Help Me Figure Out What Type Of Lob Wedge I Should Get

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Richie3Jack

Richie3Jack

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I have a 54* Vokey that I really like. It has 10* of bounce and I guess you could say it's their standard grind.

I have an old 60* Cleveland BeCu 588, but I'm really sick of the thing. Should I go with a lob wedge with the same bounce as my 54* Vokey or less bounce or more bounce?

Also curious to know why.

Thanks.



3JACK
 
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pecky987

New
look at some of the models that have C-Grinds such as the new vokeys, the mizunos and the callaways, with similar bounce angle to the wedge u currently have. the position of the high point of the sole makes mid sole pitches much easier, and you can still hit front edge shots, whilst the relief on the sole enable you to open the face much more easily. but of course ther still will be a decent amount of bounce so you can still take reasonably sized divots, hit out of deeper sand and out of thick rough

hope this helps
 
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Jim Kobylinski

Super Moderator
wedges should be based off of a combination of your angle of attack and the type of grass you play on; then on personal preferences like shape/feel/spin rates
 
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softconsult

New
I have something like 5 Lob Wedges. A Pelz, a Henry-Grifitts, an old Cleveland, a Vokey M-Grind, and a Vokey Oil Can 60-10. Neither of the Vokeys are spin-milled. They all work well.

Personally, I like staying the same brand/model for the wedges. Currently,
I'm playing all Vokeys, 60-M, 54-10 Spin-Milled, and 50-?. I have read that bounce is your friend, Utley's book shows him hitting 12 degree bounce off a parking lot. The 60-M sits with leading edge flush to the ground, but still has bounce when you open it up or lean it back. I have no problem with it digging.
Then there all all those custom grinds to twist up your mind.

They are pretty inexpensive, so maybe a low bounce and a high bounce , then sell the one you don't like. Or, like me, just add it to the pile.
 
vjsinger

vjsinger

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Types of grasses? What about, area of the country you live in? Types of sand you play out of? Richie don't you play alot of different courses? How different are the sand conditions from course to course? I would think that would be a factor as well.
 
Richie3Jack

Richie3Jack

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I usually use the LW for flops, bunker blasts and some pitches and very occasional chips. However, I want to start using it more for full swings, so I can get the yardage down and if I'm on a par-5 and can't go for it or in trouble on a par-4, I can just hit it to either of the full wedge yardages (88 for the 54*, 105 for the 50* and ??? for the LW) and have a good shot at making the putt and walking away with either a bird or a par. I really don't like the Cleveland on a full swing and it's too inconsistent on shots around the green.

Grass in Atlanta is bermuda. Firmness of the turf leans on the hard side, but usually pretty good...just not soggy and you won't take many of those Trevino-esque divots. But that all depends as Atlanta goes in and out droughts each year. Bunkers are usually very firm because the greenkeeping crews around the area pay very little attention to the bunkers. Rarely do I see a bunker with a lot of sand.





3JACK
 
ggsjpc

ggsjpc

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Generally speaking, you should get complimenting wedges. If you have a wedge you can't open you should get another one you can. This will help cover more types of bunker and turf conditions. I would consider a 58* especially since you said you want to use it for full shots.

Personally, I think each company makes a decent wedge. It will be interesting to see what happens with the groove change.
 
otto6457

otto6457

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Richie3Jack said:
I usually use the LW for flops, bunker blasts and some pitches and very occasional chips. However, I want to start using it more for full swings, so I can get the yardage down and if I'm on a par-5 and can't go for it or in trouble on a par-4, I can just hit it to either of the full wedge yardages (88 for the 54*, 105 for the 50* and ??? for the LW) and have a good shot at making the putt and walking away with either a bird or a par. I really don't like the Cleveland on a full swing and it's too inconsistent on shots around the green.

Grass in Atlanta is bermuda. Firmness of the turf leans on the hard side, but usually pretty good...just not soggy and you won't take many of those Trevino-esque divots. But that all depends as Atlanta goes in and out droughts each year. Bunkers are usually very firm because the greenkeeping crews around the area pay very little attention to the bunkers. Rarely do I see a bunker with a lot of sand.

