So I got my wedges about a month ago, there are pics of them on here somewhere, I'm too lazy to dig em up, but Ihave a 48*, 55*, 60* with antique finish.

IMO, what makes these wedges so good is the ability to customize them yourself. I didnt really go through the fitting system that Ari offered, but I talked to him about it alot. As far as a PW and SW go, I really dont care much, and I told him to make me something that looked good, with low bounce, that I could use out of sand and grass effectively. For me, having a LW that I really can do whatever I want with is necessary. I have played 4 60*'s before, liking many thing about them all, but not finding the characteristics taht I want in any one wedge. Now, that wedge is my Scratch wedge. Love the shape, size, grind, grooves, etc. That, IMO is what makes the wedges so worth it, the ability to get EXACTLY what you want with them. Onto the on-course review...

First of all, this is very nice going back to forged wedges, as it has been awhile, and is totally worth it, IMO.

48*: I would say that I use this club from the fairway the most. This club has V grooves, which are very wide and deep, but not sharp, so they spin a perfect amount for me. They stop where they land, within a foot or so of the divot. I love hitting a 3/4 punch from about 100 yards with this baby, its just a fantastic experience.

55*: This wedge gets the least amount of use, usually from around the green chipping over rough, when there is enough green for me to roll the ball onto, and so far has been very nice. It too has the V grooves, and from the fairway, I can actually spin it alot, or just float it up there, which I love.

60*: This, for me, is the wedge that really counts. I can get up and down from just about anywhere if I have a wedge that I have confidence in, and this wedge is it. From the sand, it is perfect for me. I loved the grind on the Nike 60*, and I got this one set up abut the same, with more heel drop, adn slightly less bounce. From the fairway, it is a fantastic wedge. Play it up in the stance, hit it high and soft, play it back, have it hit, skip, and stop. The grooves on this one are U grooves, which arent as wide as the V, but have very simaler spin on full shots, but more on half shots an dpitches, which i really like. From the rough, this club is at D6, so it just chops through everything, which i REALLY like.

Finish: The Antique finish will wear, simarly to the Callaywa Vintage finish, I think. Ive had mine for a month, and it is startign to fade on teh sweet spot of the 48, a little on the face of the 60, the soles of the 48 and 60, and not at all of the 55.

Overall, if you know exactly what you want from a wedge, but couldnt find one that was just right, call up Ari. If you have already found that wedge, fantastic, dont change. Anyone want a TSC Cleveland or a Callaway 60*? :roll:

Pepe

Great review pepe . Forged and custom fit is what I've been looking for , for a long time .
Hope I like mine as much as you do when I get them .

Great review, Pepe. I know how much a good wedge can help your game. Dont' the large gaps between your wedges affect your game? Don't you ever feel the need for a gap wedge?

Thanks for the great review. To me, I agree with you about the Lob. I use it the same way. I was looking for something that would take out the possibility to hit it high with the leading edge. That's what they are helping me with. Very cool that you took it loft by loft. Thanks.
Jim

MGB, I have played 46 52 56 60, 48 52 56 60 and the gap wedge was just never used, except for a full 100 yard shot. Since then, I have grown, and started hitting the ball further, so now I can hit a LW almost 100 yards, so I really dont need a GW. I went to the Dave Pelz school, and they focus on 4 wedges, but I just never used teh GW with my current length. I actually LOVE hitting 3/4, 1/2 shots, and rarely ever take full shots with wedges, so there isnt really a distance that I dont have. I was usually a traditional 48 56 60 guy, but I had them make it a 55* to help up with the loft difference, and I dont even know the difference.

Pepe

My LW is gonna be done soon and I cannot wait. I'm almost positive now that I'm gonna love it.

Great review. I am thinking of getting with Ari after christmas and getting myself a 60 and maybe a 56 also. I took the bench grinder to my cleveland and finally got rid of the heel and ground a lot of bounce off. I used to use a wedge with 0 degrees bounce that i loved but like you said it is hard to find everything you want in the same club. My next project is rounding out the leading edge....I guess this is my experimental club until I order from Ari.

I just got my 60* scratch a couple days ago and it truly is amazing. I agree w/everything pepe said, I just can't wait to take mine out on the course. Also I highly recomend gripmaster grips, they are great and extremely tacky, very nice to have on a wedge.

I have seen the pics of your Scratch wedges and to me they sure look nice.
I like the 3x black finish too .
It is also nice to hear that they dont just look nice but perform well.

Hope I ll be able to get my hands on some of these wedges some time soon.

Thx for posting

Thanks, Pepe.

Never really had the need to hit a lob wedge 100 yards. I'm kinda more a shotmaker, you know, feel sand wedge inside 100 yards, a lob wedge inside 50. I'm with you, though. I like the idea of freeing up a slot in my bag. I'd need a lob wedge with a bit more bounce than the 3* i've got on my RAM Tom Watson, though. Conditions here get plenty soggy during monsoon season.

Otherwise, My swing's developed as well my 48* PW now flies 130 and I haven't had to hit my sand wedge over 100 yards lately, so have been considering rethinking my 4 wedge strategy and give myself other options from long range.

I'm a two handicap and I love my 50 degree GW, I use it from 120 in if I can help it. I can keep it out of the wind and control distance exceptionally well. It also gives me that hop and stop the pros like so well. It's also nice to bump around the greens. The nice part of customizing a wedge is that it can eliminate a club. Example, my 56 degree has a lot of bounce because I live in the Midwest and play in wet conditions. I hate 60 degree wedges because distance control is difficult so I can build a 56 degree with moderate to high bounce then grind out heel and toe relief so when I need the loft open it up and it's there. Cool stuff...