Equipment
Groove Test: How often should you change wedges?
Throughout most of your bag, you can get away with changing clubs every few years or so. Updating a driver is usually to keep up with the latest technology, while changing irons is likely to replace wear and tear. Fairway woods can go five years or even a decade in your bag before you need to change them out, while putters usually change when 3 footers stop going in.
But then there’s wedges, which are more tricky. If you’re like most golfers, you use one club more than others around the green; you practice with that club, hit bunker shots with it and depend on it within 80+ yards to save par and make birdies. The more you practice with and get to know your wedge, however, the quicker its grooves wear out.
But when exactly should you start thinking about replacing your wedges; how many rounds? Titleist’s Vokey R&D team took to its Manchester facility to experiment on this very dilemma, and provide the necessary answers.
For the test, Titleist established exactly what a worn wedge looks like using face-mapping. Vokey SM6 (56-14 F Grind) wedges were used with S200 shafts, and the clubs were hit hundreds of times in a bunker: 500 swings to replicate 75 rounds, 1000 to replicate 125 rounds. Testing was performed with a robot that’s designed to hit wedges off the turf. Shots were hit onto a completely flat green.
As you can see from the video, Titleist found that groove wear begins to affect performance after about 75 rounds. It continues to worsen around 125 rounds.
For the casual golfer, that means making a difficult decision. Do you want to upgrade wedges and deal with the cost and a potential learning curve, or do you want to stick with the worn-out wedge in your bag and deal with the performance drop?
“I PLAY WITH FOUR VOKEY WEDGES AND I CHANGE MY 60 DEGREE EVERY FEW TOURNAMENTS,” SAYS TITLEIST STAFFER JORDAN SPIETH. “THE REST OF THE WEDGES I SWITCH MAYBE EVERY COUPLE OF MONTHS.”
While PGA Tour pros are afforded the luxury of changing wedges whenever they want to, you’re likely limited by a budget.
With this in mind, Jeremy Stone, the Director of Marketing for Titleist’s Wedge Division, suggests taking your wedges to your nearest launch monitor after about 75 rounds to ensure they’re still performing how you want them to. According to Stone, some telltale signs of grooves that need to be replaced are increased launch angle and decreased spin. If the ball is coming off your face and ballooning or floating, rather than penetrating and spinning when it hits the surface, it may be time to change.
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- Kevin Tway what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX
5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 90 TX
Irons: Wilson Staff Utility (2), Titleist T100 (4-9)
Shafts: Mitsubishi MMT 100 TX (2), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F @51, 56-14F), SM7 (60-10S)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48-56), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (60)
Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: Scotty Cameron Black Baby T
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Plus4
More photos of Kevin Tway’s WITB in the forums.
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Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.
The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?
Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.
When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.
To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.
Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.
“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.
“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”
Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.
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Equipment
Webb Simpson equipment Q&A: Titleist’s new 2-wood, 680 blade irons, and switching to a broomstick Jailbird
With seven career wins on the PGA Tour, including a U.S. Open victory, Webb Simpson is a certified veteran on the course. But he’s also a certified veteran in the equipment world, too. He’s a gearhead who truly knows his stuff, and he’s even worked closely with Titleist on making his own custom 682.WS irons.
On Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, I caught up with Simpson to hear about his experience with Titleist’s new prototype 2-wood, how Titleist’s 680 Forged irons from 2003 ended up back in his bag, and why he’s switching into an Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Cruiser broomstick putter this week for the first time.
Click here to read our full story about Simpson’s putter switch on PGATOUR.com’s Equipment Report, or continue reading below for my full Q&A with Simpson at Quail Hollow Club on Wednesday.
See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here
GolfWRX: It seems like you’ve been a little all over the place with your irons in the past six months or so, and now going back to the 680’s. Is that just a comfort thing? What’s been going on with the irons?
Webb Simpson: Titleist has been so great at working with me, and R&D, on trying to get an iron that kind of modernizes the 680. And so the 682.WS took the T100 grooves, but kinda took the look and the bulk and the build of the 680’s into one club. They’re beautiful, and awesome looking. I just never hit them that well for a consistent period of time. It was probably me, but then I went to T100’s and loved them. I loved the spin, the trajectory, the yardage, but again, I never went on good runs. Going through the ground, I couldn’t feel the club as well as with the blade. So last week, I’m like, ‘Alright. I’m gonna go back more for…comfort, and see if I can get on a nice little run of ball striking.’
