Wedges...

[nobmontana]

Wedges....  I'm not too crazy of a fanatic when it comes to wedges to be honest ... but that is rapidly changing.   When I got started with JDM back in 2009 or so,   I got a used set of Epon 208KGX in Copper in 52, 56 and 60 ....  I believe these wedges had non-conforming square grooves so they did spin like crazy.  Loved how forgiving they were and loved the feel on them too.    

Over the years,  I have tried Titleist, Mizuno, Tourstage, Yonex, SYB, Epon, Buchi, SDJ, Modart, Tataki, Zodia ...   Currently, I am using two sets of  Miura S-01 wedges .. a S-01 52, 58 custom ordered through their Miura Craftsman World (MCW) program and then another S-01 Tour 51, 57 also through their MCW program  and then I have a set of Seven AG wedges in 52 and 58. 

As I got better with my long game and iron game,  I am now at a point where my weaknesses are clearly showing up as my short game less than 100 yards and mostly around the greens.  And putting is just utterly pathetic compared to the rest of my game... we'll get to putters in my next post. 

As far as lofts go,  I am seeing a lot of occasions lately where I need a 110 yard shot.    Unfortunately,  the 52 falls a bit short and the PW is usually too much.   I am starting to flirt with the idea ( another expensive idea !! ? )    to possibly go with  a 50 54 58 set up.   My distance gaps would be 

PW = 125 , 50 = 110 , 54 = 95 , 58= 80   ....  15 yards apart ..  but for now,  52 58 is my set up. 

 

Miura Giken S-01  52, 58 / Modus Wedge 125 

Stock is more midsize than compact.  but MCW program allowed me to choose an option to have them make the overall shape a bit more compact.  Did seem to help a bit but still not small like other players wedges.  At address it does look pretty forgiving and easy to use.   These heads are made of  99.3 pure steel.  Which are a joy to hit.   Very soft off the face.  I think spin performance is pretty good but highly dependent on the type of ball used.   Using the 58 deg delofted from the green edge,  I can see a pretty nice bite before the ball releases.    On full shots,   I get a lot of backspin sometimes too much when the greens are super receptive.   The copper underlay + double nickel satin finish came out with a beautiful champagne gold hue and while  it really looks nice,  the double nickel satin appear to be not as durable as chrome satin and after one full season,  the copper on the sole is starting to show...  which is why I went with the Chrome Satin option on the new S-01 Tour. 

 

Seven AG Wedge 52, 58 / Modus Wedge 115 

I wanted to get wedges that match with my Seven x Shinagawa MB irons.   Though I could have gone with the Seven ST wedge, I kind of liked the unique sole design of the AG wedges,    The size is mid compact.  It's not super compact but it's definitely not big as your typical mid size wedge. I believe these are made of SS400 which feels super soft off the face.    The grooves grab the ball nicely for a very spinny full shot.     Small chips also check well.   I have the Modus Wedge 115 in these and they feel very smooth and controllable.    I am not sure if the channel on the sole is helping but these wedges do glide through the turf with ease.   Once these wedges wear out, I may move on to the ST wedges as I have tried them and they are even softer than the AG.   

 

Miura Giken S-01  Tour 51, 57 / WV 115 Tour Only 

Stock S-01 Tours are smaller sized than the original S-01 , but I went to get them even smaller through their MCW option.  Material is the same 99.3 pure steel ...  I did choose a different finish on these after seeing the copper underlay get exposed rather soon on my previous set.   I chose copper underlay + Satin Chrome finish this time in homes that they will last a bit longer.    Still very soft off the face but definitely slightly firmer than the double nickel finish.   The NS Pro WV115 Tour Only shaft is a recent pick up from the Bay.   According to NS Pro,  they are supposed to be similar specs as the old WV115 but with Modus Wedge graphics.    To me it does in fact feel just like the WV115 which is slightly more firmer than the Modus Wedge 115.      With the compact face,  the overall shape transition well from my PW from the CB1008 to the 51 deg.    As you can see, I am a big fan of the S-01 series wedges and I think they are the greatest wedges.   

