52/58 or 52/56/60

[Phillip Alexander]

It would be fair to say looking at the various bags on the site, some run with 52/58 while others run with 52/56/60.

There are plusses and minuses to both set ups.

52/56/60 provides additional options around the green.

52/58 allows an extra club in the bag, probably a second utility or a 3 iron.

I've been a 52/56/60 for a long time, but my thinking is starting to change, particularly in light of what Carlton can do with a 58*.

Frankly I'm just interested in the views of others and the reasons for their particular set up.

[corky3]

It would be fair to say looking at the various bags on the site, some run with 52/58 while others run with 52/56/60.

There are plusses and minuses to both set ups.

52/56/60 provides additional options around the green.

52/58 allows an extra club in the bag, probably a second utility or a 3 iron.

I've been a 52/56/60 for a long time, but my thinking is starting to change, particularly in light of what Carlton can do with a 58*.

Frankly I'm just interested in the views of others and the reasons for their particular set up.

I've been using 54/59 for a couple of years now, and it suits MOST of the time, there is the odd occasion when I'm between PW and 54. I found with the 52/56/60 that I was using the 52 very little and

wanted to carry a 2-iron.

am thinking of returning to 56 SW though..... still reckon I can use my PW with half/3 quarter shots.

All in all it is a dilema........ maybe have all the wedges at home and decide on the day? Mind you I'd probably l;eave them in the bag, wonder why it's so heavy and then get DQ'd for having toomany clubs in the bag!

I too want to see what Carlton has to offer....... Come on Carlton!

[daamartin]

My strength is short game and I think 3 wedges gives more options to get it up and down (have just gone back to 3 after playing with 2 for a couple of years). Also found a big gap btw PW and 54. I will probably go to graphite shafts in 17* and 19* hybrids and put the 3w on the sideline (unless playing a very long course).

[ranghips]

I used to favour carrying 3 wedges ( plus PW), but have recently moved to 53* and 58* only and have found that my short game has improved as a result. I am now having to be more adventurous and 'manufacture' shots around the green, wether this has made me concentrate harder, or think more about the type of shot I need to play I don't know, but I do know that my game has improved and I now shoot in the 70's consistently rather than the mid 80's that I was achieving!

[gth1017]

I've got Copper Epons with Carlton grinds in 52* and 58*, and the way they're ground enables me to play shots like I have 5 wedges in the bag. Heck, I can even hit the 52* very well on longish trap shots and open the 58* to seem like a 62*. Don't overlook grinding as a method to "add" an extra wedge to your bag.

[Blader-X]

I actually just went through this for the last year. I had carried 3 wedges in addition to the PW. I then went down to a 52/58 combo starting early last year and up until recently. I did so wanting to put extra hybrids into play. Only thing is, my scores didn't correlate with that. I found that I couldn't be as creative as I wanted with only the two wedges. I also did not like the lack of spin I was getting with just the 58 by itself. Now this could be I didn't have the proper wedges but I since I've gone back to the 3 wedges my short game has returned and is even better than before. Maybe I'm just used to having a 60, mental or otherwise but I've taken out the PW and now have a 50/55/60 combo with the Epons. I've mentioned enough on this site my love for them so I'll just stick to this topic.

So my results are just like rangships except my where he found success taking out a wedge, my success returned bringing back a wedge. I'm more at ease with the 3 wedge makeup and since my PW didn't match the swingweights of my other irons, and never really found the distance I wanted with it its out of the bag. For any inbetween yardages from the 9iron to the 50, I just use the 9 and either grip down, saw it off a little or both. I'm now very happy and comfortable with my iron and wedge makeup. What it basically comes down to for me, is that I'm able to dial in distances better with these 3 wedges and don't have to manufacture a swing as I did when it was just the 52/58.

Its really interesting how personal and varied wedge makeups are for individuals. I find myself looking at pro's bags when listed in magazines and seeing what they like to do. I'm very happy having made the switch back and I don't see me switching to just 2 wedges anytime if at all. My scores are just to good now to even think about messing with that.

[idrive]

I have been bouncing back and forth on this one.

I have just gone back to the 52-56-60. I think the biggest reason for the extra wedge is the sand traps. Some are much harder than others. If they are hard, it's hard to get the 56 (high bounce) under the ball, it wants to bounce and you end up blading the ball. The 60* will get under the ball. Nice soft bunker the 56 works much better.

I like chipping with the 52* if I have any Green to work with. It is also my 70-100yd club.

I've been hitting a lot of Greens lately, but when I miss I want a club in my bag that will help me get it close regardless of the lie.

You are usually "saving" yourself with a great shot from around the Green.