So that’s why I went back.
View this post on Instagram
OK, that makes sense. I know you had done some 2-wood testing recently. Is that in the bag right now?
It’s like day-by-day. I used it at Hilton Head every day. Valero, I used it one round. And this week, me and my caddie will do the book every morning, and if it’s a day where we think we need it, we’ll just put it in and take the 3-wood out. I love it because it’s a super simple swap. Like, it doesn’t really change much.
Yeah, can you tell me about that club? I mean, we don’t really know anything about it yet. You know? I haven’t hit it or anything, obviously.
It has grooves like a 3-wood. Spin is perfect. And it’s honestly, like, everything is in the middle of a 3-wood and driver number. Trajectory, spin, carry, all of it. So, a Hilton Head golf course is almost too easy to talk about because, you know, there, so many holes are driver 3-wood.
Valero, our thinking was we had two par-5’s into the wind, and we knew that it would take two great shots to get there in two. So instead of hitting driver-driver, we just put it in. And I used it on those holes.
Hilton was a little easier because it was off-the-tee kind of questions. But Colonial will be a golf course where, you know, there’s a lot of driver or 3-woods. It’s kind of like a backup putter or driver for me now. I’ll bring it to every tournament.
So it’s, like, in your locker right now, probably?
Well, it would be. It’s in my house [because Webb lives near by Quail Hollow Club, and is a member at the course.] It’s in the garage.
Oh, yeah, that’s right. Do you know what holes you might use it out here if it goes in play?
Potentially 15, depending on the wind. Second shot on 10. Could be 14 off the tee. The chances here are pretty low (that he’ll use the 2-wood). But, like, Greensboro would be an awesome club all day. I’m trying to think of any other golf courses.
There’s plenty that it’ll be a nice weapon to have.
It’s interesting, the wave of 2-woods and mini drivers. Like, it’s just really taken off on Tour, and all the companies have seemed to embrace it.
Yeah. The thing I had to learn, it took me, like, at least a week to learn about it is you gotta tee it up lower than you think. I kept teeing it up too high. You need it low, like barely higher than a 3-wood. And that was where I got optimal spin and carry. If you tee it up too high, you just don’t get as much spin and lose distance, I don’t know if that’s just a mini driver thing.
And you obviously have a Jailbird putter this week. What spurred that on?
Inconsistent putting. I’m stubborn in a lot of ways when it comes to my equipment, but I have to be open minded – I just hadn’t putted consistently well in a while. And I’m like, ‘Man, I feel my ball-striking coming along. Like I feel better; for real, better.’
If I can just get something in my hands that I’m consistent with. Being on Tour, you see it every year, guys get on little runs. I can put together four to five tournaments where I’m all the sudden back in the majors, or in the FedExCup Playoffs. You can turn things around quick out here. I’m like, ‘Man, whatever’s going to get me there, great.’
My caddie, David Cook, caddied for Akshay at the Houston Open and he putted beautifully. Then, I watched Akshay on TV at Valero, and he putted beautifully. And, I’m like, ‘I’m just going to try it.’
I’ve never tried it for more than a putt or two, and I just ordered what Akshay uses. It was pretty awkward at first, but the more I used it, the more I’m like, ‘Man, it’s pretty easy.’ And a buddy of mine who’s a rep out here, John Tyler Griffin, he helped me with some setup stuff. And he said at Hilton Head, he wasn’t putting well, then tried it, and now he makes everything. He was very confident. So I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ll try it.’”
And you’re going with it this week?
Hundred percent.
Alright, I love it. Thank you, I always love talking gear with you. Play well this week.
Thanks, man.
See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here
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MArtin
May 16, 2017 at 8:31 pm
I played in our Men’s opener scramble saturday with the best player in our club, of his 17 rounds this year 8 are in the 60’s.
The grooves on his wedges were so full of dirt they just about made me sick, he had no problem pulling off shots I couldn’t with nice shiny ones.
Ian
Mar 31, 2017 at 9:06 am
Hit more GIR – you wedges will last much longer.