[RLL33]

Another great write up, Nobs. 

I always used Miura wedges and still have most of them, could never sell even the worn out ones, so I'm with you on your love for those. Tried most of the wedges you mention, with the exception of the Modart. I learned the short game first, and still practice it more than anything else in my game. I SLEEP with wedges...!

And then the A-Grind showed up. I haven't looked back since.It gives me the scalpel-like control on short chips and pitches that the Miuras used to, but it also feels better on longer approach shots, more controlled even when adding swing speed. And out of sand, it's just hot knife time. I've had them refinished in burning copper, but even raw, I love them. Just curious if you've ever tried them... 

I should also say that when I got the set of the Seven MCB irons, it's the first time I've ever incorporated a set's wedges into my bag. Both the Pitch and Approach wedges in this set are scary easy to control in all different circumstances. If Chris ever offers a sand or lob MCB, I'd definitely give those a go, too. Still the only set of irons that has stopped me cold from even thinking about anything else... 

[RLL33]

Oh, and P.S., I should add that since I'm a 64* freak, I still have never found anything better than the (old) Cally forged copper.

[Ian-500]

Still digging(!) the Miura WMF-06.

[+TourSpecGolfer]

1 hour ago, RLL33 said:

Another great write up, Nobs. 

I always used Miura wedges and still have most of them, could never sell even the worn out ones, so I'm with you on your love for those. Tried most of the wedges you mention, with the exception of the Modart. I learned the short game first, and still practice it more than anything else in my game. I SLEEP with wedges...!

And then the A-Grind showed up. I haven't looked back since.It gives me the scalpel-like control on short chips and pitches that the Miuras used to, but it also feels better on longer approach shots, more controlled even when adding swing speed. And out of sand, it's just hot knife time. I've had them refinished in burning copper, but even raw, I love them. Just curious if you've ever tried them... 

I should also say that when I got the set of the Seven MCB irons, it's the first time I've ever incorporated a set's wedges into my bag. Both the Pitch and Approach wedges in this set are scary easy to control in all different circumstances. If Chris ever offers a sand or lob MCB, I'd definitely give those a go, too. Still the only set of irons that has stopped me cold from even thinking about anything else... 

We do sell the MCB 54 and 58 now.  

[cuistot]

Great topic Nobs.. I do love the wedges only wish I could play them better. For regular rotation.... the ST wedges 51-57-61 with MCI BLK Solid wedge shafts are all around great for me.  Other sets in rotation shafted in WV125+ WV115 are the Agrind 56 in chrome satin then picked up a 52/58 set in Raw. Next Id  say the Fourteen MT28 V5 forged set then the ON-OFF S Forged in 52/58 have a really good feel but seem less than compact.. I like the Agrind in the NW summer but fall and winter the other sets with differing bounce play more comfortably. Other sets and singles around the house are Yamaha RAW, PRGR TR 2010, Seven 56 burning copper, PRGR ID Nabla Tour and Royal Collection DB.

What is Important that ive read here and it is really true is to match sole grinds with the course conditions your playing.

 

[nobmontana]

You and your wedges Warren!!  With your collection,  my 3 pairs actually don't looks so bad!!  ? 

Hope you are doing well!   If you're ready for some fall/winter golf in the rain,  I'm all game! 

Maybe high bounce wedges are the way to go in the muddy conditions.     

 

Edited November 1, 2018 by nobmontana

[supo]

wedges , someone  say wedges?????

 

im  the BIGGEST otaku for wedges the world has ever known.

seriously.  I currently ....... have 70 od wedges  from 46* to 70*

overall for OEMS  I really  like what PR-GR do, and what tourstage and Yamaha  used to do. every year they  go slightly  different , carefull not to release a same as prior, im not overly genki on this  or last yrs releases but their prior stuff has always been lovely to  play.

 their old  PRGR tr range  ( flat  sole and round sole )  is hard for me to take out of the bag depening on days grass. the spin is great without ripping balls up but enough to get ur attention. and they just look good with ONSET. can get pretty funy with these

the newer range, prgr  LTD  and nabla black  have been my go to for a while. LTD are as close to the most nondescript easy to hit wedge there is. A lovely crisp feel that gives u instant feedback , good spin, lovely matt black colour. just a " set of wedges  for any bag.

