[dHXaE2h9]

To me, the driving force behind wedges is the PGA Tour in that people want to emulate the pro's and so they'll equip themselves accordingly.

But the primary reason why the Tour is using 60 and 64 degree wedges is because of the fuzzy linoleum that passes for a green these days on Tour. The linoleum is a direct result of the distance boom and is a way of defending the greens and the courses as a whole from the "Bomb and Gouge" attack which is the way the game seems to be played these days.

In order to be able to stop a ball on such slippery surfaces, the lofts are getting greater and greater in an effort to apply as much spin as is possible to keep the ball from rolling off the green. But in the real world where we play, you'd be hard-pressed to encounter green speeds like those on tour and as such, the "need" for these higher lofted wedges doesn't really exist.

The highest lofted wedge I carry is 55 degrees and that is primarily a sand wedge, meaning that I hardly ever use it outside of a bunker. My "go to" wedge is a 51 degree which I use for virtually every shot inside of 100 yards except for chipping, for which I employ a variety of different clubs depending on the situation.

Unlike Leadbetter, I'm a firm believer in creativity and that means using a wedge from a square or even slightly closed face all the way to laying it wide open to the point of almost facing skyward (and everything in between, of course). I love the versatility that offers and rather than trying to calibrate my swing to 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 and Full increments, I'm free to come up with whatever my imagination can conjure and I find that far more effective and far more satisfying.

But if you're more of a mechanical player who's used to a square setup and you don't think you'd be comfortable experimenting with open stances and clubfaces, then I would suggest a set of wedges that extend beyond your 9-iron loft in 4 degree increments with the most lofted not exceeding 56 degrees. There are also a variety of bounce profiles available to accommodate virtually every style of play and whether you're a "digger" or a "sweeper", there's a wedge out there somewhere just for you.

As far as anything more lofted than 56 degrees goes, I would say "forget it". They're way too hard to hit and unless you're playing greens that stimp out in the low teens - quite unnecessary as well.

So either go get set up with wedges that serve to extend your iron progression, or maybe take a shot at being creative, opening up that stance, opening up the face and having some fun with just one or two wedges.

There are no "correct" answers here and only the individual can decide what's best for them - even if ol' Dave doesn't think so.

(But he DOES seem to be pretty good with bathrooms and hotel corridors...)



-JP