Cleveland Wedges
Finding the right lob wedge is one on the most difficult quandaries I have had over the last 5 years. Thank goodness for my Cleveland Wedges! Not only has it been difficult to decide on my lofts but just as equally frustrating has been trying to decide on how much bounce is best for me. This page is about the Cleveland lob wedge and sand wedge because after years of trial and error, that’s what’s left in my bag.
Now, I know I’m not alone in this club-decision paralysis.
Most all club manufacturers have strengthened their lies on what is “standard” for their specifications. In the old days a pitching wedge was 48 or 50 degrees and we all basically carried a 56 degree sand wedge. Most manufacturers now spec out their pitching wedges at around 46 degrees. This means most of us have to fill in the difference with a gap wedge of 50 or 52 degrees.
The next and tough decision is deciding on your sand and lob wedges. Most golfers choose between carrying a 54 & 58 or a 56 & 60 to round out their arsenals.
Problem with this is that you now have to eliminate a club to get down to the legal maximum of 14! I for one love to hit long irons and will not take my 3 iron out of my rotation.
It was hard enough for me to get rid of the 2 iron in favor of a 19 degree hybrid.
After years of tweaking and going back and forth I have finally chosen to play with a Cleveland 52 degree gap wedge and a Cleveland 58 degree sand or lob wedge. I have had to get comfortable with hitting three quarter shots with my pw & gw but I personally like to carry a 2 hybrid along with a 3 iron. I also don’t like carrying 4 wedges (too much confusion for my taste) and figure that I’m a good enough player to be able to control my distances enough to play with 3 wedges.
But there’s one more dynamic for me…I carry a 58 degree wedge with 14 degrees of bounce for most courses but my home course, which has very firm bunkers dictates a wedge with less bounce. I use a 58 with 8 degrees of bounce on my home track. I suggest you experiment with different lofts and bounces to decide which works best for you. Typically golfers who play very firm conditions are best suited using wedges with less bounce. More bounce is beneficial for softer conditions and fluffy sand.
It’s also worth mentioning that the Cleveland wedges beat out those from my Ping set because of feel. Cleveland found a way to get tons of feel in their wedges where most other club manufacturers don’t. With wedges, you MUST be able to feel what your doing. Heck, Hack has a new set of G15′s and you can’t even feel a ball strike. Great for a Hack, but not so great to score with.
To sum it up, there is no right answer for which wedges any one golfer should carry. Choosing ones wedge configuration is in my humble opinion one of the most difficult and personal decisions any golfer has to make.
Good luck and have fun in the journey! And do yourself a favor, and get a couple Cleveland wedges in your bag.
