Do You REALLY Need NEW Wedges? 

In Ralph Maltby's Exhaustive book "Golf Club Design, Fitting, Alteration and Repair", under "Golf Myths" we find the following: "At impact, the ball is struck by the face of the club which has a certain loft angle. Backspin is created by the difference in the angle the ball is launched (loft plane) to that of the force direction of the clubhead. The greater this difference (more loft) the greater the amount of backspin...It was once thought that backspin was created by the ball rolling up the face during impact, but high speed photography has disproved this under dry conditions. Since a golf ball is only in contact with the face of the club for 5/10,000ths of a second, it has little time to roll up the face." He went on to describe how he built a set of clubs with NO GROOVES, played them for 2 years and lowered his handicap from 6 to 5. The purpose of grooves are to keep moisture and grass from coming between the ball and the clubface, affecting spin and flight. They are most useful in altering shots out of rough and THAT is why they are on the clubs and regulated.

What about buying a groove tool and refreshing the grooves every season? I sharpen my lawnmower blade every year, why not my wedges?

Ams donnt steike it consistently well enough or play enough to even notice ....spot on lee i chamge mine when i wamt new ones thats it

I change my wedges every two years, using titliest SM9 at present and generally stick with titliest. They blend into my irons perfectly. Most wedges these days are pretty good, it just comes down to preference. Practice strikes is the key to good wedge play.

I needed a new wedge because I left my old Cleveland RTX on the PGA at Gleneagles and it was never handed in! To be fair, I loved the RTX but I had had it for a good few years and it was losing its grooves, so I 'traded up' to a Vokey. :-) I was amazed how different the two clubs were. The vokey has a really heavy head and I love it for the confidence it gives me getting through greenside rough. It doesn't seem to snag. And it absolutely zips with the new grooves. Sometimes its time to do it.

The total spin wasn't greatly different but you could definitely argue that the consistency in every metric was tighter. Your average 15 handicap won't notice but your low singles might

Probably need to change my 60 now based on the massive chunk i took out of it on a hidden rock the other day 😮‍💨

Love the comparison, really insightful

What a great short and informative video Lee , nice one , too many amateurs fall for the new wedge trap . Maybe check behind you for a while in case the manufacturers come calling !

I’ve got 3.5/4 year old sugar daddy PXG wedges. The best I’ve ever hit. They still stop a ball the same today as they did from new. Or as near as I’d ever know.

Could you do the same test but with a 4yr old wedge, I think that's a more realistic time frame for people to be looking for replacements.

Good idea for a video Lee!

What’s more, companies like Titleist say you should change wedges every 75 rounds or so. Given I probably hit each wedge in my bag twice a round, that’s about £1 per strike before changeover. I think we’re being led up the garden path here. Your test proves it.

I typically change my wedges every 3 years along with my irons. Not usually because anything is worn out. More because like many golfers I’m an equipment magpie! 😂

I changed mine after 8 years and the grooves were quite worn. Did get new ones and just found they arrived 3 degrees flat and lofts off my as much as 0.8 deg so I wouldn't assume that the loft is correct on a new club ... local pro corrected for free so I'm happy

I agree on wedges selection...One reason to change wedges is if you are going to change brands and style of wedges, other wise wedges like mine are good for several years before you need to regrove or up date on shaft and type....

I carry one specialist wedge. If I’m not on the green with a putter you can find me in the bunker with it. 😂

This is why I LOVE WATCHING your reviews .. Unless you are a low single figure/pro I could see why you might want to change clubs. You speak Total sense and as much as i watch other golf reviews you dont promote a product to sell a brand.

For competition play the new one makes sense otherwise for most of us the existing one in the bag, no issues 🎉. Thanks Lee. FYI most of my wedges are second hand in any case allowing me to afford nice selection of lofts and bounce.

My 1988 PW is just fine then 🤷‍♂️ Don’t laugh but I am sending back my chunky monkey G400 irons. I miss greens, I can’t fade or draw them and they are just ugly. My old blades from 1988 are back 💪⛳️😳

I don't think recreational players are good/consistent enough with strike to make much of a difference. Tour players strike it perfectly and they practice, practice, practice with them, so it's understandable that they change their wedges every six months due to wear 'n' tear.

Grooves don't really help get spin off mats though, do they? If you repeated the test from a bit of wet rough and I bet there would be more of a deviation. Overall agree that wedges should last 2-3 seasons unless you play a lot - every year seems excessive.

don't really care what this person is saying. When are the box groove wedges coming back into stores now that they are legal again? Not buying any more clubs till I get an answer... ffs.

Hi Lee great Video 👍, Thanks for testing when you need to think of replacing Wedges👌, Just replace my “Most Used” 56deg PM grind Wedge had it for 8years use it around the greens & bunkers (noticed I wasn’t getting the spin I used to) gone for 58 Vokey K grind, hoping for a lower flight with a bit of “extra spin “around the Greens, play 3 times per week, so far only after a couple of rounds “it’s looking great” so may be 5 to 6years is an ideal time to replace your most used Wedge🤔, Thanks Lee, Dickey 9hcp 76year senior golfer