What do you guys do with your old wedges?

[Sandy Koufax]

I've heard you're supposed to change out your wedges every couple of seasons, so what do you do with your old ones? I just got new wedges so I've been using the old ones for practice. But what about two years from now? Four? Pretty soon I'm going to have 24 practice wedges if I keep on replacing at this rate.

 

On another topic, how is it going to effect your wedge replacement strategy when you're looking at going from worn U grooves to fresh V grooves? I mean how do you gauge that? And what about buying a groove sharpener, does that work or is it bogus? As you can see I've got wedges on the brain.

[Tyk]

I have a few wedges laying around the house and I practice with them watching TV or talking on the phone, but alot of them I give away as "hand me ups" to friends that are less meticulous about thier equipment than I am so a wedge with two seasons of wear on it is an improvement for them!

 

I also recently got a groove sharpener and have sharpened the grooves on my two Mizuno gamers that were due for replacement over the winter. I have to say the results so far are very encouraging, it looks like it will extend the life of these clubs for at least another season, perhaps many more seasons? These are U-groove wedges so they're already non-conforming but I don't currently play in any events that would require that.

[jamo]

Lets see- One sits in the garage for when I have a few seconds and feel like swinging a club, one sits in the basement for winter time chipping practice, and I snapped the shaft on one because I wanted to see how much it would bend. I have one in my trunk too....

[GolfSpy Dave]

We take them camping and make courses through the trees and waterfront. One of my favorite things to look for in thrift stores is a new "camping wedge".

Right now I have a rockin' 64* Wilson Trouble Wedge

[Matt Saternus]

I recently gave one to a friend, which is where most of them will go in the future. I also bent an old 60* to 64* just to mess around with. The last old wedge is my indoor club for working on drills.

[RookieBlue7]

I have 10 old wedges lying around, maybe more, haven't counted in a while. I always experiment with finishes on them and experiment with grinds and porting on a few of them. Just something to tinker with and practice on.

[Dave]

\I either give them away to kids at my clubs that have just started playing, or need something better than what they have.Or i keep them in the shed for a rainy day when I'm bored and play with them on the bench grinder and put ugly big stamps all over them

[JBones]

I always keep a couple wedges for backup, but I'll give the old ones to a friend or sell them on Craigslist. If they are in really good shape, I'll trade them in.

[JohnBarry]

I give all my clubs away to friends wanting to start playing if I am done with them.

[Justin66]

I recently gave one to a friend, which is where most of them will go in the future. I also bent an old 60* to 64* just to mess around with. The last old wedge is my indoor club for working on drills.

 

Holy cow, Saturn- you added 4* of bounce, as well! How is it working for you?

 

 

On to the subject:

 

I've given old wedges away- there's a driving range near me that helps less fortunate kids, and since I'm a lefty I try to make sure I can help the lefty kids out since there isn't much in that area for them. I have an SV 52* that I'm dinking around with grinding/polishing. A couple of other spares that I just swing or chip/pitch with in the backyard.

 

I don't know how this rule is going to affect me. Depends if Hireko discontinues the XB line of wedges or not... In all reality, though, I can't back a ball up- I can make it check maybe 70-80% of the time- but never that yo-yo trick, so maybe it won't affect me that much. Maybe it'll force me to play smarter- there's no spin difference from the fairway, but there's 48-50% difference (depending on who's test you read) from the rough. But since this is me we're talking about, I doubt it LOL...

[Stephen_Peszel]

Old Wedges? What are they? I have the same ones I started with 6 years ago. What happens, do the "plastic" balls wear out the metal club faces?

Come to think of it how come my face bristles wear out the tempered steel of my razor??

[JBones]

Old Wedges? What are they? I have the same ones I started with 6 years ago. What happens, do the "plastic" balls wear out the metal club faces?

Come to think of it how come my face bristles wear out the tempered steel of my razor??

Yes, hitting balls wears out the grooves on the wedges. The hard balls on a driving range will wear them down even faster. I don't generally practice with my wedges, except for some greenside chipping. I used to let my cousin re-groove my wedges, but now I just buy new wedges every year.

[Stephen_Peszel]

Yes, hitting balls wears out the grooves on the wedges. The hard balls on a driving range will wear them down even faster. I don't generally practice with my wedges, except for some greenside chipping. I used to let my cousin re-groove my wedges, but now I just buy new wedges every year.