S Hitter
Mar 31, 2017 at 8:33 pm
Bingo!
Kevin
Mar 31, 2017 at 8:39 am
All of my playing partners are using wedges that are 5-10 years old and it’s a noticeable difference how limited their shots are around the green. I’ll gladly pay for new Vokeys every other year since I’m taking all their money to pay for them.
RG
Mar 31, 2017 at 5:51 am
Sam Sneed said,”I never made any money with my ball coming back at me!’ It aint about more or less spin. its about optimal spin. Spin has way more to do with face angle and attack angle than it does about grooves. This article is just another attempt to get people to go buy stuff they dont need. Bernhard Langher is whooping everybody with 25 year old irons…grooves schmoves.
David Ober
Apr 4, 2017 at 10:03 am
When you play on greens as firm as they are on tour every week, you want as much spin as you can get with your wedges–especially with the modern ball that doesn’t spin nearly as much as the ball from 20 years ago.
It’s not marketing. For the better player, it’s what you want.
Remember: Just because one CAN spin the ball more with fresh grooves, doesn’t mean you always do. But having the ability to spin the ball to a downwind, front pin, is a big deal on firm greens. It can be the difference between a 10 footer and a 30 footer.
James
Mar 31, 2017 at 4:30 am
Grooves on wedges are fine, always, until you start getting fliers from the middle of a dry fairway
setter02
Mar 30, 2017 at 11:48 pm
If you are rolling out a 56* wedge that much, take some lessons vs. buying a new wedge.
Huey
Mar 30, 2017 at 11:11 pm
I’d be interested to see the data points in between fresh and 75 round old wedges. I doubt the performance just drops off right at 75 rounds. If anything, I would think the quickest drop in performance would happen in the first 10 rounds or so, as you’re going from as sharp as you’re going to get to… not as sharp.
T WRIGHT
Mar 30, 2017 at 5:09 pm
A- USE A GROOVE TOOL FOR FORGED OR CAST
I M 71 YRS YOUNG & IMAGINE HOW MANY WEDGES I’VE HAD
THEY STOP ON A DIME WHEN U WANT ‘EM TO ROLL & SPIN OFF THE GREEN WHEN U WANT THEM TO STOP – YES, EVEN 4 THE PROS
TWShoot67
Mar 30, 2017 at 4:48 pm
Jeez everyone is so sensitive these days! Just replace when you feel like it or when you think its affecting your game. They were just showing you if you swing like a robot this is how much spin you’ll lose over time. Beings that most of you hit all four corners of your wedges your grooves are good for a lifetime of golf! lol
Lawyer
Apr 2, 2017 at 3:33 pm
HILARIOUS!
0101010
Mar 30, 2017 at 2:39 pm
Maybe WRX should conduct the same exact test to find out the real truth instead of this nonsense Titleist sponsored test…. give me a break.
Lawyer
Apr 2, 2017 at 3:36 pm
Why would Titleist skew the results? This is an estimate… simple information… something to consider. They didn’t say to buy their wedges. They basically said golfers who are serious about their games should consider how much spin they are losing and when it is effecting their game. Then, replace accordingly. This Titleist hating by golf “snowflakes” is so goofy.
Skip
Mar 30, 2017 at 2:37 pm
“If the ball is coming off your face and ballooning or floating” um, isn’t ballooning an indication of excessive spin?
Tom
Mar 30, 2017 at 12:54 pm
2 words….Groove Sharpener.
BradT
Mar 30, 2017 at 10:16 am
Must be desperate as they just pushed this at us twice with breed on the fix and this morning on Sirius.
retired04
Mar 30, 2017 at 8:38 am
Wow! New wedges that often-are you kidding me. Still have the TM xft 56 I got when they first came out-play 150 rds/yr (am 70 and retired in FL) and use it 2x/wk for some practice. Fortunately understood the golf business well enough to buy a bunch of inserts years ago at $20-25-still have 6 left. Change inserts every January if needed.
