Set Wedges or Specialist Wedges?

[Voyager EMH]

1-15º, 2-18°, 3-21°, 4-24°, 5-28°, 6-32°, 7-36°, 8-41°, 9-46°, PW-52°, SW-58 (or 8-40°, 9-45°, PW-50°, SW-56°)

It is really very simple. You can call them any names or numbers you like, but it does not really change anything.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I don't care what the name is on the bottom I want a set gap in degrees so I have a nice distance gapping. I have a PW at 46 degrees, gap at 52 and a 58 degree. All about knowing how far you hit them and learning to hit different shots with each to have as big an arsenal of weapons as possible

 

[Bratty]

My bad I guess. I didn't realise Callaway were unusual on this.

Apology accepted.

 

[KenL]

Damn this thread, just order 2 new Ping S159 wedges. 54 and 58 degrees to replace my current Glide 3 that are coming up for 3.5 years old.

 

[Bratty]

I'm waiting for my iron fitting at Precision Golf before I risk an impulse buy, based on this thread!

 

[Burnsey]

I'm waiting for my iron fitting at Precision Golf before I risk an impulse buy, based on this thread!

The biggest initial and noticeable improvement in my wedges was getting them fitted to match my irons, as in shaft weight, lie angle and grip size.

 

[Bratty]

The biggest initial and noticeable improvement in my wedges was getting them fitted to match my irons, as in shaft weight, lie angle and grip size.

I got fitted for wedges 3 years ago at Precision, but they recommend checking them when getting fitted for irons, so I may be in the market for new ones... but maybe not, because the Ping Glide Forged I've got now are the best wedges I've had.

 

[jim8flog]

View attachment 53516

When I see charts like this I am reminded why I think of any club with a loft less then 50 degrees as not being a wedge.

My most favourite set of irons (sadly no longer conforming) went SW 56 -PW 52 - 9 iron

At least my current set (Honma) has adopted the number approach 9, 10 and 11 . I then complete with a 52 and a 54 (different bounces and sole styles).

 

[Orikoru]

When I see charts like this I am reminded why I think of any club with a loft less then 50 degrees as not being a wedge.

My most favourite set of irons (sadly no longer conforming) went SW 56 -PW 52 - 9 iron

At least my current set (Honma) has adopted the number approach 9, 10 and 11 . I then complete with a 52 and a 54 (different bounces and sole styles).

I have said this several times before, but yes, a pitching wedge is an iron to me. It's 41° and exactly the same as the rest of my irons other than length and loft. There is nothing about it that suggests it's a wedge other than its name, which is simply a hangover from clubs of years gone by. 10 iron is a more appropriate name.

 

[Voyager EMH]

When I see charts like this I am reminded why I think of any club with a loft less then 50 degrees as not being a wedge.

My most favourite set of irons (sadly no longer conforming) went SW 56 -PW 52 - 9 iron

At least my current set (Honma) has adopted the number approach 9, 10 and 11 . I then complete with a 52 and a 54 (different bounces and sole styles).

I am very interested to know what the non-conforming set is and why it is non-conforming.

 

[KenL]

I have said this several times before, but yes, a pitching wedge is an iron to me. It's 41° and exactly the same as the rest of my irons other than length and loft. There is nothing about it that suggests it's a wedge other than its name, which is simply a hangover from clubs of years gone by. 10 iron is a more appropriate name.

41 degrees. That's the lowest lofted wedge I've ever heard of.

 

[Voyager EMH]

41 degrees. That's the lowest lofted wedge I've ever heard of.

Titleist T400 has a 38° PW.



and that puts it exactly half way between a 7-iron and 8-iron of an earlier Titleist set

 

[Burnsey]

My pitching wedge is 45 degrees, then 50 / 54 / 58. I have 4 (named) wedges in my bag.

I'd prefer numbers, but doubt you'll ever change the 'using my wedge for this shot' to ever mean anything other than pitching wedge. After that it's 50 degree an on...

 

[jim8flog]

I am very interested to know what the non-conforming set is and why it is non-conforming.

Nicklaus N1, blade size, same design as the original Bear, Lee Janzen was playing them when he won one of his US opens. They have square grooves. They were absolute ball wreckers though, I used to get through 3 a round and you could see the urethane in the grooves.

