Which club to omit?

[Howie]

Or, perhaps viewed differently, which yardage gap to accept? Until 15 clubs in the bag would be legalized, I’m wrestling with whether the top of the bag or the bottom should be compromised. For me, my 5 wood is the 225 yard club and my 5 iron is ~194 yards for a gap of 31 yards. My 4 iron is ~206 yards which would shrink that gap to roughly 19 yards.

At the other end of bag my wedges are 122-110-98-86 for 12 yard increments between each. If I were to carry the 4 iron I could either remove one of the wedges (either the 98 or 110, leaving a 24 yard gap somewhere) or remove the middle two wedges and substitute with another wedge at 104 yards (giving me 18 yards between wedges).

Thoughts concerning pros and cons of the different options?

Thanks.

[mxskier]

What are the lofts of the 4 wedges. what length courses/tees do you play? what type of par 3s do you face? 

[Howie]

21 minutes ago, mxskier said:

What are the lofts of the 4 wedges. what length courses/tees do you play? what type of par 3s do you face? 

50-54-58-62. I could substitute a 56 for the 54 and 58.

 

Courses vary between 6,200 and 6,800 yards.

 

Typically between 130 and 185 yards at my home course.

[LCP]

Time to bend the lofts of your clubs. Keep the 4, bend the 5 1 degree weak, drop the 6, bend the 7 2 degrees strong, bend the 8 1.5 degrees strong, bend the 9 1 degree strong, bend the wedge 0.5 degree strong. No reason for tight gapping in your long irons. They're not scoring clubs. They're get it there clubs.

[mxskier]

48 minutes ago, Howie said:

50-54-58-62. I could substitute a 56 for the 54 and 58.

 

Courses vary between 6,200 and 6,800 yards.

 

Typically between 130 and 185 yards at my home course.

Dump the 62, keep the longer club. Or go 50/55/60 if you really want to.

 

No one needs >60. Even Phil, king of Phlop, master of short game, dropped his 64PM grind in the last bunch of tournaments.

[ChipNRun]

I must be missing something: The clubs you list...

 

3 = Driver (?) + Putter + 5W.

7 = 4i to 9i (and PW?)

4 = Wedges

 

I'm only seeing 14 clubs... Do you have a secret club you're not telling about? (WRXers are your friends... we won't tell the Russians...)

[nsxguy]

You use your longer clubs to get close to the green.

 

You use your shorter clubs to get close to the hole.

 

You score better when you get close to the hole.

[Howie]

8 minutes ago, ChipNRun said:

I must be missing something: The clubs you list...

 

3 = Driver (?) + Putter + 5W.

7 = 4i to 9i (and PW?)

4 = Wedges

 

I'm only seeing 14 clubs... Do you have a secret club you're not telling about? (WRXers are your friends... we won't tell the Russians...)

 

You're missing the 3 wood... you've identified everything else. I'm sure the Russians already know but just won't admit it.

[ChipNRun]

18 hours ago, Howie said:

You're missing the 3 wood... you've identified everything else. I'm sure the Russians already know but just won't admit it.

 

Unless the 62* is really a wonder club, I would drop it. FYI, about half the PGA Tour pros use 58* as their highest lofted wedge.

Edited June 21, 2021 by ChipNRun

[putterboy75]

2 hours ago, Howie said:

Or, perhaps viewed differently, which yardage gap to accept? Until 15 clubs in the bag would be legalized, I’m wrestling with whether the top of the bag or the bottom should be compromised. For me, my 5 wood is the 225 yard club and my 5 iron is ~194 yards for a gap of 31 yards. My 4 iron is ~206 yards which would shrink that gap to roughly 19 yards.

At the other end of bag my wedges are 122-110-98-86 for 12 yard increments between each. If I were to carry the 4 iron I could either remove one of the wedges (either the 98 or 110, leaving a 24 yard gap somewhere) or remove the middle two wedges and substitute with another wedge at 104 yards (giving me 18 yards between wedges).

