How many wedges do you carry?

[Papa Tango]

Four wedges. 45, 49, 53, 57. Works for me. 

[Shank Aaron]

If we're counting the PW, I'm carrying 5. Set matching PW and AW, then down to 50/54/58 (all bent 1* weak). Ditching the 3w/5w and adding the AW was the best move I've ever made with regards to equipment, and my index has shown it over the last 2 years. 

[cakeman]

4.  Pitch, gap, sand and lob

[Shrek74]

For the most part I bet the answer is pretty universal - 4 (PW, GW, SW, LW). That's what I carry currently.

Although for some more GI and SGI sets that are super strong lofted, a 5th may be required.

[Shlax]

Officially, 4 wedges: 46° PW from my iron set + 52°, 56° and 60° TaylorMade MG2

But really, the PW serves as any other iron. Anything short game related falls on the MG2s' shoulders.

• 52° from 100-120 yds out and for about 15% of chip shots with some bite around the green;
• 56° from 0-100 yds and for roughly 60% of all chip shots around the green;
• 60° from bunkers, for flop shots and low one-hop-and-stop spinners (about 25% of shots around the green). I probably full swing my 60° no more than twice a year.

[mywong23]

48 PW

52 Gap

60 lob

[Ted Tedeschi]

PW, SW & a new Callaway 58 Jaws Raw I recently purchased to replace a 20 yr. old 60. Try to keep it simple. For me, trying to determine which wedge among a choice of 3 or 4 different "lob" wedges I should use for a particular shot is going to result in a lot of second guessing and frustration.

[Jason Schueller]

I actually carry 5. Took 3 wood out of bag. Have pitching wedge (44 degree), 48, 52, 56, 60

[JWK1969]

I have what I'll call the "standard" number of wedges - 4.  However, not all of them are "standard" lofts.  Two of my wedges, P and G, match my iron set (Mizuno MP223s).  And I have two more that are a little non-standard in terms of their lofts:  55 and 59.  Those are Edison wedges.  They don't have a numeric bounce like most mainstream wedges, instead having what Edison calls the "versatile sole" or the "Koehler sole."  I used to have 54 and 58, but didn't have the Edison wedges bent a degree stronger and haven't really needed to.  I didn't lose distance when I put them in the bag.  

I think the important consideration for the number of wedges you choose to put in the bag is how many you'll use when in the scoring area.  If you, like some golfers (even tour players), prefer to use your sand wedge (likely 54 or 56) for a variety of shots, then you might not need the lob wedge and can put another club in the bag that you might use more.  I just like the versatility of having 4 wedges as it lets me choose the shot trajectory without manipulating ball position and/or face angle too much.

[davewr58]

I carry 5: a 42 1/2* PW, a 50* GW, a 56* SW and 2 lob wedges, 60* and 65* (for those short-sided chips).

[Dead Solid Bogey]

I have gone from 2 wedges to 6…. Since then, my new mantra has been; “quantity equals consistency”…. I now have a very, so very, so hugely very consistent short game, in that I play the entire quantity of wedges…. Poorly. 

[Seattle14]

I carry  4  wedges 

PW

Gap

SW

LW

[NoRebound]

PW (45), GP (50), 54/58 all Mizuno 825.  All 10-degree bounce.  54 stands in for a SW.  

At 8 seasons and counting all of them are worn out.  

[Doug21]

I carry 4 wedges. They are all Volkey SM7’s 46, 50, 54, 60. I am hoping to upgrade soon. I wanted to shorten the gaps between my wedges. With this set the gap is only 10-12 yards between them all. 

[sglj3]

I have 4. The PW in my iron set and then a 50*, 54* and 60*

[Hedgehog]

60, 56, 52 and 2 pitching wedges due to delofting of modern irons. New irons left too big gap between pw and gap, so kept my Cleveland cb pw in bag, which I love. Frequently think of going back to them.

[funkyjudge]

Since my Callaway Paradym iron set is 5-AW, I only carry two additional wedges. I find that a 42* PW is really a 9-iron and a 47* AW is a "weak PW" even by today's jacked-up loft standards, and I bent those two Paradym irons one degree weak (they are still a bit too strong-lofted for my liking, but these irons are mighty difficult to bend, even for a guy who does a lot of weight training). Until recently, I was gaming 50*, 54*, and 58* (or 59*) wedges in addition to the PW and AW to my set.  However, the yardage gap between my Paradym AW and the 50* wedge were virtually non-existent, so I bent a 50* wedge to 52* loft, adding some bounce in the process, and now my wedge setup is the 47* Paradym AW bent to 48*, plus that 50* that has been bent to 52* and a 58* sand/lob wedge. There is enough bounce on the 52* wedge to use it for longer bunker shots, and a 58* wedge is really as high in loft as I need, even for high lob shots and for getting out of deep bunkers to close pin positions ... plus, I can always roll the face open if I think I need more loft.

[Everardo]

On 8/11/2023 at 7:04 AM, PJVicary said:

..........Now you also must decide between adding a 50, 52, 54, 56, 60 or some model bent in between . Are we making a game that used to be fun more complicated than it should be? .........

I use 4 wedges and I think that actually makes it easier, I break it down this way

If I average 84

• 17 Tee shots is 20%
• 33 Putts is 39%
• 8 Shots greater than 130 yards is 10%
• That leaves me 26 shots (31%) of 130 yards or less which is what I'm relying on my wedges for. Aside from putting, this is the most important part or potential for scoring in my game on my home course. 

