Green Grass Golf Shop

1.) I don’t think I’m getting as much spin on my 5 year old wedge, how often should I be replacing them? It certainly depends on how much you actually get out to the course or the range, but for most weekend golfers playing 20+ rounds per year the rule is pretty simple to remember. The way that most people use their wedges, generally a good rule of thumb is this: replace your 60 or highest lofted wedge every season, your SW every other season, GW every 3 seasons, and so on for the rest of your wedges outside of your iron set. I say the way most people use their wedges because most of the amateur players that I’ve played and worked with most often take their Lob Wedge up to every green on the course and use it most holes. The SW you may not use quite as much, but the sand does quite a bit more damage to the face and wears the grooves much more quickly than grass and ball. Now if you use your wedges more interchangeably, don’t take your 60 up every time you miss the green no matter the situation, just pay attention to which you use most often. If you don’t feel you use any more than the rest, a good way to keep your game consistent is just to replace your SW and LW each season, one per season, then every third year throw in a new GW as well with whichever LW or SW is up in the alternate pattern. When you use your wedges or any clubs for that matter, the dirt, sand, grass and even ball striking the face at such high speeds over time dulls the grooves that help your ball spin and remain consistent in its flight. That spin helps you hold greens, helps your ball stay in the air longer, and keeps your ball from flying in less-than-predictable patterns. The more often you can replace your wedges, the more consistent you can keep your spin, the more predictable your game will be and better your chances are of playing your best golf!

2.) I’ve heard I should have more bounce on my SW, how much extra bounce should it have? This is really only true in pretty specific situations for what should be very few golfers. If you have a SW that you use exclusively out of the bunker, you truly don’t ever hit it without sand under your feet, you play on pretty fluffy sand, nothing is ever hard-pan, hard-packed, you don’t play any courses that need bunker work, you might need more bounce on that than your other wedges. If you use different clubs out of the sand like most should be doing, use your SW outside of the bunker for some chip and pitch shots, full and 3/4 swings, you don’t need more bounce on your sand wedge. Your SW along with the rest of your wedges should likely all be about the same bounce angle, based on your divot pattern and typical playing conditions. For a more shallow divot taker or clean picker, lower bounce angles are generally the way to go, and that’s opposite for those who take deeper divots. Grind is also very important these days with all the different wedge designs and shapes, with narrow or wide soles made for different turf conditions. Wider soles are generally better for softer conditions and out of fluffy sand, and more narrow sole designs better for harder, dryer conditions and hard-packed bunkers. Then if you like to manipulate your wedge with different face angles from square to wide open, make sure you have a wedge with a lot of toe, heel and trailing edge relief to make that easier. If you play more square face wedge shots, and even shut the face depending on the shot, stop doing that, your square face should be 1 degree open, end of sentence. (Check out all my Chipping Chewsday shorts if you need further explanation!)

3.) I was fit for my irons 2″ longer than standard, what length should my wedges be? They should be the same as your irons, if you were fit for your irons 2” long, your wedges should be the same. If your PW and GW from the set are 37.5” when they were standard at 35.5” it’s going to be a noticeable difference going to your next wedge that’s 2.5” shorter if you just purchased them off the rack. You’re taking full swings with the wedges, and you’re not magically getting shorter when those clubs are in your hand. Different lengths of clubs lead to wildly different and inconsistent swings and muscle memory that has no idea which swing to take or when. Take the time to get fit for your wedges in addition to your irons, but if you’re truly strapped for time a safe bet is to go with the same adjustment, same shaft, loft and lie changes that you were fit with in the irons!