| Member |
Post |
Joined: 12/05/2007
Posts: 531
|
Posted: May/24/2008 9:33 PM PST
Has anyone used a groove sharpening tool on their wedges? What kind of results did you get.
I've been playing 3-6 times a week every week including 27-36 holes on some days. I just reviewed all my scores since I started playing last fall and I feel like my scoring has gotten stagnant. In fact, for awhile I seemed to be getting into the 90's regularly but lately i find my self scoring closer to 100 and getting well up into 100's way more than i would like, especially on my home courses that I know like the back of my hand. My ball striking has improved and i'm my recent equipment changes (x-flex shafts in woods, new cavity back irons with x flex) are helping me to be a bit more accurate.
The area I feel i'm not improving is my short game. I'm making more putts from 8-12 feet than ever before but my lagging has gotten a bit off since i've been working on hitting more makeable 5-15 foot putts. I think putting a little time working on pace with my new putting stroke will fix that up.
I'm most disappointed with my chipping. I improved from a 28 HCP to a 19-20 and most of that is by not chunking/skulling so many chips however, i don't feel like I'm getting that much better with chipping it close. With as many rounds as I play, I know that my wedges are probably worn out. I'm thinking about splurging on some nice wedges but I got my 3 wedges in a set from the place i got my knockoff irons. I can buy 3 more new wedges from them for about $70. I know the pros change wedges as much as twice a month; obviously money isn't an issue for them. I'm wondering if I should try a regroove tool on my current wedges.
I definately have decent technique as I notice much better bite playing with prov1x's and other similar soft cover balls, unfortunately, those balls are a bit pricey and for as often as I lose balls with errant driver shots, it's not feasible.
What is the most important variable for me, the ball that I'm playing, the quality of the wedge that I use to begin with, or simply the grooves on the wedge.
Sorry for the long post, hopefully this gets some good discussion going though!
|
Santa Cruz ca.
Joined: 8/16/2007
Posts: 332
|
Posted: May/24/2008 11:27 PM PST
when I look at my last months stats its
the short chips that were cause I missed GIR
and its that distance of 6-20ft. those are
the ones I'm still having trouble with as I
have put back the 60* in the bag and its the
bad boy right now. it makes awsome shots and
makes me crazy too... but its a work in progress.
as for the grooves... I use a special set of sm files
to keep my grooves sharp. if done right your ball will
only make about one round due to the light scuff marks
made by the wedges. the re-groove tool works too, I
prefer the old fashion way though.
these sm files cost like 2-4.00 at flea markets
or dollar stores....
Attachments:
|
West Lothian
Joined: 11/08/2007
Posts: 119
|
Posted: May/25/2008 12:20 AM PST
Firstly I think the biggest culprit will be the ball. There are certain balls that will be almost impossible to stop. I switched form Pro V1 to TM Burner TP recently. I like the Burner but it doesn't stop anywhere near like the Pro V1.
Secondly I have altered my shot / thinking to accomodate this. I aim short of the green / pin and let the ball release. Why not try this?
Thirdly the weather (in Scotland anyway)is making it much more difficult to stop the ball. The courses have been hard and fast recently.
Fourthly and finally a query. Is it legal / acceptable to 'file' or 'sharpen' your grooves? I thought there were rules on this. I thought the groove could only be a certain depth, angle, radius, width etc. Working on these would surely break at least one of the critical dimensions?
|
Joined: 12/05/2007
Posts: 531
|
Posted: May/25/2008 4:27 AM PST
Quote: Originally posted by John_R7 Firstly I think the biggest culprit will be the ball. There are certain balls that will be almost impossible to stop. I switched form Pro V1 to TM Burner TP recently. I like the Burner but it doesn't stop anywhere near like the Pro V1. Secondly I have altered my shot / thinking to accomodate this. I aim short of the green / pin and let the ball release. Why not try this? Thirdly the weather (in Scotland anyway)is making it much more difficult to stop the ball. The courses have been hard and fast recently. Fourthly and finally a query. Is it legal / acceptable to 'file' or 'sharpen' your grooves? I thought there were rules on this. I thought the groove could only be a certain depth, angle, radius, width etc. Working on these would surely break at least one of the critical dimensions?
