bobmac
Major Champion
For those of you who have 4 wedges, what's the gap in yards between your longest iron/hybrid and your 3/5 wood?
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4 wedgers
- Thread starter bobmac
- Start date
Imurg
The Grinder Of Pars (Semi Crocked)
4 Iron (MPFliHi24*) - 190ish
19* Hybrid - 210ish
3 wood - 230ish
Gap between wedges - about 10ish yards..
I know what you're getting at Bob but I still reckon I'm more likely to get a par with a long shot then a chip'n'putt from 200+ yards than I am a long shot and 2 putts. If I get the handicap down to low low singles then I might be good enough to hit greens regularly from that far out but not at the moment.
19* Hybrid - 210ish
3 wood - 230ish
Gap between wedges - about 10ish yards..
I know what you're getting at Bob but I still reckon I'm more likely to get a par with a long shot then a chip'n'putt from 200+ yards than I am a long shot and 2 putts. If I get the handicap down to low low singles then I might be good enough to hit greens regularly from that far out but not at the moment.
T
thecraw
Guest
3 wood, 230
2 iron 200-210
2 iron 200-210
bluetoon
Challenge Tour Pro
Good post Bob,
3wood- 230
3hybrid 190-210 ish
I too am a 4 wedger PW, 52, 56, 60 and have always thought it too much. I sacrificed my 5wood for the extra wedge.
However, my 58 wedge arrived yesterday to replace 56 & 60, gonna stick 5wood back in the bag and see how it goes.
3wood- 230
3hybrid 190-210 ish
I too am a 4 wedger PW, 52, 56, 60 and have always thought it too much. I sacrificed my 5wood for the extra wedge.
However, my 58 wedge arrived yesterday to replace 56 & 60, gonna stick 5wood back in the bag and see how it goes.
SS2
Tour Rookie
19 deg Hybrid: up to 200
3 wood: up to 230
If I need to hit the ball 215 I just (try to) take a bit off the 3 wood.
3 wood: up to 230
If I need to hit the ball 215 I just (try to) take a bit off the 3 wood.
ScienceBoy
Money List Winner
My bag is set up for my home course, no need for a 3 wood anywhere so I go from 5 wood then 3h downwards as normal.
5 wood is about 210
3h is about 190
4i is about 180ish
I never feel I have any gaps at my home course, I do struggle with this setup at courses that you cannot take a driver off pretty much every tee. If I start playing other courses more then I will probably invest in more clubs so I can switch my bag around a bit.
5 wood is about 210
3h is about 190
4i is about 180ish
I never feel I have any gaps at my home course, I do struggle with this setup at courses that you cannot take a driver off pretty much every tee. If I start playing other courses more then I will probably invest in more clubs so I can switch my bag around a bit.
StrangelyBrown
Tour Winner
3w - 220 yards
3h - 200 yards
3h - 200 yards
bobmac
Major Champion
This is my whole arguement.
How easy/hard is it to take a bit off a 3 wood?
Compare that to taking a bit off a wedge or SW.
I would think it's easier to swing a 3/4 PW than it is a 3/4 3 wood.
I do know that as lofts have become stronger, the modern P wedge is now the old 9 iron so I understand the need for a GW of around 50-52 but couple that with a 56-58 SW and you have enough options there to play any short shot you may need.
Fyldewhite
Tour Winner
5w - around the 200-210 mark.
3I - about 190 (but rarely hit this off the deck)
4I - about 180
Trade off for me is no 3w. I can't hit one off the deck and as a "safe" tee shot I always hit 3I.
3I - about 190 (but rarely hit this off the deck)
4I - about 180
Trade off for me is no 3w. I can't hit one off the deck and as a "safe" tee shot I always hit 3I.
T
thecraw
Guest
Wedges are my scoring clubs bob, if I miss a green from 210, I have extra armoury to eradicate the situation.
I also feel the short game is where I can brush up on and improve so the extra wedge is better used than a hybrid which I hate with a passion. Fugly looking things, they just dont suit my eye.
I also feel the short game is where I can brush up on and improve so the extra wedge is better used than a hybrid which I hate with a passion. Fugly looking things, they just dont suit my eye.
USER1999
Grand Slam Winner
I disagree. But then I would.
My hybrid can go any distance, from 180 (ignoring complete mis hits) to 230, and my 4w goes from 180 to 230 too. The distribution for each is biased clearly, but neither are particularly consistent.
So for me, to carry more clubs at the top end of my bag is pointless, as they would be more clubs spanning the same yardages. This is why I dropped the 3w and 5w and went for a 4w. There wasn't a clear difference between the two woods.
My hybrid can go any distance, from 180 (ignoring complete mis hits) to 230, and my 4w goes from 180 to 230 too. The distribution for each is biased clearly, but neither are particularly consistent.
So for me, to carry more clubs at the top end of my bag is pointless, as they would be more clubs spanning the same yardages. This is why I dropped the 3w and 5w and went for a 4w. There wasn't a clear difference between the two woods.
StrangelyBrown
Tour Winner
Bob, I just feel that I'm unlikely to hit a green with anything bigger than a 5/6 iron so why worry about exact yardages from more than 160/170 yards away?
If I'm 210 yards away I'm not thinking, "Damn, I don't have a club that goes exactly 210". I'm thinking "where's the trouble". If it is at the back I'll hit hybrid and if it's at the fron i'll hit 3w. In practice, i'm more likely to be 10 yards left or right of the green from that distance, which is when I get busy with (thinning/fatting) my wedges
If I'm 210 yards away I'm not thinking, "Damn, I don't have a club that goes exactly 210". I'm thinking "where's the trouble". If it is at the back I'll hit hybrid and if it's at the fron i'll hit 3w. In practice, i'm more likely to be 10 yards left or right of the green from that distance, which is when I get busy with (thinning/fatting) my wedges
Fyldewhite
Tour Winner
I agree with this 100%. Also, I think the course you play is a factor. If it's a long championship length monster then you will leave yourslf 200 a lot more than you will round our track. I am very rarely faced with a shot more than 180 apart from the par 5's which we only have two of and if the wind is right I can get up with my 5 wood.
SS2
Tour Rookie
Let's agree to disagree.
I may drop the 5 iron and add a 64deg vokey to the 46, 48, 52, 56 and 60 already in the bag. If this happens, feel free to point and laugh.
Philm
Challenge Tour Pro
i'm more likely to be 10 yards left or right of the green from that distance, which is when I get busy with (thinning/fatting) my wedges
toooo true for me also.
Phil
Oddsocks
Ryder Cup Winner
Which is exactly what i did, Dropped the 60* in favour of a 58* as the 60 was never used. now go PW(46*, 52*, 58* and ive never got in a position where i think i need another wedge.,
S
Snelly
Guest
I agree with Bob 100%.
A 3/4 3 wood is not easy. You either won't commit or your hands will come through faster and hit a hook.
That aside, my view is that 4 wedges is unecessary and counter-productive for two main reasons:
1. Choices - When you have a shot to hit from inside lets say 60 yards, any one of the 4 wedges you have is capable of getting the ball close to the pin. In this context, the 4 clubs you have are giving you simply too many choices which complicates matters and I would think creates seeds of doubt. How many times do you pull wedge 2 out, hit a bad shot then immediately think - damn, if only I used wedge 3 or 4 I would have been fine!
2. Feel - In my view, your wedges and their loft are almost irrelevant to the distance you have to play (within reason obviously). Rather, it is about having an accurate feel for distance with any wedge in your hand and this can only be achieved through practice. Proper wedge practice. Not on a driving range but on a practice ground with the balls you play with on a course.
In summary then, my view is that it isn't about the wedge loft, bounce, weight, shaft, grip etc etc. it is about you and your level of feel for the shot in hand. You only have to look at Seve to see that this is true!
My wedge play is poor these days as I just don't play enough to retain that feel to a decent enough level. When I was a kid though and played every day, I was red hot from anywhere inside 90 yards as practice made perfect.
Manufacturers are also to blame when they pump out a message marketing wedges. Naturally they want to argue that you need another one of their £75+ clubs to make your golf complete!
Lastly, I think a parallel can be made with wedge play and distance control on putts. They are all about perception and feel and should be approached in the same way in my humble opinion. You don't have 2 putters with different lofts do you? One for short putts and one for long?
Mind you, I can already see the manufacturers lining this up as the next must have in golf!
Take out your 4th wedge and get another putter in. Your long distance putter has a milled face to ensure a positive strike and a higher loft to maximise initial trajectory and impart the correct spin on the equator of the ball. Your short range putter is shorter in shaft length, has a magnesium polymer insert for enhanced feel and improved distance to skid ratio. The grip is finished in hummingbird feathers to ensure the sense of strike is transmitted properly to the hands etc etc.
All bollo**s of course, just as the argument for carrying 4 wedges is!
Just my two pennorth on a Friday and I don't expect everyone will agree!
A 3/4 3 wood is not easy. You either won't commit or your hands will come through faster and hit a hook.
That aside, my view is that 4 wedges is unecessary and counter-productive for two main reasons:
1. Choices - When you have a shot to hit from inside lets say 60 yards, any one of the 4 wedges you have is capable of getting the ball close to the pin. In this context, the 4 clubs you have are giving you simply too many choices which complicates matters and I would think creates seeds of doubt. How many times do you pull wedge 2 out, hit a bad shot then immediately think - damn, if only I used wedge 3 or 4 I would have been fine!
2. Feel - In my view, your wedges and their loft are almost irrelevant to the distance you have to play (within reason obviously). Rather, it is about having an accurate feel for distance with any wedge in your hand and this can only be achieved through practice. Proper wedge practice. Not on a driving range but on a practice ground with the balls you play with on a course.
In summary then, my view is that it isn't about the wedge loft, bounce, weight, shaft, grip etc etc. it is about you and your level of feel for the shot in hand. You only have to look at Seve to see that this is true!
My wedge play is poor these days as I just don't play enough to retain that feel to a decent enough level. When I was a kid though and played every day, I was red hot from anywhere inside 90 yards as practice made perfect.
Manufacturers are also to blame when they pump out a message marketing wedges. Naturally they want to argue that you need another one of their £75+ clubs to make your golf complete!
Lastly, I think a parallel can be made with wedge play and distance control on putts. They are all about perception and feel and should be approached in the same way in my humble opinion. You don't have 2 putters with different lofts do you? One for short putts and one for long?
Mind you, I can already see the manufacturers lining this up as the next must have in golf!
Take out your 4th wedge and get another putter in. Your long distance putter has a milled face to ensure a positive strike and a higher loft to maximise initial trajectory and impart the correct spin on the equator of the ball. Your short range putter is shorter in shaft length, has a magnesium polymer insert for enhanced feel and improved distance to skid ratio. The grip is finished in hummingbird feathers to ensure the sense of strike is transmitted properly to the hands etc etc.
All bollo**s of course, just as the argument for carrying 4 wedges is!
Just my two pennorth on a Friday and I don't expect everyone will agree!
USER1999
Grand Slam Winner
You can make a very good argument for carrying a half set based on your post Snelly.
S
Snelly
Guest
You could indeed, but you'd be wrong.
fundy
Ryder Cup Winner
i carry 4 wedges purely to minimise the gaps between them for full shots. As someone who gives it a fair lick I much prefer to have these gaps as small as possible rather than the gap between 3 wood/hybrid/4 iron as they come into play multiple times a round compared to maybe once for the other end of the bag
