Is the 60º wedge really that hard?

[BostonSal]

I've seen many posts where someone or other was quoted as saying that the average recreational player doesn't need such a lofted wedge.

Having experimented with the sixty since it was first introduced and eventually adopting it as a regular inclusion, I would opine that it depends on the sixty.

 

A low bounce sixty is for playing a somewhat skilled shot from forward in the stance.  

It's not a regular golf swing.  It has an exaggerated follow through and requires actually learning a specialty shot.  

I play the shot despite not being near scratch level, but I've played it for a long enough time to not get nervous or quit on it.

So maybe the low bounce sixty isn't for everybody.

 

A higher bounce sixty is played more like a regular wedge shot.

The ball is back in your stance.

Your hands are well in front, effectively delofting the club.

Once you get past the apprehension that you're swinging a little harder than you feel comfortable swinging for the length of the shot, it becomes just another club.

 

That's my take on the sixty.  If you don't play the sixty with bounce, it's mostly because it's not one of your 14 most needed clubs, not because it's particularly hard.

If you don't play the low bounce sixty, it's just because you're not interested in learning that shot or don't need it enough to worry about it.

Neither one is absolutely necessary to play with.  Either one can be played with practice.

 

[Middler]

Or maybe because:

• you usually don't need that much loft, unless you play on a course with hazards everywhere around most greens
• starting online is just easier with a lower lofted club because it's a shorter swing, e.g. a 9i vs a 60º
• hitting thin with a 60º results in the worst outcome vs another loft (way long)
• with a fluffy lie, the danger of going under the ball and hitting off the top of the face results in the worst outcome vs any other loft (way short) - often compounded because most players use a 60º when short sided going over a bunker, water, etc. that you're now in, defeating the original purpose

If you make your 60º your go to club for all chipping, and practice with it more than any other wedge, it could indeed be more versatile. That would lessen but not eliminate the mishit pitfalls. It is a harder club to get good at because of the high loft, no matter what bounce.

Because I have room in my 14 club limit, I carry a 60º low bounce (and a 56º high bounce) and I have had some great results with it when short sided, but I've had enough mishits that I won't use it unless it's the only choice. I use it less than once a round, a true special purpose club for me. YMMV

[NRJyzr]

Not all 60* wedges are the same.  

I've carried a 60 on and off over the years, and found the sole and bounce are key for me.  I do a little less well with the Tom Watson Scoring System 60*, it doesn't have a lot of bounce.  The Maltby Design 60* I got from GolfWorks is much better.  It has a low bounce angle, but a wider sole, which increases the effective bounce.  I've found it works well in chipping and the like.  

That said, I've found I can generally get away with even a moderately high bounce 56* with no higher lofts in my bag.  I'm able to open the club to do what I wish to for shorter shots, and use a form of the Pelz clock theory for short to mid range pitches.

I expect my results may not apply to all. 
 

[RickyBobby_PR]

13 minutes ago, NRJyzr said:

Not all 60* wedges are the same.  

I've carried a 60 on and off over the years, and found the sole and bounce are key for me.  I do a little less well with the Tom Watson Scoring System 60*, it doesn't have a lot of bounce.  The Maltby Design 60* I got from GolfWorks is much better.  It has a low bounce angle, but a wider sole, which increases the effective bounce.  I've found it works well in chipping and the like.  

That said, I've found I can generally get away with even a moderately high bounce 56* with no higher lofts in my bag.  I'm able to open the club to do what I wish to for shorter shots, and use a form of the Pelz clock theory for short to mid range pitches.

I expect my results may not apply to all. 
 

Agree. The 58/60 was a wedge I struggled with for a long time when I first started out and even up until maybe 5-6 years ago. I used it for full swings which was part of the problem. Second when I had lack of short game knowledge it was one that could easily be bladed or chunked when trying to chip and pitch with it.

Once I learned to stop full swinging it and how to use the bounce on shorter shots my results started to improve. Even more so when I stopped the ball back, hands forward method.

Once a person learns how to use the bounce of wedges it’s a game changer 

[prillac]

I keep it in my bag for sand. Vokey wedge. Also good for hacking out of tall grass or a blade edge strike out of the rough around the green. 