I agree with the idea of planning a shot to release and play for that, however, i don't seem to be having success with that. so many variables such as the slope of the green and whether its uphill or down hill make that judgement pretty tough.
As for legality, I agree with you I'm sure there is a rule on it, there are rules on everything else. Of course, how anyone would know is beyond me. Any competition that I'm playing in at the moment certainly isn't going to be checking so i'm not worried about that. If i get to single digits and start playing in serious tourneys then I think I could justify buying new wedges more often.
I think i need to change my practice routine as well. I practice chipping a lot and do decent on the practice green but I'm so comfortable with that green, I know every contour of it so i really should be doing it perfect. I'm going to look up some specific short game drills here and start implementing them.
|
Maryland
Joined: 3/08/2008
Posts: 125
|
Posted: May/27/2008 1:49 PM PST
I don't sharpen my grooves, but I'm sure it would work. You need to know the shape of your grooves and get a tool that will fit nicely though, so you don't just widen them out without sharpening them. If you want to spin the ball, I would just bite the bullet and invest in some good spinning wedges. The best are the Titleist Vokey Spin Milled wedges. You could probably pick up a set of three gently used ones for 100-150 bucks. Should see results immediately and you will probably wear out the faces and soles before the grooves go dull. Also, you could change to a cheaper spinning ball than the ProV1 like the Callaway HX HotBite. If you hit the ball a long way, it won't really matter too much if you lose a few yards.
|
Joined: 12/05/2007
Posts: 531
|
Posted: May/27/2008 2:49 PM PST
good call on cheaper high spin balls. I like the topflite d2 feel which is 1599 for 15 balls but I think i'll try the top flite gamer which spins around 10k rpm in the golf magazine test but is only $20 for a dozen
So you think the vokey wedges won't wear out fast huh? perhaps i'll make the investment. I saw some other wedges that were "cnc milled" from a knockoff company. I wonder what the difference is between vokeys "spin milled" and cnc milling? anyone in the machining business here and know?
|
Maryland
Joined: 3/08/2008
Posts: 125
|
Posted: May/27/2008 7:02 PM PST
I couldn't tell you what the difference is. All I know is that I have gone through countless wedges and the Vokeys are the best. I have a spin milled 56 degree wedge and it spins the bejesus out of the ball. I switched back to the tour chrome wedges because I get them to spin just fine. But if you want a wedge that you can stop really quick on a chip shot or spin back a ways on a full shot, the spin milled wedge is the one for you. A lot of guys on tour use them for their awesome distance control ability. And they stay sharp for a long time if you are kind to them. (no banging them on the ground when you hit a bad shot)
|
Western Iowa USA
Joined: 11/17/2007
Posts: 205
|
Posted: May/27/2008 7:49 PM PST
Here is a link that shows what the "spin milled" face is. I thought it might just be another term for CNC milled but apparently it isn't.
http://www.hookedongolfblog.com/2006/10/23/titleis t-vokey-spin-milled-wedge-review/
|
Fredericksburg, VA., Honolulu, HI.
Joined: 5/03/2008
Posts: 43
|
Posted: May/28/2008 6:09 AM PST
First of all, there are definite guidelines for groove depth and width. I guess for a high handicapper that doesn't play tournaments it doesn't matter, but if you're improving using illegal equipment are you really improving?
Secondly, I've found the ball you're using and solid ball contact have by far the biggest impact on spinning your shots. I've not found that new wedges spin the ball considerably more than old ones, they just scuff the ball more. I've got 3 yr. old wedges that have the chrome worn off and gouges all over them but they still spin the crap out of the ball. Keep in mind the tour players regularly play on very hard, very fast greens, and a marginal improvement from new wedges can make a difference. But us sunday golfers rarely encounter greens hard or fast enough to for it to have much of an impact.
I'd recommend finding a ball you like and sticking with it. Knowing how you ball will react under given circumstances is key, no matter how much it does or doesn't spin. Also plan where you want to miss a green if you do. A short sided miss from a crappy lie to a fast green is a shot that just can't be pulled off in many cases.
|
Richmond, KY
Joined: 10/22/2007
Posts: 76
|
Posted: May/28/2008 8:31 AM PST
they aren't spin milled vokeys but the Taylormade RAC Satin TP's have the exact same kind of face. The grooves are sharp, the whole face is spin-milled
|
