Replace 52 and 56 wedge with a 54 degree wedge?

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By Dave D

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  • 29 Replies
  1. Dave D

    Dave D
    Scituate, MA

    I'n thinking of replacing my 56.11 and 52.08 with a 54.11. I usually hit my 52 about 120 yds, and it's almost always a full swing. My 56 is around 95-100 yards. Partial swings with the 56 happen, although it depends on the lie and how close I am to my 60° distance.

    I'm thinking of putting a 54° in the bag so I can add back my 2 iron or a hybrid club. I'm thinking this way because I'm realizing it is a relative rarity that I hit my 52, but I hit the 56 and 60 several times per round. I'm guessing the 54 will get me around 110 yds, and that will require a little feel to cover the gap.

    Anyone else make this switch? I noticed t was pretty popular on the Wedgeworks site. Am I crazy to think about doing this?

    Current set: 3-PW, 52, 56, 60, 3W, and driver.
    Proposed: 17° hybrid, 3-PW, 54, 60, 3W, and driver. 

  2. Lou G

    Lou G
    San Diego, CA

    My setup is driver, 3W, 7W, 5H, 34H, 7-PW, 54-11, 56-14, 60-07 and 64-07. I can hit a 6 iron but why bother? (the 34H goes the same distance with little effort; it is also a rather heavy club because it is persimmon with a steel shaft). This covers all bases because I have a general purpose sand wedge for most courses and the high bounce SW for fluffy traps or thick grass. The 64 has a composite grind sole and works rather nicely in somewhat soft bunkers. No need for a gap wedge because my PW is 50 degrees. 54-11 isn't a bad idea in place of the 52 and 56. The 54 works OK on tight lies by playing the ball back a little (you de-loft it anyway). In regards to "feel covering the gap", I read that you are changing your swing speed to shorten the distance. Try choking down on the club instead (for every 1/2" you cut distance by 10 yards on a full swing, 5 yards on a 1/2 swing and about 2.5 on a chip).
  3. John E

    John E
    Sacramento, CA

    About six months ago I thought about doing the same thing. What I ended up doing was keeping the 52.08 and getting a 58.12. I was then able to add a 19 degree hybrid. Since my PW is a 47.08, I figured the 5 degree gap to the 52 along with the 6 degree gap to the 58 would be fine. So far I haven't had any trouble making this combination work. I guess it's all personal preference. My set now is : 10.5 degree driver, 15 degree fairway wood, 19 degree hybrid, 3-P irons, 52 wedge and a 58 wedge. I'm sure that whatever you decide to get will work out just fine.

  4. Lou G

    Lou G
    San Diego, CA

    John E said:

    About six months ago I thought about doing the same thing. What I ended up doing was keeping the 52.08 and getting a 58.12. I was then able to add a 19 degree hybrid. Since my PW is a 47.08, I figured the 5 degree gap to the 52 along with the 6 degree gap to the 58 would be fine. So far I haven't had any trouble making this combination work. I guess it's all personal preference. My set now is : 10.5 degree driver, 15 degree fairway wood, 19 degree hybrid, 3-P irons, 52 wedge and a 58 wedge. I'm sure that whatever you decide to get will work out just fine.

    \ In my old set (Golfsmith P2 6-PW and 51), I carried a 58/12 Vokey and a Harmonized 64. I discovered 64 degree wedges in 2006. I recently acquired the Vokey Spin Milled 64 and it has been a gem (works nicely in a greenside bunker where you have to hit to a tight pin).
  5. Dave D

    Dave D
    Scituate, MA

    Alright, I'm sold. I ordered my 54.11 and 60.07 this morning. I went with the 60 over the 58 because I'm confident in my ability to vary the distance with the 54, and the 60 is so comfortable for me around the greens.