[K2_2]

Great topic, as I was going to ask everyone their thoughts on this one tonight! For the guys using a 52/58 combo, what type of a grind to you have on each, and what do you use out of the sand (from people I have talked to, most would use the 58)?

I've played a 52/59 combo for ages (started with a very non-JDM 52 deg Ping SW and have used it for ~a decade). I use the 52 out of the sand, off of plush lies on the fairway, and it is my favourite club out of the rough, far and away. The only thing I can do with it is open it up on a tight lie, as the front edge doesn't lay down well with the way the bounce is configured. From a tight lie or hard packed sand I would use the 59.

I am trying a few new wedges, but I haven't found a 52 that is as good out of the sand (these are mostly set up to be an approach or gap wedge) and I haven't found a 58 that works well out of different types of sand while still allowing me to open it up off of a tight lie. And suggestions for a 58 that would be that 'well rounded?'

Thank you.

[shoe295]

I've played a few different set ups, 52-56-60, 53-58, and now 52-58. The 3 wedge set up gave me too many options which my small mind couldn't handle very well....I kept wondering if I was hitting the right club. I switched from 53 to 52 because when I changed irons my PW went from 49 to 47*. I like the versatility of the 58 much more than the 60 simply because the 60's I've used have very little bounce, which doesn't provide the versatility I like to have around the green. I find I need to be to precise with a 60 and make more mistakes than I do with a 58 that has more bounce. The 52 works well for longer bunker shots ( although I don't work so well on longer bunker shots it's not the fault of the club). It's also really good for longer chips when I want to keep the ball lower than my 58 would allow.

[ajaykkr]

For me it varies depending upon the course. For a course like Bethpage black where there is deep rough or deep bunkers around the greens and the greens usually at a higher elevation than the fairway, I use the following set-up D, 3W, 3H, 4-PW, 52,56,59. The 59 comes in handy anywhere around the green and helps to land the ball softly on the green.

Same goes for my home course - fast greens, with usually pins in very difficult positions, next to a ridge or at the edge etc. where the difference between stopping the ball and not stopping the ball on a chip could be 20 ft-40 ft. back over the ridge or the break.

for most other courses, where the greens are not tough or the greenside bunkers are not as deep or the rough is not as long, or there is not much elevation between the surrounding fairway/rough and the green, then I replace the 59* with a 5 wood/2H or a 3 iron depending upon the length of the holes

I am thinking of replacing the Zodia 59 with a yururi 61 to increase the softness of the landing (then again, I want to see if Carlton will come with a 60+ wedge).

[gocchin]

It appears as if the short game is also my strength so I was wondering too whether I should bag a 60* as I found myself reaching for the 58* a lot this past Monday. I am not long so my Scratch 47* PW which is a real wedge, Epon X 52* and 58* makes me in fact have 3 real wedges. They were by far the most dependable and used clubs (scoring clubs afterall!).

Anyone play a wedge with a loft even higher than 60*?

[master]

I toyed with the 50/56/60 set up for awhlie & found the gap between my P/46* & gap /50 too close. I mainly used 56* for all chippings & pitching, 60* for sand trap hence the usage of 60* was not often. I then switched to 52/58 combination & had a hard time adjusting to 58 for chipping & phitching & now switch back to 51/56. I am very comfortable with this set up & find my up & down stats back to where I was. So, if you are confidence with a set up , don't tinker it.

[kkcheo]

My PW is step up at 48* therefore, I play a set of 54* & 60* which gives me 6* difference on each club. I use a derivative of Pelz giving me 3 shots - 7, 9 and 11 o'clock swing on each wedge which is more than adequate for me. I tried pw,52,56,60 but thats too many wedges for me and end up thinking about all the different variations when I get to the ball instead of just playing golf!

I try to KISS golf :) - keep it simple stupid (me)!

Cheers

-Keng

[+TourSpecGolfer]

Im in the 52/57 or 53/58 camp.

I like having less options and rely on my sense of feel. I have tried the four wedge setup many times and it cost me shots as I seem to second guess my club selection a bit more than I do now.

[Forte]

I try to keep my irons evenly staggered.

My 9I is 40 and my PW is 44. My wedges are 50,56,60 so all my irons are evenly staggered between 4-5 degrees.

I also have a 64 degree wedge but that rarely sees action. I believe a 60 should be good enough.

[daamartin]

I think if most of us did the stats on where we could improve with respect to the pros it would be:

1. driving accuracy

2. getting it up and down from within 110 yards very regularly.

So this next 12 months I am going with 3 wedges, a higher lofted driver (yet to happen), 2 hybrids, no 3 wood, and a sh*tload of practice from 110 yards in. I have been stuck on a 5 handicap for maaaaaany years and it's time to set some goals. Plus it gives me an excuse to buy some new toys......