The nablas are smaller compact thicker much more aggressive grooves tiny thin sole these are scoring wedges u can do anything with.

I game these in comps now. 52/56 with a 60*  fourteen mt28.

 

of all wedges I  play, and its a diff set each week , over history  I think the

Yamaha black raw  ,

fourteen mt28 prototype,

tourstage x wedges ( for pear shaped maniacs) ,

syard bold,

prgr nabla,

yururi 1.618

and for lob wedges , fourteen mt5/ fourteen mt28, prgr tr are my str8 off the top of my head faves.

IF I had to have  just one set  id go for a combo

52* Yamaha raw  /  or 53* fourteen mt 28 prototype for a mid loft AW

yururi  pw bent to 48 as a lower loft option to take the PW out of most bags bec, to be honest, they  blow.

56* cant not have a 56*... hmm  syard bold for  grassy conds or a touratge x-wedge for summer in oz.

lob wedges something form above

im actually very happy to throw away the PW from virtually every  set I have  and play the 48* yururi 2010  MB  instead.

then mix match  with something from above

48 + either a 52/53 then a 56/57   deepening  and   a flared soled 60*  are my go.

a few.pices which go ok

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 2, 2018 by supo

[bngolfer]

12 hours ago, cuistot said:

Great topic Nobs.. I do love the wedges only wish I could play them better. For regular rotation.... the ST wedges 51-57-61 with MCI BLK Solid wedge shafts are all around great for me.  Other sets in rotation shafted in WV125+ WV115 are the Agrind 56 in chrome satin then picked up a 52/58 set in Raw. Next Id  say the Fourteen MT28 V5 forged set then the ON-OFF S Forged in 52/58 have a really good feel but seem less than compact.. I like the Agrind in the NW summer but fall and winter the other sets with differing bounce play more comfortably. Other sets and singles around the house are Yamaha RAW, PRGR TR 2010, Seven 56 burning copper, PRGR ID Nabla Tour and Royal Collection DB.

What is Important that ive read here and it is really true is to match sole grinds with the course conditions your playing.

 

Thanks for the great write-up Nobs!

Damn these wedges look great Warren. I play 50/56 SDJ Proto 115 (from Stu) and a Yururi Tataki 60.5. Next year I'd love to get the ST - think the shape is similar to the Royal Collection 6150 that I played in 49/55/60 for years and years. Loved them but they are done.

[nobmontana]

Wow Stu-san!   that is one hell of a collection!!    I counted 34 but I think I missed a few underneath!!!  ?

 

[cuistot]

20 hours ago, supo said:

wedges , someone  say wedges?????

 

im  the BIGGEST otaku for wedges the world has ever known.

seriously.  I currently ....... have 70 od wedges  from 46* to 70*

overall for OEMS  I really  like what PR-GR do, and what tourstage and Yamaha  used to do. every year they  go slightly  different , carefull not to release a same as prior, im not overly genki on this  or last yrs releases but their prior stuff has always been lovely to  play.

 their old  PRGR tr range  ( flat  sole and round sole )  is hard for me to take out of the bag depening on days grass. the spin is great without ripping balls up but enough to get ur attention. and they just look good with ONSET. can get pretty funy with these

the newer range, prgr  LTD  and nabla black  have been my go to for a while. LTD are as close to the most nondescript easy to hit wedge there is. A lovely crisp feel that gives u instant feedback , good spin, lovely matt black colour. just a " set of wedges  for any bag.

The nablas are smaller compact thicker much more aggressive grooves tiny thin sole these are scoring wedges u can do anything with.

I game these in comps now. 52/56 with a 60*  fourteen mt28.