    Next, it will be a trip to the fitter for a 17 or 19 degree hybrid so I can have my equivalent of my old 2 iron back in the bag. There are so many courses where the 2 iron (or 2H) is more than enough for me off the tee (230-240 yds). Plus, the hybrid will be a bit easier on those par 5's where I go for it, which is rare unless I'm around 200-210 out. Outside of 210-220, I know my wedges are far more deadly. With this new makeup, my layup will change from 95-100 to 105-110. Simple math. :-)

    I'm looking forward to it!

  6. Lou G

    Lou G
    San Diego, CA

    Dave D said:

    Alright, I'm sold. I ordered my 54.11 and 60.07 this morning. I went with the 60 over the 58 because I'm confident in my ability to vary the distance with the 54, and the 60 is so comfortable for me around the greens.

    Next, it will be a trip to the fitter for a 17 or 19 degree hybrid so I can have my equivalent of my old 2 iron back in the bag. There are so many courses where the 2 iron (or 2H) is more than enough for me off the tee (230-240 yds). Plus, the hybrid will be a bit easier on those par 5's where I go for it, which is rare unless I'm around 200-210 out. Outside of 210-220, I know my wedges are far more deadly. With this new makeup, my layup will change from 95-100 to 105-110. Simple math. :-)

    I'm looking forward to it!

    The 54 was easy to adapt to because I had been using a 54/12 SV Tour SW for quite some time now. I traded the that and a Burner 5H (which was of no added value anyhow) plus a small amount of cash for the Vokey 54-11. So far the results are great (just gotta hone it to where I can hole out occasionally, just like I did with the 60-07). A month and a half ago I got a sneaky bird by holing out a 20 yard over the bunker shot on a 403 yard par 4. I might add that it is rather easy to do a cut shot or flop shot with the 54. I sacrifice a little bit on the long end (why I carry a driver, 3W, 7W, 5H - the spacing between the 3 and 7 is 15 yards and the spacing between the 7 and the 5H is also 15 yards) to have more versatility on the short game. I rotate golf courses in San Diego county, so I have a high bounce sand wedge (SV Tour 56/14) for the really fluffy stuff and thick grass and the 54-11 for just about everything else. I've been carrying 64 degree wedges since 2006 and some golf courses have narrow greens and pin placement is often about 10 feet from the front of the green.

  7. Dave D

    Dave D
    Scituate, MA

    I've never hit a 64° wedge, but I know it gives me pause when I setup with it at the golf shop. More often that not, I'm opening the face of my 60 around the green, but the 64 looks practically flat without even opening it. More often than not, my short game results in 1 putt, and I've holed one out at least one 3 out my last 4 rounds. My strategy is usually to get as much roll as possible using anything from a 7 on up. The 56 (soon to be 54) is out of the rough or sand, and the 60 is for 80 yards in or my trusty flop shot. That flop shot saved me many times.

  8. Brent W

    Brent W
    St George, UT

    So now you have a Pitching wedge lets say 120 to 135 and a 60* for a full shot 80 yards maybe and around the greens.

    So now you have one club, your 54* for a 40 yard gap. Good luck.

  9. Dave D

    Dave D
    Scituate, MA

    I don't see it as 40 yards. I see it as a small change in strategy. I never try and get as close to a green as possible. It's either easily all the way on or get me to 100 yards (soon to be 110). Hence, I hit a lot of irons on short par 4s or driver/3w, 9 iron, SW on par 5s.

    There was a time last year where I lost confidence in my 60 from the fairway. As a result, I used my 56 for every shot from 100 yards in. My 60 was either removed in favor of my 3 iron or confined to times when I expected a lot of elevated greens and a need for flop style shots. I keep stats for practice, and I've always averaged around 3 shots to get down from inside 100 yards. If I could only get my head together and fix my tee shot, I would be back down to the single digits.

    I'm looking forward to it. No matter what happens, I still have the 52 and the 56 is this experiment fails.

  10. T. Kyle

    T. Kyle
    New Market, VA

    3/4 PW goes right in the middle.

