I tried the 5 wedge setup a couple of months ago but decided it wasn't quite worth the sacrifice elsewhere in my bag. My first step toward wedge dieting was to put in a 57 or 58 degree "bottom wedge" that works nearly as well for close-range flop shots as the 60 degree and is more reliable for full shots from the fairway. Then I started practicing the blade-wide-open flop shot with lower-lofted, lower-bounce wedges such as a 51 degree gap wedge, and even a 47 degree pitching wedge.
At present, with the courses playing pretty soft and long (fewer full wedge approach shots to greens), I've gone to a 57 degree high bounce wedge as my sand wedge and 75-yard full shot club, then a 51 degree gap wedge that is good for up to 100 yards but also will lay flat to the ground for a high, soft cut, then my PW. A total of 3 wedges! This arrangement leaves me some larger gaps between the wedges, but with soft conditions prevailing, I don't have as many wedge shots in the first place, and when I have an in-between yardage, even a lower punch shot to take a little off one of my wedges still holds greens quite well. This allows me to beef up the upper yardage clubs, so that I'm carrying driver, weak 3 wood, 5 wood, 7 wood, 4 hybrid, etc. With three par 3s that play around 200 yards each, I'm more comfortable having a precise yardage with the longer clubs and taking a little off one of my wedges if I face an in-between yardage. This may be counter to current consensus, but I don't find it hard to hit a 100 yard club 90 yards, but very hard to hit a 210 yard club 195 or 200.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ravenous Bugblatter Beast  I've been considering this idea, replacing the 3-wood/5-wood or hybrid clubs with a 4-wood. Then adding in a 50 degree wedge, so I'll have pitching wedge-gap gap wedge-gap wedge-sand wedge-lob wedge.
5 wedges, take that, Dave Pelz!
The lofts of the wedges would then go 47-50-53-56-60. |