 

of all wedges I  play, and its a diff set each week , over history  I think the

Yamaha black raw  ,

fourteen mt28 prototype,

tourstage x wedges ( for pear shaped maniacs) ,

syard bold,

prgr nabla,

yururi 1.618

and for lob wedges , fourteen mt5/ fourteen mt28, prgr tr are my str8 off the top of my head faves.

IF I had to have  just one set  id go for a combo

52* Yamaha raw  /  or 53* fourteen mt 28 prototype for a mid loft AW

yururi  pw bent to 48 as a lower loft option to take the PW out of most bags bec, to be honest, they  blow.

56* cant not have a 56*... hmm  syard bold for  grassy conds or a touratge x-wedge for summer in oz.

lob wedges something form above

im actually very happy to throw away the PW from virtually every  set I have  and play the 48* yururi 2010  MB  instead.

then mix match  with something from above

48 + either a 52/53 then a 56/57   deepening  and   a flared soled 60*  are my go.

a few.pices which go ok

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ahhh wedges the high heeled ladies as only stu would say.... "There she goes just a walking down the street singing duwa diddy diddy dum diddy dee...

 

More wedges

[Ian-500]

45 minutes ago, cuistot said:

Ahhh wedges the high heeled ladies as only stu would say.... "There she goes just a walking down the street singing duwa diddy diddy dum diddy dee...

 

More wedges

How are those OnOff S-Forged?

[cuistot]

22 hours ago, supo said:

1 hour ago, cuistot said:

42 minutes ago, Ian-500 said:

How are those OnOff S-Forged?

ONOFF S-Forged Shingo Katayama Model

Forged S20C steel with an Ni-Cr plating. Rumor has it that Endo is producing these wedges and by looking at the material and finish its identical to what other brands use when manufactured by Endo.

The new S-Forged meets the new groove regulations and the 52 vs 58 do show some differences between the same wedge in different lofts. The 52* has a bounce of 6* where the 58* features 10 degree’s of bounce. The offset is quite a bit less in the 58* than the 52*. The face finish is also a bit different where the 58* has very light detailed CNC milling, the last difference is the sole shape I would say the 52 is more of a round sole while the 58 is a multi-grind. 

Ahhh wedges the high heeled ladies as only stu would say.... "There she goes just a walking down the street singing duwa diddy diddy dum diddy dee...

 

More wedges

wedges , someone  say wedges?????

 

im  the BIGGEST otaku for wedges the world has ever known.

seriously.  I currently ....... have 70 od wedges  from 46* to 70*

overall for OEMS  I really  like what PR-GR do, and what tourstage and Yamaha  used to do. every year they  go slightly  different , carefull not to release a same as prior, im not overly genki on this  or last yrs releases but their prior stuff has always been lovely to  play.

 their old  PRGR tr range  ( flat  sole and round sole )  is hard for me to take out of the bag depening on days grass. the spin is great without ripping balls up but enough to get ur attention. and they just look good with ONSET. can get pretty funy with these

the newer range, prgr  LTD  and nabla black  have been my go to for a while. LTD are as close to the most nondescript easy to hit wedge there is. A lovely crisp feel that gives u instant feedback , good spin, lovely matt black colour. just a " set of wedges  for any bag.

The nablas are smaller compact thicker much more aggressive grooves tiny thin sole these are scoring wedges u can do anything with.

I game these in comps now. 52/56 with a 60*  fourteen mt28.

 

of all wedges I  play, and its a diff set each week , over history  I think the

Yamaha black raw  ,

fourteen mt28 prototype,

tourstage x wedges ( for pear shaped maniacs) ,

syard bold,

prgr nabla,

yururi 1.618

and for lob wedges , fourteen mt5/ fourteen mt28, prgr tr are my str8 off the top of my head faves.

IF I had to have  just one set  id go for a combo

52* Yamaha raw  /  or 53* fourteen mt 28 prototype for a mid loft AW

yururi  pw bent to 48 as a lower loft option to take the PW out of most bags bec, to be honest, they  blow.