  11. Dave D

    Dave D
    Scituate, MA

    For me, I usually always only swing 75-80% with all my wedges anyway. That lets me concentrate on making really good contact. I've learned over the years that I often get just as much distance this way and a lot more stopping power. Taking a few yards off a shot means I choke up on the club and swing away normally.

    I'm sure it will take me some time learning the new distances given that both my PW (now 47°) and SW (now 54°) changed lofts, but I'm actually looking forward to figuring it out. Practicing and learning new shots are things I love about golf. Hopefully, I can keep my putting average less than 2 per hole. That's the goal anyway.

  12. Dave D

    Dave D
    Scituate, MA

    3 rounds now with the new wedges, and I'm not looking back. I'm not missing the 52 and 56 at all. My new 54 is working perfectly, and I'm actually finding an even greater range of accuracy. Several tap-in birdies and par saves, plus some sandies have me convinced I made the right choice. Combine this with how well the 17° 910H is working, and I'm very happy right now.

  13. Lou G

    Lou G
    San Diego, CA

    I replaced my 60-07 and 64-07 with a 62-07. The 62-07 does as much as both of them put together. My Vokey wedge setup is 54-11 c-c, 58-12 and 62-07. The 58-12 is really a handy wedge where you need to dig or hit down on the ball (such as a pitch shot from a severe downhill lie on a mound to a green downhill).
  14. Lou G

    Lou G
    San Diego, CA

    That 54 is the bomb when it comes to wedges. I have it bent to 55 (makes the bounce 12 deg) because I had a bit of a comfort zone with my old Snake Eyes Q3I do it yourself club. It works equally well in soft sand, tight lies, hard sand and all around pitching. Even 4 years ago I found no value in a 52 degree wedge (tried a Vokey and a Taylor Made RAC and neither did anything for me). I have a 51 in my DCI iron set but its only real purpose is to cover the distance between 80-100 yards (I get into pitching territory with a PW at 75). I don't really use a gap wedge for pitching.
  15. Jakes D

    Jakes D
    somerset west, 0

    lou you must be a wedge expert!!  the more i read these strings the clearer it becomes that there is a desperate need in the market for proper club fitting this includes wedges. some people talk about the one being heavier that is why they did like it more or less. the reason people need 5 wedges is because they are not properly fitted. with any club you can change the weight, loft, lies, length, grip. all my clubs including the 2 wedges 53 c grind from Miura and 57 y grind from Miura are custom fit to the weight I like, lie angle, length and grip size. having done this I had no use for a 60 or 62 degree wedge. I can play these from any lie and by opening and closing the blade change the loft and the solegrind is designed to work on different conditions. I can play the 53 from a deep  potbunker by opening the blade and stance. I am sure Vokey wedges also offer sole grinds with loft options that will allow any good player to get away with a far less complicated wedge system. we can buy golf shoes in half numbers and get styles to fit but we buy wedges/golfclubs of the rack that is not suited for our needs.  keep score of how many times a round you need to use the different wedges, how many times you get up and down. 

