Choosing Wedges

Well, now that I've replaced my old irons and putter, I'm now looking to replace my wedges and find a complement that works with the new irons.

The lofts on my irons (TaylorMade RAC LT) are as follows:

3-21*
4-24*
5-27*
6-31*
7-35*
8-39*
9-43*
PW-47*

Granted this is a pretty subjective topic, but I'd appreciate some feedback nevertheless. The wedges I'm looking at are the match to my set - TaylorMade RAC wedges - click here to see a list of available lofts. I'd prefer the black wedges so I'm considering going with the 52.08, 56.12, and 60.07. But here are my questions: 12* of bounce on my sand wedge is worrisome because the courses around here tend to get quite hard in the summer; is 2* of bounce (I could get 10* in chrome or FE2O3 finish) really going to be that significant for a mid handicapper in these conditions? And how important is the gap wedge? I've never played with one in my bag, and while I certainly find myself between clubs on occassion, I've either just hit a finesse PW or nuked a SW when the situation called for it.

Let me know what you think.

The wedges to a set might not match the type of courses you are playing. I play Ben Hogan irons. They have the wedges that are for my set and the new Carnostie and the other new type escapes me now. I don't play Hogan wedges because they don't suit the courses I play.

I play Reid Lockhart a dual bounce setup 25* and 8* on the sand wedge. Plays either hard or soft. If you go to thegolfchannel.com and go to What's in the Bag. You will see most pro's don't play the wedges that match their set.

I would suggest asking to try other players irons before you buy. Weight, feel, how the club looks when you open the blade (being able to find the new center) and being able to lay it open with the leading edge as flat as possible are some keys.

Wedges are your up-n-down clubs. Don't skimp, they will save the most pars.

Keep it inthe short grass,

GolfBald

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The guy in the white hat!

I completely agree with Golfbald.

I play Titleist irons and Cleveland 588 wedges. The look and the feel are uncomparable to the wedges that match my irons.

There is no rule saying your clubs have to match, so get what works best for you and the courses you play on.

I realize this. However, my questions pertained more to whether or not I should add a gap wedge or stick with a sand wedge - lob wedge combo, and whether or not 2* of bounce is of any major concern to a mid handicap golfer.

To determine if you need a gap wedge you should have a significant 'gap' in distance between your PW and Sw. If those two clubs are onlt 20 yards apart, there would be no need. However, if you have 40 yrds between your PW and SW, then it would be a very good idea to get a GW.

As for bounce, 2* isn't a major difference - it's hard to hit off hardpan no matter what the bounce is.

EW,

How far do you hit a PW and SW? The PW, 9i, 8i are your setup clubs. If you hit these well and to a specific distance and have a good bump and run with these clubs you probably don't need one. I don't use a 3i and put an extra wedge in the bag.

The other question 2* is not significant but 4* would be.

GofBald

I'll go to the driving range either tomorrow or Saturday and get it dialed in and let you know. These new irons are slightly lower in loft than my old ones and I'm not entirely certain on the distance. Prior to the last two rounds I've played I went to the range and I was hitting my PW ~ 140Y.

My father is looking to buy a new set of irons as well and today he informed me that he has a Cleveland 52* GW (he's not happy with it) that I can have when he gets his new irons. So I'm going to take it to the range as well and see how I like it.

EW,

If you are about 140 with a pw, I would suggest a Gap Wedge. In the scoring range 125 - 60, It's good to have many clubs in this range it gives you more choices. One distance for a full shot, choke down 1/2" and 1" for 2 different distances about 5 and 10 yards. You can also move the ball back in your stance the same amount to go up in distance.

Food for thought,

Golfbald

If you are hitting your PW 140, you can probably hit a 60* W about 80 - 90 yards - you may want to try a 64* W to get a 60- 70 yard club in your bag.