3JACK
Click to expand...

Hey Ritchie

For what it's worth I have gone up in bounce on my LW. I had a 60-4 in Vokey, but for my new one I went to a 58-8. I am more of a digger than a slider so it gives me a little more margin for error and the 58 is better for me as an approach club. I tend to spin the 60 too much on full swings and it was hard for me to take spin off. The 58 is a little more consistent and the added bounce has been a good thing. It looks like you would keep 4 degrees between your wedges by going to a 58 rather than a 60 if that is an important point for you. I have 5 degree gaps between mine now since moving from carrying four wedges to three.

By the way, my turf here is VERY tight Bermuda (Sport-Turf Hybrid) mowed to 3/16 on the fairways and around the greens. With it being so tight, flops are a challenge and I play most of my shots around the greens with a square or very slightly open face. Our green side bunkers are pretty deep and I use my lob wedge a lot from the bunkers and the 8 degrees of bounce works well on our dense sand.

What is the bounce on the Cleveland you want to replace?
 
ggsjpc

ggsjpc

New
Richie3Jack said:
It's only 3*. I think I'm going to get a Spin Milled Vokey, 58* with 12* of bounce. If I don't like the loft, I can just bend it to 59 or 60*.

Thanks for the help.



3JACK
Click to expand...


If you do bend it to add loft, that will add to the bounce also just so you know.
 
vjsinger

vjsinger

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One more thing that hasn't been mentioned and that's the sole. If you swing steeper, not only can bounce help, but so can the width of the sole. In general, steeper swingers may need a wider sole and those that swing shallow may need a more narrow sole. Fluffy sand=wide sole, coarse sand=narrow sole. Same goes with club length, swing weight etc. A shorter club can help in both firmer and fluffy conditions. I recently be-friended a clubmaker and he let me hit some wedges and recommended the Eidolon Wedges, they're really nice, I'd check those out.
 
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fronesis

New
ggsjpc said:
If you do bend it to add loft, that will add to the bounce also just so you know.
Click to expand...

This is true.

Personally, I think 13* or 14* of bounce on a lob wedge may be too much depending on conditions. If it gets dry and you are trying to hit a flop shot, that's a lot of bounce.

My own solution was to build TWO different 57* wedges - one is a bent 56 that has a total of 13* of bounce and the other is a bent 58 that now has a total of 7 degrees of bounce. Unless it's really wet, I like the wedge with less bounce most of the time.
 
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softconsult

New
This all very involved with personal preference. Personally, I dislike wide soled irons. The comment was made that in general a steeper swing suggests a wider sole, and more bounce. I would say it depends.
I have a fairly steep angle of attack, but don't want the club bouncing off the turf.

The type of underlying soil also makes a difference. I remember the term "Cambered and Rolled". I am from the Pacific Northwest. The soil was rich and soft. Irons back in the day, 60's & 70's were sort of knife edged and worked fine. Then I moved to the Carolinas in the late 70's. Ouch. Digging into sandy soil simply didn't work, thus a change to the above mentioned sole.

I agree with the comment that 13-14 may be too much. More bounce could be an advantage from fluffy sand, but hopefully sand shots are fairly infrequent and fairway shots are in the majority. If not, then there are bigger problems than sole design.
 
B

Brian Manzella

Administrator
In my new set, I got the Cleveland CG14 60° wedge with 12° of bounce.

I did it toi get "less dig."

Guess what?

I got MORE dig, or at least, more divot.

I switched to the CG12 DSG grind with 3° of bounce and got less dig around the greens, and a better "cut through" in the bunkers.

The SHAPE of the sole, and the AMOUNT of the sole, and the GRIND of the sole, are as important as the bounce.
 
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savydan

New
It shouldn't; they're in different planes.

It's not like adding length to the shaft makes the effective lie more upright.
 
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softconsult

New
Brian, what shaft, the standard Traction steel shaft or ?


I feel my wallet vibrating slightly! Might want to get the zip grooves
while they last, which isn't much longer.
 
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