Wedge lofts and use cases...

[nobmontana]

After I got my 50 54 58 Epon wedges, I've been starting to think more about when to use which club.... normal iron shots are an easy decision making.  You have a yardage and you choose a club that fits the yardage.  simple (... well in most cases  )    but as you go into the sub-100 yard territory,  there may be different choices for certain reasons ...  my playing buddy who is a near scratch player who also has a 50 54 58 set up told me that he uses his 54 for chip shots needing to  "rollout"  and his 58 for chips that require much less roll out.    So I have been using that guideline and its been working out pretty good.    Not sure yet on when to best use the 50 except for a 110 yard full swing shot.      

Can anyone shed some light on what may be a standard method for determining which wedge to use in what situations?   It's really vague in my mind and I rely too much on intuition (a.k.a. "guessing" )   and as I prepare to make my chip,  there are too much after thoughts and I can't quite commit to my shots.  If I can sort out the "around the greens" and putting  situation ,  I feel that I might have a shot and becoming a scratch player!!  Which has been my goal for the last 5 years.   Any advice would be appreciated!!  

 

 

[bngolfer]

Nobs, 

For what it is worth, here are my thoughts. I was a scratch player for 15 years or so playing collegiate and mini-tours. There were three reasons why I never got any better: 1) I had a lot of heart and used in a bad way - I could not channel my emotions; 2) I didn’t like to practice (still made every trip for 4 years in college); 3) I had a terrible short game... So again, for what it is worth.. Funny enough though, my short game is better now (relatively) when I play 5-15 rounds a year but my ball striking is so much worse. Anyways.

I use pretty much the same set-up that you do: 50/55/60. With close to full shots I hit them 115/105/90. 

As for when to use what wedge in a sub-full shot range it comes down to so many things such as pin placement, how firm/fast the greens are, lie etc. As a general rule when chipping and pitching - the ball is easier to control on the surface than in the air. Thus, if the greens are not super ondulated, roll the ball for as long as possible. The 50 will be great for most chip shots.

The 54 would be perfect for pitching and for chipping when you need the ball to check a bit on the second bounce.

The 58 from bunkers, rough, flops and when you really need stopping power.

That is how I see it.

[nobmontana]

This is great information!!  Thank you so much!   

I'm planning on spending as much time possible during the off season on my short game. 

Fun times! 

 

 

 

[RLL33]

Agree with B, with the caveat that it's all totally personal in addition to what the green and surrounds are telling you. I'd add that anyone who has touch and feel for the short game would almost always benefit from going with the gut after analyzing all of the above, especially if there is any question left after looking everything over.

My general rule of thumb: p-wedge for when I want the ball to roll like a putt (especially on a large green), a-wedge for when I want it to roll like a putt after a slight check on the first bounce, s-wedge de-lofted for when I want a bounce-bounce-stop, s-wedge slide it under for when I want to finesse any spin, and l-wedge for a higher traj that needs to stick near where it hits the first time whether we're talking a 3-ft short sider or a 30-ft up to split level green. 

In addition, p-wedge (or 8-iron) for any kind of bump and run, depending on whether it's collar or rough you're bumping off of.

Just IMO after a lifetime of short game practice, play, and love... 

[nobmontana]

Thanks.  I guess it’ll take some time to get used to the new lofts but I’ll get there!!