LeftyHawk Posted June 7, 2022 Share Posted June 7, 2022 (edited) I was at the range today trying to get a handle on which iron was reliable for a 100 yard shot. Up until today it's always been my Gap Wedge. I noticed the last round I played I had 80 yards to the pin. Took out my 54 degree wedge and proceeded to sail over the green. Which brings me to today and checking yardage. Both my Gap and 54 wedge are pretty consistent at 100 yards carry. The Gap is a Ping G410, the 54 degree wedge is a Callaway MD3. Trying to understand why these 2 clubs on a full swing are consistently the same yardage? Any thoughts? Chris Edited June 7, 2022 by LeftyHawk Quote Cobra Amp Cell 10.5 Degree Maltby STi2 & KE4-MAX Irons 4,5,7,8,PW and 52 degree Cleveland Putter Link to comment
Shankster Posted June 7, 2022 Share Posted June 7, 2022 You’re likely adding loft to the gap wedge, or delofting the 54°. Or both. THEZIPR23 and Kansas King 2 Quote Driver: Callway Rogue St Triple Diamond 9* 2 HY: Mizuno STZ 230 16* (set to 13.75) 2 Iron: Taylormade UDI 17* Irons: 2019 Titleist T100S 3-PW Wedges: Vokey SM6 54* and SM9 48* / Taylormade MG3 TW 56* Putter: PING Anser Ball: Pro V1 Bag: Jones Link to comment
Shankster Posted June 7, 2022 Share Posted June 7, 2022 Also… what are the trajectories? I can and hit my 9, PW, Gap and 54° a 100 yards, but it’s how they get there. Like today, actually I hit a 7 iron from 100 yards because anything above 10’ was getting blown off the course… landed it at 75 in the rough and let it bounce and roll up… Having a few different ways to get the job done is never a problem. SashaB and ParFore74x 2 Quote Driver: Callway Rogue St Triple Diamond 9* 2 HY: Mizuno STZ 230 16* (set to 13.75) 2 Iron: Taylormade UDI 17* Irons: 2019 Titleist T100S 3-PW Wedges: Vokey SM6 54* and SM9 48* / Taylormade MG3 TW 56* Putter: PING Anser Ball: Pro V1 Bag: Jones Link to comment
hckymeyer Posted June 8, 2022 Share Posted June 8, 2022 I'd also recommend taking them in and getting the lofts checked. If the 54 was a little strong and the gap a little weak that would make them closer. How is the gap between your gap and PW? Also how is the gap between your 54 and next higher lofted wedge? Finally don't test on the course in different conditions. There are all kind of factors that could cause that between two random shots. One uphill vs down. One with and one against the wind. One with a flyer lie vs not. Just make sure you are comparing apples to apples vs a one off shot that happened to nuke over the green. Last note, I wouldn't try and get accurate yardages on the range. Next time you golf and it's not too busy just drop a couple gamer balls you actually play and hit both clubs and then check the yardage. If you have a laser an easy way to do that is hit them both off the tee and then shoot the ball washer or hole sign back on the tee box when you get to them. Will give you a much better idea vs judging where a range ball landed. Bad Hobbit, LeftyHawk, Shankster and 1 other 4 Quote Driver: SLDR w/ Fujikura Ventus Black 3w: '16 M2 hl w/ Diamana D+ 82 5w: Launcher HB w/ HZRDUS Yellow Hybrid: 22 deg. Launcher HB w/ HZRDUS Black Irons: 5i - gap Launcher CBX w/ Nippon Modus 3 125 Wedges: 54 CBX & 58 Zipcore w/ Nippon Modus 3 125 Putter: Red 7s Link to comment
NM01 Posted June 8, 2022 Share Posted June 8, 2022 First and simple thing is check lofts on both clubs. Second it’s probably a technique thing if the lofts are correct or have enough of a gap between them. Also without any launch monitor numbers or video it’s hard to say what’s causing this gapping issue. As well as what was going on at the course with lie, stance, environmentalists, etc Bad Hobbit 1 Quote Link to comment
Kenny B Posted June 8, 2022 Share Posted June 8, 2022 Agree with above comments about trajectory and especially the technique thing. How you deliver each club to the ball could influence distance. I'm also assuming that different shafts are involved between the set gap wedge and the MD3 SW. You may be getting optimal spin loft with the SW. Quote “We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.” Link to comment
Kansas King Posted June 8, 2022 Share Posted June 8, 2022 There are a multitude of factors that can affect distance. I do have one question, what wedge do you have in your g410 irons (UW, SW, LW)? I'm assuming it's a UW at 49.5* but if it's a SW or LW, there's your answer. My next question: Do you feel like you swing any differently between the two clubs? Do you feel you go at the ball more (steeper) with the 54*? Do you tend to take bigger divots with the Callaway wedge? If you feel like you're more aggressive with the 54*, you're likely delofting it as others have mentioned. Assuming the measured specs are correct, this is when we get into the weird land of golf club fitting that can't really be solved over the internet. Total club weight, swing weight, shaft characteristics, lie angle, and head shape/sole grind can all dramatically influence how fast and how you go about swinging a club. The Callaway wedge likely has a higher swing weight if it's just an off the shelf stock wedge compared to the Ping (D4 vs D2 if going by stock specs). The Callaway wedge's sole is also likely going to be more inviting for a steeper swing. Heavier swing weights can change how golfers perceive the feel of the golf club in their swing and sometimes (many times in my experience) can lead to faster swing speeds. The higher swing weights can give golfers a better perceived feeling of "loading" in the swing which can boost confidence (feel) to swing faster. My ultimate guess that makes a lot of unproven assumptions is that you're