What wedge setup are ye all using ?

Russman · 11-08-2022 1:40pm #1

Just thought it might be interesting to hear various thoughts on this. With the modern PW being so strong these days, its really throwing my gapping out and I'm re evaluating things ! Was always PW plus 52 & 56, never used or needed a lob wedge. Threw a 60 in for the laugh a season or two ago and almost only use it out of bunkers, and absolute emergencies. Finding I've a big gap after the PW so just mulling over the combinations.

slave1 · 11-08-2022 2:05pm

From my reading it sounds like you need a Gap Wedge, don't know the degree but typically placed between the wedge and sand wedge (56degree)

RoadRunner · 11-08-2022 2:17pm

my set wedge is 46deg, I go 50, 54, 58.

46 125m

50 113m

54 104m

58 90m

Russman · 11-08-2022 2:17pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119458839#Comment_119458839

Yep, my gap wedge was always the 52, but with the PW now at 44, I might have to go down to 48 or 50 for the gap wedge.

ABitofsense · 11-08-2022 2:22pm

I carry PW (45), 48, 54 and 58 now but will change again!

The gap was a issue for me too between PW (45) and a 50 i was carrying up to this year. PW is 135yrds but 50 was 110yrds (i track all my distances). Anything around 120yrds killed me. So I bought a 48 which is 120yrds. Plan now is to get a 52 and 56 for next yr to run with the 48 to tighten the gaps.

johnny1x · 11-08-2022 2:27pm

mine at the moment is:-

44

50

54

60

kieran. · 11-08-2022 2:38pm

Currently I have PW45 UW50, SW54, LW58.

45° 139 yards

50° 127 yards

54° 118 yards

58° 109 yards

coillcam · 11-08-2022 2:43pm

My irons set has a 46 degree PW. So I finish out the bag as 46/50/54/58. The general recommendation from most coaches/fitters is to have a 4 ( or max 5) degree difference between wedges. This gives a nice spread of distance from PW downwards to your partial shots/short game.

PW - 95%+ full shots at 125yds.

50/GW - 80% full shots at 110yds and 20% a 3/4 swing.

54/SW - 15% full shots 100yds. Otherwise, it's my primary chipping club, some bunkers, 80-60yd partials and some pitches.

58/LW - 10% full shots 85 yds. Mostly it's my primary bunker club and then some pitches, the odd flop or chip.

Most players don't even need or use an LW. I could do without mine if I had a 56/SW but I'd find it a little too big of a gap back to my PW/46. The only other point I'd make is that my 14th club is always wedge. I find that I have comfortable gapping and more options for short game. The alternative would be to add another wood or maybe a 2i/3i. I don't think another long club adds any significant gain/options given my distance/HC. Or even off the tee. I'm also rarely going for the green over 200yds.

The final thing I'll say is that the bounce for me is crucial. Last week I tried the new Callaway JAWS RAW wedges to see if they were any improvement. The mid-bounce ones performed reasonably close to my current 54/58 Full Toe Callaway JAWS. In contrast, the low-bounce ones were not suitable whatsoever. I could hit pitches and full shots mostly ok but bunkers were an absolute disaster, I might as well have been using the rake. No help or forgiveness just digging no matter what. So I kept my 54/58 full toes and smiled at the local pro. Whether I adapted to them over time or they suit me perfectly, I wouldn't consider changing them.

A mid or high bounce is probably the best all-around option given our climate with soft turf and forgiveness. I can't imagine low bounce being any good unless you're playing on extremely hard-packed turf or an elite player.

Russman · 11-08-2022 2:53pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119458980#Comment_119458980

That's my most likely route I think. I need to close that PW (135yds) to GW (100yds) gap. Granted the GW yardage is a mix of rounds with a 50 or 52 so its likely understated. Was going to go the 54/58 route, but I'm very reluctant to drop my 56 as I've always used one since I was a kid and can't imagine not having one. I'll probably just drop the lob wedge as it gets very little use tbh.

Russman · 11-08-2022 2:58pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119459129#Comment_119459129

Yep, agree with that. My new set PW is 44 and its a huge jump to a 52. I've found that a 50 closes it up a bit but while its good for full and 3/4 shots, its just a little too strong for chipping with (for me).

