1st post, need advise on club purchase

I'm a 14 handicapper and I'm looking to buy another pitching wedge(lost my old one), any ideas on some good ones that are reasonably priced, like anything under $120.

Also I want to get a 3 wood hybrid, any suggestions?

Titless Spin Milled, TM RAC TP, Cleveland (anything they make), Callaway, Nike, Mizuno and some boutique stuff.... It really comes down to YOUR personal preference, I listed every great wedge I'd put in my bag if I had to get a new one. Go hit a few.

Adams Hybrid, TM 3wood.

I dunno, hell. Welcome anyway!

Welcome, milk. I can't help with hybrid advice. Perhaps Omen has an opinion.

Ping ISI: Best wedges I have ever hit, but you should be your own judge.
Callaway 3 & 4 Heavenwoods have treated me very well. I have tried other hybrids but these suit me best. The 2 Heavenwood wasn't as easy to hit for me.

[QUOTE=milkcane]I'm a 14 handicapper and I'm looking to buy another pitching wedge(lost my old one), any ideas on some good ones that are reasonably priced, like anything under $120.

Also I want to get a 3 wood hybrid, any suggestions?[/QUOTE]

My PW has always matched my irons, so what irons do you have? I'm considering building myself a new Sand Wedge at some point, and some of the component heads I'm considering are SMT Durometer Black, Alpha PF-2, Maltby M-Series (new Milled Face wedges coming soon), Wishon CX Micro, Raven NearNet Forged, and perhaps one or two more...

As for 3-wood hybrids, I assume you're referring to utility woods? Perhaps something like a Maltby Trouble Out Plus? I saw those at Golf Galaxy yesterday and thought they looked very nice. Personally, I'm using an Alpha V5 HI-COR 16* Hybrid. I may not use it much off the short grass, but, with its larger head, it's pretty nice off the tee.

[url]http://www.golfworks.com/category.asp_Q_pc_E_1_A_c_E_669_A_c2c_E_ln[/url]

Titleist Spin Milled doesn't make PW lofts...think the lowest they go is 52*, which by most opinions is a GW. That said, Titleist Oil Cans (non-spin milled variety) does come in 48*-50* lofts and are great wedges. Another option is if you can find a Ben Hogan "E" wedge on eBay. They call it their "Equalizer" wedge, but it's a PW that I've heard is one of the best feeling PW's out there. Take that last one with a grain of salt since I have no practical experience with the E-wedge.

On hybrids, if you don't need help getting the ball airborn and have the occasional need to work the ball left or right, get the Bridgestone hybrids. Make sure you get the wood-like hybrid, and not the Airmuscle that looks like an iron. These are by far some of the best hybrids I've tried. I've had the Taylormade Mids, Ben Hogan CFT's, Cleveland Halo, Sonartec Md, Callaway Fusion Hybrid, and Callaway Heavenwood...none compare in terms of feel, ball flight, and consistency.

Now, if you do need a little help getting the ball in the air, and looking for a club that is so forgiving it's silly, try the Cobra hybrids. Those give you a lot of help hitting off the deck, and are equally forgiving off the tee. You can hit it almost anywhere on the face and you have a great, straight shot.

Hope it helps.

Ping G10 hybrids are getting a lot of good reviews. Try that one.

It's tough to get a good pitching wedge(46-47º) as they come with the set of clubs.

Your best bet would be to look on Ebay for someone selling a PW only. You probably wont be able to walk into a golf shop and walk away with a new QUALITY pitching wedge.

JS

if you want somthing different than you irons i would recomend either Cleveland 588 they have a 47* wedge, or PING wrx dept can get you just about anything you want... but just about any OEM would have a 50* wedge you could buy...

a pw is a 48* iron... anything CLEVELAND, TITLEIST, MIZUNO, OR EVEN CALLAWAY...

I would lean towards the cleveland myslelf

Hybrid... yeah here's what i would go with if i were you...

[ATTACH]1972[/ATTACH]

better than an actual hybrid.. this one you can actually control the ball... high, low, fade, draw... it's your call...

Omen

If you like the rest of your iron set, the PW is really just a "10 iron." I have no experience with this outfit, but I've heard about Golfclubfinder.

[url]http://www.golfclubfinder.com/[/url]

Also try e-bay to see if you can find a single PW to match your set. Otherwise, you'll have to look for a true 47-48 wedge, and not every manufacturer makes them. In fact, Cleveland is the main OEM that sells wedges with that low of a loft. Scratch wedges can be had in just about any loft, lie angle, head shape, finish, sole grind, and shaft you can imagine. However, even they don't have 46-48 degree wedges in their pre-fab line. You'd have to go custom all the way, and that means relatively big bucks.

Addendum;
Other club finding services; no personal experience with any of them

[url]http://www.clubscouter.com/[/url]
[url]http://www.ironfinder.com/[/url]

If you are playing off 14 I'd suggest go for a 2 iron or even a 5 wood and forget about the hybrid. The gayness effect the hybrid will have on the rest of your game will see you blow out to 19 in no time.

It all starts innocently enough with the hybrid, but before you know it your bag contains long putters, iron covers, and regular graphite shafts in oversize cast POS CB irons. When you get to the first tee you will look like you are going to a Liberace covention, not a golf course.

for the 3-wood. Kinda old but i love my taylor made 300 series, ball jumps off the face, light, probably cheap now too.

I think by three wood hybrid, he means a three iron hybrid. Probably 21 deg or thereabouts.

Adams Idea Pro iron set has the most popular hybrids among playing pros, I understand. Easiest to hit, best results, and probably most hated by Omen. Good recommendations all around.

>>> If you are playing off 14 I'd suggest go for a 2 iron or even a 5 wood and forget about the hybrid. <<<

Amen. It's a 2i for me.

I've watched each of my golfing buds start off loving their hybrids for about 5-6 rounds and before I knew it, one by one, each was looking to toss it in the drink.

As far as 3-woods go, I love the classic Pro Trajectory metalwoods from Titleist. A little old school for most but the darned things still performs beautifully. Phenomenal feel and easy as can be to hit off the deck.

bd

Don't let the ultra manly men of GR dissuade you. Go hybrid all the way! I ditched my my 5-wood over a year ago for #2 Heavenwood (even the name sounds sissy, but who cares?) hybrid and haven't looked back. The 5-wood collects dust and even the 3-wood hardly ever comes out of the bag because the hybrid is so pure and long. It's a great club off the tee, too, if you can resist the temptation to reach for the big dog, which I can't. I'm a 12 handicap, if it matters.