Club replacements, and wedges.?

Question

Hi, this is my first time on YA so bear with me. Please let me know if I'm doing something wrong.

A little info on myself :
So I'm a 15 year old golfer, and a 15 handicap. In my bag I currently have a Big Bertha driver, two Nike SQ woods (3 and 5), a set of old Ping Eye 2s from 3 to PW, and a Callaway Tour X wedge (not the PM grind, or the MD grooves), and a Ping Craz-E mallet putter.

So, my first issue is with my 3 iron. Although I can hit it off a tee just fine, I can't hit it from the fairway or rough. Also, I'm left with a 30 yard gap between my 3 iron, which I hit 180 off a tee, and my 5 wood which I hit at least 210. So I was considering getting a hybrid. The rough is pretty thick at my course.
Obviously, my first question is if this is a good idea or not.
Also, if I did get a 3 iron hybrid, how far would I hit it? I hit my 4 iron 170 yards, so would it be in between this and my 5 wood (210 yards).
I've heard hybrids are easier to launch out of the rough because of their sole, is this true?
If I do get a hybrid, should I try to get an SQ so it feels like my woods, or should I try a bunch of models and get the one I like the most (BTW, I've got some money saved up from the summer, about 500 dollars, so money isn't an issue here).

My next question is concerning my wedges. I'd like to take some of the guesswork out from 100 yards in.
I've heard that a pitching wedge matching your irons is a good idea, is this true? If so I'm good to go.
Should I get a G wedge or an L wedge (I was thinking G, because I have no issue hitting flops with my 56)?

My last question is concerning spin. should my new wedge have the MD grooves to put more spin on the ball, or should they be the same as my 56. Currently, I can get a ball to stop dead on full shots, but I struggle with that on pitches. Should I be able to spin my wedges if I use a soft ball and have good technique, or are my wedges holding me back? I like the feel, but getting them to stop dead would definitely benefit me.

PS : I have high bounce on my SW, but what sort of bounce should I get on my L or G wedge?

Thanks for any help you guys can offer.

Answer 1

thats a lot to answer

first of all yes a hybrid is a very good idea and you will probably hit it about 185 - 190 but you would need to try them out because some people love them and some people hate them so go and try a bunch of them out and take the one you like and hit best with. Dont just buy clubs just becasue they match you're other clubs, just get the ones that perform best for you.

Next

Having a pitching wedge that matches your irons is a good idea although if you carry other wedges if it matched them then that would be fine also. A gap wedge is probably the best thing to get as if you already find hitting a flop shot is easy enough then you wont be needing a lob wedge as this is what they are for. SO you'd probably be best getting a gap wedge to match your other callaway wedge and as for the bounce if you have a high bounce on your sand wedge then you'd probably be best getting high bounce on your g wedge as well.

If you dont like the wedges you are using then maybe you should just try out different wedges and buy all new wedges. but if you like you're wedge then buy a new wedge to match.

Answer 2

You're doing fine. This is what we all (should be) here for. Not many people can hit a 3 iron well; your reasoning is exactly why hybrids are so popular- I say go for it. There are things to consider before you buy a new club, though. You're 5 wood will always go farther, even if they're the same loft. It's the extra length in the shaft that makes it that way. Also, a 30 yard gap isn't as bad as it sounds... it's when you get closer to the green where that makes a bigger difference.



However, don't just buy a 3 hybrid because you're replacing the 3 iron. It's the degrees of loft you should replace, since they can be different from manufacturer to manufacturer. Look at your 5 wood and your 4 iron; try to get somewhere close to in between the two. If that isn't feasible (or confusing- don't get discouraged), get something 3-4* stronger than your 4 iron... for example, if your 4 iron is 23*, get a hybrid that's 19 or 20 degrees.



Buy whatever hybrid feels and works best for you. You may find you hit the hybrid farther than the 5 wood! If that happens, either buy a weaker-lofted hybrid (it may end up being the same loft as the 4 iron), or ditch the 5 wood and pick up another wedge. Which brings me to Question 2...



Feel is the most important factor with wedges. If the PW that's part of your set feels good to you, everything's OK. But there's no rule one way or the other. You have a pretty good understanding of the game- a GW would make sense in your case. It would bridge the gap between your PW and SW, not to mention give you another option around the green. Make sure the loft gaps between your PW, GW and SW are consistent: most people like 4*, but as long as they're consistent, you can predict the different results (same swing, different club) easier. If you happened to have ditched the 5 wood based on one of the above examples, you could add a LW if you wanted to, but it's not necessary. Just because you're allowed 14 clubs max doesn't mean you have to carry 14- less options equals less confusion sometimes.



Spin is a product of groove freshness, ball type and swing quality. You're probably getting spin on the full swings because you're accelerating through the swing like you're supposed to, but you don't do it on the short shots so the spin factor is decreased. Chips will rarely spin, because the swing is so different. You can do it with pitches, so long as you accelerate through impact. Try a shorter backswing and longer follow-through. The "Mack Daddy" grooves are milled to have the largest volume allowable according to the old rules, but other companies have the same thing- they just call it something different ("Z grooves" for Taylormade, "Zip grooves" for Ping, etc.). Again, go with what feels/works best for you.



P.S.S.- For bounce, it depends on what terrain you golf on. If it's hard and dry, you might want a low bounce, to avoid having the club skip off the ground. It's the opposite if you play on mushier conditions, so you can plow through the turf. I live in MI, so we experience both types in the same season. I have 10* of bounce on my GW... it works for me, but you might want to experiment.

Answer 3

I assume you hit your I2-PW more than 100 yds consistently, so your are looking at other wedges. Simpler is better, have you tried chocking up your PW by an inch to get the 100yd shot.



If you are like me the I2 SW is great from the sand but sucks from the fairway.....wayyyy too much bounce. I carry it strictly for sand shots and it works great. I carry a 56 and 60 wedge for lobs close to the green as my PW carries about 125. These 2 wedges have about 8 degree bounce. The bounce is the only thing Hutch above said that I disagree with, otherwise he's right on the money.

Answer 4

Well, you should've gotten new wedges last year because the new rule went into effect this year. However, it really doesn't affect recreational golfers. I suggest the CG15 from Cleveland because it was rated the best on the market and they will not be available after this year. I don't know much about the TaylorMade XFT wedges, but TaylorMade products are high quality.

Answer 5

a good idea would be to ask your local pga professional or to go to a local golf store and ask a trained person who knows about ur questions. u have many questions and it would be best to have them answered professionally