A few - probably silly - newbie questions!

[BRISTOL86]

Hi All

New to the game, but loving it more and more the more I play/watch!

Having read a few magazines and watched my first tournament (The Open) I have a few questions, that are probably very silly and obvious to most people, but please indulge me!

- When a player is quoted as "playing off xxx" I presume they are referring to their handicap? I.e. if they "play off 12" their handicap is 12?

- When a player is a "scratch" player, does that mean they have no handicap?

- I've seen lots of information about wedges, that aren't quoted as pitching or sand wedges - how do these differ? For example the set I have contains a PW and an SW. But in a magazine I read they reviewed a load of wedges, all of which were available in varying degrees of loft. Would a player use these in addition to PW's and SW's or do they replace them - offering a more precise choice of loft? Presumably you would go with a bigger loft for your sand wedge to get the ball up high in a bunker close to the green?

Thanks for looking, appreciate any help! I probably have more questions but that's all I can think of for now!

Martin

 

[Ethan]

Hi All

New to the game, but loving it more and more the more I play/watch!

Having read a few magazines and watched my first tournament (The Open) I have a few questions, that are probably very silly and obvious to most people, but please indulge me!

- When a player is quoted as "playing off xxx" I presume they are referring to their handicap? I.e. if they "play off 12" their handicap is 12?

- When a player is a "scratch" player, does that mean they have no handicap?

- I've seen lots of information about wedges, that aren't quoted as pitching or sand wedges - how do these differ? For example the set I have contains a PW and an SW. But in a magazine I read they reviewed a load of wedges, all of which were available in varying degrees of loft. Would a player use these in addition to PW's and SW's or do they replace them - offering a more precise choice of loft? Presumably you would go with a bigger loft for your sand wedge to get the ball up high in a bunker close to the green?

Thanks for looking, appreciate any help! I probably have more questions but that's all I can think of for now!

Martin

Not silly at all to ask.

Playing off XXX means a handicap of XXX.

Scratch means a handicap of 0, so no shots taken off. It is possible to be better than scratch, i.e. to have a plus handicap where you ADD shots rather than deduct them. These players are a rare breed. Some events are known as scratch events, which means there are no shots taken off for handicap and everybody scores their gross score.

PW and SW vary between brands. A PW can be anywhere between 44 and 50 degrees, a SW is usually 54 - 56 degrees. With a PW of 44 or 45 degrees, there is a big gap to the SW so many players add a Gap Wedge of around 50 degrees. Some club makes just give the loft and don't have a name for the club as such.

Wedges also differ in terms of their sole design, which includes the bounce of the club. The right amount of bounce for you depends on your wedge technique and what type of course you play on. They also differ in weight, offset and other design features, and you can get a range of shafts and grips, all of which introduce minor or major differences.

 

[BRISTOL86]

Not silly at all to ask.

Playing off XXX means a handicap of XXX.

Scratch means a handicap of 0, so no shots taken off. It is possible to be better than scratch, i.e. to have a plus handicap where you ADD shots rather than deduct them. These players are a rare breed. Some events are known as scratch events, which means there are no shots taken off for handicap and everybody scores their gross score.

PW and SW vary between brands. A PW can be anywhere between 44 and 50 degrees, a SW is usually 54 - 56 degrees. With a PW of 44 or 45 degrees, there is a big gap to the SW so many players add a Gap Wedge of around 50 degrees. Some club makes just give the loft and don't have a name for the club as such.

Wedges also differ in terms of their sole design, which includes the bounce of the club. The right amount of bounce for you depends on your wedge technique and what type of course you play on. They also differ in weight, offset and other design features, and you can get a range of shafts and grips, all of which introduce minor or major differences.

Thanks Ethan!

Another question then, I've seen a few mentions of players "pitching" and "chipping", are these terms interchangeable or is there a difference between a pitch shot and a chip shot? If so, what is the difference?

In my head both shots are being done by using a wedge to get the ball up fairly high without travelling too far, is that correct? i.e. if you were sitting just off the green but too far to putt, you would chip/pitch using a wedge?

I've just looked at the specs of my clubs (Wilson Di11 irons) and the PW is 43 degrees and the SW is 55 degrees, so a fair bit of difference between the two. Presumably - if all other factors were identical in the shot - the same shot with the PW would travel further due to the reduced loft.

As an aside, I got a ridiculous deal on the aforementioned clubs. They were £199 at American Golf and I challenged them to pricematch to £189 which was the cheapest I could find online. When he put it through the till, he put it through for £149 - not much more than they go for used

Thanks!

 

[Odvan]

Welcome,

Having only joined the forum recently and took the game back up, this forum has been invaluable. Use the search function or set your profile so you see threads from months ago and read through them.

Some of the info is brill, links to video tutorials, reviews, grips, stance prep the full works. It's been covered in here at some stage and I personally found them an excellent read. This place will help your understanding of the game grow, at whatever level you're at.

 

[BRISTOL86]

Thanks Odvan, it does indeed seem a valuable resource!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Welcome along. No such thing as a silly question on here. You may get some silly answers mind. Get stuck in and ask away

 

[pbrown7582]

Generally all factors the same a club up or down (between 4 & 5 degrees) would travel 10-15 different in length so for Double the gap as your PW and SW are you are potential looking at 20/30 difference on full shots hence why many people now carry a Gap wedge.
Also specialist wedges with different bounce angles and grinds ( the design of the sole) can give much greater flexibility than the standard SW which comes with a set.

Ps ask away its not stupid we were all there once!

 

[Kellfire]

A PW can be anywhere between 44..

Or even 43, as in the clubs in my signature.

 

[BRISTOL86]

Thanks all!

So would one normally replace a "kit" SW with a more specialist wedge when their ability grows, rather than replacing the pitching wedge?

For example the PW in my club set is 43 degrees, but looking at the "specialist" wedges, they normally start around 50 degrees.

I'm not planning on buying any more clubs any time soon, just curious!

 

[pbrown7582]

Personal preference but very few would keep a "kit " SW and change a PW IMO, some change all from PW down others stick with what they have.

 

[Spark.]

If you fancy something to flick through, i picked up a magazine/book when in the hospital waiting for my daughter to be delivered on monday. Was called something like complete guide to golf or something of the like. Covered ALL of the basics and had a glossary/jargon buster that you might find helpful, Was only a tenner aswell.

 

[BRISTOL86]

Personal preference but very few would keep a "kit " SW and change a PW IMO, some change all from PW down others stick with what they have.

Sorry, do you mean most people would replace the SW in a "kit" but not the PW?

 

[Kellfire]

Sorry, do you mean most people would replace the SW in a "kit" but not the PW?

Most players look to replace the SW over time and stick with their PW in their set.

 

[BRISTOL86]

Thanks Kellfire.

Looking forward to getting started with my lessons now!

I've avoided the temptation of buying a driver straight off as I want to learn the basics and get the technique playing with irons correct before I move on, do you think that's a wise idea?

 

[Kellfire]

Thanks Kellfire.

Looking forward to getting started with my lessons now!

I've avoided the temptation of buying a driver straight off as I want to learn the basics and get the technique playing with irons correct before I move on, do you think that's a wise idea?

I teed off with my longest iron for a long time. All I ended up doing was costing myself about 50 yards off the tee and giving myself no chance. My advice would be to get yourself a driver or at least a 3W asap but much more importantly invest in lessons so that you give yourself a fighting chance. I tried to go it alone for a couple of years and got nowhere. As soon as I got lessons, my handicap dropped, I was driving properly (sometimes ) and I competed for the first time.

Lessons are the most important thing a new player can buy. Don't scrimp on them, we all had teachers at school, a driving instructor etc. There's no reason we should expect to learn golf on our own either!

 

[pbrown7582]

Very restrained of you!

Most pros tend to favour using only a 7 iron during initial lessons.

 

[GreiginFife]

Sorry, do you mean most people would replace the SW in a "kit" but not the PW?

Very few sets of irons actually come with a stock SW these days (even long irons 3 & 4 are becoming rare) so the player needs to buy a wedge to complete the set (as it were). As Ethan says, these are normally 52-56 degrees with multiple bounce options (based on course type & technique).
Most people stick with the PW as few manufacturers (save Vokey and Cleveland for the major brands) produce wedges below 50 degrees.

 

[BRISTOL86]

I teed off with my longest iron for a long time. All I ended up doing was costing myself about 50 yards off the tee and giving myself no chance. My advice would be to get yourself a driver or at least a 3W asap but much more importantly invest in lessons so that you give yourself a fighting chance. I tried to go it alone for a couple of years and got nowhere. As soon as I got lessons, my handicap dropped, I was driving properly (sometimes ) and I competed for the first time.

Lessons are the most important thing a new player can buy. Don't scrimp on them, we all had teachers at school, a driving instructor etc. There's no reason we should expect to learn golf on our own either!

Thanks. I'll definitely be taking lessons to master the basics, that's for sure! I have been to the driving range a few times and I know I need to be shown/taught the correct swing technique because I'm certainly not doing things right. I have my first lesson on Tuesday.

Re the driver, I'll probably have a few lessons to get the basics taught to me at least before I buy any more clubs! Maybe after a few lessons I'll be itching to get a driver! Though for the next 6-12 months I can't see me playing anything other than par 3 courses as I learn, so would a driver or any woods be necessary?

Would a hybrid club be a more sensible suggestion? Presumably they are a bit easier to hit than a driver and offer a bit of extra length than the 5 iron, should I need it?

 

[BRISTOL86]

Very few sets of irons actually come with a stock SW these days (even long irons 3 & 4 are becoming rare) so the player needs to buy a wedge to complete the set (as it were). As Ethan says, these are normally 52-56 degrees with multiple bounce options (based on course type & technique).
Most people stick with the PW as few manufacturers (save Vokey and Cleveland for the major brands) produce wedges below 50 degrees.

Yeah, mine came with a PW (43 deg) and SW (55 deg). I might look at selling the SW and getting something like a 50 degree wedge and then there's less of a gap, and then if my game develops and I feel I need more options, I could add a 54/56deg wedge perhaps?

I think I'm still a bit confused about wedges in general, and what sort of shots require which type of wedge!

For example, if I had my PW (43 deg), another wedge (50 deg) and my SW (55 deg), in what sort of situation would I use each of these wedges? I'm guessing I would use the PW when furthest from the green, as I presume the lower loft will equate to more distance, and the 50deg wedge/sand wedge when closer to the green and/or in a bunker

 

[ScienceBoy]

Par 3 courses are the best! Fantastic place to just go and play golf!

Drivers are not difficult to learn, the only problem is the extra distance is the ball often travels further into the rubbish than a 5 iron.

I started off with a driving iron, picked it up for peanuts, a Mizuno Fli Hi

.

Worked a treat and I gave it away to a young kid who was just starting out when I got better and cleared out the store room.