Thoughts concerning pros and cons of the different options?

Thanks.

 

Glad you asked this question, I've been trying to decide too. At the bottom end I have 46 - 50 - 52 - 56 - 60 wedges and recently was gifted a new SM8 Vokey 62 08-M which is too nice to not try at least a few rounds.

 

Personally, I think the bottom end of the bag is more important. If you can hit a 3/4 shot consistently to take a few yards of one of the higher lofted wedges, disregard this suggestion, but I've always found full shots are less stressful. This end of the bag is also where you score, don't forget that. 

[eric61]

Do you love the 62? If so, drop the 54 and 58 and add a 56. If not, drop the 62.

 

It’s also possible that going 1/4/7 woods on the long end would give you better gapping than 1/3/5 into your 4 iron. Something to consider down the road.

Edited June 21, 2021 by eric61

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

As others have said, the 62* could probably go, but if you really like your wedge setup, another option would be to drop your 4i for a hybrid that goes a little further. So you've a 5w going 225 yards max, a hybrid going, say, 210~215 yards max, then your 5i at 194. 

 

As has been pointed out, the longer irons and woods are get-it-there clubs. If you really need to take a little off the hybrid, choke down and hit it. 

[OKMrazor]

Are 62 degree wedges used on full shots, frequently?  I only ever imagined they'd used be for specific shots around the green, not as a yardage-gapped full shot.  Everyone's game is different, so certainly not meant as a criticism. 

 

I'd like the flexibility at the just-over 200 yard distance for long par 3s longer approaches... then would make PW, G, S + L(@58) work.

[driveandputtmachine]

9 hours ago, Howie said:

50-54-58-62. I could substitute a 56 for the 54 and 58.

 

Courses vary between 6,200 and 6,800 yards.

 

Typically between 130 and 185 yards at my home course.

I played these lofts for awhile.  IN the end having a reliable club (7 wood, 2 hybrid, 2 iron) was more beneficial.

 

I dropped the 58 and 62 and added a 60.    What really cannot be undersold is having a 54 with a versatile grind and ability to play more shots.  For instance I have a normal shot and I have a back of my stance cut shot.   The back of my stance 3/4 cut goes very close to the same distance as the 58 normal shot went. It also needs the ability to hit more types of shots around the green. 

 

Also having a 60 that is versatile as far as you can still hit full shots from the fairway and around the green is important too.  Many people opt for their highest loft wedge that is not used for full shots at all when going with the set up you had(at least I know I did).  I needed that ability to make everything work properly.

[Howie]

7 hours ago, eric61 said:

Do you love the 62? If so, drop the 54 and 58 and add a 56. If not, drop the 62.

 

It’s also possible that going 1/4/7 woods on the long end would give you better gapping than 1/3/5 into your 4 iron. Something to consider down the road.

 

The 62 is great from greenside bunkers- especially those with firmer sand- as well as tight lies around the green as the bounce on my 62* is low. I've also had decent success using it for full shots from around 85 yards and 3/4 shots from 70 yards. That said, I could replicate with a "similarly bounced" 58* with the yardages increasing to ~98 yards and 83 yards respectively. The suggestion of inserting a 56 with more bounce (for fluffy lies/soft sand) is one I'm strongly considering if the 4 iron makes the varsity bag cut...

[Howie]

4 hours ago, No_Catchy_Nickname said:

As others have said, the 62* could probably go, but if you really like your wedge setup, another option would be to drop your 4i for a hybrid that goes a little further. So you've a 5w going 225 yards max, a hybrid going, say, 210~215 yards max, then your 5i at 194. 

 

As has been pointed out, the longer irons and woods are get-it-there clubs. If you really need to take a little off the hybrid, choke down and hit it. 

 

If there were just a 22* or so hybrid that didn't want to go left under pressure! 🙂

[Howie]

4 hours ago, No_Catchy_Nickname said:

As others have said, the 62* could probably go, but if you really like your wedge setup, another option would be to drop your 4i for a hybrid that goes a little further. So you've a 5w going 225 yards max, a hybrid going, say, 210~215 yards max, then your 5i at 194. 

