Is Gapping Improtant With Wedges?

[jim8flog]

Here's a pic of all my wedges

View attachment 22743

No idea what loft, grind or bounce they are but with a wee bit of practice.............birdies everywhere

I think I remember owning a set of those but 30 years on my memory is no longer that good.

 

[bobmac]

I think I remember owning a set of those but 30 years on my memory is no longer that good.

They were released about 1988 so good memory

 

[NorfolkShaun]

Possibly, but I only play for fun these days.
If I miss a green or dont get my yardage right with my wedges, I don't rush to American Golf to replace them.
It's not their fault it's mine.
Practice brings better results than new wedges in my opinion.

Could not agree more.

Have to admit have replaced my wedges recently, did i need to no. In some ways i now need to practice more as i knew my old wedge gaps so well.

However this is my hobby and i had a good few clubshop vouchers that needed spending and wedges seemed a good idea.

 

[turkish]

Possibly, but I only play for fun these days.
If I miss a green or dont get my yardage right with my wedges, I don't rush to American Golf to replace them.
It's not their fault it's mine.
Practice brings better results than new wedges in my opinion.

Interested to know your thoughts on this titleist vid bob: https://youtu.be/U0vthLItO-Q

Basically marketing to keep people buying more wedges but is there merit in it?

I know tour pros change them constantly but they're practicing hour in and hour out every day

 

[Nickrat]

I use my 8 iron, 52 and 58 to chip with.

 

[garyinderry]

I use my 8 iron, 52 and 58 to chip with.

Why wouldnt you use any of the other irons?

 

[Nickrat]

Why wouldnt you use any of the other irons?

I used to do that, then I switched to just practicing with the 3 clubs as they cover all the different types of shots I need and found I was so much more consistent.

 

[garyinderry]

Fair enuf.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

For me, the wedges need to fill distances rather than anything else which is why I went for an even spread of 46 (PW), 52 (gap) and 58 (SW). Next time I updgrade I think that set up will change but for now based on a smooth 3/4 swing and not flat out as I try not to hit any wedge shot at full power as I lose accuracy I get

PW 101 average carry
52 - 85 average
58 - 58 average

More or less a 15 yard variable which I'll live with. I'm happy to hit different shots or clubs in between these distances based on conditions and the lie etc but around the green I'll use most clubs (bar my woods) as the situation dictates. So to me gapping is an important factor but not only is front/bacl distance important but also in this area, its also how wide you are to a target

 

[garyinderry]

What are you thinking of changing to next time?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

What are you thinking of changing to next time?

Torn. Really like the new Glide and as a Ping man theny start favourite if only from my OCD perspective. However having tried the SM6 range several times they are also great and offer more variants in terms of loft and lie. Also some good deals on the Clevelands so wouldn't discount them. To be honest, once our greens start drying out then most chips and pitches won't spin and grab and so playing something that runs out and lands in the perfect landing zone is more important

 

[garyinderry]

Oh right. I thought you ment In terms of wedge loft set up.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Oh right. I thought you ment In terms of wedge loft set up.

That too. Was thinking of 46 (PW) 50, 54 and 58

 

[jamesfrew]

For me I believe if you feel you are missing a club then you need it. If you can hit all of the shots required with what you have then you don't need one.

I needed to get a 48 Deg wedge as my silly taylormade rsi irons go too far and I find they are hard to control when hitting half shots etc.

 

[the_coach]

I'm just about order some new wedges which got me thinking.

Is gapping with wedges important?

I currently have a 52° and 58° set up but never really hit either with a full shot with either club.

I understand gapping being important with irons but is it as important with wedges where a full swing isn't always needed?

would say the ways to look at it are around folks have their iron set which for majority of folks include a PW that wedge is gapped in terms of loft off of the 9i
it is real common for folks to hit a 'full wedge' shot which means hopefully from a controlled more 3/4 length backswing
(some sets have GW & SW also included again they are 'gapped' in loft from the preceding club in the set)

as folks play more then quite common for them to have set of irons that go only to 9i & then buy specialist wedges
if goin this route important stuff to consider is in the first order what the 9i loft is & 'fit' the specialist PW to that come off that preceding loft - then consider is it goin to be a 3 wedge system to allow another club at the top end of the bag or is the 'extra' club goin to be in a 4 wedge system

most important after the PW loft is looking then at the sand wedge which should be tailored to the type of bunkers folks mostly encountered so is the sand deep & soft or more packed & firm so looking at the bounce needed
then are the bunkers pretty deep so more loft needed

generally maybes looking at 3 wedge system of around 46º 52º 58º - where the 58º is the SW & LW & more likely to be then a mid bounce spec - but could be depending on the set 9i loft 3 wedge of 48º 54º 60º

or if 4 wedge then could be 46º 50º 56º 60º or 48º 52º 56º 60º

majority of wedge shots within a round are built with 'part swings' - so it's familiarity & practice to find the swing lengths to provide the in-between distances
but that said don't want a large distance gap between a 9' & a comfortable 'full' PW & the SW better 'suit' the majority of bunkers that folks find themselves in