That’s going to give a more penetrating trajectory with not only more spin (more stopping power), but more consistent spin. They don’t really need to be because set wedges aren’t typically designed with an eye towards greenside performance.Ĭompared to the majority of set wedges, most specialty wedges offer a higher center of gravity and narrower and deeper milled grooves. Set-wedge groove specs typically aren’t nearly as tight. Typically, that means the grooves are stamped (pressed into the face) instead of milled like most wedge-wedges. The majority of set wedges – especially those in the game-improvement and super game-improvement categories, offer a standard iron groove. The argument for choosing a specialty wedge over the set wedge boils down to two factors: better (purpose-engineered) grooves and greater versatility. What are the Benefits of a Specialty Wedge? If you’ve always played the set pitching wedge, there’s a good chance you always will. I’m not saying that set wedges are for older golfers and specialty wedges are for the kids but it’s a reasonable inference that golfers, regardless of ability, are largely creatures of habit. It’s likely no coincidence that when Mizuno builds sets for younger professionals, the majority choose a specialty pitching wedge. Among the top 40 in the world, nearly to a man, those younger than 35 carried a specialty pitching wedge while those over 35 favored the set wedge. What’s fascinating is that a couple of years ago when Mizuno looked at specialty wedge usage on Tour, it found an unexpected dividing line. To put some names on it, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth are both Vokey guys while Webb Simpson prefers the set-matching Titleist pitching wedge.Ĭonversely, Mizuno says the majority of its Tour staff plays set-matching wedges. 1 Wedge Brand on Tour) guys carry a specialty pitching wedge instead of the matching-set wedge. While the numbers fluctuate from week to week, over a course of a season, roughly 66 percent of Vokey (the No. Have you considered dumping your set-matching pitching wedge for an equivalently lofted specialty wedge?Īt some point, we’ll survey our readers to find the answer but, for now, we’ll rely on the PGA TOUR. That’s a loft-jacked pitching wedge which means that a specialty pitching wedge is a viable option for nearly everyone. With a little help from the bending machine, most can get to 44 degrees. You may not know it but just about every wedge manufacturer makes wedges with lofts as strong as 46 degrees. Given how many of us are content to roll with the gap wedges our iron-makers gave us, it’s reasonable to assume that most of you haven’t given so much as a moment’s thought to moving deeper into the bag. Set-matching gap wedge usage rates among game-improvement or super game-improvement iron players are likely higher still. As the off-the-rack set composition has shifted from 3-PW to 4- and even 5-GW, roughly two-thirds of you have chosen a set-matching gap wedge. Your gap wedge – that’s an interesting one. For many of you, both your sand and lob wedges are specialty wedges. You get the gist.Īlmost all of you carry at least one specialty wedge. Legitimate is subjective but what I’m talking about are familiar names like SM8, T20, Mack Daddy, MG2, RTX, etc. For our purposes, a specialty wedge is any legitimate wedge that isn’t sold as part of an iron set. I’m not suggesting it’s time to take the Square Strike plunge. Have you ever considered ditching your set-matching pitching wedge for a specialty alternative?īefore we get too deep into this, let’s define specialty wedge. A dubious ploy, perhaps, but I’m hoping I can persuade you to think differently about a spot in your bag for which you may never have realized that you have options. Not to spoil the plot, but I’m not actually suggesting that anyone should take their pitching wedge out of the bag. Is it time to ditch the pitch (ing-wedge)?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |