Does Your Short Game Fit?
Most players carry at least two wedges; some may carry four. There are key Performance Specifications to keep in mind when choosing wedges: length, loft, lie, bounce, shaft flex, and swing weight. Many low handicappers are noticing the advantages of matching all wedges to the same length. This puts a player in a constant posture position and similar overall weight for consistent feel through the wedges. This also improves timing related issues.
Loft is the angle of your wedge face to the shaft plane. Making certain that your wedges -regardless of how many you carry, have uniform loft gaps between them will surely improve your distance control. For example, if your PW has 47 degrees of loft, it will make sense for your gap wedge to have 52 and your lob wedge to have 57. Wedges with lofts of up to 65 degrees are available for those who may play courses with deep bunkers or extreme greenside mounding. Regardless of which wedges you are carrying at present, ask your golf professional to check the loft of your wedges to make certain they are uniformly gapped. (While you're at it, have all of clubs in your set checked to ensure accurate distance control.) Clubs with uniform loft gaps are easier to hit specific distances, something that is very important when it comes to scoring clubs such as wedges.
Lie angle is the degree of the shaft plane to the horizontal face attitude of the club. Many players have their irons custom fit and purchase wedges off the shelf. According to some studies over 70% of all shots are 100 yards and in of the green so why has this been over looked for so long? Short clubs have a tendency to be missed left of the target. Therefore tour professionals prefer that their lies angles are a bit flatter than the lie angle progressions of the rest of their irons. For example if you are 1 degree flat in an iron set from Mizuno's standard lie angle your wedges may perform better at 2 degrees flat from Mizuno's standard lie angle! Take a peek at other players' wedges and you will notice, a majority of the time, excessive toe wear proving the fact that most wedges are too short and too upright for a great deal of players.
Bounce is the specification that allows a wedge to glide easily through sand or thick grass. It is the angle formed between the leading bounce edge of the sole and the lowest point on the club's sole perpendicular to the shaft (Bounce Contact Point). Bounce is measured in degrees, with higher bounce angle clubs appearing to have their leading bounce edge higher off the ground at address. Most pitching wedges have less than 5 degrees of bounce, while sand wedges commonly have 8-12 degrees. Lob wedges may have zero bounce or bounce that exceeds 15 degrees, depending upon the conditions for which they are designed. A higher bounce club is better for softer sand conditions or thicker grass. A lower bounce wedge makes a better choice for tight lies in the fairway or firmer sand conditions.
Other trends on tour include softer shafts in their wedges to produce more feel around the greens and heavier swing weights than their iron set. (For example 4-9 irons Project X 6.5 - D3 / 50, 54, & 58 Project X 6.0 -D5)
Have your equipment professional evaluate the conditions under which you play most often and choose wedges based upon those recommendations. Bounce Width should also be taken into consideration when choosing the proper wedges for your playing conditions. Two wedges with the exact same length, loft, lie, flex, and bounce will play differently from a ¾" bounce width compare to a 1" bounce width. The wider the bounce width the easier it is to hit for the average player. To locate Equipment Specialist in your area go to: http://www.tourvanrepair.com/directory.html
As wedge play is critical in getting the ball close to the hole from the fairway and is equally important for saving strokes around the green, it is a wise golfer who matches the length, loft, lie, bounce, shaft flex, and swing weight of one's wedges to their short game. Tour pros often change wedges to match course conditions; you should match your wedges to your home course as well. Most major manufacturers offer a number of loft/bounce combinations, making wedge selection a simple process once your needs have been determined. Remember your current wedges can be adjusted to perform better for example one could increase the loft by one degree to produce a higher softer pitch shot, but this will also increase the bounce by one degree. Follow these steps to improved wedge play: Ask your local Equipment Specialist for a wedge evaluation. Compare this to your current clubs. Make any necessary performance upgrades to your set, and see your scores lower and consistency improve!
Take a look at the wedge loft gaps of some current winners on tour: http://www.thetourvan.com/
Zach Johnson
PGA Tour: Valero Texas Open
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design (48 and 54 degrees); Titleist Vokey Spin Milled (60 degrees)
Michael Sim
Nationwide Tour: BMW Charity Pro-Am
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design (48 degrees; Project X shaft); Titleist Vokey Design prototypes (54 and 60 degrees; Project X shafts)
