Ideas for this post can come from anywhere. I had a decent idea for Monday, but, as my partner yesterday said “The couch got in the way”, and I just couldn’t get it done. I got a better idea yesterday. I played in a Pro-Pro yesterday with a Callaway Staff Professional. This means we were paired with 2 other PGA Professionals. One of those players was also a Callaway Staff Professional, and he made a comment on the first tee about the new Opus wedges. We hadn’t even hit a shot yet, and he was talking about how great they are. File that away for later?

As we embarked on our round, I watched his partner miss a green, hit a short pitch from the fairway short of the green, and knock the ball 20-25 feet past the hole on the first hole. His ball was in the fairway, and it was an uphill pitch shot. I didn’t really even pay attention to the swing, just the result. I said to myself this guy needs a new wedge. I missed the third green. I had a tricky little pitch over a good sized mound to a green that was sloping away from me. I hit the shot and it landed in the rough, one little bounce and it was on the green and rolling. I thought to myself I can’t believe that ball stopped short of the hole. I watched him hit a few more chips and pitches long. Decent shots, but not control due to lack of spin. You do you, I’m minding my own business – there’s plenty there to keep me busy.

I missed the green in 2 on a par 5 and had an uphill 25 yard pitch shot. Pretty easy shot. I flew the ball 5 feet short of the hole, one hop and the ball stopped dead in it’s tracks. He marveled and made a comment about the spin. Then the conversation on the green turned to “I get new wedges 4x per year (I don’t), he can help you get new wedges (I can), and must be nice to play golf all the time (laughable)”. I said “How about the guy who hit the shot?” Laughter. Granted, my wedges are 2 weeks old. Also granted, I replaced wedges that were new last fall. I refuse to play with old, worn grooves – I can’t execute with wedges like that. A couple holes later I picked up his wedges – SM7’s with a badge of honor in the center of the face. Grooves were all but a distant memory. Houston?? No disrespect to any wedge, but when it’s time, it’s time…

I missed short on 11. I was maybe 15 feet short of the green to a front pin. The green was crowned, so this was a shot I had to fly to the pin with spin. The distance was easy, but getting it to spin with that short of a shot? This was a tricky shot. I hit the same shot I hit on 6. Flew it a couple feet short of the pin, and it took a hop and stopped dead in it’s tracks. Tap in to save par. He had a pitch shot from the rough with a lot of green to work with. 20-25 feet past the hole again. As he walked past the hole, he said “I gotta work on my short game, then get new wedges.” I said “Why not the other way around?” He was kidding. I was not.

Dave Pelz or Stan Utley, I am not. But, with the right equipment and NEW equipment, I can make the ball do what I want it to do. I couldn’t have hit the shots I hit with his wedges. I doubt anyone could. If the grooves on his wedges were treads on a tire, he’d by hydroplaning all the way to Poughkeepsie. The shots I did hit made him think about changing out his wedges – so much so that he asked me if I thought it would help. I told him to take any demo wedge out of the shop and compare it with his current wedges. Any wedge, loft, bounce, grind doesn’t matter – pick one and go. See for yourself. He literally left 5-6 shots on the golf course yesterday.

So what comes first? Practice the short game, or buy new wedges? BOTH will have an immediate impact on your golf game and your scores – as a club fitter, you already know that. The unasked question here is “Do you need to actually fit a player to get him into new wedges?” I say NO. Huh? You’re a Master club fitter?? Yes, but hear me out. First, if you play a round of golf with your members, you can see what they do and suggest that new wedges might be helpful. Second, you can walk through your bag room and see who has wedges from the Bush Administration (no, the first one) and suggest an update. And third, you can walk around the practice green on Saturday mornings or weekday evenings, take a look at what is going on and make suggestions. As a Golf Professional, a Club fitter, or an industry professional – this is what we do. We help people get better at the game we all love. Making a suggestion to a guy to get rid of his Cleveland 588 Copper wedges is not disrespectful. I know he loves the color and the feel, but he’s driving a sports car with no brakes and old tires – that wedge isn’t a sports car any more – it’s just an old car that doesn’t work like it used to. Once he see’s how a new wedge will perform for him, the love affair with the old wedges will be a thing of the past.

So, when someone asks you “Do you think it’s time to replace these? How often should I replace my wedges?” You almost don’t have to look. If he’s asking, the answer is probably yes. As a guideline, I’d suggest after 100 rounds, or half the shelf life on his irons – whichever comes first (Buy a set of irons and play them for 5 years? Do wedges every 2.5 years). Wedges get used more, they tend to be used in the harshest conditions, and thus, they age the fastest. SAND is a groove killer. Hitting wedges on the grass range is a groove killer. Is it time to replace these? YES. Should a player buy wedges EVERY TIME a new wedge comes out? YES. We are every other year with new wedges. When we replace, you should replace, and so should your members.

Think of it in terms of shop sales. Do you have 200 members at your club? Times 3 wedges per player = 600 wedges in your bag room. 300 should be replaced every year. Times $50 profit per wedge = $15,000 in shop sales. Are you selling 300 wedges per year? I know the answer to that question. Your members will say “Wedges are expensive.” Yes, so is losing to your buddies every Saturday, and shooting scores not up to your potential is frustrating. It should be a very, very, very easy conversation with a player who wants to spend $600 on a new driver to replace the one he just bought last year (which replaced the one he bought the year before that)… Buy new wedges every other year and a new driver the opposite years. Hmmmm… there’s a thought. Did you have to fit him? Perhaps, but it could be as easy as simply making a suggestion and matching new wedges to what he already has.

So, what comes first? Buy wedges or work on the short game. Buy wedges. This will let the player see the potential in his short game without changing anything in his technique. Practice a little bit, and voila a new and improved short game just appeared!! 20-25 footers are 6 footers, and you can make some of those.

Happy Fitting!!!

Jim Yeager, PGA