Filling in the Gap

[Armygolf]

I'm looking for a SW to go along with the new OS2s I picked up yesterday.

The OS2s PW is 45* and I'm just a little confused as to which way to go. My old set had a 48* PW and a 53* SW. Should I be looking for a 50* or 51* wedge to use as a SW? Or should I really consider adding 2 clubs? (51* and 56*) Or would it be alright to just add a 56* for sand and heavy ruff?

 

[dave.]

I would stick with what you have until you have a NEED for another wedge.It will do you no harm at all learnign what distances you hit these two with regular practice.This will only help your game,introducing other wedges because its what everybody else does will not help your game.Most pros use 3 wedges and they know exactly what the gaps are.For most handicap golfers,sticking with 2 and learnign how to use them is a great way to improve your scores.Ballesteros won 4 majors with a 48 degree PW and a 54 degree SW

 

[MCDavis]

What wedges do you play now?

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

With a 45* PW, I would likely do a 50* and a 55*. Actually I would also likely do a 60* as well, but just my preference.

While I understand and appreciate Dave's comments on just getting one, it is likely not the approach for me. Ballesteros had a bit more time to practice with his wedge to regulate his distances than I. I guess it depends on the type of golfer you are and how you use your wedges. Because I do not have that time to practice, I usually see better results by gaping out my wedges with fuller swings up through my 56*. I am pretty good with a 3/4 swing as well, but less than that provides less than predictable results. By having wedges through a 60*, I am comfortable with any distance over 60 yards. It is once I get inside 60 yards that I have to produce shots. By having 4 wedges, I then really only need one other swing to produce most any distance inside 60 yards ranging from a bump and run with my 7i, up to my 60*. Again, it works for me but may not work for others.

If I only had a 45* and say a 56* I would only have a comfortable distance of around 120-125 yards, and then one of around 95 yards. I would then be faced with having to produce results inside 115-100 and 85 to the green. I do not have that kind of time to devote to practicing that big of a range of shots and the results for me would be disastrous. To me it would appear I would need either 6 or 7 different swings with each club, or some kind of knockdown to limit the swing ranges, where I currently only require 3. Full to 3/4 and about a 1/3 pitch. Practicing about 3 is well within my means.

edit 1 - to me, this is a very similar thought with what I see people use for Chipping. Some use everything from a 3w to a LW. Some use only 1 club. Interestingly, because I do devote most of my practice time around the greens, my philosophy on this is more close related to dave's and contradictory to what I use on fuller swings. While I use all my clubs, for about 80-90% of my chips I usually only use my 8i and GW, and am very good at regulating the distance, spin, etc.. Again, I think it is just a matter of the mindset you use on how you want to approach the game, and not something set in stone.

 

[MCDavis]

When I had my OS2's, I played a 52/56 combo (the one's in the sig) and it worked ok. I then picked up a rac chrome 48º that seemed to fill the 45/52 gap well for me. Thought about having it bent to 49, but I sold the OS2's before I had it done. Now, the 48 just looks pretty against the wall....

 

[extremeVFT03]

NEW TaylorMade rac OS2 Iron Sand-Wedge Gr Regular RH - (eBay item 120171021752 end time Oct-17-07 21:55:06 PDT)

you could get one that matches the set or i have three talormade RAC wedges ill sell you. 52, 56, 60 just a thought

 

[Armygolf]

Your right, I do need to get out and find out where I'm at with these new clubs. My old clubs were Ping Eye 2+. The wedges I had were part of a set. I sold the entire set. Since the SW came with the set, thats what I used. Now I'm faced with adding a wedge, something I've never had to do before.

I'm going to stop by Golfsmith this week, maybe today, and swing a few different models, but at this point I'd really like to keep it as simple as possible and just add one club.

I'm looking for a wedge that would be used for those shorter shots to the green from the heavy ruff or sand, which is usually the case with the way I play. Maybe I just answered my own question, but I'm still looking for some input.

 

[Armygolf]

With a 45* PW, I would likely do a 50* and a 55*. Actually I would also likely do a 60* as well, but just my preference.

I had a 48* PW and a 53* SW, but I always thought I should have added a 58*.
Now I'm almost in the situation where I feel I need to add at least 2, but possibly 3 clubs to cover the same range.

I was only considering adding one wedge for the time being, but with the level of my game, it might not be a bad investment to add a set of wedges. I did rely on that SW for a lot of different shots.

 

[MCDavis]

Army, demo a Mizuno MP-R 56 wedge. If you like it, I've got one in black nickel finish I could let go.

But demo one first, the grinds are not for everybody on those...myself included.

 

[Andy_79]

I don't see any real need in having a SW if you have a 58 or 60 degree lobber. I couldn't however, do without a Gap Wedge.
I have standard PW, gap wedge and lob wedge and think that is the best way to go, imo..

 

[dave.]

You are wrong PA imho when you say you will be able to regulate distances better with more wedges.You won't,unless you ahve a lot of practice time.I still advocate 2 wegdes for higher handicappers,there is simply no need for more.The lwoer lofts are far more consistent,having more loft options is no guarantee of success.Imho it will make things worse.