  16. Lou G

    Lou G
    San Diego, CA

    Thanks! I've developed a reasonably good short game. I also learned quite a bit about clubfitting in 2009 because I constructed a set of irons. Like yourself, I started playing golf in 1972 and the first set I had was a Spalding laminated 3 and 4 wood, Walter Hagen 3-5-7-9 irons, Haig Ultra Dual Wedge and a putter. I played on the Soph golf team with this setup (which I used until 1979, when my Dad handed down his X-31 iron set) and broke 90 a week before going to boot camp in 1975 (I also had a rep in the caddyshack about out-driving most of the men at the Country Club WITH A 3 WOOD). My short game (especially putting) was not so good. I played very little golf between 1993 and 2006 (and didn't play since 2003). Big thing - for some odd reason, my height (which had been 5'11 3/4") changed to 6'1 in 2005 (during an insurance physical). Started hooking woods. In 2008, my dad gave a tip about standing more upright - straightened out the woods but caused the irons to go haywire. The temporary band aid was to use a 38H, a longer 9 iron and 50 wedge, and install a 1/2" extension to the SW and XW (I carried a 58-12 and 64-05) and I played halfway reasonable with it (low- mid 90s). The light bulb hit in 2009 and that is when I found out the importance of lie angles. I constructed a set of irons (Snake Eyes Q3I 5-SW and 600W lob wedge). I actually broke 90 using a 38H and the only irons were the Snake Eyes 9-SW and the LW. I set the 9 iron to 64 deg lie angle and the wedges to 64.5. I slowly added the 7 and 8 irons in the lineup (lie angles at 63 and 63.5, respectively). I changed my swing to a "stack and tilt" in 2009 and my ball striking has been very consistent since then and I have been able to add a 6 iron back in (as of early last year). Also, even putter fitting is very important (I recently upgraded to an Odyssey White Hot putter and had it fitted for 35" length and 2 deg upright). I have a set of DCI irons (4-GW) that I had fit. I can hit all the way up to the 4 iron but I am a bit spoiled with my 5H. I play to a 12 handicap on a regulation course and near scratch on an exec course (and there is one in SD that has a 485 yard par 5). Don't have the distance I used to (I drive between 230-240 and hit a 7 iron about 145-150) so I have to rely on short game for the 420+ par 4s (which is a driver and a 7 wood). As far as wedges, my PW,GW and 54-11 have the lie angles at 64.5 and the 58-12 and 62-07 have the lie angles at 65. I could actually leave out the GW and the 58-12 because I do a lot with the 54-11 (which is bent to 55-12) and I am finding out that the 62-07 does more than the 60-07 and 64-07 did put together (and it plays more like a high loft sand wedge). You mention you use a 57 deg sand wedge. That is basically the loft of a SW from the good old days of Golf. I played with a 58 degree sand wedge between 2007-2009 because I found it too complicated to decide whether or not to use a 55 deg SW or 60 LW. I still can do quite a bit with the 58-12. I would have to say that I use my 54 for about 90 percent of my shots within 60 yards of the pin. I rarely use a lob wedge (generally in hard greenside bunkers or tight lies within 40 yards of the pin) and maybe once or twice in a round use a 64. Last time I played, my short game was mainly bump n run with a 9 or PW since they had a few of the pins on two tiered greens. I'll give you an insight on a 64 wedge. Quite a few golfers don't know how to hit them properly (even a 60, for that matter). A low bounce X wedge (62 or 64) is MUCH easier to use in a deep bunker with sand like concrete vs a standard sand wedge. A low bounce 64 comes in handy for pitching downhill on a mound with a severe downhill lie to a tight pin placement. You can also be a bit more aggressive near the green with a 62 or 64. The biggest proponent of 4-5 wedge setups is Dave Pelz (Phil's short game coach). Like I've probably thrown all over the forums, I could go out and play golf with a driver, 7 wood, 5H, 7-PW, 54-11, 62-07 and a putter and still play a reasonable game. The 3W, 6 iron, GW and 58-12 are "nice to have." My setup fits the way I play golf.
  17. Jakes D

    Jakes D
    somerset west, 0

    Dave D. I have been playing golf for 32 years so I come out of the days of Persimmons drivers and seen the technologu eveolve. I have been a low sigle figure handicap for 30 years. I have seen the change in all technology and the change in golf courses. I have never seen the need for a 64 degree wedge, in fact not even a 60 degree wedge. If you play like Phil or the big bommers who need 5 wedges to escape from all the crap then yes. if you manage the game and play the course the way it was designed to be then you play a simple wedge system like Tom Watson and 95 % of the tour players. I play 48 degree PW, 53 Degree Gap and 57 Sand. C grind if I need to play a lob shot I open the face. I also prefer to chp and run rather then hit the spin and stop much more consistant. A lot of pro's play 52/53/54 and 58/60.
  18. Lou G

