I stumbled across the AJGA WITB video on Charlie Woods’ bag and, as you would expect, there are some very specific gear details in there.
Charlie Woods is not exactly guessing when it comes to club setup. He has access to some of the best people in the game and every part of his bag has clearly been thought through: loft, lie angle, shafts, wedge setup, ball choice, etc.
But the detail that stood out to me most was one most amateurs would probably miss.
Charlie uses Golf Pride MCC Align grips from driver through irons. However, on his 56- and 60-degree wedges, he switches to the regular MCC MultiCompound grip instead.
That may not sound like much, but it is.
Why the grip changes on the wedges
The MCC Align is a reminder-style grip. It has a raised ridge that helps your hands return to the same position on the club.
For a driver or iron, that can be a good thing. Most golfers want a consistent grip and a square clubface. A reminder grip gives your hands a reference point.
But wedges are different because of the way we use them.
Charlie explained that he rarely uses his 56- and 60-degree wedges with the face square. Around the green, he is opening the face, changing the loft, using the bounce differently and hitting a variety of shots. When he had the Align grip on those wedges, the reminder got in the way.
With the round grip, he said he feels like its easier to open the face and hit different shots.
Do you need this?
If you play reminder grips and never feel restricted with your wedges, there is no reason to change just because Charlie Woods does it.
But if you use a reminder grip on your sand wedge or lob wedge and you feel like the club does not sit right when you open the face, this is something to think about. It may not be your technique. It may be that the grip is giving your hands a reference point that works better for full swings than it does for touch shots.
While wedge loft, bounce and grind are often the most important things to keep in mind around the greens, don’t forget the grip.
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