Recommended Lofts

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By Turner

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  1. Turner

    Turner
    Mobile, AL

    So I have been having a dilemma with my golf game lately. Not so much of a playing problem but more of having right equipment problem.

    I high iron/ wedge I currently game is a Pitching Wedge, 50*, and 56*.

    Pitching wedge roughly 125 yards at about a 44* loft, 50* 100-110 yards max, and 56* 85 yards. Thats my yardage at the moment while being a 15 Handicap and may progress over the years.

    However the point of this post is, I know the rule of thumb is every 4 degrees however I avoid a 60* at all costs due to its level of difficulty to play consistently. I absolutely love my 56 and saves my gave all around the green from 85 yards to in.

    With all that being said what 3 wedge degrees would help recommend to stock the bag with? Would a 54* be just as valuable as my 56* so ultimately a 50, 54, 58? Really open to discussion.

    I have been considering getting a 46* loft for those 110-115 shots that I currently dont have a full club for. Just open to some recommendations and help on best fitting my game as I have been stuck on this topic for a while.

    Thanks.

  2. Chris92009

    Chris92009
    Ohio

    I would simply go PW 44, GW 48 (Vokey or your bend your current wedge), GW2 52, SW 56, and LW 60. That should give you plenty of loft options. If that is too many wedges than bend PW to 45, GW 50 (current) SW 55 (54 bent weak or 56 bent strong) and LW 60.

    This is a rabbit hole so step carefully...just go with what yardages you feel most comfortable with. My set up (as a low handicap player) is PW 44, GW 48, GW 52, SW 56 and LW 60.

    Cheers
  3. Brock L

    Brock L
    Fort Myers, FL

    44 and 46 would be too close. Yes, 4 degree gaps in your full swing wedges is ideal. If your PW is 44, then you would want 48, 52 and likely a 58 based on your current distances. The key with a 58/60 (and any loft of wedge really) is to go get fit. A properly fit wedge will work WITH your swing, and an improperly fit wedge can actually work AGAINST you.
  4. Lou G

    Lou G
    San Diego, CA

    I just reverted to a wedge setup of 46-54-58-64. My 9 iron is 40*. It turns out that a 56-12D bent to 54 is more effective than a 54-10S bent to 52. 50-08F has limited usage and I fared better for long bunker shots with the 54-10S. I had a set of Snake Eyes irons 8-SW I played for 3 years with 38-42-47-55. Carried 58 and 64 to round things out. 46-52-58-64 has worked.

    50-54-58 is a good combo. The 54 gives a little more roll than a 56. I've never been a fan of a 60* wedge. What I have is a 58-06K and a 56-12D bent to 54. I keep a 64 for certain specialty shots. 58 gets one out of deep bunkers.

    Practice choking down for distance control. If you choke down 1/2", you shave 10 yards off distance on a full swing (either square stance or pitch). 5 yards for 1/2 swings.

    Sometimes I've played better golf carrying driver-7W-27H, 7-P (48) 56 (58-14K bent strong) and 64. I had 695MB irons between 2020 and recently. What I did last year was carry 716CB 7 iron (32*) and 716MB 8 iron (39*) with 48-10F bent to 46*. 54-10S bent to 52 has been solid for pitching and toying with D and K grinds for sand. 52-58-64 WORKED. K grind is versatile.

    I just recently got talked into a low bounce K 58. It is very versatile.
  5. Sarah F

    Sarah F

    I currently have PW, GW, 52, 56 and 60 myself. I also hit the ball pretty much same distances as you with my wedges. My PW is 120 to 125, GW 110 to 115, 52 90 to 105, 56 75 to 85 and 60 anything under 75. So for you only wanting to 56 maybe just have PW, GW, 52 and 56. Those should fill in all the yardage gaps you have for the short game.
  6. BJames

