Wedge Help Please

[jonny1409]

Hello,

I'm looking to add another wedge to my collection and am struggling with what to look for.
Basically I already have my PW that goes with my irons, and a 56 Degree Wedge.

I use the Wedge out of the sand, around the green if I need to get the ball up and over a bunker or something, and from about 60-70 yards out for a full shot.
If I'm further out I use my PW which goes around 100-110 yards.

Therefore I was thinking of getting something in the middle for those 80-90 yards shots.

However, my first problem is that I don't know what loft my PW has (I think it may be around 48 degrees, but I'm not sure)
Is there anywhere I can find this out ? My irons are Taylor Made RAC OS II.

Secondly, assuming it was 48 degrees or thereabouts, should I then be looking at a 52 degree wedge to give me a 4 degree gap in between ?
The reason I ask is that some of the ones I have been looking at don't seem to do 52 degree, only 54, 56, 58, and 60.
Is 52 uncommon ?

Finally, if I agree on a loft to get, do you have any recommendations on what I should look at ?

Apologies for all the questions, but I'm quite new to the game so don't really know enough about what I'm looking for yet.

Thank you in advance.

 

[toonarmy]

Your PW will almost certainly be 48deg, so yes you were right in answering your own question with 52deg being your next gap-filler.

52deg wedges are plenty common enough as far as I know. I bought Cleveland CG11 black satin wedges (52/56/60) last year and, apart from occasionally thinning them (my fault, not the clubs I'll cheerfully admit!), they are really nice wedges. Obviously they have been superseded by CG12 and 14 now, so they may be worth a look, although CG11s should be cheaper as a consequence.

There are no such things as stupid questions - only stupid people.

As a newbie, there really is no replacement for trying some out and seeing what you like the feel of. Remember wedges, like putters, are 'feel' clubs and should not be treated/thought of in the same way as your normal irons.

Hope this is of some help!

 

[theeaglehunter]

whilst were on the subject!

If I was looking to buy a 56* wedge to use out of the sand, what amount of bounce would you reccomend getting. I'm not sure whetther different bounces suit different players!

 

[StuartD]

Try the Taylor Made Website and look under vintage clubs and you should find out all you need to know

Link supplied

http://www.taylormadegolf.com/vintage_detail.asp?catID=9

 

[birdieman]

The RAC OS is 45 degrees in the wedge according to www.ironfinder.com , stronger than most wedges. Can't find the RAC OS11, but I suspoect it will be similar. If you get a 52 you'll have quite a big 7 degree gap, maybe better with a 50 degree gapper?

 

[StuartD]

THe RAC OS is indeed 45 degrees.

The irons are not specified as OS II on the TM website. There is a 2002 and a 2005 model so i presume the 2005 is the OS II

 

[toonarmy]

Re: whilst were on the subject!

Different bounce definitely suit different players. Again, only through a bit of trial and error will you know. However, if you can't try them out (and I know I'd have difficulty trying them out to any reasonable satisfaction), then I would recommend standard level of bounce.

Given the type of sand we tend to get over here, normal bounce will normally be your best bet anyway.

Just for info, all three of my Clevelands are 2 dot (normal) bounce and I can use all three out of the sand if I wish with no change to my swing. This allows me to get a wider range of bunker shots without having to fiddle about with angle of entry/cocked wrists etc.

 

[jonny1409]

Re: whilst were on the subject!

Hello all, thanks for all of your replies.

Yes my RAC Irons are the 2005 model so it looks as though my PW is in fact 45 degrees. (Thanks for the link StuartD)

I assume therefore from reading birdieman's reply that maybe I'd be better off with a 50 degree loft instead?

Thanks again, that's helped a lot.

 

[StuartD]

Re: whilst were on the subject!

A 50 degree Gap wedge would be ideal. GM done a feature on wedges last year and i am sure it said 4 to 5 (could be wrong!!!) degrees is the ideal gap between your wedges. TM clubs tend to be a bit strong on lofts so this makes it slightly harder to keep the gap at 4-5 degrees if you only want to carry three wedges.

 

[RGuk]

Re: whilst were on the subject!

Interesting.....if you get 70 yds from your SW but up to 110 on your PW, then clearly your PW is less lofted than most in full sets.

If your PW is 45 and SW 56, then those recommending a 50 degree are bang on.

If you don't intend to use it out of the sand, please don't buy one with too much bounce....here's my reasoning....

70 yards is not a lot for a full SW so I would conclude that a) you don't strike down on the ball a great deal (and de-loft the face) and b) you may be a clean-strike player who comes through without much divot more often than not.
I could be wrong, but a club that sits more to the ground (little bounce) would be the better bet. My SW is low bounce and has served me well for 12 years. I tried a few new ones (including milled stuff) but didn't feel confident or get good results with too much bounce. Also, around the greens it's much easier to be confident at address with a low-to-the-ground leading edge.
Horses for courses, but until you a hitting really cracking shots with a downward blow, buy a low bounce wedge.

Dave

 

[GB72]

Re: whilst were on the subject!

For the sake of a bit of a beginner, what would you class as high and low bounce and how do you check the bounce of a club (many of the web sites I have been to do not say). Any low bounce 50 degree wedges that you could recommend?

 

[John_Findlay]

Re: whilst were on the subject!

Low bounce 4 degrees. High 14.

Surprised the websites you look at don't say, GB72. Most manufacturer's do if you look at the specifications of the wedge.

 

[MVP]

Re: whilst were on the subject!

hit some shots of a lie board! with some tape on the sole of the club obviously. if your mark is near the front of the club face you need more bounce. if it is at the back of the sole(away from clubface) you need less bounce.

 

[GB72]

Re: whilst were on the subject!

Went on to a few sites (OK not big name manufacturers as not looking to spend a fortune if I decide to buy) but could only find details of loft not bounce. Pretty much the same story with retailer web sites

 

[madandra]

Re: whilst were on the subject!

Check out clevelands site. You will get what you want there.