone. I can easily say there are very few rounds where I actually use all four of my wedges in the same round. To be honest I could very easily get by with out my gap wedge. Most of my approach shots are in the 130-150 yard range, with about an 8% dispersion....on average. Needless to say the larger the greens, The quicker I am putting. I play most of my rounds on greens that are around 1200-1600 square feet. When I hear about the pros sometimes playing on 3K-6K square foot greens, I have to smile. 

Rather a person can get by with 2,3, or 4 wedges is entirely up to the individual. I know some golfers who can play a 2 wedge bag as well, if not better than someone like me who carries 4 wedges. I do know to be effective with just 2 wedges, at least one has to be a minimum bounce wedge to allow for specialty shots from thinner lies.

Golf gloves were brought up in this thread. I don't use "golf" specific gloves. Since I play quite a bit in the sunshine, I do wear two gloves for skin protection, but I use batting gloves. They last longer, and they don't get brittle after a few rounds. I can wear out a "golf" specific glove in a month's worth of play. One pair of batting gloves will last me 5-7 months.


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## 373

That's interesting about the baseball batting gloves. I've never looked at them closely to see what the difference might be and I'm too old to have used a batting glove when I played in college.


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## broken tee

DennisM said:


> That's interesting about the baseball batting gloves. I've never looked at them closely to see what the difference might be and I'm too old to have used a batting glove when I played in college.


I never thought I'd need a glove for golf, but after 6 holes a hot spot starts to develop on the left hand
The other thing is I find having these different wedges available helps an old *art like me.


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## 373

Stretch said:


> I didn't want to seem to analytical but the options were so overwhelming


Don't apologize. That's where a lot of the fun is for me. When I blindly choose something, I usually find it doesn't live up to it's promise. When I do my homework on something properly, in this case a wedge to see how it's going to fit into my set, the circumstances generally work out.


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## Stretch

Another great reply Dennis! Good input.

I think it was something I read from Tom Wishon and he mentioned the club makers changing clubs to make them hit further, like you said and wolla, now they had to fill in the gap and that where all the wedges come in now. Makes me wonder what my grand kids will be hitting years down the road!!!???

So in the older sets, you didnt really have the 14 club pinch. Just made due with 1,3 & 5 wood, 3 - PW, maybe SW and a putter. Ahhh, back when life was simple, right?

Well I almost bought the 56* today but the kids started knocking stuff over so it was pick up the mess and leave time. I am really curious as to how differently that club would be out of the trap and low and high grass from 40' - 60' as well the added bounce out of the trap. I have been down at the pitching area 2 -3 times a week for the last month working on the short game and have been doing pretty good. Bump and runs with the 5, 7 & 9. Out of the trap from the flat side up to the 6' lip. Left lies, right lies, uphill, and downhill chips with the PW, 52 & 60. Hitting from all different levels of grass. I have been getting down the 1/4, 1/2 & 3/4 swings and starting to see a consistent distance and sort of know what I can do. What I would like to do is find a range that had great distance markers and possibly chalk lines. Then I could do a bunch of shots with the different swings and really dial in swing & club.

I am trying to find a local qualified club fitter in my area. Central Mass if anyone knows one. As I am hooked on Golf and will be playing for years I hope, I want to have my clubs checked over and adjusted if possible to help me get better and enjoy the game that much more. Seeing as you are an inch taller that me Dennis, did you get your fitted? Did they do much? I am somewhere around 34" wrist to floor. All my clubs feel pretty good except the driver. I do think its too long.

As for hybrids, I am finally getting use to them. Still think I could hit a 3 or 4 iron longer than the same hybrids but hey, thats what came with my set. I have seen some neat clubs in the Adams and Cobra lines that look easier to hit than mine. I think they make 2 kinds, one that hits more like woods and one that hits more like irons. Mine hit more like woods.

Has anyone ever heard, seen or swung any Miura irons? WOW! Those are some sweet looking clubs. I think they go for $1500 - $2000 for a set. High price but very nice clubs and I liked the story behind the maker. Teaching his kids his secrets and still custom grinding in the shop. Now thats craftsmanship! Similar would be Bob Vokey. He is still out there getting input and making wonders for us folk to enjoy.


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## Stretch

Thanks for the reply FrogsHair. More excellent input!
I really appreciate you telling me the loft and bounce numbers and where and how you use them.

Interesting is the 60/0 club. My practice area gets watered a lot and the sand is pretty packed when I get there. I have tried it when it it hard after watering and baking in the sun, raked it a little and even fluffed it up nice nice. So thats like 3 or 4 different sand conditions and I use the 52/10 and 60/10 I have. I would like to try others and see what works best for me as I technically dont have a sand wedge. 56/14 looks to be the most common for the SW... or around there.

Almost bought it today. I wish I could just try clubs and them buy it but that wont happen at the practice bunker, nice thought but ah NO! 

I have talked to other golfers there I have met but none have bounce numbers on them so they dont know that stat so using their club doesnt help.

72 super lob? WoW! Whats the bounce? Great line - "that sits in the corner and laughs at me when ever I even think about using it"
Do they make anything higher than that? Would that be the ultimate flop shot club? If it was lefty, Phil could have some fun with that! I think one should never be afraid to swing the club, if anything, the finesse shots are the ones you need to worry about.

I will also agree about buying the full set of irons down to the LW. Will do on my next set. Unless you love your 52,56 or 60 and have to keep it in the bag, the same feel to all your clubs is important. My 2 wedges are the same brand as my other clubs but the shafts and grips are different. A little smaller grip and stiffer shaft but I like the feel and have adjusted accordingly. Not much I will add or I would at least regrip to get the same size.

As for the gloves, glad both of you brought it up. Do you know of anybody putting out XXL gloves? I can only find 1 brand of XL that fits and luckily Walmart has them for $5. They have lasted about 3 months so far but I think a XXL would fit better, not so tight and last longer.


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## FrogsHair

I looked up the bounce on that 72* SLW. They say it's 6*. Funny story. There is a teaching golf pro at my home course. He has PGA credentials so I assume he knows his stuff. Anyway he was talking to the guy next to me at the range, and he said he could hit any club made. Actually he was being annoying to others by talking so loud about his expertise. I butted in, handed him the 72* and said hit this. That club owned him to say the least. After about a dozen swings, with terrible results, he handed it back to me, got in his cart and left. The guy he was talking to thank me. I can't hit it either 19 out of 20 times. I bought it at a store for like $12.99 just to give it a try. I also have some 64*, and 68* wedges, but I never use them either. Unless of course I want to be humbled.


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## Stretch

Good story. Love sticking it to the braggers when they are talking out the wrong end, if ya know what I mean! Thats a great club for doing it with. Hey for 12 bucks, gotta give it a try. Do you have a pic or link to it?

Tomorrow is Friday so its off to the bunker after work for some wedge action. I took the kids there last weekend and we brought the camcorder. Entertaining when we got home. Kids had fun there and then we were laughing later as we watched the video. Older one needs some video lessons, all over the place and he missed the one I got in!

Readers, do some posting! Tell us what you have and how and where you use them. If you know the stats, put them up as well!

Lurkers, join the forum and post! We are all here to have fun and learn and help each other out.


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## Stretch

Friday night didn't pan out, rained most of the day and into the night. Saturday looked like rain for most of the day but waited till we headed to the range to start raining and boy did it rain! Well Sat night I ended up going and buying the 56* wedge. Couldn't wait to try it out and the weather looked favorable for Sunday. So it hit the chipping area with an agenda, what will this club do that my 52* and 60* can't?

I was all ready to go, about 40' out and looking at the new wedge. Took out 10 balls and gave it a try. 2 short by 3', 7 on the green within 15' and 1 over by 5'. Not bad I thought and got the balls.

Did my PW, 52, 56 & 60 from 40' then 35' then 30'. Good results from all the clubs. Tried the new club over the bunker from 25' in 1" of grass. Someone was coming down the hill and stopped and watched as I dropped the first 8 within 5' and said "Wow, nice group!" Yea, the rest were not as good but not that bad. He cursed me, I think, with some voodoo hex or something.

Finished off in the sand and it was getting late so I didn't go crazy but it did do a pretty good job. Didn't do a club comparison but it was looking pretty good. Next time I will start out in the sand and see what it does against it's brothers, the 52 & 60.


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## Stretch

I am glad I bought the 56*. I chipped twice this week and both times I holed one from 30' - 40' with it, none of the others, just that one.

I usually do a bag of 60 balls with PW, 52, 56 & 60. Made an app for my mobile comp to keep stats. Everyone up there loves it. Wow, technology is cool they say.

I got daring today and tried the new club from 25' over the trap out of 1" fresh cut. 13 in the trap and 12 off the green out of 60. Not the best but ok. I would have done it again but it was getting really dark. I need glow in the dark golf balls. Anyone know where to get some?

Does anybody else on here have any wedges? Any thoughts? Any favorite loft/bounce combos?


