what wedges should a beginner carry? what wedges should a high handicapper carry? How Many wedges should you carry? do i need a pitching wedge? Common questions! Answered in this video by the number 1 Lithuanian Golf RU-vidr
I am 53 years old and started golf at 12 years old with a used 3 wood, 3,5,7,9,PW. It was the best thing for me as I learnt how hard to hit the ball to fill in the club gaps. Open the face with PW in bunkers. I got down to single figures at 15 years old with only these clubs and they were easy to carry…I had a putter as well :-) Would play two 18s in one day back then. Unless pro, we all carry too many clubs these days and I am also a victim! Fond memories.
A few years ago I was taking a short game lesson. The pro told me to get rid of the 60. Best advice I ever got about golf. His advice about wedges was if you aren’t going to practice and fine tune with them the don’t get them. Just thinking you can fill a gap and all will good is a myth. Wedges are scoring clubs. Practice with them or forget about adding additional wedges to your bag.
This is a very good video, I agree with everything. I really like how you explained staying in brand with feel etc. I go 1 step further with that idea, I only play set wedges. Unfortunately that's really hard to do with modern golf equipment, but if you're willing to use old school 90's and earlier second hand sets then that's no problem. For me I use a 48* PW and 56* SW set wedge.
Great explanation! This video should be mandatory viewing for nearly all golfers. After a 20 year break from golf I tried so many different wedges (because there are so many more options now) before realising you can just keep it simple. PW, SW, and one other somewhere between if you need it. It’s all I used to have after all. As touched on here it is worth having some different bounce options if you vary between hard and soft conditions but those are decisions before you even get to the course.
i just started experimenting and you are right on your analysis I am using a 48,52 and 56/60 and it feels I can control my distances from 80 to green bunkers and chipping thanks for the video ✌
Excellent video. I really like my 60° wedge, but I'm thinking about putting a 56° in place of the 54° and 60° so that I can add an additional club at the top of the bag, or maybe I'll go crazy and add a chipper.
Totally agree about 60° wedges.I threw out my lob wedge at the beginning of the year and my up and downs improved 500%. Also made space for 7 wood/ 3 hybrid as required.
I have a low bounce 54 for hard pan/low sand/tight lies and a high bounce 60 for fluffy lies. I think matching bounce to lie is likely the most important thing you can do. You will either have the feel of the distance or not via your practice
I'm a mid handicapper but in love with my Smart Sole C (42 degrees) for chip and run and the occasional blast from muddy and rough lies. Brilliant line of Cleveland. But yes, I am guilty of packing a 58 degree, but it works for me to get out of greenside bunkers way more easily than stronger lofted clubs and higher bounce, for some reason. It just slices so nicely through the sand
I only use an 48 and 54. I took your advice and threw the 60 out of the bag and was best decision I ever made. Could not hit an approach more than 40 yards with it and chipping was a disaster. Much prefer using the 54 for everything and knowing my distances with certain shots. Getting better with the 54 seriously shaved 6-8 strokes off per round.
I'd still keep 60 degree although I agree with most of what you say. I really like 60 degrees for bunkers and for fluffy lies around the green but anything other than that it is no good.
That 54 is magical. I picked one up and I immediately saw the difference around the green. I love it and I did shaved like 7 - 9 stroke off in a matter of a week. It's great.
I play 50; 54(08) 58(12) in Mizuno T20 wedges to blend the irons. Shafts we’re fitted. Heavier but soft stepped. Similar grinds but different bounces. Don’t really use the 58 during UK winter months.
I feel It’s easier to use the bounce of my 60 around the greens then it is with the 56. Something with having it naturally sit more open suits my eye better around the greens
Really like the 54deg, PW and then 8iron for bump and run. Have a 60deg wedge and use it sparingly. Works great for a very short chips where other options will roll out too much. The 60deg is like a child one minute everything is going great then temper tantrum hits without warning.
My set up is PW is 47 (pitches, chips,) Aw is 52/09 long (bunker shot , fwy pitches some chips), next is 56 deg 10 deg for (sand and pitch,) 58 /14 * for soft sand and lobs on soft fwys, a 60 /04 for pitches on firm fairways. * will rotate around to suit course conditions. mostly use 56 all time, rarely use a 60 or 58
Wilson d7 48 gw, full swing 105. chipping my fave club. Pw at 43 is useful too if I've got green to play with. Cleveland cbx2 54 and 58 below that. 48 & 54 see the most action for bunkers and around the green. The 58 I use if I need a trick. But it's my last choice. All clubs gapped 4 to 5 degrees. Couldn't agree more re cavity irons and cavity wedges.
Replaced the starter wedges from my set with the Cleveland CBX Zipcores. Went with a 46/52/56 lofts. Still may get a 60 just to play around with. These wedges are super fun to play with, and I get a lot more spin.
I have a 44 degree PW in my iron set, and I added two wedges, 50 and 56. I use the PW from 105 meters in, the 50 from 85 meters in, and the 56 from 75 meters in. I prefer the 50 around the green, or a downgripped 8i. The 56 for sand, and I never bothered with a 60 degree wegde. Spoiler alert, I like to use a chipper also, great precision in a chipper.
luckily for me I have a big field in my back yard so I can practice with my 60 degree lob wedge, it is the easiest club to be inconsistent with compared to lower lofted wedges. It's easy to swing the club right under the ball and not get the right distance, and it's also easy to thin and not get the right amount of height.
I agree with you. You DO NOT NEED a LW. I practice it and barely use it unless it's those deep bunkers or right under a lip. I rather use my 56 because I have so many shot variety with it
I have a 56° and a 52° in the bag, using the 56° for sand exclusively and the 52° for everything ~110 yards and in. And really I’ve used the 52° out of the sand and it did just fine. I’d be happy to get by with just that one wedge.