    BJames
    USA

    Military
    I would go 48°,52°, 56°. That should give you a nice gap but you won’t know until your try. Also don’t be scared of playing a 60° I’ve always played one before and it’s my preferred wedge for 110 yard and in as well as around the green always felt like I could control spin a lot better with a 60°. Also look into swapping the the 48° shaft with the same shaft you use in your irons. I’m assuming you would take full swings with it more than around the green.
  7. DK

    DK
    Northeastern, PA

    Same as Chris here. I go with the 44 PW, 48 GW, 52-56-60 and yes a 64 for greenside bunkers and those 10 yard flops.
  8. PAZTOR

    PAZTOR
    Tillsonburg, ON

    I was having a similar dilemma. My PW is 43* roughly 130yds, GW at 48* 120 yds then I had 54* 100yds and a 58* for 80 and in. I was finding I needed something for the 110 yd range so I ordered a 50* bent to 51*. I know its not the ideal 4 degree gap but I think it's going to be helpful to me.
  9. Lou G

    Lou G
    San Diego, CA

    PAZTOR said:

    I was having a similar dilemma. My PW is 43* roughly 130yds, GW at 48* 120 yds then I had 54* 100yds and a 58* for 80 and in. I was finding I needed something for the 110 yd range so I ordered a 50* bent to 51*. I know its not the ideal 4 degree gap but I think it's going to be helpful to me.

    If you get too many wedges, it gets confusing which one to use. I have 46-52-56 (58-12D bent strong)-58 (low bounce K) and 64. I keep the 56 loft in for a high bounce. I played 46-52-58-64 with a 60-14K bent to 58. Also played 48-56-64 with a 58-14K bent to 56 (standard lofts on 7-9 irons). Dave Pelz had some excellent videos on distance control with wedges. On a full swing, for every 1/2" you choke down, you cut 10 yards. half swing is 5 yards per 1/2". I know I get 110 yards out of a 46, 95 yards out of 52, 80 yards out of 58. My pitching distance on a 46 is 80 yards, 65 on a 52, 50 on a 58 and 35 on a 64. 9 iron pitch is 90 yards and 8 iron pitch is 100.
  10. Turner

    Turner
    Mobile, AL

    Thanks everyone for the feedback. It is greatly appreciated!
  11. Don O

    Don O
    Madison, WI

    Turner said:

    Thanks everyone for the feedback. It is greatly appreciated!

    The one consistent theme is you need to define the distances you need to cover, if you can meet intermediate distances with less than full swings or if you can choke dow, and if you have more room for another wedge or 2. Can you eliminate a club at the top of the bag?
    Next, get a wedge fitting outdoors to fulfill your distance requirements. No one here has seen your swing nor can their success translate directly to you. 2 things your fitter will look for is if (likely) you hit a set PW or GW further than an actual wedge at the same loft. The other is what degree lob wedge can you hit well. Many amateurs with a 60 degree will have their big miss be a shot that comes up way short. The ball will ride up the face and launch too high. Not that you can’t hit a 60, but best to try in a fitting to see if it is a loft too far.
  12. Mike M

    Mike M
    Marblehead MA

    Originally I had a 50-54-60 combo.I use the 60 for bunker shots, around the green and inside 50 yards.I recently swapped out my 50 for a 46.I don't hit the ball as far as I used to, so in that respect it was a good move.That said it's a little to close in gapping to my normal 44 degree wedge, so I'm going to bend it to 48. That will be 6 degrees of separation, a little much perhaps, but I think it will work for me.

    Hope this helps.Best of luck.
  13. Barry M

    Barry M
    Reno, NV

    My advice being worthless, you can go the same way I did. I have the new T200 P (43) and T200 gap 48. I bought 6 different wedges - 48F, 52F, 54D, 56M, 56S, & 58D and hit them all a bunch. Settled on the T200's and the 54 and 58. The others I scatter around the house, along with a few TT items and a dozen Titleist hats so people think I'm a true golfer.
  14. Richard P

    Richard P
    Lorraine, QC

    Hi,
    for me 50F08, 54S10, 58k
    The 58 is a new club, jus received 2 days ago. With Kbs hi rev 2,0

    The 54 is comparable to 56 around green and in bunker. It is very versatile.
    But do a fitting before to be sure you have the good grind for your golf course.

