Is Gapping Improtant With Wedges?

[One Planer]

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?

 

[garyinderry]

Personal preference.

Many do hit full shots with all the their wedges.

Others like yourself need to work out how to hit certian distances using half and three quarter swings.

 

[BomberSRL]

I have always been told yes - but it depends on how many full shots you hit on a round with wedges? I hit quite a lot of 50's and 55's into greens. And mainly chip with a 60.

 

[NorfolkShaun]

I would suggest very important, but do understand your point.

I guess it comes down to personal preference.

My wedges break from 115 PW to 100 - 90 - 80 for full shots. But personally 80 yards and in is generally a 3/4 swing depending on the shot required.

 

[jim8flog]

Not really important dependent upon what you do with the wedges. I had a period of over ten years when I only carried a 52 wedge and taught myself to play 'all the shots' with just the single club. (this was a time when a 52 wedge had PW on the bottom and a 9 iron was about 48-49 degrees). I now carry a 58 in the summer because of the type of sand we have switched to in our bunkers so it also gets some use out of the long grass.

 

[jdpjamesp]

Not for me because I'm going to thin it whichever club I use...

 

[Region3]

Whether you use your wedges with full swings or not, what's important is that you don't walk up to your ball, get a yardage, and think "I haven't got a club for this".

 

[Wilf]

Very much down to personal preference I reckon. I have just got a 50 degree wedge replacing a 52 because I had a big gap between PW and Gap Wedge including the 100 yard shot so it made sense to me to plug that gap. a full 50 is 100 yards and I can adjust swing length to hit knock down shots

I rarely hit full wedges that distance aside so from then on in its more a question of do your wedges fit for each scenario you encounter. A bunker shot, a 50 yard, preferred shots around the greens. Which I guess is more down to bounce options rather than specific yardages. I couldn't use a 50 out of a bunker for example so that dictates at least 1 more wedge in my set

If you take 3 of the players who were considered to have the best short games. Mickelson carries loads of wedges, Tiger was just PW 56 and 60 and Seve could pretty much do anything with any club

 

[user2010]

What`s more important is how quickly you can change your spelling of "important" in your header.....! Jeez Louise:thup::whoo::ears:


Mods Eh? pfft

 

[GeeJay]

I don't know how important gapping is, but my set includes:

PW (47) - 100-110 yds if struck well
GW (52) - 80-90 yards max and most chips around the green, though I sometimes use an 8i around the green.
SW (56/12) - bunker shots
LW (60) - 50-60 yards max, some chips around greens especially over bunkers and obstacles.

 

[Tashyboy]

Was talking to Melly in sunny Hunny about his bag, he has a PW and his next and last club is a 56 wedge. Nigh on a 10 degree gap.

 

[fundy]

if you mean degrees of loft gaps then no not really, if you mean yardages you hit them then yes, massively, moreso if you hit your wedges close to flat out

 

[bobmac]

Here's a pic of all my wedges



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

 

[ScienceBoy]

Bobs advice about trying to chip under a shaft laid across two range baskets ALWAYS fixes any of my chipping woes (well allmost always).

I don't count my PW as a wedge, it's 47* and isn't my main chipping club. I carry a 52 and 56 normally, these are the only two I see as my wedges.

I do throw in a 60 round the par 3 but only because I can carry it. I normally chip with my 52 or 56

 

[Tashyboy]

Bobs advice about trying to chip under a shaft laid across two range baskets ALWAYS fixes any of my chipping woes (well allmost always).

I don't count my PW as a wedge, it's 47* and isn't my main chipping club. I carry a 52 and 56 normally, these are the only two I see as my wedges.

I do throw in a 60 round the par 3 but only because I can carry it. I normally chip with my 52 or 56

How can you not count a pitching wedge as a wedge ? My first vokey is only 1 degree above you PW. That aside my PW is a wand.

 

[duncan mackie]

First define 'gapping....'

Your chosen bunker escape club should be selected for that purpose - the important bit in terms of gapping is to know bow far you hit it, rather than setting it up to hit a particalar distance.

After that it makes sense to have other clubs that do something different (in the context of having a limit on the number of clubs you can have).

Having specific clubs for any distance should be a simple case of supply and demand. When I'm playing well I rarely find myself needing to play full shots from inside 90yds and my sw goes 76 and my pw 116 so it's no surprise that I carry a gw that goes 92. However there's a gapping argument that suggests i should have it slightly stronger to fit with the 8/9/pw/x progression in terms of gaps. If I played courses where I had a lot of shots between 70 and 120 I might well lose clubs at the top end and gap through that range completely (the 4 wedge bag) but as I'm so far behind forum distances of the tee it's not something I consider now (I've got some 60 degree wedges but only swap them out for the 56 sw rather than adding them nowadays when playing courses with hardpacked bunkers)

 

[ScienceBoy]

How can you not count a pitching wedge as a wedge ? My first vokey is only 1 degree above you PW. That aside my PW is a wand.

Just mentally, nothing else. It's used the same as any other iron.

My 52 and 56 are not part of the iron set so they set themselves apart that way.

 

[duncan mackie]

My 52 and 56 are not part of the iron set so they set themselves apart that way.

Then again they are in your bag so they are all one big happy family really...🤣

 

[NorfolkShaun]

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

Out of interest Bob, I have seen you comment on you clubs being old before. Ever thought about changing them? Do you feel you would lose or gain much?

 

[bobmac]

Out of interest Bob, I have seen you comment on you clubs being old before. Ever thought about changing them? Do you feel you would lose or gain much?

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.