Question: How can I find out if my wedges are worn out and I need new ones?
Answer: I still enjoy playing ‘pretend’ with my kiddos, so hang with me on this one. Let’s imagine that your wedges are a set of tyres on your car that are close to the point of needing to be replaced – and the grooves represent the worn tyre treads.
Any seasoned driver will tell you a lot can happen when the tread starts to go. Suspension or alignment issues, hydroplaning, blowouts – you name it. You increase your chances of an accident driving on worn wheels, which is why most drivers pony up for a fresh set when the time comes.
Wedges aren’t exactly a necessity like new tyres, but it seems silly to play with grooves that are nearly shot. Of all the clubs in your bag, there’s a good chance the grooves on your wedges will go first. The scoring clubs see plenty of use, and if you’re playing on a regular basis, you need to monitor the grooves to determine if spin and launch are taking a hit.
When wedge shots that used to check up and stop start skidding past your intended target, that’s when you know the grooves are beginning to go.
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To keep with the tyre analogy, there’s an old test where you stick a coin in your tyre treads to check the depth, and there’s a similar test you can do on wedges. Simply run a fingernail down the face of the wedge. If your nail gets caught in each groove, you can feel confident knowing they can still produce the necessary zip.
However, if your nail slides easily across any of the grooves – the lower grooves are the most important for most amateurs – it’s probably because they’ve been worn smooth. That’s when you know it’s time for a new wedge with fresh grooves.
If you’re still sceptical about the differences in spin between worn grooves and fresh grooves, a recent test with Golf Laboratories’ swing robot revealed that a new wedge produced roughly 2,000rpm more spin on an 80-metre shot. In practical terms, that means more grabbing power on the greens. Specifically, the wedge with worn grooves would roll out another 12 to 14 feet. That could be the difference between sticking one close and seeing it slip off the back of the green.
In other words, keeping tabs on your wedge grooves matters more than you might think.
