Hi I took up golf around 18 months ago and now feel I have outgrown my Ram wizard starter irons. I use a Cobra LD drive 3 & 5 woods as well as a cobra 3 baffler hybrid.

 I play off 21 but strike the ball quite well. Following some research I have finally decided upon a set of Callaway Big Bertha 08 irons. I have the option of a 3-sw or any combination in between. I had almost decided yesterday to go for a 3-PW and add aMizuno MP-t series 56 degree sand wedge, but when i went to look at the callaway lofts they seem to be 1 club lower that standard (the pitching wedge is 45 degrees instead of standars around 50). I now cant decide whether to buy a 4-sw(50 degree) and add a 56 degree wedge as above or go for the 3-pw and add a 53 degree Mizuno wedge.

 Any advice would be appriciated.

There is an AW @ 50 degress available in the BB08 have a look at the website

http://www.callawaygolf.com/Global/en-GB/Products/Clubs/Irons/BigBerthaIrons.html

As you have a baffler 3 you could drop the 3 iron out and include the AW, although personally I find the BB long irons really easy to play.  I have  BB04 and use down to a 2 iron as I have never managed to get on with hybrids despite all the advice to use one.

When I started playing golf (admittedly many years ago) I wasn't worried about anything, I was unaware that professionals had different kinds of wedges.   I remember watching Peter Alliss and pro celebrity golf in the late 70's when Lee Trevino told everyone that he carried 3 wedges obviously of different degrees, after that everyone went out and added wedges to their bags.   Golf Magazines tell us all the time that this game is important from 100yds in and that is where we can save shots, there are many threads on this site telling us all where to - how to - what we should do with wedges.   If your worried about an 8 degree difference - open/close the club face !!! - I will close with this -

A few years ago, I watched Neil Coles (old golfer) and Paul Way (young golfer) in a pro am hit shots into a 140 yd par 3, where Paul said "Hey Neil I hit a wedge in there why did you hit a 7 iron ?" - Mr Coles then promptly took all the clubs in his bag including the Driver and putter and put thirteen more golf balls on the green with different clubs and replied " I wanted to putt from that part of the green " - sorry for babbling on but there seems to be too much emphasis on equipment in golf nowadays and not enough on our skill - there endeth the lesson, regards John

J.T

Is absolutly right learn to hit the clubs you are happy with. i carry a PW 45 SW 54 and LW 60 which i use sparringly and sometime leave out of the bag. My mate same handicap 9 bigger hitter than me uses four wedges the number of times i've seen him come up short or over shoot greens after a big debate with himself about which wedge he should use i've lost count of.   

learn to play PW shorter distances - you should be able to train your swing for different distances.

I'm thinking of dropping 52 and 56 for a 54. 60 is now strictly for over bunker, out thick and bunkers now.

And there is nothing more satisfying than a 3/4 PW middled into a green with bag loads of check!!! 

I've recently ditched my 60 degree lob wedge and learned to play different shots with my sand wedge (56 degree Mizuno MPT).  I now don't see any reason to carry the lobber again.  its just not consistent enough a club for me. 

I have the 06 Big bertha, 50* A/W and its my Goto club for any Chip/Pitch shot from 40yds out! Also very good on Full shots at around the 100yds range! 

I have the 55* S/W and the 60* L/W too!

Prolly about 80 yds if I catch it smack dead on the sweet spot. It does send the ball extremely high!

I only hit it full out when I'm warming up on the range prior to a game. So the 75-80 yd mark is absolutely tops for me!

I use it primarilly for feel shots around the green and also if I have to go over the top of trees and bunkers, Also if I need to stop the ball quickly on the green.  Its also good in very Deep rough.

Its not a club that HAS to be in my bag and occasionally I leave it in the car.

I find the 55* S/W is plenty for the course that I play most of my Golf at!

As the MPT wedges are quite cheap i think I may go 3-PW and add a 53 and a 56 in the mizuno to cover all bases. I currentlt only carry a standard PW and SW that came with my Ram irons. I practice chipping in my garden constantly and can play a few different distances and heights with the SW but as I am inexperienced I didnt want to leave myself with a wedge that had too much gap in from the PW.

On another point how are the MPTs to use from the sand. I was talking to a 2 handicap today and he said he wouldnt recommend them for sand play as the leading edge is too sharp and doesnt help to throw the sand as well as a dedicated sand wedge. Is he talking nonsense or not?

Its not the loft that you have to worry about, Its the Bounce of the Sole.

10/12* of bounce on a 56*lofted wedge will be ok for sand traps but a bounce of Say 4/6* will not.

The lower the bounce the more it will dig in! (I think!)

Or have I got that the wrong way round?

Yes, that would be a good option!

53* would be more of a gap wedge than a sand wedge.