Anyone converted from a 52-56-60 setup to a 54-58 and Wedge flex softer than Irons?

Currently using a 52-56-60 wedge setup....60 is rarely used.

I was thinking if anyone has recently made the switch to a 54-58 and how has the experience been given some adjustments in distance calibration...

Does the 2 degree difference make it easier to hit vs the 60? Or does the 2 degree make it much harder to hit vs the 56....?

To what extent has the short game club selection simplified?

It depends what you primarily use your 60Deg wedge for?
For myself, i only use it for bunker plays... I will stick to a high bounce wedge as its easier to hit.

The 2Deg difference is not going to make much difference as but you should ask yourself if your are using high bounce wedges or low bounce?

Our conditions here in Singapore & Malaysia usually dictates more bounce is better.


Remember *Bounce Is Your Friend*

I did. But not just 54-58. I went for 50-54-58.

My original problem was the gap between my 46 deg PW and the 52 GW. I lay up to 100m often and would sometime overshot, leaving me with a 85-90m approach. The 50 gw fills this distance well for me

As to the 54, usually it comes with high bounce and i use it for bunkers.

My 58 comes with medium bounce, versatile for various lies around the green except the soggiest and thickest rough, to which i will resort to the 54 again.

Seems like a norm to carry 4 wedges...

im not sure if it's useful to compare 52-56-60 with 54-58. because u are essentially comparing Gw-Sw-Lw with Sw-Lw

So it may be more useful to first deal with the issue of the Gw.

Question 1 - Do you need a Gw? If yes, what is the loft of our Pw? The loft of your Pw will pretty much determine the loft of your Gw. If you are using a 52* Gw, I assume ur Pw is somewhere between 46 - 48*

Question 2 - Once you've settled the issue of the Gw, then go on to compare 56-60 with 54-58. note that these wedges are rarely used to hit full shots. So the method of 'gap-filling' doesn't quite apply here.

I personally use a 54-60. The reason I prefer a 54 Sw over a 56 Sw is because i find that the 54 gives me more options out of the bunker. We often open the face of the Sw to make use of the bounce. This effectively transforms a 54 Sw into a 56-58 degree loft. If I want to go even higher-lofted, i will then use my 60* Lw

As for the Lw, I only use it to hit high lofted shots out of bunker and the odd occasion that i need to hit a flop shot from fairway / rough onto the green. in these circumstances, the key is not with distance, but with the height of the shot. So why use a 58 when i can go 60? another benefit of having a 60 over 58 is that i don't need to open the club face when i'm hitting off a tight lie. the danger of trying to add loft to a 58* Lw by opening the clubface is that you add bounce, which makes it more difficult to hit off a tight lie

So long story short, I use a 54-60 set up. But i guess everyone has different styles and preferences. So very often it's about trying what suits u best

forgot to find out...

but what is the loft of a standard fishy PW? Anyone knows?

My previous PW was a 46* and my 52 was bent to a 51*

DiVoTion wrote:

forgot to find out...

but what is the loft of a standard fishy PW? Anyone knows?

Fishy wedges are 51, 55 and 59.

Std fishy PW is 46. But eric can bend it 2 degs higher.

Ah u also use fishy...just go den and check all your lofts again

My set-up is 48, 51, 55 and 58. Don't ask.

I should bend my 48 a degree back.

My 58 is more for sand and lob shots.

Since we are on the topic of wedges, might as well include here in this discussion..... noticed i edited the title...

I had always been told that the wedges should be "the heavier the better", my wedges shafts are S although my irons are R....

Last week, a flightmate was using wedge flex which was softer than her irons and said its unusual but it worked for her...


...So i did a quick research and found that there are many advocates that a softer wedge flex be used for feel.....Even Bob Vokey in an interview advised Tiger to switch from X100 to a softer S400 and Tiger did.

http://www.golftoday.co.uk/equipment/features/irons/high_flyer/bob_vokey.html

"
Gi: To what extent does the choice of shaft affect wedge performance?

BV: It can make a big difference. I’m a strong believer that there’s a lot to gain from having a slightly softer flex shaft in your wedges than you have in your irons. I remember in summer 2000 suggesting to Tiger Woods – who then used [True Temper Dynamic Gold] X100 in all his irons – to move to a softer and lighter S400 flex in his sand wedge. The next time I saw him was at the Open at St Andrews and I asked him how he was getting on with it. He said “You saw how I did at Pebble Beach, didn’t you?!” [Tiger won that US Open by 15 shots – Ed.] He later told me that while he had lost maybe one yard in distance he had gained so much more feel around the green and more elevation from bunkers.

