It was too hot for me to enjoy my usual skins game today, so I decided to take a few pictures I’d been planning to get ever since my post related to Kevin Na’s 16 on a par 4 in the Valero Texas Open.

I love living and playing golf here in the Texas Hill Country, but it does have one disadvantage: the ground has a lot of rocks in it. Get in the rough at some courses and you can find yourself deciding if a heroic shot is worth club damage. Sometimes rocks are visible and you can choose to try to hit it or take an unplayable. Other times you can get surprised by a buried rock.

rock damage on pitching wedge sole

This is a picture of the sole of my old pitching wedge. Note the dings and chips on the leading edge. Most of the other clubs in my old set look much better, but this pitching wedge was a commonly used club when I found myself needing to escape the rocks.

The wedge on my new set is still relatively pristine and I plan on keeping it that way. I’ve learned to pick questionable shots clean with additional experience in the rough.

rock damage on pitching wedge face

I’m not too sure how this ding got on the face of my old pitching wedge. You’d think I would have noticed when I hit whatever made that gash near the toe, but I don’t remember it. I used to have trouble with the toe of the club digging into the ground on some shots, and I suppose that’s how it happened.

My new irons are fit to my height (they’re 1/2 inch long and 2 degrees upright) so I don’t dig the toe anymore. If anyone’s wondering if it’s worth going to the trouble of getting your irons fit to your body and swing, it is. Not only am I much less likely to dig the toe, I’m also more likely to hit it straight and avoid the rocks all together. My new irons should last longer and stay in better shape than did my old set. That’s the plan, anyway.