When Jack Nicklaus was at the top of his game, he probably hit close to 15 or 16 greens per round.

That is an amazing stat, because most PGA Tour players today hit on average 12 or 13 greens a round.

Nicklaus was not known for his short game as most tour players are today.

When Nicklaus played, he probably used a pitching wedge and a sand wedge. Today, most tour players have a minimum of three wedges. They have a pitching wedge, a gap wedge of 54 degrees and a sand wedge with a minimum of 56 degrees up to 60 degrees. Very few players use wedges with more than 60 degrees.

So how many and what type of wedges should the average player carry in his bag?

First of all, your wedges should match up to the golf courses that you predominately play.

If your golf course has soft sand, then I believe you should have more bounce on your sand wedge to keep your club from digging into the sand.

I believe 12 to 14 degrees of bounce is best for soft sand. More bounce is also better from deep and thick grass around the greens.

I like to see most players use a 54-degree wedge with eight degrees of bounce as their gap wedge.

A 54-degree wedge can also be used as a sand wedge for those longer bunker shots. I think the best wedge for those short shots around the green and out of greenside bunkers is a 58-degree with 12 degrees of bounce.

Try the three-wedge system for your scoring clubs and remember to fit them to your swing, your ability and the course you predominately play.

— Lee Martin is the director of instruction at River Ridge. He can be reached at 377-9629.