I use 4 wedges and breakdown full swing, half swing, and pitches so I have yardages like this

• 46° = 126-108-80
• 50° = 113-95-65
• 54° = 99-79-49
• 58° = 85-65-35

My wedges are versatile. I don't have a sand-only club and I'll use whichever wedge I need for a particular shot. When I go through wedge fittings this is an important part of finding the right grind for each one. This is what it looks like in a Trackman session. **This is from a previous set of clubs and this helped me identify gaps and also tendencies, also helped me identify the wrong lie on my gap 50° wedge. I've now repeated this with a new iron and wedge set to get the gaps better aligned. 

So now I have an easier way to figure out which club and shot I need for any particular distance. For example, if I need to make a shot from 80 yards I really have 3 options

• Use the 46° for a low shot that runs
• Use the 54° for a shot with a little roll
• Use the 58° for a high shot that hops and stops

Ever since I started using 4 wedges and this yardage grid it's made my decision-making easier and faster on the course and has saved me strokes and lowered my handicap in the past couple of years 

 

 

[Gopokes14]

This is debate I have with myself at my own club. Just one golf course to contend with and I will sometimes switch in and out different wedges. I have 4 wedges I guess. PW(47), GW(52), SW(56), LW(62).  The bounce on my SW and LW is 8 degrees. But I guess my logic of whether or not to use the LW is predicated on whether there is much grass to hit off of. In Oklahoma during the winter, there is pretty hard ground with very little grass and it is just too touchy for me to try and hit that wedge. So, I generally will throw a driving iron into the mix when it's taken out during the winter. I will say that I have learned to hit a toe down chip shot that the 62 degree club works great for. It can be made to run a little and stop etc... It also is really good out of packed sand after a rain or if the greens are just hard and not fluffy. I toe it shut and cut th elegs out from under the ball in hard packed sand and it works really well. So, maybe I am getting to where I will stick to the summer 4 wedge setup? 

[Markelly82]

I currently carry 4.  I have pw, gap, 56, and 60. I like this set up but I’ve upgrade all my wedges. 

[climberboy2000]

I've always carried a 52-56-60 and haven't really ever thought about changing it up.  But now that you bring it up, it's probably time to really analyze my gaps.  I just looked up my Pitching Wedge (Mizuno 225 Pro) the other day and it's a 44 degree.  So I have a big gap to fill and it always seems that the 110-120 is the hardest shot for me.  My 52 wedge is my full swing 100-105 club.  I have a high ball flight so not a lot of roll out.  Maybe I should look at getting a 50 next time...I'll have to think about it.

[Dennisnewman]

I carry a 50 degree a 54 high bounce and a 60 in addition to a 46 deg pitching wedge

[Dead Solid Bogey]

For those that live on the edge of the known universe like me, or anybody else….

  Would appreciate any comments on the following. Have any of you used a virtual wedge fitting site? If so, what was the outcome; beneficial or waste of time and money?

  

[BostonHackIt]

My last 2 sets of irons came with 45-deg pitching wedges. I add a 50, 54 and 60 to my bag. I use the 60 for partial shots only.

[Danorville]

I play a Set PW (T100s) at 44, then vokey 50, 54 and 58. 

I am considering changing things up though as the 58 is used so little that i might try dropping it and moving the 54 to a 56. I feel like i want a fitting on this specific area of my game, but with stock from previous years to save money haha.

I think it comes down to your play style and game. Do you need more top of the bag options and help? then drop a wedge. Do you need more short-game options and versatility, then you are likely sacrificing a long club. I think it probably comes down to the course you are playing, but I definitely struggle with this decision.

[GolfGuy64]

Same, for the longest time I only had a PW and SW.  I now have PW, 52, 56 and 60 and have had it this way for the past 15 years or so.  I use my 56 most of the time between 80 - 100 yards and around the green for short chip shots.  60 degree from sand to 80.  52 is from 100 - 115 and around the green for longer chip shots.    PW from 115 - 130.  The sand in Michigan is very inconsistent so I don't waste my time trying to figure out what bounce I need to use.  I have a fairly nutural bounce to keep me from thinking too much about it.  

[rjacobs4]

I currently carry a PW (42), GW (52), SW (58), and a LW (60).   I’m dropping the LW in favor of an AW (46).

I’ve found that the SW is sufficient for any high angle or flop shots.  On the other end, at times my PW comes in too low so something in between the 42 PW and the 52 GW is what I need more.

Just need some practice time with the AW to dial in my distances.

 

[Donn lost in San Diego]

On 8/15/2023 at 5:33 AM, DiscipleofPenick said:

Of course I have the PW from my set, but I've been a 50-54-58 player for over 15 years and I'm not changing. All my wedges are Vokey. 

Though in the near future, I am going to have to figure something out because Titleist no longer offers my L grind 58/4 wedge any longer. 

You might send your used wedge to The Iron Factory in Ariz to re-groove it.

[Wmyoungiv]

That is where I am at, Pitching wedge, 54, and 60

[Donn lost in San Diego]

My PW is 44, then a 52 Mizuno, a 56 old style original Hogan Sure-Out sand, and a Don Martin Up-n-In chipper.  I own 2 60 deg wedges and I practice with them, but where I play now I don't put either one in the bag.  Not a lot of thick rough around the greens, so the Up-n-In chippee works near the green.  The gap from 44 to 52 is not an issue, I am pretty good at hitting the 44 less than full swing.

 

When I start playing more, I might go with a pair of Indi wedges, maybe a 48 or 50 and then a 54 or 56.  I tested them at their place, indoors, I did like the feel and spin was slightly higher than my Mizuno, on the indoor mat.  They are 10 minute drive from home.  I feel empathy for those of you in Ohio, Michigan, upstate NY etc. where I used to live.  I ended up in San Diego, next door to all the club companies in Carlsbad.