Wedge shaft question

[Golfgirl8350]

During Prime Big Deals, I purchased two Cleveland CBX wedges (52° & 58°) with Project X Catalyst 80 Spinner 
graphite shafts. The shafts are quite a bit stiffer than my old iron shafts. Two questions, actually: with wedges, is stiffer better for ball flight and distance, and, would it be worth my while to trade out the shafts for ones that have similar flex to my pitching wedge and other irons?

[GolfSpy_APH]

13 hours ago, Golfgirl8350 said:

During Prime Big Deals, I purchased two Cleveland CBX wedges (52° & 58°) with Project X Catalyst 80 Spinner 
graphite shafts. The shafts are quite a bit stiffer than my old iron shafts. Two questions, actually: with wedges, is stiffer better for ball flight and distance, and, would it be worth my while to trade out the shafts for ones that have similar flex to my pitching wedge and other irons?

That can be very player dependent. Personally it is something I prefer to have a stiffer shaft as I dont get on well with wedge heads that feel too heavy. 

Are you having struggles with the shafts right now? Do you think some more time and practice would be help? 

[Josh Parker]

It's going to be very much player dependent as @GolfSpy_APH mentioned.  I would say that most are going to be stiffer because it's all about control but it doesn't have to be if it doesn't work for you.  

What are your misses with them?  What don't you like about them currently? 

[Duffer60]

Hey Golfgirl8350,

The first question I have is, "what flex did you purchase"? If I remember the shaft specs correctly, those are only stiff and extra stiff(6.0 & 6.5). 

You might check to see if the number next to the gram weight says 6.0 or 6.5. If that's the case then you have a shaft you might need to swap. The other thing is the TIP section. They have 2 different sizes( .370 and .355). The .370( parallel) will have a much cleaner/smoother swing and feel than the .355 which has a much stiffer feel to it. The .355 tip also has a lower torque due to the stiffer tip. 

I hope this helped. 

Best of luck.

 

Edited October 26, 2023 by Duffer60

[Golfgirl8350]

2 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

That can be very player dependent. Personally it is something I prefer to have a stiffer shaft as I dont get on well with wedge heads that feel too heavy. 

Are you having struggles with the shafts right now? Do you think some more time and practice would be help? 

The struggle I'm having is with the very noticeable and disconcerting difference between the new, stiffer wedge flex and my other clubs. After 2 rounds with the new wedges, I am adjusting--somewhat, but they still feel like unbendable steel rods next to my other iron shafts.

[GolfSpy_APH]

1 minute ago, Golfgirl8350 said:

The struggle I'm having is with the very noticeable and disconcerting difference between the new, stiffer wedge flex and my other clubs. After 2 rounds with the new wedges, I am adjusting--somewhat, but they still feel like unbendable steel rods next to my other iron shafts.

So if that feeling is not what you want or are looking for then yes swap out shafts. For me that is exactly what I am looking for and is better suited to me. However that feeling won't go away so if it isn't something you are comfortable with or feel you can overcome then time to move on!

[Josh Parker]

4 minutes ago, Golfgirl8350 said:

The struggle I'm having is with the very noticeable and disconcerting difference between the new, stiffer wedge flex and my other clubs. After 2 rounds with the new wedges, I am adjusting--somewhat, but they still feel like unbendable steel rods next to my other iron shafts.

Slight adjustments to new clubs is to be expected but if it's a major difference then it may be a good idea to make a change.  You are supposed to enjoy swinging the clubs and not feeling like you are having to force it.

[Golfgirl8350]

21 minutes ago, jdparker said:

It's going to be very much player dependent as @GolfSpy_APH mentioned.  I would say that most are going to be stiffer because it's all about control but it doesn't have to be if it doesn't work for you.  

What are your misses with them?  What don't you like about them currently? 

It's both physically and mentally jarring going between clubs. The old wedges have the same shafts as the rest of my irons (SK Fiber Pure Energy 60 or 63gm) so there's a 20 gm increase in weight with the Project X Catalyst Spinner 80 as well as a much different bend point. As for my misses, I don't think I've played enough rounds with them yet to tell. I will say that having nice new, deep grooves is making a difference.

[Josh Parker]

Just now, Golfgirl8350 said:

It's both physically and mentally jarring going between clubs. The old wedges have the same shafts as the rest of my irons (SK Fiber Pure Energy 60 or 63gm) so there's a 20 gm increase in weight with the Project X Catalyst Spinner 80 as well as a much different bend point. As for my misses, I don't think I've played enough rounds with them yet to tell. I will say that having nice new, deep grooves is making a difference.

I would say make the switch with shafts.  

[Golfgirl8350]

57 minutes ago, Duffer60 said:

Hey Golfgirl8350,

The first question I have is, "what flex did you purchase"? If I remember the shaft specs correctly, those are only stiff and extra stiff(6.0 & 6.5). 

