Here are some things to keep in mind when you consider buying a new wedge or a set of wedges. Ask yourself a few questions before you consider purchasing a new wedge.
Can I Afford a New Wedge?
Could I just get my current wedge re-gripped?
Are the grooves worn out or can they be re-grooved?
Those are just the main three questions you should ask yourself before you consider your purchase. Once you've answered those questions then you move on to more in-depth questions. Some are personal preference and some are strategic questions but all are very important when purchasing a new wedge.
Once you have decided to purchase a new wedge you need to determine what loft wedge you need. For example, I carry 3 wedges in addition to my Pitching Wedge. My Pitching Wedge has a 48° loft and I hit it 140-yards. To not have a huge gap I went with a 52° lofted wedge I hit 115-yards. My next wedge is a 56° sand-wedge I hit 100-yards, followed by my 60° lofted wedge I hit 85-yards. I purposely filled in gaps so there is a 15-yard separation between my wedges. To fill the gap between my Pitching and 52° wedge I use the clock swing to hit my pitching wedge 120 yards with a 9-O'clock swing position. You can also determine this from the most lofted wedge you want to or already carry. Learn what your pitching wedge loft is so you can get the right lofted wedges for you. If you carry three wedges you may need 50°, 54°, and 58° wedges.
Once you determined what loft of wedge or wedges you need this next question is crucial. Can you look at the wedge comfortably? Wedges come in different finishes so it is very important that when you look down at the club you feel comfortable doing so and it's not an ugly look to you. Many golfers prefer the traditional chrome finish but many others like the black and rust colors. I personally prefer chrome or satin finishes as they have a cleaner look to me. I hate looking down at a club that has a dull or dirty look to it. The one downside of a chrome wedge is the sun can reflect off of them right to your eyes at times. If you have trouble looking at a club you will have trouble hitting it.
The next part is the feel of the club. This is a 2-part process. First, does the club feel good in your hands? Is the weight good or does it feel too heavy? This is just holding it as well as swinging it. The wedge must feel comfortable in your hands and give you a sense of control. A wedge should be heavier than any other club in your bag but not so heavy you can't swing it. The second part of the feeling aspect is how does a ball feel at impact? This is part of a personal preference as golfers like different feels. I prefer a soft feel at impact that allows me to barely feel the ball when it contacts the clubface. Others like a more firm feel that gives more of a clicky sound at impact. There is no right or wrong except usually a softer feel means a softer shot into the greens for pitch and chip shots.
The last two steps to buying a wedge are just to make sure the shaft length and shaft flex is suited for your golf game. Many wedges now come in what is called a wedge flex. Although a wedge flex can be good they are actually geared more to high-level golfers as the gram weight is heavier and usually a stiffer flex. This would not be good for a 20 handicapped golfer that needs a regular flex shaft. Many manufactures, like TaylorMade Golf, let you pick your wedge shaft flex when purchasing. They will also let you add or shorten the shaft to your needs. Most wedges at standard length work for about 80% of all golfers. For example, at 6ft 2in tall, I have a 1/4 inch added to all my clubs except my wedges. The small amount of extra shaft does not matter so much on a wedge as it does with the irons.
The only other thing golfers need to worry about is the lie angle of the clubhead. This, just like shaft length, is not as important on wedges as it is on the rest of your clubs but can be beneficial if you know your swing path and can have the lie angle changed. I highly recommend going to see our friends over at Club Champion for a wedge fitting and get your swing checked. They can help to determine how many wedges and what loft wedges you may need. In addition, they will help you with the shaft flex, lie angle, grip size, and shaft length.
If you want to get creative with a new wedge I recommend doing the custom personalization that TaylorMade Golf offers. You decide what finish is on the clubhead, what grip, and what shaft you want. Beyond that, however, you can pick what colors you want the logo to be, add text or little logos like clovers added to the clubhead. In other words, you can customize a wedge to your liking and to something unique.
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