I loved the JAWS RAW when I saw them a couple of weeks ago, picked up a 56 with the S grind and its really nice (albeit after 2 rounds !).

GandhiwasfromBallyfermot · 11-08-2022 2:58pm

Currently I'm running a PW45, GW52, SW55, LW58.

The PW I'm using came with a new set of irons I bought this year and the loft is stronger than my previous PW so the gap to my GW is too big now. Will be changing to GW50, SW54, LW58 for next year.

GandhiwasfromBallyfermot · 11-08-2022 2:59pm

Also can anyone recommend a good bounce for a GW & SW for your typical Irish parkland course? Only really understanding wedge bounce now so want to get it right for my next purchase.

Russman · 11-08-2022 3:04pm

Personally I'd always subscribe to the "bounce is your friend" mantra, and lean towards a mid or mid/high option. If you like to open the face, stay with mid rather than high. Grind is equally important though. I think its Vokeys that only offer the gap wedges in their full "F" grind - presumably because it'll mostly be used for full shots.

blue note · 11-08-2022 3:28pm

PW 46 - 125m

GW 50 - 110m

SW 55 - 85m

LW 60 - I haven't got it often enough to know how far it goes.

The lob wedge just gets used for times when I need to get it up and down quickly. It happens most rounds to be honest and is easier to hit than the sand wedge with an open face.

My most common club around the green is my 8 iron anyway. I'll use a wedge if I've rough between me and the hole and I'll go past the hole by landing past the rough. Or if I've to go over a bunker or something. But generally speaking, if I can land my 8 iron on the green, fringe or maybe even fairway I'll hit that and let it run up to the hole.

coillcam · 11-08-2022 4:11pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119459238#Comment_119459238

Think 10 is as low as I'd go. I play 95% at home in Mullingar and it can get as soft as any parkland in the country but quite firm after a dry spell. My wedges are 50/10 54/12 ad 58/10 which are fixed specs for the Full Toe. They are absolutely A1 for me year round. Again your own circumstances may be different but that's how'd approach it.

GW tend to be more like a set iron or PW, with fewer options for bounce/grind anyway. More bounce also means more forgiveness in bunkers (provided they have sand). If you could try a few demo clubs on the practice area or course it would give you the best idea. Our pro lets us sign them out for a couple of days to try. It's pointless choosing wedges based on what it does on a mat.

Infoseeker1975 · 11-08-2022 10:33pm

PW 135 yards

50 degree 120-25

54 degree 110-120

58 degree 70-110

64 degree around the greens and depending on the shot from 60 yards in

GandhiwasfromBallyfermot · 12-08-2022 8:43am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119459585#Comment_119459585

Thanks, that sounds about what I was thinking. Looking at a set of taylormade milled grind wedges in 50/09 & 54/11. The sand in our bunkers can be like concrete even in summer so 11 is the highest I'd go with the 54.

coillcam · 12-08-2022 9:03am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119462005#Comment_119462005

I'd agree with you on this, the only caveat on the wedge bounce is for concrete-like bunkers. If they have sand, the bounce is your friend. However, if you have little to no sand (like a couple in my home course), then I'm barely opening the face and sometimes I have to hit the ball squarely. A normal splash shot doesn't work for me in that case: the club thumps the ground and blades the ball into the lip 😑.

I just saw the new TaylorMade hi-toe wedges last night. They look awesome but I'm happy enough with my Callaways for now.

sean.ocall · 12-08-2022 9:20am

I play a 50, 54 and 58, but tend to use the 54 a lot for anything 40 to 100yd, the the 50 from 100 to 115ish, don't like to hit any of them full. Use PW (45) around the green more often than not, and the 58 used to stay in the bag most of the time but I've started using it out of the bunkers with good results. All three have a lot of bounce 10/11 ish. Mine are Cleveland cbx2 which are cavity back and quite friendly to use.

I'm actually waiting on delivery of an approach wedge to match my irons to replace the 50. I'd like to be able to hit full shots with the 50 but the shaft/head weight etc feels so different to my irons I tend not to. Full AW should go around 125 I think, it's also 50 degree. That's a distance I seem to encounter a lot, and a 3/4 PW does the job but I'd like to have another option.

GandhiwasfromBallyfermot · 12-08-2022 9:21am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119462070#Comment_119462070

They're slowly renovating the bunkers in my home course. Front nine are all lovely and fluffy and well drained but the back nine bunkers may as well have builders sand in them mixed with concrete. Makes for a very confusing round when you hit into a bunker and forget if its a new or old one. 😆 Many good scores have been ruined with a knifed shot out of a concrete bunker.

Russman · 12-08-2022 9:56am

So I took the wedges, a laser and 20 balls out last night to go a bit old school on it. Granted, the ground is hard but I was landing the balls in the rough, so its a good starting point. Turns out the gap between my new 44PW and my 50 degree is around 15-18 yards ish. I would have expected more tbh, but I'll do it a few more times over the coming weeks. I could probably live with a 15 yards gap as that would allow me to keep my 60 in the bag. Its very rarely used but its a K grind and is like legal cheating out of bunkers !

coillcam · 12-08-2022 12:48pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119462278#Comment_119462278

Your local pro/fitter could bend either/both of the wedges a degree if you really wanted to tighten the gap. Once you're comfy it doesn't matter and you may never need to think about it as is.

A go-to club for green side bunkers is really under-appreciated. Easy to land in 3-4 bunkers a round in my local track. Talking about saving or wrecking a round tbf.

DonkeyPokerTour · 12-08-2022 1:06pm

Previously I had 46 (set PW) 52/56/60 Vokeys but recently I changed to 46/50/56/62. But to be honest I wouldn’t be too worried about the number on the bottom. It’s much more important that the gaps are filled. If you find yourself with a PW at 105 and your gap wedge at 95 but you always end up with shots of 100yards it’s better to change the loft of them so you have a 100yard club otherwise you’ll be second guessing yourself every time!

Ideally for me I’d have 46/50/54 and then 58 or 60. But I found it much easier to get out of bunkers with a 56 than a 54. I ended up with 62 for a different reason, I was buying second hand and then 62s were in much better condition than the 60s so I decided to go with a 62 and if needed bend it to 60.

In terms of bounce I play 50-08, 56-12 and 62-08. The 50 is an F grind. The 56 is a D grind and the 62 is an M grind. Probably I’ll change the 62 to 60 and it will become 60-06. If I was in Ireland playing I’d probably have the 50-12 but in Brasil generally it’s a little firmer. I really like having a high bounce wedge for the 56 and a “low to mid” bounce wedge in the 60/62. It allows you to make decisions based on the lie like if it’s hard sand or soft sand you can change the club you use in the bunker. If you have both clubs with 12degrees of bounce then in hard sand it’s much more difficult.

Final tip avoid the 60-04L wedge from Vokey if possible, unless your playing on links or you have a very shallow swing, your going to take divots the size of Louth! A fantastic club when it’s really hard and bare lie but anything more and it’ll dig in!

OEP · 12-08-2022 2:47pm

PW 46 (I think) - 140 to 145 yards

GW 52 - 125 - 130 yeards

LW 58 - never hit full unless I need to go over a big tree, probably 105 yards.

I only have 13 clubs, mainly because I've humming and hawing (and being cheap) about buying new wedges. I built up my set over time so that's why I have a big gap, where as I should have a 50 and 54 and not a 52 but that involves having to buy two new wedges. I also got a lesson recently and have started hitting my irons further so my distances are a little out of whack at the moment too. I don't need another club at the other end - I have a 3w and a 3h, and the gap between them is approx 20 yards, which is fine as I rarely have to deal with shots to greens at those distances.

kev_s88 · 12-08-2022 11:05pm

My setup is nicely gapped out

PW is 42.5 degree

GW is 48 degree

Then have a 54 and 60. 60 is used for my short chips around the green and bunker shots. Can vary between the GW and the 54 depending on the shot I'm tryna hit.

The gapping suits me well and haven't had any major problems with distances (or gaps in distances more to the point)