Dan
Mar 30, 2017 at 9:13 am
Your comment has no purpose: new face = new grooves.
scott
Mar 29, 2017 at 9:56 pm
Volkey wedges are the most overrated pieces of junk out there. Why would you pay that for a casted club is beyond me. The fan boys have been brain washed
Azman Long Hamid
Mar 29, 2017 at 9:18 pm
Marketing propaganda I say, as it is the game is already expensive don’t make it worse. In general, most people wants to have fun playing golf and try to achieve good scores with some skill sets acquired through their play and practice.
Can I say this article is saying to buy more equipment and play better? How about I do one better, have any of the those company’s created recycle programs for the unwanted old clubs? C’mon you can do better than this……
Jon
Mar 30, 2017 at 11:51 am
+1 Cheers!
Jim
Mar 29, 2017 at 7:57 pm
If you’re a tour pro then you can replace the wedges frequently, but even the amount they change wedges is a bit over the top. Sure you can see some degradation of wedges after a couple of years, but I had Vokeys for 8+ years before I really saw a great deal of wear. Sure the new ones saw terrific, noticeable difference in spin but that’s after a long time playing the old wedges. It just seems that for the everyday player replacing your wedges every 75 rounds is ridiculous. Replace them when they show alot of visible wear or simply when you feel like it.
Jack
Mar 29, 2017 at 9:59 pm
I seriously doubt average golfers play 37 rounds a year to warrant changing wedges every two years. Just looking at the face and grooves you can get a good idea of whether your wedges are worn out or not. Real pictures of the post worn wedges would have been helpful.
Jon
Mar 30, 2017 at 11:53 am
Amen
Double Mocha Man
Mar 30, 2017 at 11:18 am
Similar to the “real cost” of a car someone needs to come up with the “real cost” of golf, minus the greens fee. Per round how much do your clubs, clothes, shoes with spike changes, gloves, lost and replaced towels and head covers, travel to and from the course, hats, tees, bag, balls, push carts cost you???
On the other hand, don’t figure it out. Or we’ll all be giving up the game.
Lawyer
Apr 2, 2017 at 3:44 pm
Many of those factors are up to the individual golfer. It can be a cheap game or extremely expensive. If golf is your vice and you save a bunch by not drinking alcohol then you might be able afford a few more golf “luxuries”.
John Grossi
Mar 29, 2017 at 7:15 pm
Played today. My 32 year old ping L wedge got me up and down on the 3 holes that I used it. That club has not been out of my bag all those years and will continue to be in my bag. I believe that shot conditions, all the other variables we have with each shot are so much more important then a wedge that has 75 rounds on it. What about practice? Over the years I have spent many hours with that L wedge in my hand. The way I figure it, I’m close to have it broken in. I have changed the grip about 45 times, original shaft however.
Neil Cameron
Mar 30, 2017 at 4:58 am
great lob wedge
just got one recently
made couple up and downs that were fantastic
Warwick Weedon
Mar 30, 2017 at 7:25 am
If it has never been out of your bag then it must be pristine 🙂
Cdub
Mar 29, 2017 at 7:06 pm
seems like the pressures of being a public company are starting to impact the decisions made at Titleist. $300 for a cameron shop restoration, premium pricing for 33″ cameron putters and r&d that suggests the average player hits 7 bunker shots per round. Pretty soon, 6 month refresh/update cycles on clubs.
Dan
Mar 30, 2017 at 9:21 am
7 bunker shots with the same club! I have 3 specialty wedges so I am apparently hitting 21 bunker shots a round… please! Get your wedge specs, shafts and grips right but then stick with them and love them.
Shooter
Mar 29, 2017 at 5:47 pm
Yeah, but did they use a KSig ball or a ProV1 for the test? Inquiring minds want to know….
8thehardway
Mar 29, 2017 at 5:18 pm
Use low spin balls with new wedges, medium spin balls for rounds 100 to 200 and high spin balls thereafter.
gatorz7888
Mar 29, 2017 at 6:01 pm
Sure that may increase consistency in spin over the life of the club but your sacrificing just as much on the front end as you are trying to catch up on the back end.
NO thank you.
Using low spin balls with new wedges to protect spin discrepancies later on is like not taking your Porsche out of 2nd gear for the first 100k miles just in case you want to get on the interstate later.
Chuck
Mar 29, 2017 at 3:47 pm
I call BS I have a original SM 54 Vokey that I still can rip back 15 feet when need be. It easily has 125 rounds on it. The wedge is 10 years old!
