A Few Good Wedges (Starring Hack Nicholas)

[SilverUberXeno]

Movie references aside, this is both a philosophical and a literal question. I shall list both:

1 (The literal question): [] How much money would be TOO much to pay for a good wedge? Even at Dick's Sporting Goods, the cleveland CG10s are under 90$, and I'm sure they're cheaper on ebay. I've had VERY good experiences with Cleveland brand equipment before (Launchers galore), so I'm immediately drawn to their stuff. There are a lot of sets of 3 (52, 56, 60) sets of the CG11's on ebay for under 200. Is this a good deal, and are these great wedges? If not, what's a better buy for the price? Currently, I'm playing Maxfli A10 56 and 60, and my Wilson PW. No real issues, but moving to Cleveland woods was a HUGE improvement on "no real issues" with my previous stuff.

2 (The philosophical question): [] Is there really any limit to how much you'd pay for the perfect wedge, within reason? Is a great wedge worth $150? The wedge is the next best thing to a putter, and really opens the doors to 1-putts most of the time. Is there a limit to how much a wedge is worth, or is it a priceless weapon?

Also-- feel free to throw out suggestions for semi-bargain priced wedges: aka, previous year models that performed exceptionally well.

 

[gunning4u]

I just think you have to find the right wedge that looks good to your eye and getting the right set-up with loft and bounce that works well for you. I have had about three different wedges in the past few years I have had Cleveland and Titleists and I defiantly like the feel of the Clevelands better they just feel a little softer. I also have switched to a lower bounce in my wedges I like the leading edge to sit closer to the ground. I don’t think you have to spend big money on wedges I think I got my cg10 for under 90$ and I like it a lot.

 

[Rockford35]

IMO, wedges are just as personal a putters. What works for one is donkey shyte for the next.

If you can, get out there and demo as many as you can. You'll know right away what works and what doesn't for you.

R35

 

[VtDivot]

IMO, wedges are just as personal a putters. What works for one is donkey shyte for the next.

If you can, get out there and demo as many as you can. You'll know right away what works and what doesn't for you.

R35

I couldn't agree more, although perhaps not right away will you know. You'll need to experience tight lies, buried lies, bunker play, full shots, pitch shots, lob shots, short sided shots, run out shots and tons of other variables.

Once you've been able to practice all of those with say 3 different OEM wedges, then it should start to become clear...

Unless of course you are like me and like a certain brand for a certain type of shot. In that case you'll need to make some compromises based on all around playability or weight the factors that come into play most on the tracks you play

So it's pretty simple huh

 

[ezra76]

No Mizuno plug? Oh yeah, you got those Nakashima's now, right?

I've tried the TM, Mizuno's and the Vokey's. I would play either the MP-T's or the Vokey's. I just seem to have a lot better ballflight control with the Vokey, keeps it down nice. The MP-R's were pretty much the biggest club in general dissapointment I've ever hit. They sucked big time for me, my short game went from stellar to $hite instantly. I could pick up a 4* driver with an XXX flex shaft and it would be less negative on my scores than those were. lol.

For me it came down to finding the bounce and loft that work best for me. I like a 50* over a 52*. I find I can hit just about any shot a 60* would produce with a 56*, bar a flop off a tight lie, but that shot is not even worth attempting.

 

[Sandpiper3]

Its all about how you feel about the wedge. I can justify paying the 300$ for my SC and the 175$ for each of my SM wedges as they get the job done and i love them, my putting speaks for itself as i averaged like 26.7 on my spring tour this year with a scoring avg of 82.2.....Yea, kinda depressing...

But all the clubs for the short game are 100% personal as a cleveland wedge and a vokey wedge or a betternardi putter or odyssey putter perform the same ways, its just the look and feel of them in the players hands.

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

As mentioned earlier, wedges are a personal issue.

Although IMO, I doubt I would pay any more than $120 for a wedge for the sole reason that you can get a really decent wedge for that price and I would have a hard time believing one to be that much better than another fitting that price range. $109 was the most I have ever paid on a wedge, and paid right around $100 for the other two. I figure even if I found one for $69-89, I would spring for the extra if I liked one better as the cost is not as important to me than being happy with the club. Although any more than $120, I would likely feel like I was getting ripped off.