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## Stretch

Today was awesome. I met a little old guy who was really nice and we were chipping away and talking and having a good time. He finished up his bucket and walked over to me and said I had a nice swing and was dropping them near the pin nice. Said I could have his bucket if I wanted because he didnt feel like picking them up. I offered to get them so he could shoot them again and he said 1 bucket is enough for him... enjoy!

I rounded up my balls and then got his and dumped them all in the sand trap. Great, I thought, I wont loose any of mine in the woods if I over shoot. Thats the down side to my practice area, you got the trap and then the green is only 15' wide and then 10' of grass before the woods and trees. I usually dont loose any because I try really hard not too and sometimes dont get out of the trap.

Well today, I didnt care and dove in there with the 56* and went to town. Tried all sorts of lies and angles and buried the ball a little more here and varied the depth in the sand. Open the face a little, then some more. Wow, learned a lot today! That club has a permanent place in my bag! If you asked me 2 weeks ago what my fav 3 clubs were, it would have been 5 iron, 52* & 60*. Ask me now and its 3 wood, 5 iron and 56*. 3 wood because it goes straight 8 out of 10 times and the driver doesnt, 5 iron because it has been my fav club since day 1 with these clubs and 56* because that club can do it all from the grass to 2nd cut to 1"-2" of rough as well as just about any place in the bunker.

I kept going and going, kicking them back in the trap after finishing what was on the green and must have hit like 120 out of the trap before taking a break and reviewing my practice. A little back for this shot, a little forward for that shot, awkward angle means adjust this way or that. Got a lot out of it that you cant practice on the course. I feel like I am ready for just about any trap they got up here!

I still had a lot of balls left so I threw a bunch in the rough and grabbed the 3 hybrid to see what it could do. Launched them out into the range with so so success. I was a little tired from all the wedge work and was sloppy with setup and alignment so 50/50 wasnt too bad.

Grabbed a bunch more and from about 100' feet & in the rough tried a bunch of full swing 56's to see what I could do. Did pretty good and then tried some from the fairway from about the same distance. Really nice! None were short, 90% on ,5% on fringe & 5% off. I was good with that. 

I grabbed 5 balls and went to the top of the hill. Its about 25' downhill from the range to the chipping area. I climbed up and tried the 56 from about 60' away with a 25' drop. Never tried this before. I was imagining this is what you guys do all the time in the states with lots of mountains. 3 on, 2 in trap. Wow, that was different. Tried again and was 2 for 2 and decided to open all the way and hit full swing. This one went wayyyyy up and then went wayyyy down... into the pit. I couldnt see the ball but did see what looked like a mini volcano, filled with sand. I laughed, packed up my gear and called it a day.

Now that was a great practice session. I hope to hit 9 or 18 tomorrow with a friend. Will let you know. Then I can finally add something to the "why I play golf" thread.


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## Fourputt

I started in the game with a starter half set back in the mid 60's. 1W, 3W, 3I, 5I, 7I, 9I, and putter. No wedges at all. When I bought my first full set in 1974 (Golden Ram - laminated maple woods, and blade irons) it came with a PW.... what a revelation! I didn't own a SW until the mid 80's. I spent the late 90's and 2000's trying every possible combo of wedges as they became available. I even had a Slotline 64° back in '92... interesting novelty but mostly useless on the course. It was sold many years ago at a garage sale.

I have right now a 58° and 60°, neither of which is in my bag (they live in the garage... better for my game that way). My trip through the world of wedges has come nearly full circle, and now the shortest club in my bag is my Vokey 56-11 SW. It works great for fluffy sand, heavy sand, almost no sand, tight lies, fluffy lies, flop shots, full shots, - and I don't have to make any decisions. Just grab the SW for 95% of my play near the green. I have a 52° GW, but that is used almost exclusively for full shots from 85-95 yards, and a 47° PW which I use for full shots and for the few greenside shots where the SW is inappropriate. 

I prefer adjusting my stroke for the situation rather than changing clubs... flat swing or steep swing - ball forward, middle or back - face open or square - hands ahead, even, or behind the club. When I practice my short game, it's almost exclusively with my SW. That way, when I pull it out of the bag on the course, I have total confidence that it's the right club because it's the only club. 

For me, the high lofted wedges were simply a guaranteed way to make a big number. It meant more time spent practicing, and I'd rather spend that time on the course playing. It takes such a small miss hit to chunk or skull one, and I just feel good with my single wedge theory. My short game is finally getting back to near where it was when I played my best golf. For me the experimentation is over. I'm playing the game I played 25 years ago, and I'm feeling better and better about it all the time.