Last year I did not have my 58 degree wedge in my bag. I found I could open up my 54 degree and hit any shot. I was afraid to hit my 54 on approach shots. I worked this winter on making solid contact with my wedges. I now am confident and hit full approach shots with both. I struggled out of bunkers and started using 58 degree because we have bunkers with very little sand and I need less bounce. Change in bounce made a huge difference in the quality of my sand shots.
Great video, Matt! The graphic of the 9-iron chip vs. 60º chip is something I've been preaching to my high-handicap friends for ages. For most of them it's futile. You'll have to pry the 60º wedge from their cold, dead hands. I played with a guy once who had a 76º wedge. And he used it for every single shot around the greens. Full swing every time - no matter the lie or distance, or how much green he had to work with. It was painful to watch. Splattered dirt all over those poor greens and didn't come close to getting up-and-down once. And here's the thing: he just didn't care! He was having a ball! He was willing to carve a perfectly nice golf course to ribbons in search of that "one shot." This baffles me, but I guess that's what some people want from the game.
64 is handy for Phil Mickelson and that pretty much it...I have 58 but i use it mostly @driving range to learn flop shot..but for begginer i would say SW @56 degrees is the best thing and there is no need for more wedges for any begginer...
Vokey 46F, 52F and Cally 58C for me. In summer I add a 60T for the mega tight lies on my home course. In winter I add another long iron and take the 60T out.
My PW is 47 degree and goes 150 yrds. I have a 56 degree SW and a 60 degree LW. I've just replaced my 52 degree with a 50 degree. For me the PW and GW can be moved distance with gripping down/opening face and 3/4 swing or full swing. People need to understand bounce. I have 8 degree/10 degree/12 degree bounces as lofts go up. It means options depending on lie. Golfers play yardage instead play your lie and conditions first then pick club. A 60 degree with 12 degree bounce is great for greenside bunkers and flurry rough lies. 150 yards in is your scoring clubs. Spend at least 60%+ of your practice with wedges.
I go 46 50 54 60, but the 60 is only for bunkers and rough I never use it on the deck no full shots or chips. The 54 can do full shots, and opened slightly will take care of business lobbing short shots onto the green if you have to clear a hazard; and the 46 and 50 handles all pitch/chips bump and runs etc. I never had an issue holding the green with a SW or stronger lofted club. (As long as I didn't blade it!!)
I got a 54 rtx zipcore 10bounce that i use for almost everything in side of 105 . Chipping pitching bunkers rough fairway over bunkers up hill lies lies below my feet an above my feet...only time i use my 58 is when im chipping from above the green or landing on a downhill slope from just off of the green
@@golfsidekickextras thanks i appreciate the feed back..just started golfing in 2020 here in canada ...covid restrictions made playing baseball and hockey unavailable so i took up golf and now its all i do..gotta find a place to move that has year round golf or atleast somewhere to live in the winter time
just re gripped my wedges with a different grip than my irons. Same size and such just different feel. Hoping it helps my brain unconsciously click into, wedge mode. I carry 50, 54, 60, 64.
I go 53, 54, 60 (no typo). The 53 is from my iron set and used for full shots and chips around the green. The 54 is more bladed and only used for sand. The 60 is a CBX cavity back to go over bunkers and high up. I hit that thing pretty well, don't mind it. But I use the 53 set wedge and my 9 iron for almost all chips.
Matt. I notice that you use a MD Superstrong 56° wedge. I'm thinking of investing in MD wedges. Any comments on them. Quality, playability etc ? Thanks Phil. 👍
I just bought a new set of t200 irons and rtx wedges… thinking I should have got cbx and you confirmed that I should have. I can hit wedges but it doesn’t make sense if I want forgiveness to not have it in my wedges.
For a begginer i would say rule of thumb PW and then 56' i really don't think 4 wedges will benefit a begginer in any way all it will do it will confuse them and add a bunch more possible mistakes so i would say that companieshad it thought out just right begginer to have a set 5-SW and for a begginers its all they need
if you play form conditions that is good so the club wont bounce off the turf much if you play soft conditions, the club will dig into the ground drastically
Playa, just Google “Wilson 1200 specs”. There seems to be an LT and a GE model. The GE lists PW at 49 degrees and SW at 54, but Google your exact model.
My set pw is 46, I then go 52/58. Love the 58 for everything and the 52 is good for bump & runs, however I can't hit the 52 on full swings to save my life. Thinking 46/54/60! Anyone have success with that?
I vaguely remember when lob wedges came out, back in the 90s (correct me if i´m wrong) and then specialist wedges from Vokey and the like, in the early 2000s.. prior to that sets had PW and SW, at about 48 degrees and 55 degrees respectively. I bought Vokeys in 52, 56, and 60 degrees a few years ago, but because I don´t practice them, I´m not consistent enough to hit them well. So I´ve gone back to the set wedges, because they´re predictable. AS a result of mainly using the PW (48 degrees ) for everything except bunkers from 100m in, my handicap has come down from 18 to 13.5 in less than 2 years, with no practice and only playing 6 months of the year. I do miss the bladed SW (maxfli pro special) that I´d had up until last year, but lost. That was like a butter knife, so soft feeling compared to the vokeys.
@@golfsidekickextras so I do use the 54 in many ways but it’s not always easy changing swing speed and making adjustments for all those shots. PW goes 135. My 54 goes 90. I get a lot of shots in between those clubs. I’m not always comfortable taking distance off my PW. I feel like a 50 or 52deg wedge would go that 115 yards with a smooth full swing. Idk I have to practice hitting 3/4 and 1/2 swings.