    Best regards,
  15. Lou G

    Lou G
    San Diego, CA

    My 4 wedge setup is SM9 48-10F bent to 46, SM9 54-10S bent to 52, Wedgeworks 58-06K, PM grind 64/10. 3 wedge setup is SM10 50-12F bent to 48, SM10 58-12D bent to 56 and the PM grind. These work in a wide variety of conditions. The low bounce K does very well in soft sand plus cuts through thick grass like a sickle, plus does well off tight lies. The 50-12F works well for long bunker shots in soft sand and hard sand. The 58-12D works in both soft and hard lies. I have a fitter at a "mom and pop" golf shop that tweaks my wedges as needed. I play my 48-10F 1.5* upright and everything else 2* upright.
  16. Lou G

    Lou G
    San Diego, CA

    In the images are two extremes in my golf setup: The left is “traditional” 46-52-56-60 with a Wedgeworks 58-06K (low bounce general purpose LW) and my ever-faithful “Phil 64”. The one on the right is my “Sunday” bag (48-56-64; 58-12D bent to 56).
    I’ve been playing 46-52-58-64 or 46-52-56-64 for the past 4 years with K Grind 2* strong. Got hooked on K grind in 2017, starting with SM6 60-12K. My basic wedge setup for quite a long time was 50-58-64. The last year and a half was a bit of a “mad scientist” project since I had to see what all the hype was around the T grind and I was toying with D grind as “all around”. And I did play. “traditional” with 58-12D bent to 56 and the 60-04T. About 2 months ago, the fitter asked me if I wanted to try the Wedgeworks 58-06K; works well everywhere.

    I just acquired a pair of SM10s: 50–12F (bent to 48) and 58-12D (bent to 56). The 50-12F works ok for long sand shots out of soft sand.

    The pitching greens at Miramar MCAS offer a chance of practicing in a wide variety of conditions. The bunker is as hard as a rock. There is also a patch of grass surrounding some bushes (can bury the ball and practice extracting it). Also a couple hardpan spots near the same bush. The playground sandbox at the local park has some pretty soft sand. Admiral Baker pitching greens have a very larger bunker with firm sand. Both courses have chipping and putting greens too.

    There is the benefit of the “90 day playability guarantee” at Roger Dunn Golf Shops.
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  17. Lou G

    Lou G
    San Diego, CA

    The above is my current 14 club setup. It’s “traditional” (52-56-60) with a 60-12D bent to 58*. The left attachment is what I played yesterday (60-12K bent to 58*). The right attachment has a 58-06K. In reserve I have an SM10 46-10F that I bent to 44*; it is basically for a “Sunday Bag” or “carry bag” (hits pretty close to 9 iron distance). My “gap wedge” for close to 3 years now has been a 54-10S bent to 52. I’ve been favoring a K grind since 2017 (had an SM6 60-12K but overdid the bending - played it at 57* but the hosel snapped). Just before COVID I played 46-10 bent to 44* in place of the 9 iron and 50-08F stock. I simplified my iron setup early 2023 to a 716CB 7 iron (32*) and 716MB 8 iron (39*), both 1/2” short and my PW has been 48-10F set to 46*. At the beginning of the year I upgraded my bag (TSR1 20 & 23 fairways, 26H). I found a Sumo2 SQ 34H (with a stiff shaft) in January. My irons are T-MB 8 (37*) and T100S 9 (40*).
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  18. Chuck Z

    Chuck Z
    Mt Pleasant, SC

    Military

    Lou G said:

    The above is my current 14 club setup. It’s “traditional” (52-56-60) with a 60-12D bent to 58*. The left attachment is what I played yesterday (60-12K bent to 58*). The right attachment has a 58-06K. In reserve I have an SM10 46-10F that I bent to 44*; it is basically for a “Sunday Bag” or “carry bag” (hits pretty close to 9 iron distance). My “gap wedge” for close to 3 years now has been a 54-10S bent to 52. I’ve been favoring a K grind since 2017 (had an SM6 60-12K but overdid the bending - played it at 57* but the hosel snapped). Just before COVID I played 46-10 bent to 44* in place of the 9 iron and 50-08F stock. I simplified my iron setup early 2023 to a 716CB 7 iron (32*) and 716MB 8 iron (39*), both 1/2” short and my PW has been 48-10F set to 46*. At the beginning of the year I upgraded my bag (TSR1 20 & 23 fairways, 26H). I found a Sumo2 SQ 34H (with a stiff shaft) in January. My irons are T-MB 8 (37*) and T100S 9 (40*).
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    Interesting collection.
  19. Lou G

    Lou G
    San Diego, CA

    Lou G said:

    The above is my current 14 club setup. It’s “traditional” (52-56-60) with a 60-12D bent to 58*. The left attachment is what I played yesterday (60-12K bent to 58*). The right attachment has a 58-06K. In reserve I have an SM10 46-10F that I bent to 44*; it is basically for a “Sunday Bag” or “carry bag” (hits pretty close to 9 iron distance). My “gap wedge” for close to 3 years now has been a 54-10S bent to 52. I’ve been favoring a K grind since 2017 (had an SM6 60-12K but overdid the bending - played it at 57* but the hosel snapped). Just before COVID I played 46-10 bent to 44* in place of the 9 iron and 50-08F stock. I simplified my iron setup early 2023 to a 716CB 7 iron (32*) and 716MB 8 iron (39*), both 1/2” short and my PW has been 48-10F set to 46*. At the beginning of the year I upgraded my bag (TSR1 20 & 23 fairways, 26H). I found a Sumo2 SQ 34H (with a stiff shaft) in January. My irons are T-MB 8 (37*) and T100S 9 (40*).
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    This is my “no brainer” bag.

    I had enough trade in from my old Scottie, the T-MB 8 iron and a 915F fairway to get an SM10 54-10S for a little over $32. I set it up at 52*. I also acquired a Wedgeworks 60-06K yesterday. I still have my 58-06K.

    My wedge lofts are “traditional” 48-52-56-60-64. I found I fared better with a 50–12F set to 48 vs a 46-10F.
  20. Lou G

    Lou G
    San Diego, CA

    My wedge lofts are 44-50-54-58-60-64. I have 46 in reserve. The 44 is a 46-10 bent strong. The WW 58-06K is more versatile than 58-14K. I use 44 in place of a 9 iron. Find it a bit hard to part with the 60-04L.
  21. Lou G

    Lou G
    San Diego, CA

    My thumbnail shows my basic bag. Wedge lofts are 44-50-58-64. This setup has been working for a long time. 46-52-58-64 has also worked.
  22. Lou G

    Lou G
    San Diego, CA

    I updated my thumbnail this AM. The “56-10D” and 60-04T combo worked last year. If I want to throw the bag on my shoulder, I pull the D and T and use the 58-06K.
  23. Lou G

    Lou G
    San Diego, CA

    I just updated my thumbnail today. 48-56-64 (50-12F & 58-12D 2* strong) with a 58-06K as needed. Pretty simple.
  24. Lou G

    Lou G
    San Diego, CA

    My thumbnail shows a somewhat “traditional” wedge gapping. My 9 iron is 40*. 46 and 52 have been a “go to” for PW-GW for 3 years now. K grind as a SW has pretty much been a mainstay since 2018. I went to 695MB (7-P; 34-38-42-48) so 58-14K set to 56* with 64 worked (alternated between the set PW and 50-08F at 48*).

    I have an SM10 50-12F (48*), Wedgeworks 58-06K and SM6 60-12K (58*) in reserve.
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  25. Lou G

    Lou G
    San Diego, CA

    Lou G said:

    My thumbnail shows a somewhat “traditional” wedge gapping. My 9 iron is 40*. 46 and 52 have been a “go to” for PW-GW for 3 years now. K grind as a SW has pretty much been a mainstay since 2018. I went to 695MB (7-P; 34-38-42-48) so 58-14K set to 56* with 64 worked (alternated between the set PW and 50-08F at 48*).

