Replacing your stock PW

[Har in the Hat]

Guys,

I am in the looking at purchasing new wedges and I started thinking about my stock MP-25 PW(46 Deg).  Have any of you replaced your iron set's PW with a wedge from a wedge specialist ( for lack of a better term) - vokey or other?

 Is it worthwhile?

thanks guys

[hckymeyer]

I've done it both ways.  My previous set of irons (or maybe 2 sets ago) I replaced the PW with a Scor wedge and played that way for a couple seasons.  My rational at the time was the set PW (TM Speedblades) would jump some times on a flier lie and I'd nuke it 10-20yds past where I can normally hit it.  Swapped to the Scor and I really like it.

FF to this season and I stared with Cleveland CBX and then switched to PING G700.  In both sets I played the stock PW and really liked it.  Distance control was great and it was more forgiving than the Scor PW.

So I guess that's all to say I've had success both ways, it's really a matter of if the set PW is costing you strokes or saving you strokes.  Also depends on what types of shots and turf interaction you want out of that club.

[GB13]

I have always been interested by this. The rational I always use is, if you play GI or SGI, you should probably use a "specialty wedge". That way you have more control and a better bounce for around the green. GI and SGI clubs are inherently built for distance, forgiveness, and high launch. That isn't ideal for a wedge that you need to control distance, and launch conditions. A specialty wedge will grant you a little more of the workability and distance control without the possibility of a "jumper". 

I think if you are playing a players iron, they have more workability built into them, so a specialty wedge is less imperative, but it can still be helpful if need even more workability. I would normally only say you need more workability if you are a scratch or better player. 

[NiftyNiblick]

These days, if you're going to bypass your set's PW,

you almost have to bend the numbered irons a couple of degrees weak

just to get close enough--maybe six degrees--to the specialty wedges.

 

[bens197]

Not a fan. Did it with a set of 2-9 962b’s I played with for 6 years. I can see why guys choose to play a wedge style wedge for their pitch.


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[RickyBobby_PR]

I used a vokey 46* in my cb/mb comboand Ive done it other times with some more forgiving clubs. I think it depends on what one is trying to accomplish with the club. Is it a full swing only, is it used for all kinds of shots including pitches and chips are somethings to consider.

if only a full swing club then set wedge works better with some added forgiveness imo 

[null]

I've actually been considering really simplifying my wedge setup. Going 46 specialty wedge instead of set pw and then going 52 58.

This would really force me to simplify my approach around the greens and would also free up a spot at the top of the bag.

[deauxrite]

I have also tried it both ways.  Last year I replaced my Ping G30 PW, GW and SW with Vokey wedges of various lofts and bounce in an attempt to find some workable solution to distance control and spin.  I played with the Vokeys for 4 months and finally went back to my standard Ping wedges.  The only change that stuck was the 58 degree Vokey that I use for bunkers and for lofted shots close to the greens.  I tracked my results for the 4 month trial and found that there was virtually no difference in greens hit..but the difference in distance from pins was enough to send me back to the G30 wedges.

[Mr_Theoo]

I’ve thought about doing this many times. Even more so lately because I’ve been chipping with my 9i and pw a lot more so I think having a wedge with more versatility would be useful around the greens

[Har in the Hat]

thank you. 

lots of great feedback.

you guys are the best 

I think it might be best answered by buying and trying. 

 

[PING Apologist #9]

I ditched my set's PW at first when I filled out my set of "specialty wedges, but found that there was too much of a gap between the 9i and my 50*. So back in it came in and then I kicked the hybrid out for now. to make room.

[NiftyNiblick]

13 hours ago, jlukes said:

I've actually been considering really simplifying my wedge setup. Going 46 specialty wedge instead of set pw and then going 52 58.

This would really force me to simplify my approach around the greens and would also free up a spot at the top of the bag.

For most of my golf life,  I've never needed more than two clubs between my four-iron and my driver / driving iron combo.

Usually, they'd be a medium lofted and a high or weak lofted fairway wood.

That puts us at

driver

driving iron

longer fairway wood

more lofted fairway wood

#s 4-9 irons.

That's ten clubs, and a putter makes eleven.

Room for three wedges.

In many of my sets, I included a specialty sand iron that wasn't really playable from the grass.

For me, it was worth it.

Now there's only room for two wedges.

And this is why a super strong 9-iron as we have today is a problem.

I would never buy a set or irons with a 9-iron stronger than 42º (practically bendable, then, to 44º).

With a 44º 9-iron,

then a 50-08 and a 58-04, as a rough example,  could get the job done for me.

In "only" fourteen clubs.

 

 

 

 

[Canucklehead]

Definitely won't hurt (well, maybe your bank account) to experiment! I did but I already carry specialty gap, sand and lob wedges so the extra cost to me wasn't worth it as I already had the workability the other wedges provided

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[Har in the Hat]

15 hours ago, jlukes said:

I've actually been considering really simplifying my wedge setup. Going 46 specialty wedge instead of set pw and then going 52 58.
 

what do you mean by "specialty wedge"?

1 hour ago, NiftyNiblick said:

For most of my golf life,  I've never needed more than two clubs between my four-iron and my driver / driving iron combo.

Usually, they'd be a medium lofted and a high or weak lofted fairway wood.

 

In many of my sets, I included a specialty sand iron that wasn't really playable from the grass.

speciality sand iron?

