How to pick a wedge

richy

Journeyman Pro
Joined
Feb 9, 2010
Messages
2,185
Location
Newcastle upon Tyne
Visit site
How do people choose which wedge to go for? I dont mean loft or bounce, I mean the actual wedge. Do you go for the same brand as your iron or do you go for looks like with a putter? Its hard to try them before hand as you cant really tape one up and get the right feel. Demo clubs might not be in the loft you require.

I ask as that will be my next purchase.

Please share you views :D
 
As soon as you pick up a wedge, it feels either comfortable or you will put it straight back on the rack. I have yet to buy a wedge that I never used after the first couple of rounds.
 
I currently have 2 cleveland wedges and tm wedge to go with tm irons. I had vokey wedges before that. I think for me it is the feel when swinging that makes the wedge. At my level anyway, I think most wedges will stop the same, maybe i am wrong but there will be limited difference, but the one that feels like i can make the shot is the one i will go with.
 
It needs to be the right weight. I have some Cally X series wedges and tbh they were way too heavy and didn't inspire any confidence. A good wedge has to sit well behind the ball. Finally they have to have a good feel. I tried a lot at various demo days until I decided on the TM ones. I personally think Vokey come second and Cleveland would be my third choice
 
It needs to be the right weight.

Yes, weight is important. I have one wedge which always seems very heavy, but for some reason, I find it particularly good for full shots. I don't like my Vokey for full swings (I mentioned it on another post) but I don't know if it's a weight thing or just I don't like full shots with it for another reason.
 
As others have said, it will just feel right when you swing it. As soon as I tried my current Cleveland's, they just felt like you couldn't fail to put a good swing on it - perfectly balanced.

Of course, I have subsequently put hundreds of terrible swings on them. :o

This isn't a plug for Cleveland but I tried others and they just didn't feel as good. But it'll be different for everyone.

Before you jump in though, think carefully about how many wedges you will carry so you can choose the lofts properly. For me it's 48, 52 and 56 at the moment. I do have a 60 degree but it's been very naughty so is living under the stairs right now.

When I first bought the wedges, I just had 48 and 56 which left a big gap that was costing me shots. Now, I've plugged that gap and other things cost me shots instead. :)
 
I tend to prefer wedges that match my other irons. When I had my Mizzie 200's I purchased the matching 50 & 55 degree wedges for them and the 50 was my favourite club in the bag. Always felt very confident with it.
I now have Ping i15's and was using Ping Tour-W wedges because Ping didn't offer a gap wedge to match at the time. They have now just introduced a matching 50 degree wedge which I have purchased and I will be using it for the first time on Sunday. I feel a lot more confident with it already than I did with the Tour-W. Although that was a very good wedge, I never felt as comfortable with it as I felt with my Mizzie.
I'll stick with my Tour-W 56 degree for out of the sand because Ping don't offer an i15 sand wedge (and say they have no plans to introduce one) and also I only ever use my sand wedge out of the sand, preferring to use my other wedges for chip shots, bump and runs that sort of thing.
 
Looks and feel - simple as that.

Oh and its got to work for you!
Only way is to try as many as possible.

It might take a few choices before you settle on the ones you want.
 
For me it was as follows:

Budget ... What CAN I buy rather than what WOULD I buy.

Looks ... Does it fit your eye? I prefer smaller headed wedges rather than those Jumbo numbers.

Weight aka Feel ... You can pick up a wedge that is a sexy as hell but it just feels dead.

Good luck ..... for what its worth the Cleveland CG15's are sweet.
 
I don't understand those saying certain wedges are too heavy.
A wedge should imo feel quite heavy, you're playing a lot of delicate shots and half shots which are really easy to quit on. The weight in a decent wedge like a Vokey helps to keep the swing smooth and keep the clubhead accelerating through the ball.

p.s. quite delighted with my Progen gun metal gap wedge, got it for £10 on ebay, regripped it for a fiver and it is a joy to hit. :D
 
The weight in a decent wedge like a Vokey helps to keep the swing smooth and keep the clubhead accelerating through the ball.

Wierd that... I find Vokeys too light and don't get on with them at all.

Are they ACTUALLY heavier than other wedges?
 
I have a vokey 50 degree, which is a bit light, my Whitlam 54 is perfect, and my Whitlam 58 was too light til I put a shed load of lead tape on it.

I like heavy clubs though, pretty much all through the bag.
 
Exactly, he can afford to swing light weight sticks. Me? I need a bit of weight behind the club face to cut through the turf. It is like swinging an axe. An aluminium axe isn't going to bring the tree down. A pigging great bit of steel, now we are talking.
 
Top