George
Mar 29, 2017 at 2:52 pm
Stone’s advice to check wedges on a launch monitor after 75 rounds would only add value if:
1. the player checked them when they were new to establish a baseline, and compares the same types of affected shots (full shot, knockdown, etc)
2. the player has consistently been using the same ball brand and model, and uses that same ball on the launch monitor
3. the player’s swing has been consistently the same
4. the risk of using deteriorated wedges (i.e., finishing position in tournaments) outweighs the replacement cost for the wedges.
Jack
Mar 29, 2017 at 10:22 pm
That’s a good point, since after 75 rounds I think my game would have changed significantly (as it has over the years). I guess for golfers who have hit their peak it wouldn’t really matter. But then I guess the only way to really know is to buy two wedges always, and periodically do a A/B test to see how fresh your wedges still are LOL. Sure. Let’s all do that.
Someone
Mar 29, 2017 at 2:48 pm
Well, in the special on golf channel Bob Vokey actually stated that he recommends to PRO’s that they change their wedges based on the number they have and due to how PRO’s use their wedges. He has a 4-3-2-1 system. 4 times a year being the highest lofted one (60* possibly) down to 1 time a year being the least lofted one (47/46* possibly). If you only use a 3 wedge setup, then it’s 3-2-1. The special was the same time when they showed those Arnold Palmer wedges in all black; I believe they were Martin Hoffman’s. When Michael Breed asked him about the amateur at home, Bob Vokey said that Amateurs only really need to change out the one wedge they use the most and not nearly as frequently as the PRO’s obviously. The problem with us readers, is that people CONSTANTLY misinterpret the information that’s given as applying for everyone. It’s funny how people want to buy TOUR stuff, but then when told that TOUR standard/averages require maintenance/replacement, suddenly they disagree or think it’s a bogus notion just to get money. Kind of ridiculous if you ask me. Let’s be real, we KNOW they’re talking about PRO’s, not us Am’s that don’t play 5 rounds a week, not including practice time.
scott
Mar 29, 2017 at 10:01 pm
The article gave a specific number of rounds to change wedges. Since we on golf wrx module our games after to pros, the article is applicable to us. Jeeze
Someone
Mar 30, 2017 at 9:14 pm
Lol.
TR1PTIK
Mar 30, 2017 at 11:15 am
Why spend the time and effort to create such a video and then blast it across social media (I saw the video posted on Facebook BY Titleist days before I saw it here) for all to see if it is only meant for pros? This was a money grab pure and simple. Make the guys who don’t know any better or have zero sense spend more on equipment.
Someone
Mar 30, 2017 at 9:12 pm
Obviously because we as the population are always interested in knowing what the pros are doing. It’s just like amateur singers asking what gear professional singers use. They watch all the behind the scenes as well and get to know what they use and when they replace their gear. But nowhere in the video did you see them recommending that amateurs need to replace their wedges frequently. They simply wrote that if you’re not getting the action you expect out of your wedge anymore, that it may be time to change. This is under the assumption that your swing is consistent enough to even get to that point of understanding. Regardless, everyone interprets the video their own way. So to each their own.
Cornwall1888
Mar 29, 2017 at 2:31 pm
Replaced my wedges after about 3 years to probably about 300 rounds and lots of practice, I’ll see in the coming weeks if it makes a difference
Deadeye
Mar 29, 2017 at 1:55 pm
It’s not just the face condition of the wedge. It’s also how you use it. Steeper swings generate more spin. I sweep my wedge shots on good lies. Low spin shots are easier to play.
Eddie
Mar 29, 2017 at 1:38 pm
I actually like a little less spin. Would rather hop and stop than suck back 10 feet.
Jim
Mar 29, 2017 at 6:45 pm
See: US Tour players hitting to 13 @ Augusta and spinning back into the creek, then dropping the club and making fainting faces as if “shocked” – while Euro’s punch it up…
Also see: Spieth, British open – Amazing shot! From so far left on 18, they HAD to have guessed the yardage….hits it to 3′ (one putt to win) & spins it back off the green…brutal.