    Lou G
    San Diego, CA

    I have 10 essential clubs in my golf bag (driver, 7 wood, 9 wood, DCI 7-PW, Spin Milled 54-11 and 62-07 wedges and a putter); this is the bare minimum I carry when I play golf anywhere. Have 4 "nice to have" clubs (3 wood, DCI GW, Spin-Milled 58-12 and a 2 way chipping iron). Not everybody has the same short game. I happen to prefer pitching over chipping because that is my comfort zone. I would say that I have a decent short game. The 62-07 is a recent trade for a 60-07 and 64-07. I've simplified by 1 club and the 62 does more than both put together. I have quite an array of shots between the 54-11 and 62-07. I haven't played the 58-12 on the golf course yet but my wedge setup between 2007-2009 was P, 51, 258-12 and 64-05 (I rarely used the 64) and I may relegate it to my other golf bag. I didn't find any value in using a gap wedge other than for 80-100 yards shots, so I haven't used one since 2008. I don't use a gap wedge at all for pitching and may not even use it on the course.
  19. Ryan Crysler

    Ryan Crysler
    West Palm Beach, FL

    I like it!  I like it a lot!  I used to play a very similar setup.  With the 910s though, I took out three and 4 iron.  I play:

    910D3 8.5 D-1
    910F 15 B-1
    910H 19 B-1
    910H 21 C-4

    5-7 CB

    8-9 MB

    Vokey 48, 54, 60, 64. 

  20. Brent W

    Brent W
    St George, UT

    I tried it but it seems you have to either swing the 54 really soft for those 90 to 105 yard shots and hard for the 110 to 120.

    At least that was what it felt like for me. you notice R.C has a 64 so he is still playing a 3 wedge setup;)

  21. Lou G

    Lou G
    San Diego, CA

    You shouldn't have to change your swing tempo for the shots. If you want to shave 10 yards off a shot, grip down 1/2" and to shave 20 grip down 1". The way you control your distance is not by how hard or soft you hit it but by how much you choke down, how close you put your feet together or the length of your backswing. Dave Pelz has these kinds of tips.
  22. Lou G

    Lou G
    San Diego, CA

    For ages, I carried an old school golf set (1-3-4 persimmon woods, 2-PW and 58 deg dual wedge). When I took up golf again in 2006 (I had two 3 year hiatuses), I changed my setup. I found out I fared better with a 7 wood vs a 3 or 4 iron hybrid. The 7W is a can't miss club. I also have a Heavenwood 5H that is another no miss club. I'm thinking about going on e-Bay and getting a Eye 2 green dot 6 iron; however, I am spoiled a bit rotten with the Louisville persimmon hybrid I've had in my bag since March (I pretty much hit 160 dead straight and it drops on a dime). It weighs in at D7 swingweight with a Winn Excel RF grip. My 7-PW are Eye 2 green dot and I love them to death. The 54-11 in my set is a Spin Milled c-c and it performed admirably on the inaugural round today. I've been using the Spin Milled 60 and 64 for 6 months now and have pretty much a terror around the greens; the 64 even hits bunker shots to a tight pin in somewhat soft sand.

  23. JPHB

    JPHB
    Brooklyn, NY

    I recently took out my 56 and 60 (Mizunos) and replaced them with Vokey TVDs - 54 and 58.

     

    Love it!!!