swinging faster and steeper with the Callaway wedge. The club weight, swing weight, club head/sole shape, and appearance at address are all factors that would potentially make someone make a different swing with a more "traditional" wedge such as the Callaway MD3 over the Ping G410 gap wedge. Assuming each clubs specs are correct, I would recommend trying to get the matching Ping G410 SW to replace the MD3 54* if you're looking for consistency. If you really like the MD3, keep it and maybe just spend some more time practicing with it. It's a different club with notably different characteristics than the G410 wedge and that may simply require some practice to get used to. If issues persist, you could try bending the MD3 to 55*. There really isn't a perfect answer here to address what you have outside of telling you to spend a bunch of money and get fit. cnosil and LeftyHawk 2 Quote Link to comment
Bad Hobbit Posted June 11, 2022 Share Posted June 11, 2022 Everything I was going to recommend is already posted, but I'll add my own experience... Almost all my irons were going about the same distance at one point, and it was because of how I was addressing the ball and holding the club. Once I adjusted my grip at address, my distances spread back out again. Not quite to 10yds each like they were when I played several times a week, but at least I'm not hitting a 3h and 9i the same anymore Quote PXG 0311XF Driver Giga Golf TRX irons 5-P, 4h, and 5w Costco Wedge Set Odyssey Putter Link to comment
Motoboss Posted June 11, 2022 Share Posted June 11, 2022 Swing being equal check loft/lie if each as suggested. Shaft, low/mid in one club vs high in the other makes a difference too. Quote “Adventure Before Dementia “ PING G425 4-UW/SW Black Dot +1” Alta CB RFlex / ChipR PING G410 Plus DRIVER 10.5* / 3W 14*/ 5W 17.5* / 3hyb. 19* / 9W 22* PING Putter Custom PLD 4J Prototype / 1968 Anser / Odyssey TriHot #3 VICE Pro Soft Lime Green / Bridgestone RX - TreoSoft Link to comment
DriverBreaker Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 On 6/8/2022 at 12:31 AM, hckymeyer said: I'd also recommend taking them in and getting the lofts checked. If the 54 was a little strong and the gap a little weak that would make them closer. How is the gap between your gap and PW? Also how is the gap between your 54 and next higher lofted wedge? Finally don't test on the course in different conditions. There are all kind of factors that could cause that between two random shots. One uphill vs down. One with and one against the wind. One with a flyer lie vs not. Just make sure you are comparing apples to apples vs a one off shot that happened to nuke over the green. Last note, I wouldn't try and get accurate yardages on the range. Next time you golf and it's not too busy just drop a couple gamer balls you actually play and hit both clubs and then check the yardage. If you have a laser an easy way to do that is hit them both off the tee and then shoot the ball washer or hole sign back on the tee box when you get to them. Will give you a much better idea vs judging where a range ball landed. I will confirm this (getting lofts checked). My players will often come in and say X and Y irons are going the same distance or only 5yds farther. I will check the lofts and sure enough they are often only 1* different. It makes a big difference in a game of such small margins. Quote Instagram: @tony_rosselli_ Training Pre training max driver speed: 124mph Current: 130mph WITB: Driver: G425 Max, 9* Woods: 2007 Burner TP 3 wood and 5 wood Irons: Z765 4-PW (1 degree flat) with KBS $-130 shafts Wedges: SM7 50/12/F, 54/10/S and 58/12/D Putter: L.A.B. Directed Force 2.1 Ball: ProV1 Link to comment
revkev Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 I guess the only thing not written is the actual make of the wedges - I've never gamed a Callaway wedge but have Pings. Regardless there are things other than loft that determine distance even on the same swing - head weighting, shaft weight, grind/turf interaction and shaft length might all be factors. I agree that the very first thing to do is determine if you truly have an issue. The only ways to do that are a trackman session (costly) or on the course or an open piece of flat land (you'd only need 110 yards of so for this.) My community has a par 3 course which works great for this in the summer. I determine how far I want the club that I'm hitting to go or the longer of the 2 for gapping purposes and after I'm out of eye sight from the clubhouse (shhhhhh) shoot the pin and drop 4 gamer balls hitting two with each wedge for the next several holes - you get an amazing amount of data in a short period of time that way. Don't assume because it looks like you hit a couple of 54's as long as your gap on the range that you actually hit them the same distance - way too many variables involved there. Good luck! Kenny B and cnosil 2 Quote Driver: Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60 R flex - 44.25 Fairways: Ping G410 5, 7, 9 wood Alta CB red 65 R flex Hybrid: Ping G410 26 degree Alta CB Red 70 R flex Irons: Ping G430 7-PW, 45, 50 Alta CB black 65 soft R flex Wedges: Ping 195 S54, E58 Wedges and irons are - 1/2” and one degree flat Putter: Sacks Parente Duke 32.5” Ball: Titleist Pro VI or Callaway Chrome Soft X ls While not at the same time I was fit for every club in my bag as well as the Pro VI ball. I use the chrome soft x ls on my league course. It has much softer softer greens than the club that I belong to. I’m on a mission to shoot my age - lifetime lowest round is 66 and I’m currently 67. Link to comment
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