….if you don’t mind a little ‘click’ on the ball putting/chipping (firmer than Pro V’s)- try the Srixon Tri-Speed ball. It goes a ton, feels pretty good and stops….one hop, little draw…The 2014 Callaway Speed Regime balls were/are great for that ‘drop n stop’ – without spinning back 15′ as well….
Sean
Mar 29, 2017 at 1:20 pm
8 ft?
A wedge company telling you to buy more wedges. That’s crazy.
Dave R
Mar 29, 2017 at 1:02 pm
Beauty this means I have to buy 2wedges a year acc I play 150 rounds,that won’t happen according to my wife. Oh oh titleist just lost another sale. But wish your sales reps well.
Junk
Mar 29, 2017 at 12:36 pm
Played with same sand and lob wedge for over 10 years; replaced both last year and didn’t notice a difference. This year, after putting in a lot of work in the off season with better instructions I notice better ball striking with all of my clubs.
S-maleBootieSlam
Mar 29, 2017 at 12:10 pm
There’s a couple minutes of my life I’ll never get back. Buy more of our clubs, more often.
ShemaleBootieSlam
Mar 29, 2017 at 12:09 pm
yay yay buy our stuff. There’s a couple minutes of my life I’ll never get back
Scott
Mar 29, 2017 at 11:53 am
The problem with this is that the robot in this experiment likely pures every shot–making contact in the same spot on the club face everytime. Pros do more or less the same thing.
But an amateur’s point-of-contact varies from shot-to-shot (particularly on full-shots), and thus won’t wear down a single sweet spot so quickly…
Jim
Mar 29, 2017 at 6:53 pm
True Dat!
emb
Mar 29, 2017 at 11:44 am
How long was the shot in the video? I change my wedges about once a year and play/practice much more than average but even after a year I don’t notice a huge loss of spin on full shots. Shorter shots of maybe 30-50 yards are where you could maybe say you’re losing some spin but then again spinning the ball from a less than full swing distance is more contact/technique related anyways. Not sure I buy the “75 rounds of wear” their quoting as increasing rollout 8 feet. Besides, as your grooves wear slowly over time you’ll probably adjust to the very slight amount of extra rollout you’re getting anyways
TR
Mar 29, 2017 at 11:39 am
I remember reading from a club builder on the forum, that ball spin imparted from a wedge from a tight lie is generated more from loft and surface texture of the wedge rather than the grooves themselves. If that’s true, I’d imagine the loss of backspin is caused by the wearing of the spin milled surface instead of the grooves. I’m sure they know, but they didn’t even mention it. Same issue I guess, but different reason.
LD
Mar 29, 2017 at 11:04 pm
Correct. The grooves’ main function is to displace moisture on impact.
Jim
Mar 30, 2017 at 11:10 pm
BECAUSE (providing it’s a good angle of attack) the ball compresses more and even the most mild grooves will bite more & get way more spin than the same strike on a softer surface….Every try hitting your full swing SW on your first round off std Florida fairways? A big chunk trapazoid shaped divot flops up and the ball goes 40yds – instead of the 100 you got all season with the same swing – on turf North of the Mason Dixon line…
Winter mini-tour tip….get there before Thanksgiving & get a solid 3 weeks of practice in before the Euro guys get there. Their first week or two on Fla turf gives ’em fits & you can take some good $$ from ’em before they adjust to it 😉
Turf conditions matter
iShankEveryArticle
Mar 29, 2017 at 11:35 am
Soon they will be telling us that the milling wears down on the putter after 50 rounds and that I should be buying a new Scotty every couple months…
The dude
Mar 29, 2017 at 12:55 pm
….I don’t think so..
John
Mar 29, 2017 at 11:20 am
So Titleist thinks I hit 7 bunker shots per round?!
Steve
Mar 30, 2017 at 12:45 pm
This was my first thought exactly.
First, excluding chips (which I HIGHLY doubt wear the face as much as longer swings), I don’t use my wedges anywhere near that much per round. If you add in chips, I’d bet the only club I use close to that much per 75 rounds would be the lob wedge.
Second, when I do use them, they are rarely out of the sand, and I’d be willing to bet the sand wears them down much quicker than a normal fairway/rough shot.
This is a garbage test done specifically to try to push more wedges. Whoever came up with these numbers/testing procedures is either an idiot, or he believes everyone reading is an idiot.