Working With Wedges
First the bad news: It’s probably time to change your wedges. Many golf clubs can last you a decade, but wedges need changing at about two years old. Wedges are the scalpels of golf clubs, high-lofted irons for short shots that send balls high, ideally imparting spin. Unlike a great cigar, they don’t improve with age.
“Spin comes from the grooves on a wedge,” says Dalton Northcutt, a golf-club fitter and assistant pro at Shorehaven Golf Club in Norwalk, Connecticut. “And those grooves wear out.” Count yourself lucky. Tour players replace their wedges every couple of months.
The good news is that even a high handicapper will notice the difference when hitting a new one and watching that ball zip back or stop on a dime when hit just so. “These are your scoring clubs,” says pro Jordan Spieth, who plays Vokeys by Titleist.
You’re allowed 14 clubs in a golf bag, and most pros recommend that three of them be wedges. They’re differentiated by degrees of loft. The higher the loft, the higher—and shorter—the ball will fly. A club fitting will help you get the lofts that are right for you, but 50, 54 and 58 degrees makes for an effective trio. You’ll also determine bounce—that confusing term that refers to how wedges will react with the turf. Generally speaking, a higher bounce rating allows for more leeway on mishits. Northcutt recommends at least 10 for most amateurs.
There’s no shortage of fine wedges. Vokey Design by Titleist ($189) are the preferred weapons of the pros, used by nearly half of PGA Tour players. The new SM10 models, released this year, are engineered to produce a more controlled flight and maximize spin, with individually cut grooves. They come in 25 different loft, bounce and grind combinations.
For increased forgiveness, consider the Cleveland Smart Sole Full-Face (starting at $140). They are the biggest, most forgiving wedges the company has ever made, with three-tiered soles, UltiZip groove technologies and four available lofts.
For a more avant-garde look, try the PXG Sugar Daddy II ($299), with its black face and a head festooned with weights intended to deliver improved consistency and forgiveness.
