How to Select The Right Wedges - Renegar Golf

What Clubs Golf Clubs Do I Need?

What you put in your golf bag depends on many factors. As a beginner you can get away with having an 8-club set including a putter, 1-2 wedges, 5-6 irons, and a driver whereas most professional players and more accomplished amateurs typically play 12 clubs with 3 to 4 club wedge "sets" to complement their irons set and provide the proper shot-making options and versatility for their short games. This includes clubs that will create options for the player to execute low trajectory / low spin shot solutions, high trajectory / high spin shots, and intermediate shot solutions from lies of any type.  Good short game play will require you to create all of these shots from time to time.

How to Gap Your Wedges

Further, it is important that you consider proper "gapping" for your wedges set.  This is for those situations where you do actually use your wedges as an 10/11/12/13 irons complement to your existing irons set – perhaps 10% of your wedge play.  Generally, loft "gaps" in the range of 4 to 6 degrees will give you a satisfactory wedges set.  You can expect anywhere from 10 to 20 yards difference in distance for full swings – depending largely upon your particular swing speed and what you choose your set gaps to be.  Consistent "gapping" between clubs will generally yield fairly consistent distance differences from wedge to wedge in actual play.

What Happens if You Modify a Wedge?

It is also important that you not try to modify your wedges set (after you get them) to create particular distances – i.e. make a 100 yard club from a club you comfortably hit 94 yards.  Altering lofts (actually for any OEM's wedges) to achieve particular distances wreaks havoc with their sole designs and performance.

It is better instead to determine actual comfortable full swing distances for each of your wedges and just work with that.  Generally, “clubbing-down" on longer clubs a little for intermediate shots works best.  Add to these full swing distances the possibilities of consistent "choke down" distances, and you really have something to work with.  This is currently very easy with the usage of launch monitors and range finder equipment.