Wedges - how to balance your bag

[ATG]

Hallo All
Been playing now for just short of two years with Callaway X20 irons, steel shafts. Wedges being used and degrees are:
PW = 45
SW = 55
I now feel that I need a rethink about my wedge needs. Should I just fill the gap between the PW & SW or should I add two.
Any advice on the lofts to give me a more balanced bag.

Cheers
ATG

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I think you need at least a gap wedge to split the difference between PW and SW. 50-52 degree would be about right I think. Do you get out of bunkers ok with the 55 or would you benefit from more loft and bounce (depending on sand type)

 

[Imurg]

A 50* Gap Wedge would seem to be the obvious move.

But it's much more important to know how far you hit them. It may be that you need 2 wedges if the distance gap is excessive.
How far do you hit your PW and SW..?

 

[Grumps]

I too had a big gap between my pw(45) sw(56) and lw(60) so when I changed them I stuck with the pw(45) but added a 52 gw and a 58 as my sw

 

[Foxholer]

Would appear to need something to fill that gap.

Having a large choice of wedges can get a bit confusing.

Also depends whether you use your SW as a non-sand wedge (and how well).

A single gap filler of 50* or maybe 51* would work if you use the SW close to the green. A pair, say 48 and something in the 52-54 range would be good if the SW is only for sand use. You might also consider a Lob Wedge of 58+ but they can be awkward beasts, and you might be pushing the 14 club rule!

It's actually the short game that is the scoring area, so while iron providers do a good job of balancing gaps from 100 yards up, they do absolutely zilch for the most important area - 100yds in!

I believe the best way is to get access to wedges in the range I mentioned above and see if they can provide additional help. The 2 or 3, or even 4 wedge setup is quite personal. Clubs or mates are probably the best initial source of trial clubs.

 

[Captain_Black]

I play with Callaway Big Bertha's
My LW is 60 degrees & I hit that 55 yards
My SW is 55 degrees & I hit that 80 yards
My PW is 45 degrees & I hit that 105 yards

I am happy with my standard set up for the moment & I don't see what a gap wedge would do for me.
Really depends on how comfortable you are with your standard wedges & how far you hit them.

 

[Oddsocks]

Foxholes post is spot on.

Depending on how many clubs you carry depends on what viable options you have. I've never liked stock s/w as they always look large and vet clumsy, I think my stock pw is 46, and my specialist wedges are 52 and 58, which gives a nice gap. I can open or close each of the wedges to change the loft accordingly. I'd be carefull of anything more than a 58 as they can be marmite, you'l love it or hate it.

As a side note my biggest suggestion would be matched wedges, my last set up of 52/60 was between two different brands and it made judging distance a feel alot harder, I've now got mpt10 as a match pair and their awesome can flitter back and forth between the two so much more consistently . Keep an eye out in swap shop here as wedge sets come up alot!

 

[MashieNiblick]

Good advice. Gap wedge around 50-51 would give you additional options between PW and SW. Find something you like the look and feel of. From 100 yards in the game is about feel not numbers. Learn to play a variety of shots with each club.

I'm not sure it's fair to say that manufacturers don't do anything to help people get a good wedge set up. Just think of the explosion in the specialist wedge market in recent years.

Not so long ago it was PW and SW as part of the set with no loft or bounce marked on the club, no gap wedges or lob wedges, no bounce or shaft options. Now you can get just about any loft you like between 50 and 56 with bounce options to suit every type of player and course.

Also at some point we can't just expect the club to do it all for us. Thankfully there is still a lot of skill required in the short game and a good lesson or a few a hours on the practice ground will probably save you more shots than any shiney new wedge will.

As to whether a matched pair or trio is best that is a matter for you. Each wedge is doing a specific job and if you like a particular club in my view it doesn't matter if it matches or not.

Matched wedges do look good in the bag though.

 

[Region3]

If you're keeping the SW from your iron set, I would find out how far you hit it before you go and get a club bang in the middle regarding loft.

My mate plays with G2 irons and recently bought a 56° Vokey to replace his SW (55°). He hit his old SW about 105, and hits the new one ~90yds. Big difference.