Is your bag lacking in the wedge department? Perhaps you’ve started playing more and are looking for an upgrade, or maybe you want to start hitting those attractive, high-loft approach shots and don’t have a wedge that cuts it. If, like many casual amateur golfers, you’ve only ever had the simple pitching wedge/sand wedge combo, you’re probably looking to mix it up and add in a gap wedge or a lob wedge. There’s a multitude of reasons as to why a golfer enters the market for a new wedge, and they’re not hard to find, though there are things to consider before handing over your cash.
What sort of wedge do you need?
First things first, you need to decide what you want from a new wedge. Look at your game and decide what you want to achieve by adding a new wedge to your bag. This really is crucial. If you don’t know the answer to these questions, then you may end up with a club that you don’t need or a club that doesn’t do what you actually need it to. Are you looking for something to get out of greenside bunkers? Something for those little bump and run shots? Or are you looking for something for those approach shots between 80-100 yards? Identifying what you need a new wedge for will allow you to select the correct type of wedge.
Once you’ve identified what you want from a new wedge, you can start to consider the actual aspects of a golf wedge, the most important of which are:
- Loft
- Bounce
- Sole Grind
- Leading edge
- Aesthetics
Loft
Let’s start with the loft. The more loft a club has, the more backspin the player can generate. So, if you want to achieve maximum backspin from your new wedge, then the lofties club available will be the way to go.
Bounce
In simple terms, this is how much bounce your wedge will generate. Basically, how much the ball will bounce as opposed to digging into the surface. Thanks to the excellent technology that manufacturers can harness, there are many bounce options available, so determine the amount of bounce you need and then choose accordingly.
Sole Grind
The sole of the golf club is the part that makes contact with the ground, in other words, the bottom of the club that sits on the grass when a player addresses the ball before hitting a shot. The sole can be created, or rather grinded, hence the word grind, down to create varying shapes. These shapes, or grinds, determine how the club interacts with the ground. Different sole grinds affect bounce, so you’ll need to find the right one for you.
Leading edge
The leading edge is essentially the bottom edge of the club face. The feel of a leading edge is important, as most players, at times, will hit shots with both their hands behind or in front of the ball, depending on what they’re trying to achieve. For example, a player will likely have his or her hands behind the ball at address when attempting to play a flop shot.
Aesthetics
In the modern golfing world, golf wedges are no longer available exclusively in a stainless-steel-looking finish. Nowadays, players have the option to choose different finishes, such as Chrome & Nickel, which creates a silver look that tends to be quite durable, meaning that the wedge will take longer to look worn. There are also darker, matte-type finishes applied to wedges now, many of which are black, which creates a cool, slick look, though such finishes tend to fade quicker.
What types of wedges are there?
With more choice than ever available to the golfing customer, buying a new club of any kind can be overwhelming, but with today’s ever-increasing variety, selecting the right wedge can be difficult, especially because there are quite a few different types. Gone are the days when the amatuer golfer headed out to play with simple stock pitching and sand wedges. So, what type of wedges are there? Typically, amateur golfers carry three or four wedges in their bag, usually consisting of a pitching wedge, a gap wedge, a sand wedge and lob wedge. Let’s take a look at each of these wedges in a little more detail below.
Here are the types of wedges available today:
Pitching Wedge = 46-48 degrees of loft
Traditionally, this club does what it says on the tin. Players can use a pitching wedge for pitch shots and full shots into the green from around 110-140 yards, though some players depending on ability and their own distances, can hit a pitching wedge further.
Gap Wedge = 51-53 degrees
Ideal for approach shots, and also the perfect club for bridging the gap between a pitching wedge and sand wedge. Sometimes you want more loft than a pitching wedge has to offer, but a sand wedge won’t quite get you there. This is where the gap wedge comes in. A full swing gap wedge shot, depending on ability, will tend to cover between 90 and 110 yards.
Sand Wedge = 54-58 degrees
The clue is in the name here. The go-to club when you’ve not quite accurately measured the previous shot and have ended up in the sand. Sand wedges are designed to give players the best chance of rescuing themselves from tricky bunker positions. As it’s a high-lofted club, many players also use a sand wedge on approach when achieving height is the goal, typically from around 80 to 100 yards.
Lob Wedge = 59-64 degrees
The most lofted club in any golfer’s bag, the lob wedge is typically the go-to club for players when they have to do anything creative around the greens. Perfect for getting the ball up in the air very quickly without having to cover much distance, the lob wedge is ideal for hitting flop shots/getting the height needed to navigate mounds and other obstacles. Full swing, the average player should be able to hit a lob wedge around 60-70 yards.
Summary
Before buying a new wedge, it is imperative that you know what you need it for. Once you’ve arrived at this conclusion, you’ll need to know all of the different options. Once you know the different types of wedges that are available to today’s golfer, along with the different wedge aspects that need to be considered, you’re good to go. There’s lots of choice, so have fun looking, but don’t forget, golf clubs are seldom cheap, with some wedges costing nearly £200, so take your time and consider everything to ensure that you make the right choice.