Why oh why......

[didsbury_duffer]

....have I waited so long before trying a gap wedge. Borrowed a second hand Vokey 52/08 today from the Pro and, once I'd got used to it, stiffed 3 chips to less than 3 feet, and one to 1 foot. Pro shop was closed by the time we came in, so he's not getting it back. Will just have to agree a price on Friday. Bye, bye 60 degree lob - you are no longer required.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I have to agree with you DD. I get far more use out of my 52 than my 60 which usually costs more shots than it saves especially in wet conditions. I use my 52 for shots between 75-85 and for a lot of my chips around the green. I hope he'll do you a good deal

 

[didsbury_duffer]

Exactly the same with me. About 70 to 80 yards with a full shot, but definitely much better than my pitching and sand wedges with little chips around the green. I now have a much better set up with 47 pitch, 52 gap and 56 sand.

 

[Bigfoot]

I also have 48/52/56 mix of wedges and it gives a much more playable mix. You can always play a cut to take some distance off particularly the 52 wedge. It is a much more flexible club. The 60 degree wedge needs to be hit precisely without taking too much ground or thinning it. It is a very good choice.

 

[Deke]

I hit my 50deg gap wedge better than any other club in my bag.Its perfect for chipping,pitching,and on a full shot goes 120 yards! If only i could hit my irons as sweetly! Glad you have found a new friend.

 

[madandra]

Thats why they are called LOB wedges ... lob it in the bin.

 

[Doh]

Got rid of my 60 some weeks ago and have not replaced it with anything just have a 54 and PW.

 

[Swinger]

Why all the hatin' on the 60's man??

Just you wait till the greens firm up and you need to start throwing things a bit higher to get them to stop in time. You'll come running back!!

I carry 4 wedges when I have a full set in the bag and the only one I could really get rid of is the 56. I can play bunker shots with my 59 or 51 pretty well so can get around it, just couldn't be without my 59.

 

[thecraw]

Its easy enough to open up the face of a 56.

Each to their own and we all play/plan shots differently. I see alot of shots as bump and run where others prefer to fly the ball.

 

[madandra]

I love my 60* .... but I have learned to treat it with fear and use it only when all else will fail.

 

[Swinger]

Its easy enough to open up the face of a 56.

Each to their own and we all play/plan shots differently. I see alot of shots as bump and run where others prefer to fly the ball.

Point taken, I like playing some lower shots too but most 56 deg wedges are designed for bunker play and have large bounce. I wouldn't try and open anything with more than 7 or 8 deg of bounce let alone 14.
This maybe just me, but my lob wegde has 3 deg of bounce on it and the heel is ground down and I find that it is really easy to open it right up. I just couldn't hit something with a mid to high bounce with an open face consistantly.

 

[Golfman]

I still carry my 60 but it doesn't get a lot of use. It did however come into it's own on a trip to Scotland to get out of a very deep pot bunker on the Old Course. The 56 is usually enough on normal bunkers.

The main issue is how far the 60 goes when you thin it. If I could do it consistently I could use it to tee of on par 5s.

The 52 gets used lots and is great for the one hop then stop shots from 70 to 90 yards. Wouldn't be without it now.

 

[Region3]

For my last game I took out my hybrid and replaced it with my lob wedge.

I short sided myself twice and got up and down both times with the 60deg. I have less fear of thinning the ball than with my SW because of the lower bounce, especially when I'd need to open the SW a bit.
There was only one shot where I would have used the hybrid if I had it so I'm glad I made the change.

As for the original point, my gap wedge is my favourite wedge when I have to fly the ball a little around the greens and wouldn't be without it because of that and the gap it fills yardage-wise between PW & SW.
I'd still rather use a 7 or 8 iron if I'm just off the green though.