12 replies to this topic

[drewfus813]

My Burner Iron set came with a pitching wedge and a gap wedge. I also have a Vokey 60 degree lob wedge. I have in my bag the sand wedge from my old set. I am curious if you guys have any  input as to whether I need a sand wedge or not. I have been using my lob wedge mostly around the green and also in bunkers. Any input? Thanks.

[Georgie Z]

Do you already have your bag filled?  If you use the LW a lot why wouldn't you just keep it?

[jhcarson]

The best reason I can see to keep it is for distance gaps.  Depending upon your iron set, your gap wedge might be anywhere from 48-52 degrees. The progression on a full swing from gap to lob could be as much as 12 degrees. A SW will cover some of that ground.

[drewfus813]

Georgie: I am definitely keeping the lob wedge. It is more a question of keeping the old sand wedge.

JH: I know what  are saying. I was mostly curious if I would be able to substitute the lob wedge in the bunkers though, without adding too much difficulty for myself.

Thanks guys for your help.

[KYMAR]

The best reason to have a SW and LW IMO is to have a different bounce configurations for different shots.There are plenty of 30-60 yard shots that you can use either to get that distance but I like a 56 with 12-14* of bounce for bunkers and lies in the rough  and a 60* with about 4* of bounce for tight lies or on very firm conditions. Do you understand bounce?  (not being condescending with that question at all, just trying to get a feel on where you are)  Do you know what the bounce on your LW is?

Edited by KYMAR, 11 May 2012 - 06:57 PM.

[KYMAR]

 drewfus813, on 11 May 2012 - 06:51 PM, said:

Georgie: I am definitely keeping the lob wedge. It is more a question of keeping the old sand wedge.

JH: I know what  are saying. I was mostly curious if I would be able to substitute the lob wedge in the bunkers though, without adding too much difficulty for myself.

Thanks guys for your help.

This is why i asked about the bounce on your lob. IMO, hitting bunker shots with a low bounce lob wedge makes it much more difficult to execute the shots over a SW with a higher amount of bounce.

[Bill2e]

If your burners are 2.0's then your gap wedge is 50 degrees. You need a 55/56 wedge

[drewfus813]

My burners are not 2.0s, they are the older ones.
Kymar: My lob wedge was a present so I'm not sure of the bounce on it. And to answer your question, I have a basic understanding of bounce, but I am  still relatively new to the game and a 21 handicap, so I know I am still in the early stages of learning. Thanks.

[KYMAR]

 drewfus813, on 11 May 2012 - 07:26 PM, said:

My burners are not 2.0s, they are the older ones.
Kymar: My lob wedge was a present so I'm not sure of the bounce on it. And to answer your question, I have a basic understanding of bounce, but I am  still relatively new to the game and a 21 handicap, so I know I am still in the early stages of learning. Thanks.

Bounce is the angle that the sole extends below the leading of the edge of the club. It is designed to prevent the leading edge from digging. On turf this prevents fat shots as the bounce deflects (or bounces) the club off the ground. When in a soft sand bunker, most people will tell you that you will want more bounce to prevent the leading edge from digging and getting stuck in the sand. From tight fairway lies or lies on very firm turf, too much bounce will have the leading edge too high on the ball and for less skilled players (like you and me ) it can result in thin shots. There are several other factors that go into how playable a wedge is going to be from a given lie. The different grinds on wedges these days make shopping for one somewhat difficult at first glance. That's because you can have 2 wedges that both say 60 loft and 10 of bounce but play completely differently when the face is opened or it's played toe down for short pitches etc. Some wedges will have grind on the sole that will eliminate a ton of the bounce when the club is opened up. some will do the same for the toe area. Now, for as much as I am writing about this, there are a plenty of people here who know a whole lot more about this stuff than I do. Don't be afraid to ask, or use the search box. I also know I likely confused you a little and haven't really given you a solid answer. I would check the bounce on both wedges (depending on the make and model, the bounce may not even be listed) and if they are very similar, it may be time to get either a SW with more bounce or a LW with less bounce. Frankly, a lot of this is trial and error. It took me a long time to figure out what configurations gave me the best chance at success. But, you are a WRX member now so going from club to club to club is mandatory anyway.  It's in the charter!

[Eternal]

Originally i was in the same boat as you, but personally now i am looking to add a SW into the bag because the LW doesn't perform out of the bunkers as i hoped it would. I would keep both of them in because that SW will cover the distance for you in between your gap and lob. I have the Burner 2.0 irons and am not the biggest fan of the AW that it came with (not sure if that came with the 1.0's). It seems only a couple degrees higher than my pitching and not really filling gaps in distance. Overall though, keep the SW IMO

[Thrillhouse]

One of my buddies who shoots around 100 is getting more into the game and looking for a new set of clubs so im helping him out and we went through the same thing. I decided that at this point if he gets a set of 4-gw irons all he really needs at this point is a 56 degree wedge as he doesnt really have the skill yet to hit all the shots a 60 will allow him to hit and because I thought that having too many wedges in the bag would just confuse him on the course at this point. Im not sure if im right or not but that was my reasoning for the advice.

[Shambles]

A 60* is stupid easy to use around the green and can make a new guy feel like an expert. The 60* almost never needs adjustment for green side shots because it gets the ball flying and landing softly so easily that delicate shots are almost reduced to learning to aim the ball and giving it the right carry. The 60* loses in the distance category because it was never designed for that job.

When you need to send the ball a little farther, a 56* can serve and, in the hands of a more skilled player, a well designed 56* can serve both the sand and the green side shots. The 56* needs more manipulation when you just barely missed the green than the 60* but there are next to no shots the 60* can do that cannot also be done with a 56*. The only real difference between the two, other than the obvious loft, is the comfortable shot it allows from distance. It's smarter for a player to choose the loft he needs for his most frequent distance from the target and to learn to manipulate that club for the infrequent need.


Shambles

[drewfus813]

My lob wedge has 10 degrees of bounce. Not sure if that bit of info will help at all with my original question about replacing my sand wedge