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## stevel1017

I have 4 wedges, but the highest is a 56, and I use the 56 for almost all of my chipping. I use the 52 for full shots of about 105 yards. I have 2 pitching wedges, one 49 and the other came with the irons, but they are one club strong, so the pitching wedge with them is more like a 9 iron in most sets.
I also practice a lot of 3/4 and 1/2 shots with the 56. The greens at my course are small, most only 20 yards deep by 20 yards wide. Being only 20 deep it is easy to hit long or short, so the 3/4 and 1/2 shots are important to have in the bag


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## Stretch

Thanks for the input Rick. It looks like I am at where you were back in the 90's. Such fun is looking for the perfect wedge.

I like your line "Slotline 64° back in '92", sounds like a muscle car. I dont think I would go that extreme but would give it a try if you showed me it at the range. With so many choices, its confusing when you are starting out. On Vokey site, he does a great job of explaining the wedge. He is a craftsman! I would love to try all of his creations. 

I can see where you are coming from with the 2 wedges and play the swing you need and will probably get there eventually. It is nice knowing what your 7, 9, PW, 52, 56 & 60 will do with a 1/4, 1/2 & 3/4 swing. At this stage, playing around and learning my clubs is a lot of fun.

52 & 56 are common and a 60 is tough to hit but when you are working on it and can sail it 40' high and 60' to green, makes me wonder if I could launch it over a tree!?!?!?


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## Stretch

Hi Steve! Thanks for the numbers. You use the 52 for 105 and the 56 does the rest of the work... Nice! Do you know the bounces? 14 on 56, 10 ON 52? Thats what mine are and I like the 14 on the 56. I could leave the 60 at home but do like it in the high grass or a tough lie when you can really open up the 52 or 56 comfortably. Have you ever tried a 60?

It is really important to work on the 1/4 swing increments. Didnt get to play today, but did get to go practice for a bit. Tried something new. I marked off 20', 40' & 60' feet from the green with a tee and dropped 20 balls at each spot and hit them with the 7, 9, PW, 52, 56 & 60. I couldnt believe how spot on the 9 was. Hit 3 from 20 and 1 from 40 & 60. All the rest bounced and rolled nice.


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## DonkeyJote

Man, I feel like I'm missing something. I've been thinking about getting another wedge, and now I know I should. My shortes club right now is the PW that came with my starter set. I feel like that and my 9 iron are by far my best clubs (though my 4 iron and 5 wood off the fairway have been pretty good too), and a SW would probably do nothing but improve my short game, especially my chipping which I can have a very hard time controlling. That's the next club, I think, though it'll probably wait a couple weeks.


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## Stretch

Hi DonkeyJote,

You are in the same boat I was at the beginning of the year. My set stopped at PW. I knew I needed a club or two more for those shots you cant do with the PW. I started with 52 & 60 because they didnt have the 56. I would have bought all 3 but they only had the two.

If you can only get one, grab a 56. You can make it do just about any shot with practice. I have listed some things I work on in this thread so hopefully those will help you out. It takes a lot of work to be able to pull off the many type of shots with just one club but experimenting, for me, was half the fun. I have all 3 dialed in pretty good and I am confident in what they can do.

I dont know what brand clubs you have or your budget but get the same brand if you can. That way you will have the same look and feel with all your clubs. If you got some $$$ to spend, Cleveland and Vokey make really nice wedges. The numbers can get confusing so hopefully some of the numbers we have listed in this thread can help. Adams has a Watson 3 pack that looked nice but they were only available online and I couldnt swing them or hold them so I went with what felt good at my local store. I have big hands so feel was important to me.

Hope I was able to help. If you have any more questions, post them. I will help you out if I can.


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## DonkeyJote

Stretch said:


> Hi DonkeyJote,
> 
> You are in the same boat I was at the beginning of the year. My set stopped at PW. I knew I needed a club or two more for those shots you cant do with the PW. I started with 52 & 60 because they didnt have the 56. I would have bought all 3 but they only had the two.
> 
> If you can only get one, grab a 56. You can make it do just about any shot with practice. I have listed some things I work on in this thread so hopefully those will help you out. It takes a lot of work to be able to pull off the many type of shots with just one club but experimenting, for me, was half the fun. I have all 3 dialed in pretty good and I am confident in what they can do.
> 
> I dont know what brand clubs you have or your budget but get the same brand if you can. That way you will have the same look and feel with all your clubs. If you got some $$$ to spend, Cleveland and Vokey make really nice wedges. The numbers can get confusing so hopefully some of the numbers we have listed in this thread can help. Adams has a Watson 3 pack that looked nice but they were only available online and I couldnt swing them or hold them so I went with what felt good at my local store. I have big hands so feel was important to me.
> 
> Hope I was able to help. If you have any more questions, post them. I will help you out if I can.


I have a tour craft starter set, which are no longer made. I'm not a huge fan of them anyway (the driver's face already caved in at the driving range, so I replaced it with a used Callaway). I'll look around. I don't have small hands by any means, but they aren't too bad (I wear a large glove), so I think I should be fine. I'll probably head to the store, try some out, and then try to find a good deal online. It's definitely my next club though. I had been thinking about a hybrid, but I realized I hit my long irons and fairway woods okay, so I might not need it. I now I see that more wedges are much more important. I still have just 11 clubs in my bag, so I won't even have to take anything out. I might look for a whole set of wedges if I can find them without spending too much money.


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## DonkeyJote

They actually had the Watson 3-pack at my golf shop, and they felt pretty good. I honestly liked a Cleveland 56* they had there, but it's $120 for the 1 club, as opposed to $100 for the Watson 3 pack, so I'm leaning towards the Adams clubs.


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## stevel1017

Stretch said:


> Hi Steve! Thanks for the numbers. You use the 52 for 105 and the 56 does the rest of the work... Nice! Do you know the bounces? 14 on 56, 10 ON 52? Thats what mine are and I like the 14 on the 56. I could leave the 60 at home but do like it in the high grass or a tough lie when you can really open up the 52 or 56 comfortably. Have you ever tried a 60?
> 
> It is really important to work on the 1/4 swing increments. Didnt get to play today, but did get to go practice for a bit. Tried something new. I marked off 20', 40' & 60' feet from the green with a tee and dropped 20 balls at each spot and hit them with the 7, 9, PW, 52, 56 & 60. I couldnt believe how spot on the 9 was. Hit 3 from 20 and 1 from 40 & 60. All the rest bounced and rolled nice.


I have no idea of the bounce on them, I do know the 52 has more than the 56, but my usual course is usually hard, so the 56 doesnt have a lot. I have a 60 but don't use it, I also have a 58, same dont use it. Not enough room in my bag, and with the 60, didn't practice enough with it, so it cost me more strokes than it saved. If I need to hit the flopadopolis, I open the 56, and will swing outside in and cut across the ball. I take the 56 to work with me and practice everyday at lunch


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## Stretch

DonkeyJote said:


> They actually had the Watson 3-pack at my golf shop, and they felt pretty good. I honestly liked a Cleveland 56* they had there, but it's $120 for the 1 club, as opposed to $100 for the Watson 3 pack, so I'm leaning towards the Adams clubs.


Clevelands do look and feel nice. I was swinging some at GW the other day. They have lots of clubs to swing and a good net to hit into. The CG7s were sweet. Right up there with the Cobra S2s. Those were my favs. Did try a couple of wedges but 120 is a lot for one club when you are a beginner. If you can still grab the Watson pack , go for it. More bang for the buck. Have heard good things about them. If you do get them, let me know what you think of them.


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## Stretch

stevel1017 said:


> I have no idea of the bounce on them, I do know the 52 has more than the 56, but my usual course is usually hard, so the 56 doesnt have a lot. I have a 60 but don't use it, I also have a 58, same dont use it. Not enough room in my bag, and with the 60, didn't practice enough with it, so it cost me more strokes than it saved. If I need to hit the flopadopolis, I open the 56, and will swing outside in and cut across the ball. I take the 56 to work with me and practice everyday at lunch


Did you buy the wedges with different bounces to see what worked best at the "hard" course? It is interesting to see what a couple degrees of loft and bounce can do for the same shot. Trial and error, thats what you gotta do.

A 60 is tough to hit, you have to want to hit it and not be afraid of a full & 3/4 swing. I got use to it because they didnt have a 56 when I bought my wedges so I played what I had.


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## stevel1017

yes I have a few 56's, and by trial and error I found the one that works best on the hard turf (clay) of my home course. The one with the least bounce, and it suits my eye, which gives me confidence


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## Fourputt

I like a wedge with more bounce (My 56° SW has 11°), even for tight lies. It's less likely to dig in in soft turf, especially if you play it a bit open. I believe in using the bounce in chipping and pitching too, not just in bunker play. :thumbsup:


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