Scratch Golf Wedges Review (Mini)

Well, finally settled on my new wedges for the season. I am gonna be bagging Scratch Golf (www.scratchgolf.com) 8620 Milled wedges. The wedges are precision milled and ground to meet your game's needs. I ended up fitting into the Digger-Driver category, meaning I tend to miss fat and I hit down on my wedges. Which is exactly what I do, so these should hopefully help with some of the harder shots.

Scratch wedges are a little smaller profile than your normal wedge. In fact, Vokey SM4 wedges will look like shovels compared to these. But the profile instills confidence in me. I did not hit all of the lofts I bought, but I did hit the 56*. I had played 6 years with my original Cobra wedge before switching last year to Mizuno MP T-11s (which you can find a full review on my blog--click on the club review section to the right). The MP-Ts just did not work for my swing, whether it was the Dynamic Gold spinners or the grind of the wedges. So these should get me back to where I need to be. I also went back to my old set-up of 56 and 60 at the bottom of the bag, along with a 50 degree gap wedge. The big gap may seem like a lot, but I hit so many wedges into greens from 100-125 that the 56 covers my 100 yard club and the 50 covers my 125. The best part about these wedges are the shafts that are available stock. You can get Dynamic Gold Wedge Flex, R300, S300, and X100, as well as KBS Tour stock no upcharge. Which is a much better quality than any other wedgemaker out there. And for $109 a piece with your custom grind and custom stamping, you cannot go wrong.

When I get the wedges and play a few rounds on them, I will make sure to post a full review. But in the mean time, if you are in the market for new wedges, check out Scratch Golf. www.scratchgolf.com. They have 2 standard wedges available (8620 Milled and 1020 Forged) and also offer tour custom fitting, grinding, stamping, and personalization if you have the money and need for the custom set up.

Custom Fitting Golf Clubs--Not Just For Pros

There are many of you out there who have bought clubs off the rack for many many years without stopping to think if the clubs really are what you need. A lot of you probably think, "Custom fitting is only for professional golfers. What will it really do for an amateur like me?" Well, that is definitely an incorrect way of thinking. In fact, many of the top clubfitters have proven that a club fitting is actually more beneficial for players of a higher handicap. It may just be the difference between falling short of your personal best, or smashing your personal course record.

Clubfitting usually starts with static measurements--they measure you for length of the club. The length is important because too long or too short of a club may lead to many shots that are not hit on the center of the clubface. Once the fitter knows your stats, you are ready to get started.

If you go to a reputable fitter, they will then move on to the dynamic fitting process. If you are getting fit for irons, they will have you hit on a lie board to make sure the lie angle of your clubs are correct. An incorrect lie angle can lead to digging of the toe or heal at impact and will lead to shots that are sprayed all over the place.

After all of the measurements are complete, you move on to the fun part--hitting. Most fitters will start with your old set of clubs to take a baseline measurement. The best system to use is a Trackman or Flightscope launch monitor that utilizes radar technology. These are the most accurate and best when it comes to data. The fitter should record everything with your old clubs: clubspeed, ball speed, launch angle, angle of attack, spin rate, side spin, and smash factor.

After the baseline measurements are complete, the fitter will provide you with clubheads and shafts that fit your swing profile. This is the most important part of the fitting and where you will get the most information and improvement. The fitter will have you hit combinations that are proven with your swing characteristics to give you the best performance. At a good fitting, you will be able to try as many heads and shafts as it takes until you find the one that maximizes performance based on your swing. Every fitter knows the "gold standard" of flight data based on each swing speed.

When all is said and done, you should have spent 1-2 hours fine-tuning each and every club for your individual game. Now you know the clubs that fit you and the shafts that will help you shave those strokes off your game. So what are you waiting for? Go to your local clubfitter (google search usually helps), give someone a call, and schedule your best game improvement you will have. And try to find a fitter who has the Trackman or Flightscope, as these will give you the most accurate readings.

Good luck, get fit, and play your best golf ever!

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