 

As has been pointed out, the longer irons and woods are get-it-there clubs. If you really need to take a little off the hybrid, choke down and hit it. 

 

Problem is my current setup doesn't have a 4 iron. In other words, does a 4 iron (or similar hybrid that would close the top end gap more effectively...~210'ish) trump the need for the current wedge setup (54-58-62)?

[jomatty]

4 wood?  How far does your driver and 3 wood go?
otherwise I would drop that 62 and either have 58 as the highest or get a 60 and replace the 58 and 60

[texcellence86]

For me it was consistency. I was WAY more consistent with my 56* than my 60* and my 52* just wasn't getting through the turf like I wanted it to. Dropped the 60* and went with a "set" GW that had the same grind/profile as my PW.

 

Now I just need to settle on a 5W or 2H between the 3W & 3I.

[betarhoalphadelta]

9 hours ago, putterboy75 said:

 

Glad you asked this question, I've been trying to decide too. At the bottom end I have 46 - 50 - 52 - 56 - 60 wedges and recently was gifted a new SM8 Vokey 62 08-M which is too nice to not try at least a few rounds.

 

Personally, I think the bottom end of the bag is more important. If you can hit a 3/4 shot consistently to take a few yards of one of the higher lofted wedges, disregard this suggestion, but I've always found full shots are less stressful. This end of the bag is also where you score, don't forget that. 

 

Out of curiosity, how did you get here and how do you use these clubs? 

 

I'm currently replacing all my irons with a single length set with PW of 45 and GW of 50. I'm thinking of specialty wedges, all built either 3/4" or 1" shorter than the SL irons, at 52/56/60.

 

My target is that the set PW and GW are primarily going to be full-swing clubs. The 52 will be standard bounce and used for most "around the green" and short game work. The 56 will be a little higher bounce for sand and other lies where that works. And the 60 will be low bounce (6*) because I play a lot of firm muni courses where the lies are tight, so when I need that much loft I can't have a lot of bounce. 

 

But I worry about full-swing gapping when I choose to use the specialty wedges as full-swing clubs, particularly between the 50 and 52. I'm thinking that because there will be a wider shaft length gap than traditional gapping it might add a little more gap than you'd expect for a 2* change in loft. But then I'm also thinking that maybe I should just bend the PW to 44 and the GW to 48 so I keep 4* loft across the set (the 9i is 40* and it's 4* gapping all the way down to 4h at 20*)...

 

Not sure what to do, and it seems like you ended up in a very similar place so I'm wondering how this works for you. 

[nsxguy]

2 hours ago, Howie said:

 

Problem is my current setup doesn't have a 4 iron. In other words, does a 4 iron (or similar hybrid that would close the top end gap more effectively...~210'ish) trump the need for the current wedge setup (54-58-62)?

 

My friend, I think you've already given yourself the "answer".

 

You've just told us how you (also) use your LW out of bunkers.

 

That aside, use the knowledge you've accumulated. How often do you find the need for that 4 iron "gap" vs. how often you use the LW.

 

A few years ago, in launch monitor testing, I found that my 3 and 4 hybrids were, on good strikes about 5 yards apart. Goodbye 4 hybrid, re-enter LW.

 

Further, especially when shortsiding oneself, or being in a bunker with a high face, the really high lofted LW can be a stroke saver.

 

How many strokes can you honestly say the 4 iron has saved you ? How often do you even use the 4 iron ? You probably don't use it very much on your par 3s unless the 185 yard hole is into the wind.

 

That is how most(?) of us decide which clubs to keep in the bag. Which club will contribute to a better score ?

[me05501]

Easy. Replace the 58 and 62 with one club with a grind that lets you open the bounce away for those very close shots. 

[iknowbagu]

In the minority here, but I played a 62° for years and loved it.  My vote is yank the 54° and 58° and replace it with a 56°.