1 hour ago, Canucklehead said:

 I did but I already carry specialty gap, sand and lob wedges so the extra cost to me wasn't worth it as I already had the workability 
 

speciality gap wedge. again,the word speciality? please clarify.

 

thanks guys

[NiftyNiblick]

12 minutes ago, Har in the Hat said:

 

speciality sand iron?

 

 

 

A dedicated sand iron is a club that one carries specifically for green side bunker play and doesn't ever expect to use from a clean fairway lie.

Below is the Ray Cook Shot Saer which is a typical example.

[GB13]

24 minutes ago, Har in the Hat said:

what do you mean by "specialty wedge"?

speciality sand iron?

speciality gap wedge. again,the word speciality? please clarify.

 

thanks guys

Specialty wedge is not a pitching or gap wedge from an iron set (like a Ping G400 PW or GW). Specialty wedge IS a wedge like a Vokey SM7 or Ping Glide 2.0 at ANY loft. 46° to 64°. 

When we say "replace set PW with a specialty wedge", we mean replace it with a Vokey or Ping Glide 2.0 or Callaway MD 4 etc.

[NiftyNiblick]

7 minutes ago, Middler said:

I can’t imagine it would make much difference for scoring, so I wouldn’t. I have the PW and GW from my iron set and a specialty 56 and 60 only because they’re not offered with my iron set. For a mid to high handicapper I’d be surprised if it made a scoring difference. A low handicapper might actually feel a difference, but how many shots would that amount to in a round, 0-2 strokes maybe 1 if that on average I’d guess. My 2 cents. Unless you’re grossly misfit, it’s the Indian not the arrow more often than not...

I'd be surprised if it made a difference too--because on my first set of irons, the 9-iron was 48º.

Those set matching wedges used to be numbered irons in the old days anyway.

I never did understand referring to golf clubs as arrows, though.

To me, they're more like bows.

Balls are like arrows, i would think.

Shubhankar Sharma isn't a bad Indian player, though.

[PMookie]

I play the set PW because it’s always a full shot for me so I want the gapping and forgiveness.


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[NiftyNiblick]

12 minutes ago, PMookie said:

I play the set PW because it’s always a full shot for me so I want the gapping and forgiveness.


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I would guess that's the prevailing thought on the matter.

[revkev]

For what it’s worth I participated in a MGS test that pitted comparably lofted SCORs against my set’s matched PW and GW. (Originally it was going to be PW, 9 iron into SCOR found out how jacked each testers irons were)

 

So it was SCOR 48,44 v Wilson C100 PW,GW. The 48 v GW was a rout! The 48 remains in the bag 2 iron sets later. The PW v 44 was very close, close enough that the SCOR 44 has made it into my bag on several occasions, particularly when things dry out. It will probably go in my bag again in January.

 

 

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[PlaidJacket]

I play my sets PW - 48* and then 52*, 56*, 60* wedges. The PW is a Wishon 771csi and the others are Wishon PCF Micro-Tour. My wedge lofts and gaps are pretty standard fare I'd say. I use the 56* & 60* wedges most often. What I like about these wedges is the heel design that allow you to open the face while not allowing the leading edge to raise. I play mostly tightly mowed bermuda fairways in the summer and this design has been a champ. Other wedges might have a similar design but since I'm not looking I can't say.

If I were replacing any of them I'd stick with the same thing. They work great for my game. 

[Mr. 82]

I have PING G irons and originally bought a used Ping G PW off of ebay to fill out my irons, but discovered through trial and error that someone had bent that PW to 50 degrees, essentially making it a gap wedge. Not being fully thrilled with my G irons I then ordered the Ping i200 PW which I am extremely happy with. I use the PW around the green for fringe chips when I miss greens so I wear out my PW a lot and need a club I am really confident with.

To be honest, I would have bought the entire set of i200 irons if I had not just bought the G irons, so take that for what it’s worth. I’ve since replaced my GW and SW from Ping G30 to Ping G700. I just like the feel of the G700 better on thise two wedges. I carry a Cleveland RTX 58 degree lob wedge as the outlier in my wedges. I’ve yet to feel fully comfortable with a Ping LW as that is a huge scoring club for me from 90 yards and in and need something that leaves me the fewest amount of chunked shots, which Cleveland wedges seem best suited for for some reason.

Use whatever works for you though. It is all what you feel most comfortable with and doesn’t need to be one like your irons unless you want it to.


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[null]

@Har in the Hat a specialty wedge is something like a Vokey, or Glide 2.0, or TMaG Milled Grind that is a stand alone wedge and not a wedge that is sold as part of an iron set

[deauxrite]

So it occurs to me that maybe the idea of reducing your score might have been lost in the discussion.  I have tried very hard to make sure that I have my gaps covered, but the real idea is to be sure that I can hit a full shot from the distances that I find myself hitting regularly.  In my case I find that the PW is good at 112 -115 yards.  Inside of that I often find myself at 90-103..that turns out to be a gap (50 degree) wedge.  The full sand wedge is 77- 84 yards and I can usually hit that laterally within  15 feet..lots of birdie or par save opportunities..I rarely hit a full lob (58 degree) wedge..it just does not work well for me..but if I have to..64 yards..about the same as a half gap wedge..which seems to be a better shot for me.

Bottom line..try lots of options and find the one that lowers your score.  If getting up and down from 25 yards is your issue..try 2-3 different clubs that work from that distance.  Just remember that most of us have a shot that we need to repeat..for me that 15 yards to the pin from the area left of the green..find the club that works from there and put it in your bag...and hammer it.