Fitting Wedges
A Few Important Tips
It is very important to have any wedge fitted to the golfer. The lie angle is very important and needs to be properly set so that on ¾ to full shots the clubhead comes into impact with the face plane square to the intended target. If the lie angle is not set properly and the toe is up at impact (lie angle too upright) the ball will be pulled to the left of the target. Conversely, if the toe is down at impact (lie angle too flat) the ball will be pushed to the right of the target. This toe up or toe down thing is one of the most important fitting variables in wedges because the greater the loft angle (all the wedges), the greater the ball misdirection control when the lie angle is not set properly for the golfer.
Grip size is another fitting variable for wedges that can improve your play. The proper grip size will help in better controlling the clubhead. For some golfers, a larger grip size will feel better and improve play. Another trick to reduce situations where the golfer uses too much hand action causing less control of the shot is to increase the grip size more under the right hand. I prefer a 1/64” increase. Try it and if you do not like it, change it back, but it really works. I would also recommend that you use the same grip style on your wedges that you have on your iron set.
Take time to make sure your wedges fit into your current club set.
Be sure and check the swingweight of your wedges and use this rule of thumb: Pitching wedges and gap wedges should be 2 to 3 swingweights heavier than the #9 iron in your set. Sand wedges and 60º wedges should be 4 to 6 swingweights heavier than the #9 iron. Try putting some lead tape on the back of any wedge that is lighter than the recommendation above and play a few rounds with it. I think you will like the results. There is not much you can do with too heavy a wedge other than drilling a few holes in the back flange of the head.
Too many golfers simply buy a wedge here and a wedge there and never check to see if the new wedges lengths fit into their current set. So, lay your #9 iron and all your wedges out on a flat table, parallel to each other and with the soles of the heads all lined up perfectly even (place a straight edge up against the soles until they are all touching). Next, measure the length differences at the grip end to see where they fit in. Here are the lengths I like on wedges. The pitching wedge should be ½” shorter than the # 9 iron in your set. The Gap wedge should be 1” shorter than your # 9 Iron. The Sand wedge can be the same length as the gap wedge or you can go 1 ½” shorter than the # 9 iron. Regarding the 60º wedge, if the sand wedge is the same length as the gap wedge then make the 60º wedge 1/2 “ shorter. If the sand wedge is 1 ½” shorter than the #9 iron, make the 60º wedge the same length.
An alternative to wedge lengths is to substitute ¼” length differences vs. ½” length differences as explained above. So, the PW is ¼” shorter than the #9, the GW is ½” shorter than the #9, the SW is ¾” shorter than the #9 and the LW or 60º is 1” shorter than the #9 iron.
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Recent Comments
Mr. Maltby, Thank you for your input. I went over to my local Golf Galaxy and showed them the comments you made. They felt the same way. I ended up hitting a 56 deg 1.25 that one of the associates used himself. It felt good so I decided to have them order the components for me. It must be popular as the store was sold out of all heads. Hopefully in a week or so I will be writing back with my success story on using the club. I am still deciding on what I want to do with the 52, but most likely it will be the M Series milled you mentioned. Thank you for your help. Sincerely, Lee
Lee, first of all, let's deal with the sand wedge. I would recommend the 1.25UC sole in 56 degrees loft. This wedge should be a huge surprise to you in how well it works. I really do not like the 53 degree and 58 degree idea. If you want a gap wedge, you need to go with a 51 or 52 degree (the M Series milled 52 degree is my choice). A sand wedge needs to be 55 degrees absolute minimum. If you are going to add a 60 degree, the 1.25 UC 60 degree is the one to get to match up with your sand wedge. If you have the skill, you may want to drop out the gap wedge and learn to hit the pitching wedge about ¾ to fill the gap. This is up to you. Some golfers will score a lot better with a hybrid or another fairway metal added-in vs. the gap wedge. You may also be a player who really does not benefit from a 60 degree wedge, so you need to throw this into the decision mix also. When a golf course has very tight lies, the first thing many clubfitters do is recommend less bounce so the golfer can “get down after the ball”. This is great if you are a tour pro who can work magic with a wedge because they hit a zillion shots a day practicing. It is just the opposite for average golfers. The tighter the lie, the more the tendency to hit the ball fat. And, as soon as we hit a few fat we start hitting a few thin to compensate. What we need is more “effective bounce” so that we have less margin for error in digging the leading edge into the ground. So now we do not need to hit the perfect “nip” shot but rather we can hit just behind the ball to a little more back behind the ball and the sole will not dig, but rather slide under the ball and loft it onto the green. It’s simply more forgiving.
Mr. Maltby, I am seeking your years of expertise in helping me choose the right model of Maltby wedge. I tend to sweep the ball (sometimes hit thin) and do not take much of a divot, unless I chunk the ball. I play in SW FL where it gets very dry, especially now with water restrictions. I tend to play courses with slightly tighter fairways then in your area. I am looking at conventional vs the 1.25 model. I have always thought I should have less bounce, but some people are telling me differently. I would like to get a 53 deg (maybe take down to 52) and a 58 (down to 57) to bridge the gaps from my 46 deg PW. In starting the fitting process, I noticed I hit it center of face, but sole marks are more towards toe (we used lie angle tape and it was marking up the 2 deg upright area). Can you please offer some suggestions? I value your opinion and hope I provided enough info. Thank you for your time. Lee H., Estero, FL
tmharrell01, this is a subject I am addressing in more depth in my new fitting book. Until then, wedges for aggressive players will generally perform better with a stiffer shaft. But, since shafts tend to get stiffer as the club length gets shorter, even a regular flex set of irons will have relatively stiff wedge shafts. The one no, no is to play with a softer flex shaft in a wedge than is installed in your set of irons. Of course, this should be logical, but I find it fairly often.
Ralph Could you talk a little about shafts for wedges? There seem to be so many options, and I would like to know about combinations of heads and shafts for certain conditions. I play in Texas, where hard pan and high wind are the norm. I hit down and through hard pan, so would I be better off with a heavy firm shaft? Thanks Tim
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