[RoverRick]

I carry a 50, 54, 60. It’s no more difficult to hit well than a driver. You have to learn the proper technique and practice, just like any club. 

[Kenny B]

On 10/4/2021 at 8:08 AM, NRJyzr said:

Not all 60* wedges are the same.  

I've carried a 60 on and off over the years, and found the sole and bounce are key for me.  I do a little less well with the Tom Watson Scoring System 60*, it doesn't have a lot of bounce.  The Maltby Design 60* I got from GolfWorks is much better.  It has a low bounce angle, but a wider sole, which increases the effective bounce.  I've found it works well in chipping and the like.  

That said, I've found I can generally get away with even a moderately high bounce 56* with no higher lofts in my bag.  I'm able to open the club to do what I wish to for shorter shots, and use a form of the Pelz clock theory for short to mid range pitches.

I expect my results may not apply to all. 
 

Agree that not all 60º wedges are the same.  I struggled in the past, but the sole grind makes all the difference for me.  My goto club around the green is my 60º Callaway PM Grind designed by Roger Cleveland for Phil Mickelson.  It has a C-grind sole that allows me to hit the 12º bounce club off tight lies.  Like any club, it takes practice to hit it consistently.  When I head to the range to practice, I always hit pitch shot to the pitching green and hit chip shots off the fringe onto the putting green.

So, my answer is No... if you have the right 60º for the job and practice any shot you would use it for on the course.  If you don't practice, of course it's hard... but so is the driver!

[AndySP]

I’m not sure the reasoning you give for carrying a 60 jives with your contrary take on the advice that people give against carrying one. 

You said that you need to play a 60 differently from other clubs. Sometimes forward, or sometimes back, forward presses, delofted, exaggerated follow throughs, etc.… I don’t know, it just doesn’t seem like the kind of thing the average player needs to learn when a 56 or even a PW and 8 iron and a basic balanced setup would do just as well for 99% of shots around the greens the average golfer plays on.

Also it’s rare to find any 60 degree wedges anymore with less than 8 degrees of bounce anyway. They are mostly stock at higher bounces nowadays.

I think the advise is pretty good honestly. To be fair, I now stop at 57 as of last year. I haven’t yet encountered any shots I thought I more loft would have made a better result.

 

[Murray06]

I play a 58, but even then, rarely use it. Mainly for greenside bunkers, high lofted lob shots (probably 1 every 2 rounds) and that’s about it. Use the 54 for most other things. Saying that, I wouldn’t take it out in place of anything. 

[IONEPUTT]

If you think hitting a 69* wedge is hard, wait until you try a 64*. I have both. I'm rather good with the 60*, but the 64* for some reason takes about twice as much work to get the hang of it. Same make and model, just much harder to use the 64*. 

[BostonSal]

7 minutes ago, IONEPUTT said:

If you think hitting a 60* wedge is hard, wait until you try a 64*. I have both. I'm rather good with the 60*, but the 64* for some reason takes about twice as much work to get the hang of it. Same make and model, just much harder to use the 64*. 

I'm at the moment gaming a 62 which has been in and out of my bag, depending on the other wedges being bagged.

Hitting a hard full shot with it is dicey, that much I can verify.  I've in fact stopped trying.

Little greenside lobs seem to be similar to a 60°, though.

[thegolfgal]

There was a time I could not hit a 60' to save my life.  Now my 60' is a part of my 14. 

1) It is amazing how easy it is to hit once you take lessons,

2) understand what the instructor is saying and

3) learn to execute those instructions.

I feel 1,2 and 3 are the keys to playing golf well.  Learning to play with siblings and friends is great but lessons with 5-6 hours of practice per lesson is such a key.

[Bassbeamer]

I have a 60/12 Callaway PM Grind in my bag. I use it in deeper sand traps and those tricky shots over a sand trap onto the green. The higher toe wedge took me a bit to get use to but I love the club. 

[Isthisyourhomeworklarry]

Very interesting topic. I am a 12. I have 50, 56, 60 in my bag. I play public and private. So 56 is 14 bounce and 60 is 8 bounce. It has worked really well for me. However I find as I am getting better opening the face… the 60 is used less and less. What’s the strategy difference between those that carry a 52or54&58 vs 56&60?