The modern phenom of 3 or 4 wedges has done diddly to handicpas,they are the same they were when we practiced long hours with a sw and balata.Thats a big clue,the pros use 3 wedges because they practice with them.

 

[Bignose]

You have to be careful about applying broad generalizations to any one specific person. Sure, in general, the multiple wedge "revolution" hasn't done much for the average, but in any specific case it can be good, bad, or indifferent. I can attest that carrying GW, SW, and LW has done a lot more than "diddly" for my handicap. Just like everything, though, the judicious use of the clubs is key. I've noticed that unless I'm really shortsiding myself all day, I'll only use the LW once or twice a round. But, when I need it, I am very glad to have it.

The real problem, I think, is the people who think/thought that having a 60* wedge was going to be a miracle club. That, just having a higher lofted wedge was going to turn them into short game masters. These are the specific cases that are worsening their handicaps to keep the whole average the same. These are the people who refuse to give the clubs up, even when they aren't working for them.

But, like anything, practice is the key. Whether you practice with just a SW, or practice with a whole array of wedges, you have to practice. Very, very few people were blessed with natural touch, the rest of us need to practice it so that we can keep the touch sharp. It's a simple as that.

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

You are wrong PA imho when you say you will be able to regulate distances better with more wedges.You won't,unless you ahve a lot of practice time.

Actually, just to clarify my main point, which is that I am better able to regulate distances by taking a full swing. The fact that I have more wedges means that I have less distance that I need to regulate without a full swing. My main point being I have much less of a gap, 60 yards and in, that I have to produce shots that require regulating distance. Although as I also mentioned, I have far more options by having more wedges that I can fill by each shot. So as indicated, also being able to produce a pretty good 3/4 swing will give 3 extra distances with one swing. My main point is actually in agreement with your comment, I cannot easily regulate those distances with one wedge and without practice, so my strategy is to give me as many distances as I can with as few swings that I will need to practice. And again, this is only how it applies to my mindset on how I play the game and what I choose to practice.

Same would go for the fact that Seve played many years as a kid and young adult with just a 7 iron, yet if I tried to do the same with my level of practice I would only be making the game more difficult over having a full set with incremental distance gaps for each club with a full swing. I may still be able to score as well and learn alot about my game in time, but in the time it would take me to be effective, I would likely be miserable. I have played rounds with just a 7i, and scored fairly well (actually was 2 over on nine holes in one such case), but you will not see me ditching my other 13 clubs real soon. It is just much easier to play a leisurely round with a bigger assortment.

I know your dislike for Pelz and understand why, but to me the one point that makes the most sense is having 4 shots available by one distinct swing as opposed to only 1 or 2. 2 swings buys me 8 and my 3 buys me 12. If I only had 2 club, I would have to practice a way to produce the other 6 shots. Although again, if you are of the mindset that it is easier to produce 6 different swings for 12 different shots, then I can certainly understand your logic. Although for my mindset, I am better off with having to learn and practice less swings for the time I am willing to commit to practice. Then when I practice on the course, as I do, I have fewer shots that I need to practice.

 

[ezra76]

If you go with one, I'd say go with a 54*. If you go with 2, I'd say 50 and 56. I just had my PW delofted to 45.5 and play a 50* GW. I consider that my PW now, my real PW is now a 9 1/2 iron. I have a 56* SW with high bounce, that's been delofted to 55*. I also have a 58* and will be changing to a 60* with a little less bounce. That will see more action off tighter lies while the SW sees the thicker lies. Dave has a point but there are 14 slots in my bag, I intend to fill all of them. The key is knowing when and where to use each wedge and practicing with them. There is not a wedge shot I've seen a tour player hit that I don't have in my arsenal, I just need to be able to hit them more conistantly, having the knowlege and ability to hit the shot is a lot different than execution when it counts.

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

Dave has a point but there are 14 slots in my bag, I intend to fill all of them.

This is pretty much how it relates to me, but as importantly, knowing which 14 best benefit your game.

Heck, Mickelson won a Masters with 2 drivers in his bag. Will I get 2 drivers? No, I personally thought he was nuts and I have enough problems with just one, but he obviously saw the need. He has also played 4 wedges at other times and the reason he thought he could do 2 drivers. He had enough talent to produce the shots he needed with fewer wedges. I don't.

I have also seen players win tournaments with 2 putters. To me that is just frickin' insane. But if I were a lousy putter and it would take 4-5 strokes off my game by carrying 2, I would entertain the idea.

Again, it is all about mindset on how you play the game. My idea is maybe not the best, but it is the best for me. I save more strokes and cost myself fewer by carrying a LW as opposed to a 3w. Although I would not recommend others go with a LW, it is the right choice for me. I am convinced of it simply because I have enough experience to know when, and more importantly, when not to use the club. Had I spent the same amount of time practicing with my 3w, it could very well be the better choice for my bag. Although as it stands, I did not have enough experience with my 3w to know "when not" to use the club. So it is better off out of my bag. Since I would likely be better off with only 13 clubs and no 3w or LW if I did not feel the LW helped my cause.