For many pros I actually now recommend the even lighter S200 shaft which I think is the best blend of control, firmness and feel. It is particularly good for those touchy feely shots"

Anyone also agrees that lighter flex works better and is currently using it?

Don't think the mentioned setup really matter, all boils down to 1 word ~ PRACTICE.......

How often do we put in time at the range or chipping green to truly explore & work with the short sticks in different lie & ground conditions......

Golf is 20 percent talent and 80 percent management

i play 52- 58. cant seem to get any better with any other combo. S200 shafts rock even in the irons though. But in the wedges they rock the hardest. hahah ns pros dont work for me in the wedges, dont know why.

Vinny wrote:

Don't think the mentioned setup really matter, all boils down to 1 word ~ PRACTICE.......

How often do we put in time at the range or chipping green to truly explore & work with the short sticks in different lie & ground conditions......

Golf is 20 percent talent and 80 percent management

plus 1

pushslice wrote:

I did. But not just 54-58. I went for 50-54-58.


As to the 54, usually it comes with high bounce and i use it for bunkers.

My 58 comes with medium bounce, versatile for various lies around the green except the soggiest and thickest rough, to which i will resort to the 54 again.

What angle is considered high bounce and medium bounce? Thanks in advance for your clarifications.

Low bounce ~ 4 to 8 degrees
Mid bounce ~ 8 to 11 degrees
High bounce ~ 11 degrees upwards

Yup. Thanks vinny.

Even wedge designers have different approach to wedge. Edel for example suggest way higher bounce than industry std. Vokey says match the bounce with swingtype, digger/sweeper etc.

I go by experimentation..have used a number of wedges fr diff brands and bounces, and currently liking my med bounce TVDs

Vinny wrote:

Low bounce ~ 4 to 8 degrees
Mid bounce ~ 8 to 11 degrees
High bounce ~ 11 degrees upwards

Thanks for the info.

Tried many combinations before, PW, 54, 60 - PW, 56, 60. Then I decided what the heck, less clubs, less mind games, just concentrate on a consistent swing and vary the distance with either a longer/shorter swing. Now using PW, 52, 58.

I find the 60 more difficult to use, so ditched it after many a failed experiments. If I need a weaker loft, I just open up the 58 a little.

I use the same iron shafts (KBS Tour S) in my wedges. Has been working well so far. Tried softer flex before but didn't like the whippy-tip feel. The wedges tend to have a heavier head weight, so a softer flex to me, flexes too much for my liking.

same as quest. but sometimes I may bring a fourteen sand wedge (54/10). opens up nicely and looks good on address. I only have one kind of shot in my bag, the high lob shot, so I dun need anything above 58.

Where can you buy Edel wedge in Singapore? Thanks.

This is an interesting topic but the anchor needs to be the loft of the last iron in your iron set, right?

My "P" is 44 degrees. My "other manufacturer" wedges are 48/53/58. The 53 is a bent 52.

This replaced a 48/52/56 setup (dropped the 56 for a 58 and bent the 52) and I'm happy with it. The 53 is used the least (75 yard full swing) and I'm getting intimate with my 58 when I can for anything inside 60 yards. Or at least I'm trying to.

In terms of flex or shafts, Eric at BFG is someone whose opinions I respect.

My P is on 48 degrees. I was previously using 52, 56, 60. Subsequently, I did changed to 54, 60. Based on this current set-up, I find it to be a lot more versatile.

i had changed from 3 to 2 wedges..... from 52,56 and 60 to 52 and 58.
though expert said better to have more wedges, i found that 2 ok for me.. lesser variation n lesser error for me.

but flex for wedge is impt. u want accuracy for wedges n thus its flex is normally stiffer than iron n swingweight heavier...

My irons are S flex (steelfibre i95) and my wedges in R flex (KBS Spinner)

I changed my irons shafts to S but stuck with R on my wedges cos I figured I actually play more partial shots with them as compared to full shots.

As as for the original question, it all depends on what is the loft of your PW and how good you are with hitting partial shots with your wedges. With any wedge, there are distances which are easier to hit compared to others. That is because in general most of us can't adjust our swing in 10% increments easily. It is probably closer to 33%, i.e. 1/3 or 2/3 or full swing, with more talented Golfers able to vary in 25% increments consistently.

What I suggest is that if you are considering the switch, borrow a 54 and a 58, then go to an exec course with the 5 wedges mentioned and your PW and play 2 balls. Split your wedge combination into 2 (PW can be used for both) and see which combination helps you score better and makes you feel more at ease.

If after one try you are not sure, repeat the process over several weeks until you are sure.

P.S. who knows, after a few months of practice with only wedges in an exec course, you might just discover the loft does not matter and you know what do with any kind of wedge in any situation.