Quote:
Originally Posted by DIETER
I agree with most people that too many wedges makes things more complicated. I have 3 wedges now - 48*PW, 54* GW, and 60* LW/SW. Before having a bunch of wedges was all the the rage, all I had was a 48*PW and 56*SW and it was all I needed. Since that time, I've changed irons and my wedge set up - I still have a good short game, but it was certainly simpler in "the olden days"......but I just can't get myself to go back.
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But that's my point; why did we "leave" in the first place?
I look at it this way: The rest of my game is essentially the same as it's always been except for carrying multiple wedges. I did well in the "olden days" with just a PW / SW. So if that's the case, why the need for all the wedges now?
If, through technology and modern equipment, I was now hitting tee shots in excess of 300 yards on a regular basis leaving more or less 100 yards for an approach shot, then I could understand the need for special wedges: to facilitate adequate height and spin from any lie. This is the "pro" theory because this allows them to "bomb" tee shots and not care too much about where they end up because no matter whether they end up in short grass, rough, or sand, they'll have the appropriate "100 yard club" for the task.
But how many of us "regular folk" actually hit consistent 300+ yard tee shots to the point where multiple wedges are actually necessary? In my case, my tee shots are about as long as they've always been and the effect of technology has really had more to do with accuracy than distance, so my average approach shot for an average par 4 is still pretty much what it always was; between 130 to 160 yards (more for longer par 4's).
So this means that I'm not in wedge range to begin with so there's no real need for multiple wedges -- at least not in the sense of why the pro's have them. And since my short game was fine for over twenty years with just a PW / SW combination, there's no logical "need" for all those extra wedges. If all other things are basically the same (just more accurate) and if I was doing fine with just a PW / SW, then that should work just as well now, as then.
I suppose that if I hadn't taken so much time off from the game, I'd likely have never bought into any of this. But the differences in technology (and mostly marketing and hype) that were evident after the six years I stayed away from the game were such that I actually didn't recognize the game that I knew. And once I realized that the technology wasn't going to have me suddenly hitting 340 yard tee shots, the rest of the "baggage" that was tied to this technology began to seem pointless and more about selling me stuff than offering anything tangible.
I'll admit that I got "sold" some things when I came back and I've spent a fair amount of time wading through it all only to discover that most of it was more promise than purpose. Now that I've "come to my senses" (so to speak), I can take an honest look at "need" versus "want" and for me, all I "need" is what always worked in the first place.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
-JP