[Zorak]

I had one once, a Vokey about 25 years ago and I liked it but now my gap in the bag has shifted to the top end due to my age. I am comfortable using my 56, 52, and 48 degree wedges.

[B_R_A_D_Y]

I’m an old fart and grew up 100 yrs before utility wedges … I was taught to open my sand wedge varying degrees or bump & run a choked down 8 iron. I bought a 60* 2 yrs ago and love it because it doesn’t release as much from 20 yds in … or just drop in a full 50 yd shot. The biggest issue I have is the impulse to have my hands in front of the ball which de-lofts the club. Keep in mind that I do not have enough head speed to stop short pitches, but I have developed a feel for gauging the small release I get. Does that make sense? I do believe the key is a bounce that fits your course’s firmness and your swing. I’ve tried 60s I can’t hit well. But maybe that’s just because I took the time to get comfortable with my Calloway PM grind … a club I’ve never seen anyone else using

Edited October 16, 2021 by B_R_A_D_Y

[chisag]

On 10/2/2021 at 11:37 AM, Middler said:

If you make your 60º your go to club for all chipping, and practice with it more than any other wedge, it could indeed be more versatile. That would lessen but not eliminate the mishit pitfalls. It is a harder club to get good at because of the high loft, no matter what bounce.

 

... When I first started playing I hit waaaaaaay too many bad shots with my 60* so I was deterred to make it my go to club around the green and used it for every shot. I figured once I became proficient using it, I would develop other shots like 8i bump and runs. After 2 years of constant use and even more practice I became very efficient using only my LW and never did go to other shots. Served me well for 35 years in the soft midwest conditions but moving to the hard fast desert courses in Phoenix with Bermuda grass, that philosophy came back to haunt me. Sticky Bermuda grain has grabbed the leading edge when hitting a millimeter behind the ball, which would be fine back in Chicago but actually stops the clubbed like ABS brakes. Grain also makes high lofted pitches either release down grain or grab into the grain, something a low running chip does not have to deal with. It has taken me a year but I am getting much better at a variety of shots around the green. So where you play can have as much effect as how you play when using a LW.

... My experience teaching and playing with higher index golfers is they don't have the trust or feel required to use a LW. Taking a longer swing and blading a LW over the green leaves scar tissue and the LW almost demands longer swings than most Am's are comfortable making. Obviously having the right bounce for the conditions you play or the shots you like to hit is very important, but the margin for error is so great for high and some mid index players and if they don't practice like they are on tour, a LW is probably best left out of the bag. And while taking longer swings with short shots, full shots are almost always better with 1/2 or 3/4 swings. I can hit the ball farther with a 3/4 swing than I can taking a LW to parallel. It is a unique club in that those using it well don't see any problem with a LW and those using it poorly curse it's very existence. 

... I played with a low index senior golfer a few weeks ago that surprised me by using a "chipper" around the green. He was very good with it and again showed me why they make so many different clubs that can all do the same thing. 

[Titleist87]

Carried a 60 for many years but never felt comfortable with the club. I could hit it but just did not like the outcome. Had the 52/56/60 combo but then went to 50/54/58 to better align with my PW loft. My 58 is my go to club 90 yard and in for most shots.

[Dr Tee]

I've carried a 60 on and off. I have found my best results--sand, anything requiring finesse around the green, shorties from the secondary fringe when short sided can be accomplished better with a 58 degree with 10-12 degrees of bounce.  Have left too many in the greenside sand with the 60 !

My best, favorite and current setup:  Callaway Jaws 50/10, 54/10, 58/12.

[dlygrisse]

Not if you practice, and not if you get the right grind.  That being said less loft is usually less risky, I prefer a 58*, with some bounce, with my technique, 60* is just overkill.  I find it hard to get the ball to the hole, and I find 58* to be plenty of loft for almost all situations.  

 

In my mind commit to a lob wedge somewhere between 57 and 62*. make sure your gapping is good for your swing and that it's good from 50 yards in.  Err on the side of less loft.