wedge distance query

Waesfjord

Golf Clinic time

can anyone explain the following:

I've recently purchased a couple of wedges (Mizuno MP T-10's), I got a sand wedge (56-12 or 56-14) and a gap wedge (52-07).

When I hot some balls at the range I find I'm getting pretty much the same distance with bith clubs will a relaxed swing, hitting both ~70yards.

Can anyone explain why this may be the case, as I thought the gap wedge with less loft should go a bit further with the same swing, bounce ?

I'd be an average length hitter, e.g. 7-iron would travel 150yards.

Unlike lower irons, I tend to have ball well back in my stance for wedges to ensure I hit ball first, as have noted a tendency of ground first with wedges, as I think less weight shift onto my front foot during the softer swings on wedges - not sure if this can have anythin to do with above?

anyone any ideas as would obviously prefer to separate club distances

GreeBo

brian1976 wrote: »

Golf Clinic time

can anyone explain the following:

I've recently purchased a couple of wedges (Mizuno MP T-10's), I got a sand wedge (56-12 or 56-14) and a gap wedge (52-07).

When I hot some balls at the range I find I'm getting pretty much the same distance with bith clubs will a relaxed swing, hitting both ~70yards.

Can anyone explain why this may be the case, as I thought the gap wedge with less loft should go a bit further with the same swing, bounce ?

I'd be an average length hitter, e.g. 7-iron would travel 150yards.

Unlike lower irons, I tend to have ball well back in my stance for wedges to ensure I hit ball first, as have noted a tendency of ground first with wedges, as I think less weight shift onto my front foot during the softer swings on wedges - not sure if this can have anythin to do with above?

anyone any ideas as would obviously prefer to separate club distances

typically there is ~10yards between clubs, less so at the wedge end.
Add that to range balls, hitting off a mat and the fact the ball is only going 70 yards to begin with, the variation between each swing will tend to group the balls anyway.

Using a 10yrd gap between clubs and your 7i distance it would seem that you are losing distance with the higher lofted clubs in general, which would explain the grouping between the GW and SW distances.

Where do the numbers below start to differ from your actuals? It may be that despite playing the ball back in your stance you are still scouping the ball. It may also be that you are delofting the clubs too much and the ball is not staying in the air long enough. Do you stop the ball with your wedges from the fairway? Whats their trajectory like?

SW = 100
GW = 110
PW = 120
9i = 130
8i = 140
7i = 150

Waesfjord

GreeBo wrote: »

Where do the numbers below start to differ from your actuals?

SW = 100
GW = 110
PW = 120
9i = 130
8i = 140
7i = 150

My distances I would think more like 7i = 150, 8i = 135, 9i = 120, PW = 105, SW = 70 (significant drop down hense the purchase of a gap wedge)

GreeBo wrote: »

It may also be that you are delofting the clubs too much and the ball is not staying in the air long enough. Do you stop the ball with your wedges from the fairway? Whats their trajectory like?

The wedges are only new and I haven't been paying much on the courses yet this year so can't yet comment on spin when hitting a green from fairways.

Regarding trajectory, they seem to be quite hig, however will pay more attenetion to height next time out at range, however my impression is that they both a re quite high - I would think I should detect a noticable lower flight path if delofting of clubs was issue, yeah?

dvemail

There wouldnt be much of a difference between the 52 and 56 degree wedges.
As said above not much more than 10 yards so it may be hard to see the actual
differences on the range.
Best thing to do would be to try them out on the course, and i reckon you will see the
difference then.

PhilipMarlowe

You really need to guage your distances in a 'real world' setting because the hard mat and the (probably crap) range ball are adding known unknowns into the mix...
You don't seem to be hitting them too far in general - I am a 7 iron 150 yd man and my 53 degree gap wedge is a 100 yd carry for me (don't have a 56).

Bear in mind that when it comes to a wedge shot, you want it to be acurate and overall distance isn't important once you know how far you hit it which is why you need to hit 30+ real shots on a flat calm day at a receptive practice area with your ball of choice and chose a sensible choice (the mode) as your carry distance. It's a good time to check this out now as the ground is still soft... you only want carry distances because that's all that is important.

What model irons do you use? The PW may have a 'strong' loft too which might account for a noticable gap in distances. But I wouldn't read too much into things until you can see real world results.

Waesfjord

Licksy wrote: »

What model irons do you use? The PW may have a 'strong' loft too which might account for a noticable gap in distances. But I wouldn't read too much into things until you can see real world results.

thanks for the replies folks.

I use TM Burner 09, think the PW is 45degrees.

PhilipMarlowe

45 -> 52 is more like the gap between two clubs... usually ~ 4 degrees between clubs.

Fore Iron

Firstly I'd say that remember wedges in particular are for accuracy first and foremost and you really shouldn't be too bothered about how far you can hit them at all. Just figure out how far each go and work from that. Even if they both go more or less the same distance that doesn't really matter. You will still have two different ball flights and different spin so you still have two shots to choose from.

There will almost always be a gap between the average PW set and a sand wedge simply because of the loft. Your PW is 45 degrees so the next logical club up from that would be 49 degrees to keep a club difference, so your 52 degree wedge is nearly two clubs different from your PW, but that doesn't mean you need to get a 49 degree wedge at all.

I hit my PW about 125 full swing. My next wedge has 7 degrees more loft which goes about 100 yards all out. But I am much more accurate hitting my PW easy from 100-105 then I will ever be hitting my gap wedge. I could get a different wedge to close the gap from my PW but I will still be more accurate hitting an easy PW then a full something else. So I have chosen wedges that I feel comfortable with from 80 or 90 yards and in, so the gap between them and my PW really doesn't matter too much.

Just don't worry about the distances from your wedges until you get used to them. And hitting balls at the range gives you very little idea about how they will perform at all because of crappy balls / inaccurate distance markers / hitting off mats, etc, etc.

Kace

You would be better off taking some time after you have got used to them to pace out / measure the distances (using at least 10-20 balls for each) so that you can really see what happens when you consider roll etc.

I did this a while back based upon different backswing lengths (ala Pelz) and measured the following. As you can see there is a good degree of overlap depending upon how you hit it.


Gap - 52
58-62
70-74
84-88

Sand - 56
44-48
60-64
74-78

Lob - 60
34-36
44-46
60-64

Waesfjord

thanks all.

As advsied I'll have to measure out distances with decent balls, and then use accordingly.

Unfortunately my course (Hollystown) has no practice hole, so may prove difficult to do this easily.

I wonder woud a copurse in which you get a green fee allow you to hit off a few balls on practice hole if you turn up early?

NoelAPM

Just go to a course with a practise area and let rip! Who's gonna say anything in fairness!

staker

It's not unheard of hitting a gap wedge 210 yards, so a chap here in town was bragging last weekend:rolleyes:

goodgolfer64

Kace wrote: »

You would be better off taking some time after you have got used to them to pace out / measure the distances (using at least 10-20 balls for each) so that you can really see what happens when you consider roll etc.

I did this a while back based upon different backswing lengths (ala Pelz) and measured the following. As you can see there is a good degree of overlap depending upon how you hit it.


Gap - 52
58-62
70-74
84-88

Sand - 56
44-48
60-64
74-78

Lob - 60
34-36
44-46
60-64

jaysus you really know your yardages!!!!you must be a seriously low marker..... i just step up n feel the thing n hit it.....:rolleyes:

Kace

goodgolfer64 wrote: »

jaysus you really know your yardages!!!!you must be a seriously low marker..... i just step up n feel the thing n hit it.....:rolleyes:

The level of accuracy that I have listed here is a false prophecy really for most (myself included), unless a massive amount of practise is being done and even more golf being played.

Otherwise (and this is the case for me), these are merely just a guide to help with shot and club selection within 100 yards - maybe the next step to just stepping up, looking, feeling, hitting ;-)

goodgolfer64

ALL EVEN yardages too.....now that is impressive....
does your yardages diff at all with a doss of the shakes from the night before??? overlapping too....sure you have that sort game sorted....

Myksyk

A good way to do this which I found offered surprisingly accurate yardages is to get to a simulator with the balls you actually use. Take your three or four wedges and hit say 10 balls with each wedge with a half swing (left arm pointing straight back) and a full swing (left arm pointing at 10o'clock). Record everything on a piece of paper and get your averages. It's a good place to start.

Uncle Ben

I read of some pro. golfer who stated that the safest place to stand on a golf course when amateurs are playing is directly behind the flag because in most cases they always leave the ball short.

This statement stayed with me because like the OP I used to 'think' that I could hit the 7 iron 150 yards. True, on the range, on 2 or 3 occassions I would hit the magic number, however most times it would vary dramatically from 120 to 140 on average. After going to the local pro, he said that a large % of club golfers don't know their proper yardages and constantly underclub.

The first lesson I was given was to go out and hit balls with every iron in the bag.We then discounted the shortest and the furthest on every iron and the middle grouping was my yardage. The lesson I learnt was my proper distances struck in a controlled and not forced manner. I now just make adjustments for upwind/downwind conditions.

I have found that now when the ball lands in the middle of the green from 130yds struck with my 7 iron that my playing partners are not commentating on how short/weak my shot is, but how nearer the pin the ball is!

The next time your out try it. Go down a club on all approach shots, you will be surprised how closer to the pin you can get!

WHIP IT!

I think the 'under-clubbing' thing is undeniable - I suffer from it as much as anyone. But I don't think it's solely down to ego and thinking you can hit a seven-iron 150yds or whatever. I think it's also a case of you want to hit the lower iron - because it's theoretically easier to hit. I know that's gone through my mind when I was playing off 20-plus and struggling just to get the damn thing round the course. You might say "It's maybe a seven, or a six... but the seven is easier to hit... yeah, let's hit the seven!"

It's dumb, but most of the mistakes I/we make on the golf course are dumb mistakes.

Also, golf's classic chicken and egg problem... when I'm playing better I rarely get the club wrong in any serious way - but which comes first, getting the club right or playing well?? Who the f*ck knows??

PhilipMarlowe

As I said earlier, don't use an average of all your shots because you have to take out the outliers... no point in including the one you caught really heavy or the one you bladed a mile.
You need the reliable distance that most of your wedges carried to - that way when you are faced with a carry over water, you know that you have that shot covered (once you don't make a balls of it of course).