Wedges are an essential part of every serious golfer’s kit. Here’s what you should know about them.
What iss a Wedge in Golf?
A wedge is any golf club with a loft (the angle between the club’s face and the ground) higher than 45 degrees. There are four types of golf wedges that most people use in their games: pitching, gap, sand, and lob. I have seen people try to get creative with more unusual angles and sets, but that rarely affects the results of games.
Wedges are mainly helpful for making shots where the ball ascends and descends at a sharp angle. This is ideal for shorter approach shots, getting out of sandy areas and bunkers, and other low-distance needs. Each of the different wedges in golf has a different angle, ensuring different lengths for each shot.
Pitching Wedge
Pitching wedges have an angle of 46-48 degrees, giving them the greatest range and lowest arc of the different golf wedges. Most people can get a distance of 110 to 140 yards per swing of this club, making it especially helpful for hitting out-of-range balls.
Historically, the pitching wedge is the first dedicated approach club made for golf. It’s also the only wedge included with practically every set of clubs, so more golfers have experience with this club. Golfers looking for beginner wedges often start here.
Gap Wedge
Gap wedges are usually 51-53 degrees, serving as an intermediate option between the older pitching and sand wedges. Some people refer to this as the approach wedge instead. A typical player can hit 90 to 110 yards with a solid swing.
The primary value of a gap wedge is taking a full swing without going as far as a pitching wedge allows, rather than trying to soften up shots.
Sand Wedge
Sand wedges are among the oldest types of golf wedges, invented at near the same time as pitching wedges. The creator, Edwin MacClain, made them specifically to help him get out of bunkers more effectively. Sand wedges are usually 54-58 degrees, launching balls 80 to 110 yards with minimal spin.
Lob Wedge
Lob wedges have the sharpest angle of all types of golf wedges, usually 59-65 degrees. They move the ball very high but with minimal horizontal movement, typically resulting in shots of fewer than 80 yards. The best lob wedges can get shots inside 30 yards. Remember, this isn’t a distance club; it’s a precision one.
Dave Pelz invented this wedge in the 1980s specifically to help address the challenges of newly-made courses, which frequently include slopes, elevations, and additional hazards to make them more difficult.
Lobs offer more control than any other wedge, so getting a good one is essential for any serious golfer.
What Else Affects Golf Wedges?
The loft is the most crucial factor in determining a wedge’s performance, but it’s hardly the only one. I often warn new players away from focusing entirely on the loft. Here are some other things to consider for getting a wedge.
Bounce Angle
Bounce angle is the difference between the ground and the sole of a club on the backside. I often find that newcomers don’t understand how much this can affect shots.
Low-Bounce
Low-bounce wedges are 4-6 degrees, which means they’re almost flat. These are ideal when you’re on firmer playing surfaces like heavy sand or areas where the club probably won’t sink into the surface.
With a low bounce, you’re not likely to bounce the club off the playing surface. They’re excellent for players who swing at a sharp, downward angle but not as good for people who usually have wider swings or dig into the ground regularly.
Low-bounce options are the most common choices with pitching and gap wedges, whose long follow-throughs do best with this style.
Medium-Bounce
Medium-bounce wedges are 7-10 degrees. This is a well-balanced option that works for most people in most situations. They may not be exactly perfect for a specific shot, but it’s a great default option. If you don’t know what kind of bounce to get on your club, I recommend this choice.
High-Bounce
High-bounce wedges are all options of more than 10 degrees. Some people go as high as 14 degrees before they consider it a high angle, but anything higher than medium must be high by definition.
High bounces are best for softer conditions, including many types of sand. They’re ideal for golfers who have steeper attack angles and tend to take deep divots when swinging.
Shafts
It’s far too easy to focus on a club’s head while ignoring the shaft. As a general principle, stiffer shafts (with low flex) are better for longer shots because they can transmit more power. Higher flex works better for wedges where you rarely swing at full power, like the lob wedge.
Steel shafts are stiffer and heavier, which means they have more control. Graphite is lighter and offers more power at the expense of control.
Material selection in wedge shafts is player-specific. Most people use the same material for all of their shafts, although some split it for different categories. If you’re not sure what to do, I suggest using steel in wedges for the added control.
Wedge Grind
Finally, you can modify all golf wedges with a wedge grind. Grinding is a process that removes material from the club to adjust the shape and, therefore, its performance. These days, many golfers prefer grinding both the leading and trailing edges to help reduce bounce and drag.
Every company has a unique way of defining and grinding wedges, so there’s no universal approach here. It can be difficult to tell grinds apart visually until you have more experience with them.
The good news is that most companies no longer grind clubs individually. Instead, you can simply buy the grind that fits your style best. If you’re not sure, talk to your local experts and explain what environments you tend to play in. They can help you pick a wedge grind.