 

Tongue firmly planted in cheek http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/tongue-in-cheek.html

[JBones]

Tongue firmly planted in cheek http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/tongue-in-cheek.html

Sarcasm www.itdoesn'tworkontheinternet.com

 

Most people don't know why they would need new wedges, after all they are an iron and you don't replace those every year.

[Tyk]

Wedge wear is so gradual that its not noticed as its happening. You get used to your trusty wedge, it does what you want and you loathe the thought of changing. Then you pick up a new one and those first few shots into the green you see the ball stop for you like it hasn't in quite some time! When I start thinking "man, I just can't spin it like I used to, something must be wrong with my short game" I know its time to replace the wedge!

 

The groove sharpener brings some life back to old wedges. I can't for sure say I think it's as good as new, but its definitely helpful.

[Stephen_Peszel]

This article might be interesting, No Grooves article comparing a wedge with grooves against one without: Also some argument/discussion out there re milling vs grooves. Off topic by now I know but...

"The wedge tests were done with an imaginary target 50 yards out. So looking for more spin so that we can stop the ball on the spot, what does the wet do to performance?

 

First the Grind Studio Prototype 58 with grooves* 50 yards to target:

 

These results clearly show that wet conditions and wedges will result in considerably less spin 3500rpm or so less making it harder to control the ball and attack the pin. 50y out from the pin the dry conditions allow accurate max spin shots right at the pin while wet conditions created a higher shot, less spin and over hitting the target with no spin back.

 

Now the Grind Studio Prototype 58* with NO Grooves:

 

This test with no grooves showed a couple of things in both dry and wet. Firstly how important grooves are () of course. It also showed that soft forged wedges even with no grooves have some bite. Some say the softer the material the more friction it causes on impact (Yamaha a while back went with S10C wedges!). As you can see in the dry results with NO grooves, the backspin numbers are almost as much as WITH grooves in WET conditions due to the friction created by the soft steel. Control with no grooves is obviously not as much and the ball overshoots the target.

 

Now add WET to the equation with NO grooves and the wedge looses all traction and spin. The ball pretty much slides off the wedge and balloons up way overshooting the target.

 

So these are all interesting numbers to look at. They not only tell us that there will be performance differences in dry and wet conditions but also that there are equipment considerations to keep in mind ie what ball to use, what kind of grooves on the wedge or materials, and even what lofts. This test again was done in a controlled environment with just water on the ball and club. But it definitely makes us think.

 

By the way here is what a wedge with no grooves looks like!"

 

[JBones]

Thats very interesting, Speszel. What if it was a grainy face (like sandpaper-ish)? I bet that could generate a ton of spin. Does anyone know if anything like that has been done? (Patent Pending)

[jamo]

Thats very interesting, Speszel. What if it was a grainy face (like sandpaper-ish)? I bet that could generate a ton of spin. Does anyone know if anything like that has been done? (Patent Pending)

 

I forget the brand but a few years ago (5ish) there was a wedge that had a black (presumably hard plastic or rubber) face with a bunch of tiny bumps on it. It was illegal per the USGA, but the spin was tons more than normal wedges. You could suck back a 10 foot chip.

 

Someone here has to have a picture or know the brand.

[Justin66]

Old Wedges? What are they? I have the same ones I started with 6 years ago. What happens, do the "plastic" balls wear out the metal club faces?

Come to think of it how come my face bristles wear out the tempered steel of my razor??

 

Point taken- especially the razor comment LOL. Honestly, the only real wear I can think of is from the bunkers. Every shot out of the sand is basically sand-blasting the face of the wedge. If you spend a lot of time "at the beach" or practice quite a bit in the bunkers, it can wear the face out. Most Tour pros will try to land in a bunker if the green is a no-go, because for them it's easier than chipping out of 4"+ rough. That, and they DO spend enormous amounts of time practicing...

 

Continuing on your line of thought; why do we replace wedges every 6 months or so, but our irons (especially the 9i and PW) less frequently? Makes me wonder, because I never really thought about it til now.

[Justin66]

Thats very interesting, Speszel. What if it was a grainy face (like sandpaper-ish)? I bet that could generate a ton of spin. Does anyone know if anything like that has been done? (Patent Pending)

 

It wouldn't matter Bones... the USGA regulates that (with as much as they regulate, I'm surprised they aren't regulating me AWAY from the course!). Basically, any type of striations on the face of the wedge can't effect performance to a point. They allow a little, but it's practically unnoticable, and is completely overshadowed by the grooves. On a grooveless wedge, it'd only be noticable from the rough.

