Wedges and their grinds

[GTATC]

Can anyone help this new golfer understanding what grind is best to play. All these letters got my head mixed up and I’d like to understand what kind of players pick what grind they select and why. I ask this not understanding how complex or easy of an answer this could be. Thanks for the layperson explanation in advance!

[cnosil]

The vokey description is pretty basic: Wedge grind is the manipulation or removal of material from the sole of the club, helping to improve contact with the turf or sand. Grinds allow for more creativity and consistency around the green, providing the correct contact on the face, giving you the confidence to flight the ball lower, with more spin.

which is best to play is dependent on you and how you use the wedges.  The vokey wedge selector is pretty good.  Look at what it recommends and the read the description of the grind and its goal.   If you don’t open the face and play the face pretty square a standard grind will work.  If you like to open the wedge you will probably want things like heel, toe, and trail edge relief so the leading edge sits closer to the ground.  

[GTATC]

Thanks man! That’s very helpful!!

[Brian A]

For a new golfer I would find a basic grind and learn to play that before trying to get fancy with clubs. Even though I am very confident with my wedges and their grinds sometimes mishits still happen and are frustrating 

[RetiredBoomer]

7 hours ago, GTATC said:

Can anyone help this new golfer understanding what grind is best to play. All these letters got my head mixed up and I’d like to understand what kind of players pick what grind they select and why. I ask this not understanding how complex or easy of an answer this could be. Thanks for the layperson explanation in advance!

The problem there
is that as a new player, you can't possibly know what grinds you need.

That's why it's best to start with simple iron set matching wedges.  
As your game develops, then it will becomes easier to fit you into grinds.

An alternate choice, albeit more costly for a beginner, is Cleveland CBX 4 and Smart Sole wedges.

As your short game begins its evolution,
the Cleveland pitching, chipping, gap, sand, and lob wedge short game set might let you begin with a simple brush stroke for just about everything.

The Cleveland wedges use sole width instead of grinds and bounce angles to get you started.

The shotmaking techniques don't really begin until you've comfortably got a simple short game under some semblance of control. As you get more sophisticated in your short game, you probably won't need five wedges anymore, and you'll learn to play more versatile wedges with more versatile shotmaking,

and then you can fill out the long end of your bag.  As a beginner, you don't need too many clubs at the long end.

The whole game comes together with time, and at least a few basic lessons will be an even better expenditure than a lot of fancy equipment at the beginning.  It's worth the money because you'll enjoy playing more.

In simpler terms, it's not time to fine tune equipment yet.  You'll enjoy playing more as you find a swing.  Inexpensive used clubs and lessons have been the best way to start for a lot of new players.

 

   

 

Edited August 9 by RetiredBoomer

[BIG STU]

Something I recommend if they still have it at Golf Works is the book by Ralph Maltby called "How Wedges Work" gives a lot of insight in regards to bounce. They did have a video perhaps you could pull it up on U-Tube. 

[Brian A]

On 8/9/2024 at 3:07 PM, RetiredBoomer said:

The problem there
is that as a new player, you can't possibly know what grinds you need.

That's why it's best to start with simple iron set matching wedges.  
As your game develops, then it will becomes easier to fit you into grinds.

An alternate choice, albeit more costly for a beginner, is Cleveland CBX 4 and Smart Sole wedges.

As your short game begins its evolution,
the Cleveland pitching, chipping, gap, sand, and lob wedge short game set might let you begin with a simple brush stroke for just about everything.

The Cleveland wedges use sole width instead of grinds and bounce angles to get you started.

The shotmaking techniques don't really begin until you've comfortably got a simple short game under some semblance of control. As you get more sophisticated in your short game, you probably won't need five wedges anymore, and you'll learn to play more versatile wedges with more versatile shotmaking,

and then you can fill out the long end of your bag.  As a beginner, you don't need too many clubs at the long end.

The whole game comes together with time, and at least a few basic lessons will be an even better expenditure than a lot of fancy equipment at the beginning.  It's worth the money because you'll enjoy playing more.

In simpler terms, it's not time to fine tune equipment yet.  You'll enjoy playing more as you find a swing.  Inexpensive used clubs and lessons have been the best way to start for a lot of new players.

 

   

 

I second the vote for the CBX! They really improved my father’s short game! 

[Purdyd]

https://youtu.be/lhBLq6aB9mM?si=I2becC4iH7cuNCA2

everything you wanted to know about wedges.

If you are new to wedges I would pick the standard bounce wedge.  Unfortunately different companies have different lettering terminology.

personally I want high bounce and maybe wide sole for soft conditions.  Wet soft fairways and fluffy sand traps.

I generally play in hard fairways, with thin lies, and watered sand traps that often resemble concrete.

so I prefer lower bounce.  I also like to open up the club face so I like some relieve off the back of the wedge so the leading edge stays low.

in some cases you might want to carry an additional lob wedge at 60 or greater. That means one other club will leave the bag.  But depending on the course, that additional wedge might be a better option.

it will allow a higher softer shot