    I have an SM10 50-12F (48*), Wedgeworks 58-06K and SM6 60-12K (58*) in reserve.
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    The T100S 9 iron was replaced by an old favorite 716MB 8 iron since the latter picked the ball better off the deck.
  26. Lou G

    Lou G
    San Diego, CA

    The MB 8, 46-52 on the PW and GW has been working for a year and a half. The attached image is a pair of pristine 695MB heads. Plan on doing a head change with the 910S on the 9 iron and building the 8 iron with an S200 shaft. I’ll have my fitter set the lie angles and lengths as I did before on my old 695M and swingweight them for D2-D3. 38-42-48 for 8-PW will tighten things up.
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  27. Lou G

    Lou G
    San Diego, CA

    Lou G said:

    The MB 8, 46-52 on the PW and GW has been working for a year and a half. The attached image is a pair of pristine 695MB heads. Plan on doing a head change with the 910S on the 9 iron and building the 8 iron with an S200 shaft. I’ll have my fitter set the lie angles and lengths as I did before on my old 695M and swingweight them for D2-D3. 38-42-48 for 8-PW will tighten things up.
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    The 716MB won the shootout between it, Apex Plus and T100S 9 irons. The Apex is a standard loft. The MB is 40* and the T100S is 39*. All are same shaft length and lie angle.

    My wedge gapping is 44-48-52-56-60-64. Is that “traditional” or what? I set the lie angle to 65 on the 46-10F (44*) and 65.5 on the 50-12F (48*). I walked off the gaps.

    Been doing some pretty intense wedge practice getting the SM10s zeroed in (the 46-10F is an SM9 and a go-to). Also had a couple good “sneakies” last round.

    In reserve I have a Wedgeworks 58-06K and SM6 60-12F (58*).

    I have a couple pristine 695MB heads that should be here today. I will set up the 8 iron the same lie and length as the 716MB but with an S200 shaft and have it swingweighted. The 9 iron is a simple shaft swap and a lie angle set. The stock lofts are 40-44 but I played my MBs at 38-42 before. They’ll swing exactly the same (1/4” length difference but same lie angle).

    I gamed 695MB for 3 years. For 2023 my iron setup had been 716CB 7 iron (32*) and MB 8 iron (39*) with 46-52-58-64 as wedges.

    Between 2018-2020 played a Vokey 46-10F bent to 44 in place of a 9 iron. Got the 695MBs just before COVID. Played 48-56-64 (alternating between set wedge and 50-08F).

    What’s been constant is 46-52-58-64 since 2021. 54-10S (52*) is better for long bunker shots vs 50-08F.



  28. Lou G

    Lou G
    San Diego, CA

    My lofts are now "traditional". 48-52-56-60 plus 64. 8 iron and 9 iron are 695MB (39-44). 48-56 lofts are 2* strong (50-12F, 54-10S, 58-12D). These are what work and I like the bounces. The 60-06K and Phil 64/10 are stock lofts. I could take a 48-10F in place of the 50-12 but feel more comfortable with the shorter length of the 50-12F. About 3 years ago found that I do better for long bunker shots with a 54-10S bent strong vs a 52-08F. Playing a 58 wedge bent to 56 or a 60 wedge bent to 58 has been something I have felt comfortable with for probably 10 years. I used a bone stock 58-08M as a sand wedge until 2017. For the most part, have been using K grind bent 2* strong since then. K grind and D grind are versatile.

    Low bounce K as a 60* wedge is the answer for me. It beats T grind and L grind hands down for versatility. I've had success in the past with the older 54-11M and 54-10S. My SM4 line up was 50-08F, 54-11M, 58-06L and 64-07T. Worked fine for the courses I played. After 2018, played courses with deeper bunkers that had fairly soft sand (Riverwalk Presidio, Torrey Pines). Attached is my Vokey setup.
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