 

That said, I agree with most above that top end gaps are less concerning than bottom end gaps.

[Juice1121]

I have nearly an identical setup and hit identical yardages as you. I play a 58* as my lofted highest wedge. There's really nothing I can't do with my 58 that I could do with the 60, 62, or 64 that sit in my garage.

 

I also bag a 4 driving iron instead of my set 4 iron. Gets me a couple extra yards into the 210 range and gives me better gapping between my 5 iron and my 5 wood. 

[Ivyguy]

So, I don’t know if you should swap wedges depending on the course.  Unless u have a buttload of time to practice with each wedge. Pick and go. 
 

at the top it’s about consistency and flight. 

[jomatty]

In my bag I go from 3 wood to 7 wood and sacrificing the gapping between the 3 and 7 wood has proven to be a good move.  Sure I would like the gapping to be tighter between the two clubs but practically it just isn’t that big a deal.  Choking the 3 wood a little when needed has made it work out.  The truth is that I’m only so precise when hitting from that far out, while I at least have the potential for precision with the wedges.

 

That being said, I still think that the wedge setup seems excessive. That’s how I generally feel when I see someone with more than 4 wedges, even though I know some people swear by them and love the set up.  It just seems like if you went with a versatile grind, something like the mg2 TW wedge in either a 56 (drop the 54 and 58) or my preference which would be to add a 60 (drop 58 and 62).  A 60 degree wedge with a versatile grind (or at least heel relief) gives you the option to really open that face up a lot.  I think there is a reason that not many pros go higher than 60 degrees and many are comforatable with 58 being the highest lofted club in their bag (even Phil, the poster boy for +60 lofts drops his from time to time).  Sure these guys are more comfortable manipulating loft than you or I, but I still think it’s telling that so few use these super high lofted wedges.

[nostatic]

I’m in the drop a wedge crowd and reconfigure there. If your really love the 62, then 50-56. Or 50-54 and either tight grind 58 that you can open or 60. I’d rather have options at the top of the bag for different lies/shots and manipulate the wedges for situations.

[Bye]

It is the dilemma of 14 clubs, there will be a gap of some description somewhere.

 

You could drop the 58&62, go to 54/55 & 60 and still have the bounce options needed.

 

But the answer has to be, have the extra club where you need it. Some can play with a larger gap at the top or bottom.

 

I have 20 yards between 3 wood and hybrid. 15 yards from hybrid to 4 iron, then 12-13 yards between all the rest (all carry).

[halliedog]

All good suggestions, and really no right/wrong answer in my opinion, just comes down to what you're comfortable with and the type of courses you play most frequently. 

 

The course I play the most has almost no call for a flop shot, but has several Par 3s that can play anywhere from 170-195 (from the same set of tees), and 2 Par 5s that I can't quite reach with 3 WD, so I'll take the 58* out and opt for a "mini driver" that I happen to hit well off the deck.  Then again, the bunkers at this course have very thin and usually wet/packed, so the low bounce 58* works well from those, but there aren't that many that I would usually ever hit into, so I trade the versatility of the low bounce 58* for the option of reaching/getting close to a few Par 5s and have possible Eagle or guaranteed close Birdie putts.  Plus I like "top loading" my bag because it gives more options on where the Par 3 tees might be on any given day.  Plus I know this course so well and try to hit to certain yardages, will occasionally even drop the GW for more firepower up top.  I can always (try to) choke a butter cut fade PW if I end up in between.

 

There's another course I play fairly often that is pretty much the opposite extreme.  Only one reachable Par 5 (for me, and with a good drive I can reach that with stock 3 WD anyway), lots deep-faced of bunkers with thick fluffy sand, and some pretty sloped greens that require some elevation if you short side yourself.  All Par 3s are in the 140-170 range so already covered there.  This one I go with the extra lofted wedge.

 

If it's a course I'm not familiar or comfortable with, I just go with the extra wedge setup.  Odds are, scoring opportunities are better getting up and down more often versus potentially reaching a Par 5/long Par 4 in 2?