Re: Wedges

I have Cleveland 588 56* and 60* wedges, but I just got in new wedges that I am putting together tonight. They are Snake Eyes 652 TM 51*, 55* and 60*.

Re: Wedges

TJ my man, you've stumbled upon my favourite clubset. (I have an un-natural affinity for wedges, probably because they're the first clubs I ever built - and they're the easiest to self-fit, IMO, with a little education).

I use SMT Durometers (Black insert). With CNC-milled faces, I get Tour junk on all my shots (whether or not I put a Tour strike on the ball).

The first wedges I made were Maltby M Series in the Black Ion finish. That dark finish just does it for me. I liked them a lot, but didn't like that there wasn't a 52° wedge (I carry 4 or 5 wedges), and at the time didn't have a bending machine. Plus, I found them a bit on the large side. Then I went to SnakeEyes Forged wedges in the Black Oxide finish (not shown in the link). Smaller and rounder than the M series. They were firmly in the bag until SMT came out with their Durometers. They're a satin finish (doesn't fit my eye), but perform like crazy (so out the SE's went).

Re: Wedges

You mean SE 653, right?

That'd be the best way to MOI match a set, IMO - finally, a use for weight ports in irons and wedges!

Re: Wedges

Hey lowpost,

You seem to know a great deal about wedges. So what do you think so the wedge i have the King Cobra C-Line 60* (if you know of this one) Just curious being a new golfer and all. Your have alot of different wedges but seeing how you can only have 14 clubs in your back at a time how do you know which one to take....is it just exsperience? Any help would be great thanx.

TJ

Re: Wedges

Of course 653 my fingers were doing something other than what my brain was telling them too Scary when I rely on that being a finance guy

Re: Wedges

So at the moment i have my King Cobra C-line 60* would it be worth into other lofts or stick with this one for now.

Re: Wedges

I drop long irons and fairway woods to carry extra wedges.

My bag looks like this:

Putter
64, 60, 56, 52, PW (or whatever. 4° gaps in my wedges)
9i-5i
4 hybrid, 3 hybrid
Driver

Every now and then, I'll drop the 64 and add an extra driver. My home course doesn't require anything longer than a 3 hybrid most of the time.

To makeup your wedges, you have to look at three things: What course(s) do you normally play, how are the bunkers there, and what's the highest lofted club you're comfortable making a full swing with?

Lets address these things:

The courses you play (and your yardages with your clubs) are going to dictate how many wedges you're comfortable carrying. If you play a course with longer holes most of the time, you may want to drop a wedge in order to carry a longer club. The bunkers and your full-swing-comfort-level are going to dictate what kind of bounce you're going to look for in a wedge. The bounce is a measurement of how far off the ground the leading edge is, in degrees. Most irons have around 3° of bounce. The primary purpose of bounce is to help the club NOT dig into the ground.

So, back to the task at hand. IMO, the bare minimum for wedges is 3. Pitching (PW), gap (GW or AW), and sand (SW). Sometimes the wedges are numbered as opposed to lettered, so we want 46-48°, 50-52°, and 54-56°, respectively. I prefer 4° gaps in my wedges, as it keeps the yardages tighter.

So we'll say that you're not comfortable taking full swings with your sand wedge, for the sake of this exercise.

I would buy a PW and GW with low bounce (no more than 5°, tops), and a SW with more bounce. How much more? This depends on your course.

Remember, bounce either allows a club to dig (low bounce), or really fights digging (high bounce). If your sand is light and fluffy (like at premium courses), a high bounce club is your thing. 12° of bounce or more. If your sand is coarse and dense (or often wet), 6° or 8° is what the doctor has ordered. If you play both, a sand wedge with 8° or 10° of bounce may be your most versatile weapon.


If you take more than three wedges, you can often get trickier.

In my bag, I've got a 56° SW with 12° of bounce. I use this out of bunkers where the sand is light. My LW is 60°, and only has 6° bounce - good for dense bunkers (and good if I've short-sided myself). Then I can leave my GW and PW as full-swing clubs with short-swing options.

Hope this wasn't information overload!

Re: Wedges

Thanx for the info. I have SW PW LW 60* right now. One thing i like about GTO is the effort other members put in to help a fellow golfer credit to you mate