You might check to see if the number next to the gram weight says 6.0 or 6.5. If that's the case then you have a shaft you might need to swap. The other thing is the TIP section. They have 2 different sizes( .370 and .355). The .370( parallel) will have a much cleaner/smoother swing and feel than the .355 which has a much stiffer feel to it. The .355 tip also has a lower torque due to the stiffer tip. 

I hope this helped. 

Best of luck.

 

It's "wedge flex" and it's stiff. According to Cleveland: "The Spinner's tip is more active than previous shafts, adding spin while maintaining control and supplying lightweight feel."  I'm guessing it's the .370.

[Golfgirl8350]

Thanks everyone for the responses. I'm going to play a few more rounds and if I'm not feeling better about the shafts I'll get fitted into other ones. The CBX heads are definitely keepers.

[Preeway]

Just my $.02, but since you don’t typically take full swings with wedges (except maybe the PW) then you wouldn’t want your shafts to be stiffer than your other irons. Playing shots inside 125 yards is a lot about feel. If the current shafts feel wrong then you won’t be able to control the shots being hit at 50% and 75% and your confidence over those shots will also suffer. 

[ebaileymershon]

Personally, I play steel wedge shafts in wedges. Also prefer heavier club head wedge. CBX ZipCore 46, 50, 54, RTX 58. Like to feel the club head especially as leading edge slides under ball while brushing the turf. Less wear and tear on 72 year old wrists and elbows. 

[ZackS]

I would agree that swapping the shafts if probably going to be the right call. Since you are talking about the feel of the shaft. I would guess the weight is as much if not more of a factor here than the flex or profile. Have a little heavier shaft in the wedge is not uncommon but 20g is a big difference. Especially in graphite that is a lot of extra material to get that 20g difference that will dampen the vibrations from impact making so you don’t feel or even hear the contact with the ball nearly as much. 

[cnosil]

3 hours ago, Golfgirl8350 said:

It's both physically and mentally jarring going between clubs. The old wedges have the same shafts as the rest of my irons (SK Fiber Pure Energy 60 or 63gm) so there's a 20 gm increase in weight with the Project X Catalyst Spinner 80 as well as a much different bend point. As for my misses, I don't think I've played enough rounds with them yet to tell. I will say that having nice new, deep grooves is making a difference.

The general recommendation is that wedge shafts are stiffer and slightly heavier than the iron shafts.  Most OEM does come with a wedge flex shaft which as you describe is stiffer.    The other component is weight. And the 20 gram difference may be too much and you need something in the low 70gr range to improve feel.   I personally play 85 gram shafts in my irons and replaced the stock steel with a 95 gram shaft and the feel is significantly better; I couldn’t get used to the 120 gram steel.

[Big C]

I would say stiffer is not better like you said a shaft u can control because u want the ball  to stop 2 stiff u will hit it to long u want control with wedges use the bounce I have 54-58 vokey wedges love them bounce is 12 degrees g grind 

[JAMGOLF]

Most wedge shafts are stiffer because wedges typically weigh more than irons. This helps with control however if you want the ball flight to be lower using a softer shaft helps with a lower ball flight. I like hitting sky balls to the moon and stick it the pin so I use stiffer ones.

[bens197]

I experimented with softer shafts in my wedges and I hate it.  I’ve always played with the same X in my wedges as I do with my irons and never had an issue so naturally, I had to experiment 

Next set of Vokeys will be in an X with the same Modus 120 shafts I play in my T100’s.

[funkyjudge]

6 hours ago, ebaileymershon said:

Personally, I play steel wedge shafts in wedges. Also prefer heavier club head wedge. CBX ZipCore 46, 50, 54, RTX 58. Like to feel the club head especially as leading edge slides under ball while brushing the turf. Less wear and tear on 72 year old wrists and elbows. 

I have also gone back to steel wedge shafts in my two most-lofted wedges (Nippon Modus 115 wedge shafts), after trying several different graphite wedge shafts from 90 grams to 115 grams in weight.  The only wedge that I play with a graphite shaft, other than in my PW which has the same same graphite shaft model as in the rest of my iron set, is in my 50* Cobra "Snake Bite" Gap Wedge.  That gap wedge shaft is a 95 gram R-flex Recoil shaft that was in the club when I got it from our own "chisag".  It is softer in flex than the shafts in my 5-PW, but it doesn't feel softer, and it works so well for me that I am not changing a thing about that shaft or the rest of the club (I already cut it down 1/2" and flattened the lie angle as well as weakened the loft by 2* because Sam plays his wedges a bit longer and significantly more upright than I do.

