Great wedge if you spend time with it
Written: Jun 30 '07 (Updated Jun 30 '07)
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Pros: Fantastic club for high loft shots from up to 75 yards; great in heavy rough
Cons: Unusual design, look and weight took me 2 hours of practice to master
The Bottom Line: If you want a stronger short game, invest a few hours and give this great club a try.
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| leftism11's Full Review: Alien 50 Degree Full Wedges |
I inherited this club from my grandfather's extensive golf club museum. As a new golfer (9 months of intensive play), I bought a set of 3-PW irons, but lacked any other wedges. I picked the well worn Alien Full Wedge out of the pile, and for several months was unsure what to do with such a large, heavy, sharp-edged wedge with such a huge bounce. I didn't use it because I didn't know how to use it--it looked and felt very uncomfortable compared to my PW.
But, after spending several hours at the pitching green practicing with this club, I now love it, and now really enjoy pitching onto the green from a few yards up to 75 yards. It has virtually replaced my pitching wedge. My short game is now the strongest and most confident part of my game.
The club gives me great loft, allowing me to drop onto the green with very good accuracy and minimal roll. My putting is quite weak at this point, but being able to chip within 10 feet of the pin with the Full Wedge has dramatically improved my putting scores (now consistently under 36 putts per round, which is a huge improvement for me).
The unusual weight of the club makes my swings more consistent--I don't have to worry much about force or speed--I just need to gauge how much back swing, and then let the weight of the club do the work, while I make sure to complete a full follow through with good arm extension.
The weight is especially valuable in deep rough. In long or heavy grass, I just need to push through the downswing, keep the face from turning in the grass (which is much easier than with my PW) and it cuts right through.
I also use it as my sand wedge. The weight and large bounce makes it great in bunkers, especially those with hard pack. Since I started using it, I've hit out of the bunker right onto the green in a single swing 5 out of 6 times, much to my surprise. Today I played on a course with a thin layer of wet sand on hard pack in the bunkers, and the club worked like a charm from two bunkers.
I've read a few reviews at another site where people (who had not invested time in learning how to work with the club) criticized the club for it's heaviness, and they ignorantly said that the club itself would tear gaping holes in the grass and damage the turf. Clearly those people didn't spend much time with the Full Wedge or understand how to appreciate it's unique design. This club is no more prone to tear up grass than any other iron--and divots aren't the fault of a club.
Since I have no experience with other types of wedges, I'm not sure how different the swing is for this club versus a more traditional sand wedge. My technique is:
-Put the ball towards the back of my stance, inside my right foot
-Hood the club slightly to minimize the risk of thinning the ball
-Use a quarter to half back swing with stiff left arm
-Use a slow back swing with gentle transition to forward swing
-Let the club's weight and loft do all of the work--just guide it through the ball
-Always perform a full follow through with good arm extension, even with a short back swing
Occasionally (1 out of 20 shots), I apparently short my follow through and don't properly release the club head, and the ball veers along the ground far to the right--so I have to make sure to follow through completely even with a short back swing.
Given the loft, I rarely open the face. I've only needed to once or twice when I was right up against a steep side of a bunker or a bunker with a high lip.
Overall, it's been a great club for me and has given me a level of confidence and accuracy with pitching and bunkers that I simply couldn't get before with my PW.
6/30/2007: I just looked at the Alien web site, and found this video that I thought did a great job of explaining what I have experienced--it serves as both a pitching wedge and a sand wedge in one club, and is designed to handle hard pan, deep rough, and bunkers. I totally agree with those claims:
http://www.aliengolf.co.uk/video.asp
The video states that the club can be used from up to 120 yards. This may be true, but I have not practiced with it for such a long shot, and have really only used it for shots under 75 yards, where I use less than a full back swing, and minimal downswing power.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): Gift
Shaft Material: Steel
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Epinions.com ID:
leftism11
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Reviews written: 12
Trusted by: 1 member
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