 

The grooves real job is to channel away debris. From the fairway, not as much gunk is present... that's why a "V" groove and "box" groove perform the same. But from the rough, the box grooves channel more junk away from the ball, resulting in cleaner contact. A grooveless wedge performs roughly the same from the fairway as the others, but it would be completely outmatched from the rough, even with the roughed-up face.

[Justin66]

I forget the brand but a few years ago (5ish) there was a wedge that had a black (presumably hard plastic or rubber) face with a bunch of tiny bumps on it. It was illegal per the USGA, but the spin was tons more than normal wedges. You could suck back a 10 foot chip.

 

Someone here has to have a picture or know the brand.

 

The Golfworks has their "Shredder" wedge- grooves milled to the max, with non-conforming striations. It's in the catalogs with warnings for "too much backspin" and another that warns of ruining balls. Never tried it, though.

 

That thing about the forged wedge v. a cast wedge is bogus. There are NO playability differences between carbon or stainless steel. Blind tests performed by Ralph Maltby (among others) have proven this.

 

Upon forther review, I should have "multiquoted"...

[Stephen_Peszel]

I forget the brand but a few years ago (5ish) there was a wedge that had a black (presumably hard plastic or rubber) face with a bunch of tiny bumps on it. It was illegal per the USGA, but the spin was tons more than normal wedges. You could suck back a 10 foot chip.

 

Someone here has to have a picture or know the brand.

 

There was the Quest CT 24 wedge, or the PureSpin Diamond Face wedge

[RookieBlue7]

This article might be interesting, No Grooves article comparing a wedge with grooves against one without: Also some argument/discussion out there re milling vs grooves. Off topic by now I know but...

"The wedge tests were done with an imaginary target 50 yards out. So looking for more spin so that we can stop the ball on the spot, what does the wet do to performance?

 

First the Grind Studio Prototype 58 with grooves* 50 yards to target:

 

These results clearly show that wet conditions and wedges will result in considerably less spin 3500rpm or so less making it harder to control the ball and attack the pin. 50y out from the pin the dry conditions allow accurate max spin shots right at the pin while wet conditions created a higher shot, less spin and over hitting the target with no spin back.

 

Now the Grind Studio Prototype 58* with NO Grooves:

 

This test with no grooves showed a couple of things in both dry and wet. Firstly how important grooves are () of course. It also showed that soft forged wedges even with no grooves have some bite. Some say the softer the material the more friction it causes on impact (Yamaha a while back went with S10C wedges!). As you can see in the dry results with NO grooves, the backspin numbers are almost as much as WITH grooves in WET conditions due to the friction created by the soft steel. Control with no grooves is obviously not as much and the ball overshoots the target.

 

Now add WET to the equation with NO grooves and the wedge looses all traction and spin. The ball pretty much slides off the wedge and balloons up way overshooting the target.

 

So these are all interesting numbers to look at. They not only tell us that there will be performance differences in dry and wet conditions but also that there are equipment considerations to keep in mind ie what ball to use, what kind of grooves on the wedge or materials, and even what lofts. This test again was done in a controlled environment with just water on the ball and club. But it definitely makes us think.

 

By the way here is what a wedge with no grooves looks like!"

 

Were they hitting balls off of actual grass or no grass? If it was out of grass, of course the club with no grooves is going to have less spin. It's stupid to do any kind of comparitive test like that with the shots being from grass. Hit shots off of a lie board in dry conditions, gurantee you the spin will be virtually identical. Why did the grass have an effect? Because on a grooveless wedge, there's no where for the grass to go, so it's trapped between the face and the ball, thus less spin. I could've told the idiots that without any testing because that's common sense. I'm still going to say that off of a lie board with dry conditions, spin isn't going to differ greatly because the grooves don't add spin, they're there to provide clean contact insurance. They filter dirt, water, and debris away from the face, not create spin.

 

Check out the article "Spin and the Inner Workings of a Golf Ball" by William "Bill" Gobush. It tells you more about what happens at impact than this very skewed test. If you can provide me high speed video that shows the ball deforms and goes into the grooves, I'll believe you, but it doesn't in the microsecond it's on the face. It flattens out and the rolling resistance of the flat surface if the face coupled with loft is the determinant of spin. That, coupled with clean contact maximizes spin.