Part of my reason for stopping playing them was ball usage and the cost of golf balls.

 

[spongebob59]

Damn this thread, just order 2 new Ping S159 wedges. 54 and 58 degrees to replace my current Glide 3 that are coming up for 3.5 years old.

I was looking at these in AG earlier, they sit really nicely
Best price I've found is £144 on a multibuy deal.

 

[Deleted member 29109]

I have said this several times before, but yes, a pitching wedge is an iron to me. It's 41° and exactly the same as the rest of my irons other than length and loft. There is nothing about it that suggests it's a wedge other than its name, which is simply a hangover from clubs of years gone by. 10 iron is a more appropriate name.

I’m of the same opinion. I have the pitching and gap wedge to match my irons. But them might as well be called a 10 and 11 iron. In my head I have 2 wedges, a 54° and 58°.

 

[Orikoru]

I’m of the same opinion. I have the pitching and gap wedge to match my irons. But them might as well be called a 10 and 11 iron. In my head I have 2 wedges, a 54° and 58°.

Exactly. I have five wedges if you go by names, but in reality I only have three actual wedges, plus an iron set that goes from 6 to AW/11 iron.

 

[Smoj]

I've been using my set p770 AW at 51. It's been absolutely fine, but mentally, I've always treated it differently from my other wedges and often overlook it for a PW or a 54, just because it looks like an iron and I think it'll hit too far for an AW.. if that makes sense.

but to fix this weird problem I recently bought a 50-degree milled grind 3 in black just to match my other 2 wedges.

 

[Ye Olde Boomer]

Set configuration is possibly my favorite off-course golf topic.
Choosing wedges has become a big part of that, particularly over the past two decades since numbered-iron lofts have gotten so strong.

Ironically, it's been fairway woods that have been largely responsible for my my wedge selections,
or more to the point, how many wedges go into my bag.

I've always loved a full set of fairway woods, and a lot of it was psychological.
As a brand new player decades ago, like many other brand new players, I couldn't get fairway wood shots off the ground.
Like so many others, I subconsciously tried to help the club elevate the shot and I'd hit the ball slightly on the upswing, causing a furiously bouncing top.

Once I understood how golf clubs worked, however, fairway woods became the easiest clubs to hit.
I was so proud that I could hit them into the air that I wanted a bag full of them.

Now there's no need.
At my age, somehow, I can still hit my 5-iron about 185 yards.
That, to be honest, is quite long for a geriatric like myself.

That also, however, is where diminishing returns kick in with a vengeance.
I've only got one fairway shot longer than that in the bag.

I now hit a fairway wood--almost ANY fairway wood, about 200 or so yards from the deck.
That's my longest fairway shot.
I need one fairway club, a fairway wood, that's longer than a 5-iron.

Not only that, but it doesn't matter if that fairway wood is roughly the same loft as my driving iron.
One is a fairway club.
One is an alternative to driver on tight driving holes.
One hits high, steeply descending shots into greens.
One hits hot landing line drives onto narrow landing areas.
Two completely different shots.

So now let's start counting to fourteen.

Driver makes one.
Driving iron makes two.
Fairway wood makes three.
5-9 irons make eight.
Putter makes nine.

Even in the dementia of my dotage,
I can count that I have room for as many as five wedges if I want them.

And I have choices.

I could go 46, 50, 54, 58, and 62 if I wish to.

OR, i could go with just three turf wedges
and complement them with a specialty sand iron and a specialty chipping iron.

Or, I could leave one of the fourteen slots open for an alignment stick
on which I could hang my driver or fairway wood headcover
when I'm hitting the club. I saw a young lady do that on TV.

Another thing is that now that custom order clubs are sold one at a time,
ordering the numbered-iron matching patching and gap wedges is optional.

One could, if one wants, have a matching (or blended) set of numbered irons only
and
a matching (or blended) set of wedges to go with it.

Any thoughts?

 

[Backache]

If you can find room to sneak in a club that goes reliably 250 yds off the deck, they're always useful.
If you do find one let me know I can't hit it that far off the tee.

On a more serious note I do find a couple of lofted woods useful as they are easier to hit out of the rough than a longer iron even if they go the same distance.