shaft on wedges

[Kanoito 2,493]

We had a small golf exhibition in Germany last weekend and I went to the Mizuno booth to get fitted.

 

Came up with a swing DNA of 86 - 4 - 3 - 5 - 5

Tried the MP53 and 59 both with DG S300. Disliked the feel and sound of the MP53.

So went with the MP59 with 2 more shafts (PX 5.5 and KBS Tour S)

S300 felt too dead to me. PX 5.5 was OK nothing that stood out. KBS was whippy and alive while giving me a couple of extra mph, so I picked this one.

 

Now I gotta add a couple of wedges to the set (either 52/58 or 50/54/58 since the PW is 46*)

 

So the question is: should the wedges be using the same type of shaft as the irons?

[Matt Saternus 33]

I have the same shafts (KBS Tour) in my irons and wedges. I like that the weight, feel, and performance are the same across the board.

[Kanoito 2,493]

Thanks Matt! Will go KBS on the wedges as well!

[GolfSpy WD 13]

I have the same shafts (KBS Tour) in my irons and wedges. I like that the weight, feel, and performance are the same across the board.

 

I agree with Matt. I used to have different shafts on my old wedges. When I got new wedges, I installed the same shaft I have on my irons and I like the consistent feel.

[Shambles 4]

I used to use the same type, i.e., flex, on my sand wedge as the rest of the irons and it worked well enough to suit me at the time. A few years ago I pulled out the shaft on my sand wedge and replaced it with a way stiff shaft and found my ability to point in the short game much improved, albeit I lost some 20% of my total distance on that club and had to move my PW to do more feel shots. I could force the SW but errors come up too frequently.

 

I suppose you really need to find a good mix for whatever you feel you need to improve. For me, lately, the short game has become more important so I'll be keeping this excessively stiff shaft on the SW.

 

 

Shambles

[McGolf 298]

I agree using the same shaft as the shafts in the irons for feel consistency and peace of mind.

 

however would look at how your wedges are used in the round.

 

If your wedges are typically full shots then yep, make them the same as the irons. if you are a finesse player or partial swing shots then a spinner concept in the kbs maybe needed. That way your wedge shaft is working for you in your game

[RoverRick 1,569]

I know every one says to use the same shafts as your irons. As I matter of fact for the first time I have the same shafts in my irons as I do in my wedges. Always before I have Rifle in my irons as DG in the wedges. I only make a full swing with a wedge if I have to go over something, and am more than likely only going to hit my irons at 80% anyway, but I was wondering if these "Spinner" shafts really add spin?

[McGolf 298]

I know every one says to use the same shafts as your irons. As I matter of fact for the first time I have the same shafts in my irons as I do in my wedges. Always before I have Rifle in my irons as DG in the wedges. I only make a full swing with a wedge if I have to go over something, and am more than likely only going to hit my irons at 80% anyway, but I was wondering if these "Spinner" shafts really add spin?

Rick,

I would have say a change of shaft can change the spin you place on a wedge shot.

I do know for instance that the AXE graphite wedge shaft does add more spin. I have seen it on the flightscope in comparison to regular shafts.

now does every "Wedge shaft" do that. Nope or much like driver shafts we would be hitting 300 plus drives everytime we switch wood shafts.

I believe the flex profile, weight are important factors when deciding on the shaft you want. For instance, if your wedge shot are only full swings for over something as posted above then make a poor mans spinner and get an eight shaft equalto yours and put it in the wedge. Not perfect but very close.

[Tony Covey MGS 672]

Rick,

I would have say a change of shaft can change the spin you place on a wedge shot.

I do know for instance that the AXE graphite wedge shaft does add more spin. I have seen it on the flightscope in comparison to regular shafts.

now does every "Wedge shaft" do that. Nope or much like driver shafts we would be hitting 300 plus drives everytime we switch wood shafts.

I believe the flex profile, weight are important factors when deciding on the shaft you want. For instance, if your wedge shot are only full swings for over something as posted above then make a poor mans spinner and get an eight shaft equalto yours and put it in the wedge. Not perfect but very close.

 

Obviously the head plays a role, and it could also be coincidence, but generally speaking, the wedges we get in with "wedge shafts" (DG Spinners being the most predominant) do tend to produce higher average spin numbers than others.

