Table of Contents
“Wedges are the golf clubs having the heaviest clubhead, the briefest shaft, and the broadest loft”
History Of Wedges
The credit of inventing the wedges goes to the legendary golfer Gene Sarazen. Sarazen in 1931, came forward with the first sand wedge, taking the idea from the flaps of wings of a plane.
Wedges are used to hit the ball within a green golf course ranging from 100 to 125 yards. Wedges are particularly used for smashing chips, pitch, and bunker shots.
Wedges can give you the maximum flight more than any other club kept in your golf bag. They are often used to get a forward roll or spin that leads the ball to the hole.
A pro golfer uses different types of wedges depending upon the intent of his shot and his personal style. Wedges come with different lofts and bounce and length of the shaft.
The loft of a wedge varies from 45 to 64 degrees depending upon the golf equipment brand. Similarly, the bounce of a wedge also ranges from 0 to14 degrees.
Difference between golf wedges: Golf Wedges Explained
Knowing the difference between the various wedges and selecting the best wedge depending upon the need and style of golfer is crucial for him to improve his game. But before we go deep into the topic let us first understand the two important concepts related to golf clubs.
Loft
The loft on wedges of a golf club is defined as the angle which the shaft makes with the clubhead. Wedges have the highest loft among all the other golf clubs.
On the other hand, the length of the shaft decreases with the increase in the loft for wedges. So, a wedge with the highest loft has the shortest shaft and vice versa. For a golfer, in order to select the appropriate wedge, the knowledge of loft is inevitable.
Bounce
By bounce on wedges, we mean the angle between the sole of the clubhead and the ground. In other words, the curve of the sole of a club is called a bounce. The broader curve at the bottom leads to a higher bounce.
The bounce is important because it allows the club to bounce through the surface that making the shot a lot easier. Hence, to become a pro golfer you should have an understanding of a variety of bounces and their impact.
Now as we have understood the loft and the bounce let’s jump to our main topic which is—the different types of wedges.
Type of Golf Wedges: Explanation of Gold Wedge Degrees
There are four types of wedges in the game of golf
- Pitching wedges
- Gap wedges
- Sand wedges
- Lob wedge.
You will find the loft these differ in degrees. Thus moving from the narrowest to the broadest we have an arrangement pitching wedge, gap wedge, sand wedge, and lob wedge.
Pitching Wedge: The Most Common Wedge
Design of Pitching Wedge
The Pitching wedge is a wedge with the least loft. Pitching wedge degrees range from 47 to 53 degrees. The pitching wedge also has the most elongated shaft among all the other wedges. The face of the pitching wedge has a steep slope and the bounce is minimum.
Use of Pitching Wedge
As the name suggests, this wedge is used to hit a pitch shot generally to hit the ball over long distances(from 110 to 125 yards). Clearly, this wedge is used to play full-swing shots. Many golfers like to play chip shots as well when they desire to keep the ball-flight low and roll the ball across the grass to the flag called bump and run.
Gap Wedge: The Gap Filling Wedge
Design of Gap Wedges
The gap wedge is a wedge built to bridge the difference between the pitching and the sand wedge. This is why the club is called ‘a gap wedge’. The gap wedge loft degrees could be anywhere between 50 to 53 degrees. The bounce of a gap wedge is more or less 8 degrees. When it comes to the shaft, the gap wedge’s shaft is slightly smaller than a pitching wedge.
Use of Gap Wedges
The gap wedge is used to hit mid-shots to cover the distance of about 60 to 60 yards. That is neither a full-swing nor a chip shot. Sometimes the players also use it to get a flight and roll the ball across the grass to cover nearly the same distance as covered with the pitching wedge.
Sand Wedge: The Rescuer Wedge
Design of Sand Wedges
A Sand wedge is a wedge that helps the golfer to rescue the ball from the sand or bunker. The loft of sand wedge varies from 54 to 58 degrees. The shaft is smaller than both of the pitching and the gap wedge but longer than the loft wedge. On the other hand, the bounce of the sand wedge is about 10 to 14° degrees.
Use of Sand Wedges
The rounded bottom of the same wedge prevents the clubhead from digging into the sand or long grass providing a significant bounce due to which the sand wedge makes it easier to rescue the ball from the sand or bunker.
Lob Wedge: A Wedge With the Widest Loft
Design of Lob Wedge
The last type of wedge is a lob wedge also known as the lobbed wedge and L-wedge. A Lob wedge degree varies from 60 to 64 degrees; the shaft is the shortest and the loft wedge bounce is could be anywhere from zero to 10 degrees. The face is quite open to give high flight to the ball. Also have a look at the best wedges for high handicappers.
Use of Lob Wedge
Also, the shot hit by a lob wedge covers the shortest distance. These are used to hit high-flight soft shots. Hitting the ball with the full swing is not recommended since it will raise the ball quite high as a result it will cover a little distance on the ground. Like the sand wedge, the loft wedge can be used to escape the ball from a bunker or long grass. When the ball is quite a studded in the grass or sand. With a high bounce, the loft wedge helps you to get through the bunker.
Difference and Usage Between Golf Wedges Explained
| Wedge | Loft | Bounce | Use |
| Pitching Wedge | 47° to 53° | 2° to 5° | for pitch and chip shots |
| Gap Wedge | 50°° to 53° | 5° to 10° | for mid and chip shots |
| Sand Wedge | 54° to 58° | 10° to 14° | To escape the ball through the sand |
| Lob Wedge | 60° to 62° | 0° to 10° | To get a high flight and to rescue the ball from the bunker |
FAQ’S:
Which is the most commonly used wedge?
The pitching wedge is the most commonly used wedge.
What is 60 degrees wedge?
The lob wedge is the 60-degree wedge
Which is the best wedge?
The PING Glide 3.0, the Cleveland RTX4, and Taylormade Milled Grind 2.0 are the best wedges. Visit golferarena.com to find the best wedges according to your requirement.
The best selling wedge on the Amazon.com in 2020?
Pinnemeadow wedge 52° is the best selling wedge on amazon in 2020
Which wedge Tiger Woods use?
TaylorMade Milled Grind 56- and 60-degree wedges were used by Tiger Woods.