Choosing the Wedge that is Best for You

When selecting that new wedge, there are a number of things that you must consider.  What purpose will it fill?  Is there a ‘gap’ between distances that you hit your existing clubs?  Do you need it to hit a particular type of shot?

There are four main types of wedges: pitching, gap, sand, and lob.  The typical lofts and distances are as follows:

Wedge Type	Loft	Full Shot Distance
Pitching	45 - 49 degrees	125 yards and in
Gap	51 - 53 degrees	110 yards and in
Sand	54 - 57 degrees	95 yards and in
Lob	60 - 64 degrees	70 yards and in

The typical rule of thumb for the types of wedges that you carry is if you carry two wedges, then they should be pitching and sand.  If you carry three, then they should be pitching, sand and lob.  If you carry four, then pitching, gap, sand and lob.

Odds are you have a pitching wedge that came with your set.  It is basically another club in the natural progression of lofts through your set and is used in a variety of situations such as hitting from the fairway, out of the rough, chipping, pitching, making lob shots, etc…

Moving from pitching to sand wedge, there is typically a ‘gap’ in distances.  As you may have guessed, this is where the gap wedge fits in.  In terms of its design characteristics, it is a compromise between a pitching wedge and sand wedge.  It has a medium amount of bounce (explained below),  is slightly shorter in length than a pitching wedge and slightly longer than a sand wedge.  Because of these design compromises, it is likely the most versatile club in the bag with the ability to hit sand shots from bunkers with low ‘lips’.

A ‘sand wedge’ is the second most common club included with a typical set.  It has higher loft and more bounce than the gap wedge which allows it to be an effective tool in getting the ball out of bunkers or tough lies.

The lob wedge is a relatively newly developed club and tends to be a difficult club to use effectively.  It has a similar amount of bounce to a gap wedge but the increased loft makes it easier to ‘cut’ under the ball, making the player’s hand-eye coordination increasingly important when using the club.  Many tour players use this club to hit the high, arching ‘flop shot’.  It is tremendously versatile and rewards those who have the imagination to try various shots.  As such, this club is typically reserved for more advanced players and should be one of the last clubs that you consider adding to your bag.

Once you have established the main reasons you need a wedge, there are still a few elements you need to consider, based on your personal preferences.    The shaft type, loft, bounce and finish are four additional choices you must make when arriving at your final decision.

Shaft Type

Steel shafts are most common in wedges as they tend to offer better ‘feel’, are more durable than their graphite counterparts and are slightly heavier than graphite, which helps with the ability to control the shot.  Having said this, graphite does offer the advantage of shock dampening and additional distance. New graphite shafts are hitting the market all the time, which come closer to these desirable characteristics.

Loft

The range of lofts outlined above is really a matter of personal preference.  In choosing a loft, it is important to do so based on the distance you hit the existing clubs in your bag and the distance that you want to be able to hit the ball.  In that sense, it is a bit of trial and error but you should have a reasonable idea of where to start.  For example, if your sand wedge has a loft of 56 degrees and your pitching  wedge has a loft of 48 degrees and there is a 30 yard discrepancy in the distance that you hit these two clubs, then you might want to start with a 52 degree gap wedge.  Another rule of thumb is that you should have between 4 and 6 degrees difference in loft between clubs.

Bounce

Bounce is one of the most commonly misunderstood terms in golf.  It is the amount a club’s leading edge is above the bottom of the sole.  This affects the ability of the club to move through the grass, sand, etc…  If you are playing a course that typically provides more ‘fluffy’ lies and you find that the ball often sits perched high, then you want to select wedges with more bounce.  If the fairways are hard, dry, and fast and bunkers are hard packed, then less bounce is a better idea.  A compromise is to choose a sand wedge that has a higher amount of bounce (6 degrees or greater) that will allow you to tackle a variety of conditions.

Finish

It may be surprising to some, but the appearance of a club serves more than just cosmetic purposes. The key considerations are how much you want to spin the ball (more spin is not always better as it often makes the ball flight more difficult to control) and how the club looks to your eye, which affects your confidence in hitting all shots.  The main appearances are chrome, rusted, and ‘gun metal’ (dark).  The darker faces tend to have a softer feel and a more textured finish producing more spin.  As the wedge wears with time, this texture and the ability to spin the ball can be reduced.

Hopefully this explanation will guide you the next time you walk into your favourite pro shop looking for your next wedge. At the very least, it will give you a place to start and some important questions to ask.  The pro shop staff should be able to answer any additional questions that you may have and help you choose the wedge that is best for you!