 

Right now I have a mix of shafts in the wedges I carry:

 

My pitching wedge matches my set (KBS C-Taper). My 53 has a KBS Tour shaft, My 56 has a DG Tour Issue. My 64 has a DG Spinner. I'll probably tweak the wedges a bit this year...and might finally have to bit the bullet and take the 64 out.

[Kanoito 2,493]

I used to carry heavier, stiffer shafts on my wedges, but that resulted in inconsistent distance during full shots (not the gap I was expecting after the PW)

 

So I think I'll go for the same shafts.

[RoverRick 1,569]

I guess since I for the most part play Vokey wedges, with a brief stray to the dark side and Callaway Jaws that I hated, and they have "Wedge Shafts" in them I have never felt a difference.

[GolfSpy Tim 55]

as of this week, I have all of my iron and wedges with the same shafts. I'm switching that next week and am VERY curious to see what changes I feel and see in my shots

[Matt Saternus 33]

I know every one says to use the same shafts as your irons. As I matter of fact for the first time I have the same shafts in my irons as I do in my wedges. Always before I have Rifle in my irons as DG in the wedges. I only make a full swing with a wedge if I have to go over something, and am more than likely only going to hit my irons at 80% anyway, but I was wondering if these "Spinner" shafts really add spin?

 

I have messed around with KBS Hi Rev shafts and the old Rifle Spinners, and I found that both definitely added spin. The problem for me was that, while added spin on partial shots is fine, added spin on "full" swings was not wanted and made things inconsistent.

 

As someone else said, it's all about how you use your wedges.

[Justin66 2]

Wedge flex = stiff flex.

 

Here's some quotes from Ralph Maltby, from The Complete Book of Golf Club Fitting & Performance (p. 512-513):

 

"I have done a lot of testing with all the manufacturer's wedges over the years, most all of them with the stiff shafts, and they test and play just fine meaning playability does not seem in any way to be reduced. I am always far more concerned in the wedges about the sole design ('effective bounce' for the skill level of the golfer) and also getting the correct fitted lie angle".

 

"The wedges are the least important clubs in the bag regarding shaft flex but if you are going to err, always err on the stiffer side. One reason... is the fact that all your wedges should have higher swingweights (read as head weight) than the irons in the set. The heavier head weights can actually make the shaft a little more flexible. So, for some players, usually the higher skill level players, the heavier wedge head may also give the feeling that the shaft is too flexible even though it is the same shaft and flex as in the irons".

 

Last one, about those spinny wedge shafts:

 

"I would not personally reshaft wedges with one of these special new 'wedge only' shafts. They work fine, but they don't do anything to help you score or play better in my opinion. They do seem to be more expensive however than a normal top grade steel shaft".

 

Personally, I use Apollo Colored Stepless shafts (black for the GW, Red for the SW, ivory for the LW, a subtle hint for my 'Huskers), tipped an extra .5" than the S flex recommendation. Works just fine for me.

[Dave 24]

I've never switched out a wedge shaft, I just play what comes stock in them.

[JMiller 18]

It really comes down to personal preference per player. It is all about how you specifically play a given wedge majority of the time. When the old groove rules were in place over spinning factored into the shaft selection as well for better players. If I were to be playing the old grooves still i would happily slap C-Tapers that matched my irons into the wedges to purposely reduce the spin.

 

You really just want to find a shaft that fits your playing style and is the same weight or heavier then the shafts you are playing in your irons. If you are playing DG s300 then take a look at the DG s400 (standard DG wedge shaft).

 

For the KBS players in the C-Taper if you want to keep the same feel the KBS has in your wedges look at the KBS Tour which is slightly more spin and a higher trajectory. KBS Spinner might also be an option, I haven't tried one to know what it's all about.

 

Personally I lost about 20% spin from full shots on fairways and 40% on partial shots in the rough. This could have changed since my wedges are Gen1 of C.o.C. grooves so for me the KBS C-Taper that I play in my irons wasn't going to work for wedges on partial shots wouldn't have enough bite to it. I like to use the full array of shots on every wedge depending on conditions and wind, then you need a shaft that will give you then most versatility for touch shots around the greens, partial shots, full swings and give you a good amount of spin on various types of shots. So I ended up trying the DGx100 simply because they offered the same weight as my iron shafts and more spin then the KBS C-Taper and KBS Tour.

