Driver vs wedge

[rowjow]

Bit of a random thread, I use a Nike Dymo2 driver (not custom fit) and Callaway 52* and 58* wedges. I have enough money to buy a new driver or wedges.. Can't decide what to do, my driving is generally accurate and about 250 yards but I don't take advantage inside 100 yards. I'm thinking of changing to a 4 wedge system with 45*,50*,54* and 58* (maybe vokeys?)

 

Suggestions would be useful on whether I could get more distance out of a new custom fit driver or whether to change to a 4 wedge system or stick with 3, and also which wedges to use..

 

Thanks a lot for any advice given!!

[skihippy]

Ok for the price and accuracy my thought is... get your driver fit should only cost about $20 unless you need the shaft cut and a new grip. OK your other way to go is by going to clevelandgolf.com and they have a free wedge fitting system that is pretty accurate. Through all of this... always remember that 80-90% of all your shots are 100 yards in.

[shockdoc17]

If you want to improve your scores you should go with the wedges. Even if you gain another 10% of distance on your drives it won't help your score nearly as much as hitting 10% more greens from 100 yards and in. This is coming from a guy who hits his driver 300+ but doesn't score well because I still struggle from 100 yards and in as well.

[JBones]

My suggestion would be to not buy into the big company hype and get both a shaft and new wedges. I built all three of my Snake Eyes wedges for

[Xamilo]

Why change something which is working? Your drive is long enough and you say its accurate. Get new wedges. You'll hit your driver less than 16 times during a round for sure, which means its only 16 shots, compared with hitting wedge shots in every hole (maybe not the par-3s, but let's get real, we don't put it in the green every time, and some holes require two or three wedge shots ).

 

Remember a 300yd counts as one, so does a 50y wedge shot and a 12in putt....

[Justin66]

You can get more accuracy and distance from your current driver if you get it retrofit. If they say you'd need a different loft number, you'd be out of luck, though. 250 is pretty good- the male average (last time I saw the National Golf Foundation's numbers) was 235y. That'd be the only reason to buy a new driver... technology's maxed out, and has been since 2006.

 

Now, if you're admittedly inconsistent from 100 yards, switching up the wedges makes sense. Six degrees is a pretty wide gap for an amateur, and not all of us are good with partial swings or going all-out with a higher-lofted wedge. So tightening up the loft gap makes a ton of sense. You'll be able to use more full swings, and more consistency with your yardage gaps.

 

As for brand... that doesn't matter. My only thing is, pay attention to bounce angles as well. With all the options, you don't want to end up buying, say, a SW with

 

And get fit for your wedges, as well. Make sure they're the same length, or a little shorter, than your PW... it'll help with consistency. If you really like a wedge and it's .5" longer than your PW, don't sweat it. Some people also like their GW to be inline, heft-wise, with the PW, while the SW and LW are more head-heavy. I don't know what you like, so I'm not going to say "Do it this way, 'cause I do", or "Do it that way, because Tiger does"... it doesn't work that way. It IS something to consider, but do it with a fitter, so you can determine what's best for YOU.

[rowjow]

Really useful information guys, also spoke to a pro earlier and he advised the same thing along with buying Dave Pelz Short Game Bible. He said this would also be useful for improvement, anyone dealt with this book?

[rowjow]

Also what bounce options would people recomend for a 50*,54* and 58* on a course which is wet in winter and dry to wet in summer with good length grass.

[Walt]

Bounce and grinds have more to do with swing( angle of attack) than course conditions.

[RookieBlue7]

I'd advise a new set of wedges, and a complete wedge fitting. For the money, it's hard to beat Scratch wedges. You won't find a better fitting system, and dedication to their customers, IMO. I have 2, which I'm still tinkering on, but mine were bought and I'm doing my fitting/grinding. Regardless, they have more fitting options than anyone when ordering direct from them, from grinds, to lofts, to whatever, everything from them is custom and top notch.

[harrison101]

I'm going to have to second the scratch wedge Scratch wedges comment-I definitely agree that wedges would be a good buy and if your looking for the overall package of wedges I think Scratch definitely has it. I had a friend buy some recently from GolfClubs.com and they were able to customize them for a pretty good price.