[Big C]

Yep I find that playing heavier wedges the go to far and u can’t stop the ball do 95 to 105gms plenty do you can get the feel of hitting go shots low n hi shots now a days a stiff is not still n a regular is not a regular if u know what I mean 

[Shrek74]

On 10/26/2023 at 3:37 AM, Golfgirl8350 said:

It's both physically and mentally jarring going between clubs. The old wedges have the same shafts as the rest of my irons (SK Fiber Pure Energy 60 or 63gm) so there's a 20 gm increase in weight with the Project X Catalyst Spinner 80 as well as a much different bend point. As for my misses, I don't think I've played enough rounds with them yet to tell. I will say that having nice new, deep grooves is making a difference.

Although the initial comments about it being player dependent are correct, I'll share with you some research I've made over the past year around wedges and you can make your final calls as/when you need to.

One of the issues I found was similar to your comment about how jarring it can be going from the shaft setup you have in your irons to the shafts in specialty wedges. Even a single 10g difference can make a big difference as I noticed going from my DG120 iron shafts to the DG S2/3/400's that typically come standard in most wedges these days.

In some readings about wedge shafts and the various ways people set them up, I found a interesting concept that I've employed and have really liked thus far. Use the same shafts in your wedges that you play in your irons. This keeps the feel the same throughout your wedge set and prevents that big difference in weight and swing "feel" you experience going from PW to G/S/LW. The weight of the specialty wedge heads do increase like the iron heads do, so going from irons to wedges should increase in the same way keeping the feel the same. I've really liked this similarity in my set.

Another option is to decide if you have a stopping point for full swings. For me, my gap wedge is the last club I take full swings with. My sand and lob wedges are both partial swing only clubs. This option would indicate having the same shaft in the gap wedge you have in your irons, then potentially go to a slightly heavier version of your shaft in your S/LW's to help get a bit more from those partial swings while still keeping the similarity of the shaft itself. For me, this setup would be the DG120 in my gap wedge since that's what I play in my irons then the DG S200 shaft in my S/LW's to give a little more weight while keeping the feel similar as their shaft profiles are the same.

There are other options I've read about, but these two make the most sense to me both logically and physically having done both. I do really like the simplicity of the "all the same" version I'm running in my irons and wedges now as the feel and weight progression is the exact same no matter what club I pull. But everyone is different and what works for me may or may not work for you. But hopefully this provides some good thinking points in your process.

[Big C]

We’ll said I would just practice practice practice to get the feel of each wedge then u will b able to hit ur distance also practice on different shots around the green I carry a 50-54-58 to close my gap from 120yards in try it 

[Golfgirl8350]

6 hours ago, Shrek74 said:

Although the initial comments about it being player dependent are correct, I'll share with you some research I've made over the past year around wedges and you can make your final calls as/when you need to.

One of the issues I found was similar to your comment about how jarring it can be going from the shaft setup you have in your irons to the shafts in specialty wedges. Even a single 10g difference can make a big difference as I noticed going from my DG120 iron shafts to the DG S2/3/400's that typically come standard in most wedges these days.

In some readings about wedge shafts and the various ways people set them up, I found a interesting concept that I've employed and have really liked thus far. Use the same shafts in your wedges that you play in your irons. This keeps the feel the same throughout your wedge set and prevents that big difference in weight and swing "feel" you experience going from PW to G/S/LW. The weight of the specialty wedge heads do increase like the iron heads do, so going from irons to wedges should increase in the same way keeping the feel the same. I've really liked this similarity in my set.

Another option is to decide if you have a stopping point for full swings. For me, my gap wedge is the last club I take full swings with. My sand and lob wedges are both partial swing only clubs. This option would indicate having the same shaft in the gap wedge you have in your irons, then potentially go to a slightly heavier version of your shaft in your S/LW's to help get a bit more from those partial swings while still keeping the similarity of the shaft itself. For me, this setup would be the DG120 in my gap wedge since that's what I play in my irons then the DG S200 shaft in my S/LW's to give a little more weight while keeping the feel similar as their shaft profiles are the same.

There are other options I've read about, but these two make the most sense to me both logically and physically having done both. I do really like the simplicity of the "all the same" version I'm running in my irons and wedges now as the feel and weight progression is the exact same no matter what club I pull. But everyone is different and what works for me may or may not work for you. But hopefully this provides some good thinking points in your process.

I decided to go with the option you first described. I am going to remove the shafts from my old wedges and have them installed in the new CBX wedges. Then they will match all my other irons and I'll have the familiar shaft feel with lovely, new wedges heads. 

[Josh Parker]

18 minutes ago, Golfgirl8350 said:

I decided to go with the option you first described. I am going to remove the shafts from my old wedges and have them installed in the new CBX wedges. Then they will match all my other irons and I'll have the familiar shaft feel with lovely, new wedges heads. 

Great plan. Keep us updated how it goes.