 

I have tried some various things, 37.5" DG x100 (normal wedge is 37.0") so soft stepped, that is not terrible if you want to get a little more tip action out of the shaft. I have also tried 1/4" tipped DG x100. Really you should talk to a club building professional about optimizing your trajectory and spin characteristics before soft stepping, tipping, or selecting a shaft to go straight-in.

 

General Ideas to think about on wedge shaft selection are:

If you spend majority of your time with a 3/4 to full swing on a wedge (good example for most is their gap wedge) then put a shaft in it that matches your irons.

 

If you are swinging the club 1/2, 3/4 full but never use it for bunkers, pitches, and touch shots around the green then a spinner wedge shaft is not for you probably something that is the same weight as your irons shafts or heavier.

 

If you are using the club only for 1/2 swings or less little touch shots around the green (Lob wedge is an example) and never swing the club full or 3/4 then using a shaft that maximizes your spin numbers in those situations would be perfect.

[ronniemac 0]

Put Apollo Humps in mine.

[JMiller 18]

I recently made a change in my wedge shafts so a little more feedback I think is called for.

 

I play KBS Tour X-Stiff in the 3 and 4 irons, I play KBS C-Taper X-Stiff in 5 through PW, The switch I made was into Mizuno MP T-11 Wedges. I also went from the trusty TT DG x100s into KBS Tour Wedge X-Stiff shafts. I am not sure if it is the heads or the shaft, probably a combination of both but I have seen a huge increase in spin in the wedges from my old ones.

 

Old Wedges ~ Nike VR Pro Black Oxide (52*, 56*, 60*) w/ DG x100 shafts

New Wedges ~ Mizuno MP T-11 Black Nickle (52*, 56*, 60*) w/ KBS Tour X-Stiff shafts

 

I see a lot more one hop and bite hard type shots off the new wedges from less then 30 yards in the fairway, the old had little or no check on them. I think that the new wedges played more like what I was wanting from a C-C groove over the old ones, the old ones almost acted like they were groove less on short shots from the fairway.

 

I was playing around with a Titleist HP2 Performance ball on a day the conditions were very soft and wet. I hit a shot at 85 yards with my new 52* low spinner shot played it to 95 yards into the wind, that ball hit hole high and came back 6 feet bellow the cup for a easy 4 footer up the hill into the cup. If i had tried that on the old wedge and hit it the same way I think it hits the collard or over the back, probably doesn't come back 5 or 6 feet on a little shot like that on a non-tour ball.

 

I haven't tried out a wide variety of C-C wedges but I am in love with the Mizuno MP T-11 line up right now and the KBS Tour Wedge shafts in them.

[RookieBlue7 1,692]

I have had bunch of different wedge shafts, personally. I've played the same as my irons, spinner shafts, etc. My current favorite thing to do it go up a flex and buy an 8 iron shaft to put into a wedge. It's softstepping the shaft once (9 iron and wedge shafts are the same in standard, non-spinner, shafts). I like the added weight and stability that I feel, and it's also creating a spinner shaft due to using a softstepped shaft designed to perform in a longer club. I have spinners in my wedges for full shots and my 64 degree (which I never hit full) has a DG Tour Issue X100 8 iron shaft in it for feel and touch around the greens. I may swap my SW or LW out for an X100 8 iron shaft as well and see how it plays on full shots. It's an old trick I learned from talking to people on a few tour vans, and one Nike and Titleist used to do (and may still do) for Tiger. Ive also heard it referred to as Tiger stepping a wedge.

[GolfSpy WD 13]

I have had bunch of different wedge shafts, personally. I've played the same as my irons, spinner shafts, etc. My current favorite thing to do it go up a flex and buy an 8 iron shaft to put into a wedge. It's softstepping the shaft once (9 iron and wedge shafts are the same in standard, non-spinner, shafts). I like the added weight and stability that I feel, and it's also creating a spinner shaft due to using a softstepped shaft designed to perform in a longer club. I have spinners in my wedges for full shots and my 64 degree (which I never hit full) has a DG Tour Issue X100 8 iron shaft in it for feel and touch around the greens. I may swap my SW or LW out for an X100 8 iron shaft as well and see how it plays on full shots. It's an old trick I learned from talking to people on a few tour vans, and one Nike and Titleist used to do (and may still do) for Tiger. Ive also heard it referred to as Tiger stepping a wedge.

 

Very interesting tip. Should go a long way in keep a consistent feel throughout the set too.