56* cant not have a 56*... hmm  syard bold for  grassy conds or a touratge x-wedge for summer in oz.

lob wedges something form above

im actually very happy to throw away the PW from virtually every  set I have  and play the 48* yururi 2010  MB  instead.

then mix match  with something from above

48 + either a 52/53 then a 56/57   deepening  and   a flared soled 60*  are my go.

a few.pices which go ok

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ahhh wedges the high heeled ladies as only stu would say.... "There she goes just a walking down the street singing duwa diddy diddy dum diddy dee...

 

More wedges

[Ian-500]

Yes, er what I meant was how do they play/feel? 

[supo]

nobs san thats just  what i puiled.out from the boxes. the game bags have a few sets  and about 20 odd back home ,pretty much the same style but with a few more.tourstage  thin soled x wedges and a few  s-yards as well

 

what clubs problem????

Edited November 4, 2018 by supo

[cuistot]

Ian, The S-Forged shafted with WV125 and WV115 on the 58 had great feel. Very soft, dense at impact but not gushy. The 58 has mill lines on the face so the ball drops and stops for me fairly well.  I have read they compare to Crazy Toyoshima, Muira MB-5000 and other top end wedges although I myself haven't experienced these. I can say the Seven Copper is softer or more gushy and the Seven ST with MCI Black "Soild" shaft and perfect pro cord grips even raw have a denser feel. Well struck the S-Forgfed makes my heart sing. Which reminds my only hole in one was with the 52 four yrs ago.

 

Edited November 3, 2018 by cuistot

[Ian-500]

7 minutes ago, cuistot said:

Ian, The S-Forged shafted with WV125 and WV115 on the 58 had great feel. Very soft, dense at impact but not gushy. The 58 has mill lines on the face so the ball drops and stops for me fairly well.  I have read they compare to Crazy Toyoshima, Muira MB-5000 and other top end wedges although I myself haven't experienced these. I can say the Seven Copper is softer or more gushy and the Seven ST with MCI Black "Soild" shaft and perfect pro cord grips even raw have a denser feel. Well struck the S-Forgfed makes my heart sing. Which reminds my only hole in one was with the 52 four yrs ago.

 

Just saying that you had a hole in one with them is good enough for me. Thanks. ?

[nobmontana]

Picked up a used 50 54 58 wedge set ...  we'll see how it works. 

[Ian-500]

5 hours ago, nobmontana said:

Picked up a used 50 54 58 wedge set ...  we'll see how it works. 

Of the OnOff 's? 

[nobmontana]

  found a used set of Epon Tour Wedges in 50 54 58 to match with my EponSUS irons.  They have Shimada Tour Lites in them now but I’ll be reshafting them with either the Modus 125 Wedge or the WV125 Tour Only shafts

Edited November 4, 2018 by nobmontana

[cuistot]

Nice match nobs! I have an Epon 208 somewhere here. 

[nobmontana]

Hoping that these wedges will provide the distances that I need!   

[Hutch]

1 hour ago, nobmontana said:

Hoping that these wedges will provide the distances that I need!   

Good pick up Nobs

I think Dean plays exact same numbers in those...... with Modus 115 stiff

Has not changed for a long time......they must be good.

[nobmontana]

Good to know!!   I do like the simple design on those wedges.   

 

 

  

[supo]

cpl of close ups of some of my prefereds..

 

top pics:   yuriri 1.618 and  tourstage x wedge  for pear  shaped heaven. not found   sets  more appealing for those that love  fruit!

2nd shots:  the prgr tr onset art address. makes loking at the back of the ball and schralllping it  a simplicity

1.618 yururi again  and the best  pw IVE  found, the yururi  flatback. play this with most sets now days and discard  the pw from the set.

3rd shots: fourteen mt 28 prototypes + yonex ezone sets of 3.

just magical for  harder ground and clipping clean.

4th shots:  prgr mix of different models. take ur pick I cant  split em!

 

 

Edited November 7, 2018 by supo