If you want to save money, look around at the older Cleveland 588 Gunmetals that I have seen for as low as $69. Also take into consideration bounce as well as loft. It is just as important, if not more. It was not until I needed different bounces on my wedges that I even considered customizing them. The bounce on my old LW when I started out made the difference between the club being in my bag and being useless. It was useless. Weight is another important consideration in making the wedge a very personal club choice. I need a heavier wedge feeling for control, where many prefer a lighter one for the same reason. I would tend to believe saving a few bucks on a set on eBay will really give you exactly what you need, although you may get lucky.

Just like a putter to me. I would have no problem spending more and even up to maybe $300, although I found the one I liked and best suited me for $119, where as some of my other close choices ranged between $69 and $300

 

[Eracer]

Like the others, I can only tell you what my personal experiences are with particular wedges (which is why I have a bunch of them in my closet).

The CG10's I had were the second best wedges I've ever played. The Srixons I've had in my bag for two years now are the only wedges I've ever hit that could kick them out.

If you go for the CG10's or CG11's, make sure you get the proper bounce profile. Their standard bounce is quite a bit higher than "normal". If you play off a soft course, or have a fairly steep swing, then get the normal bounce. Otherwise, get the low-bounce set. I can't think of a good reason to get the high-bounce set, unless you take divots you could lose a small child in.

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

I can't think of a good reason to get the high-bounce set, unless you take divots you could lose a small child in.

If you are lousy out of fluffy (normal) sand, in the sense that you constantly leave it in the bunker, although I would likely only get it on the club that you frequently use out of the sand and not the set as well. Another reason I would not buy a set, even if I buy matching wedges. I do need a little more bounce on one club, but less on others. I opted to put 12* bounce on my 52* this time around, as it better matched my play and gave me a little more distance on fluffy sand. But still not to much to effect the rest of my game in a negative way. Plus most of our bunkers are usually packed and less sand, so my SW with lower bounce works well out of them.

edit 1 - Again the reason my LW was so useless, to much bounce turned it into a 1i from 50 yards out in the fairway far to often than I liked. After having had to yell fore on the next tee box a couple times when I was 50 yards off the green, it became apparent it was just to dangerous to leave in the bag. I thought when I bought it, I may use it out of the sand on occasions, but failed to take into account the rest of the course. Big Mistake.

edit 2 - I even take divots I could lose a small child in with my SW and LW, but make solid contact and not fat. I even think if you did the other, lessons may be more important than bounce in the sense that when you come around, they will be missles on mistimed or even decent shots.

 

[Eracer]

If you are lousy out of the sand, in the sense that you constantly leave it in the bunker, although I would likely only get it on the club that you frequently use out of the sand.

edit 1 - Again the reason my LW was so useless, to much bounce turned it into a 1i from 50 yards far to often. After having had to yell fore on the next tee box a couple times when I was 50 yards off the green, it became apparent it was just to dangerous to leave in the bag. I thought when I bought it, I may use it out of the sand on occasions, but failed to take into account the rest of the course. Big Mistake.

The "standard" bounce on the 56-deg. wedge is 16-deg. Any higher and you could bounce the club off of Aerogel(tm).:laugh:

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

The "standard" bounce on the 56-deg. wedge is 16-deg. Any higher and you could bounce the club off of Aerogel(tm).:laugh:

Actually this is the one that always comes to my mind if you can never get a ball out of the bunker with the regular bounce on a SW and don't want to take a lesson or practice.
Lovett Sand Wedge
Supposed to work great out of sand for people that can't fathom opening the clubface and using the bounce, but looks kinda like my 5w after wrapping it around a tree.

I can't help but think how fun it would be to play off the fairway. Again, I think I would opt for the lesson or practice first to free up a club in my bag in not have to carry an otherwise useless club just to get out of sand.

 

[clemsonhacker]

as stated earlier in you like cleveland stuff checkout the older 588 wedges...i love my 56 gunmetal....you can find them new for around 60 -70 bucks

 

[Sandy]

And if you need a wedge to guarantee you getting out of sand, and one that can be used as a lob wedge around the green when needed (especially out of the rough) then check out the reviews section for my review of the Cleveland 588RS with the 'Recovery Sole', designed specifically for that purpose...