  24. Mads

    Mads
    Christchurch, 0

    Its funny, I thinking of going the other way.   I am currently playing 54 and 60 degree wedges.  But often feel the gap from my PW to my 54 is too big.  I having to play softer PW or very hard 54's.  So I am just about buy new (from wedgeworks) series of vokey's 52 bend to 51; 56 bend to 55 and new 60.  That way I can keep the 4 degrees between PW to 51 and 51 to 55.  That would enable me do the same two types of swings that doing with my current 54 and get a very different distances and shot styles (spin).  I agree with many of the other comments your got on this, that it really does depend on the person, but also what ball you playing, the course (either soft or hard fairways; plus if course forces you scrambles a lot) which has somewhat impact on the bounce needed.  Regarding the ball, I used to always play Pro-V1x for distance, feel and less spin.  However, at my course I really need to sharper in short game particularly with spin control on approaching and scrambling shots.  I have had to slow down my drive swing speed to avoid to spin when drive, but I have gain a lot control in approaching shot and scambling around the green, by changing to Pro-V1.

    Current set up: Driver, Hybrid 17degrees, 3-PW, 54 and 60

    New set up: Driver, Hybrid 17degrees, 3-PW,51, 55 and 60

    Good luck with the changes.

     

  25. Dave D

    Dave D
    Scituate, MA

    Last night, I ordered the last piece of this new set makeup -- a 17° 910H. I started out looking at the 19°, but there was only about a 5 yard gap between my 3 iron and the 19°.

    Hopefully, I will have my new 54.11, 60.07, and 910H in the bag next week, and then I can let everyone know how it works out.

    I'm also really curious how much the C-C grooves will affect me. I usually get plenty of spin with my regular irons on full swings, but it's hard to say what partial swings will do for me. Note, you can still order regular spin milled Vokeys, but they have to be left over stock. If you have anything custom done, Titleist can only give you the C-C wedges.

  26. 67 VIP

    67 VIP
    Brandon, 0

    I carry 5208/5812 spin milled vokeys, along with 3-pw, 19* hybrid, 15* three wood, and 10.5 driver. I had four wedges in the bag at one time and it was just too confusing. Plus I had to give up a 3 iron, hybrid, or 3 wood to make the 14 club limit. I didn't like that and after playing in a tournament that had a course set up of almost 6800 yards, I knew it was a mistake. I see alot of commentators on tv and magazines state that us amatuers should carry 4-5 wedges, no irons longer than a 5-6 iron, no three wood, etc, etc. They must assume we all play 6000 yard courses and have no need to hit half the clubs in the bag. I personally have no interest whatsoever playing at that distance, I prefer to play 65-6800 yards and every once in a while when I feel really good, I like to bite off alittle more. I can still reach par 5s in two, as well as long par 4s, but it's awfully nhard to do that when your missing one or two clubs you need for those shots. What's funny is now that I'm in the UK for three years, their courses are shorter by American standards, and from the tips might only be 6500 yards. I had one staff member at a club tell me that only pro's play back there, I remember thinking...well maybe 30 years ago they did.

  27. Lou G

    Lou G
    San Diego, CA

    I tried a 52 Vokey and a Taylor Made RAC 52 gap wedge probably about 4 years ago and I found out that they didn't do much for me. To be honest, I could play golf with my PW, 54-11 (bent to 55-12) and 62-07 for a wedge lineup and that would be all I would need.
  28. jerry n

    jerry n
    venice, CA

    I replaced my 56* with a 54* and it has worked out great.  I find that a 54* is more versitle and it is just effective out of the sand.  The only adjustment I had to make is to open the face a little more when in a trap

  29. Dave D

    Dave D
    Scituate, MA

    My wedges arrived yesterday but not in time for my weekly league. I'm heading to the shop to pick them up in a few minutes. I'm looking forward to hitting them. Hopefully, the weather holds out (raining right now).

  30. Quintin H

    Quintin H
    Morehead, KY

    Dave

    I just put a 54/14 cc in the bag, it replaced nothing, made 14 clubs.

    I've always used PW and 1 other wedge. My new other(bought last week) is a 60/10, my old other was also 60/10, the new is heavier and works better. I went 8 for 8 up and downs today, 0-2 sand saves(just couldn't hit the ball far enough).

    I'll find out tomorrow how I like the Vokey.

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