In order to progress from being an average to a good golfer or from being a good golfer to a great one, you must learn how to play the short game well. The short game includes the 9-iron, the wedges and the putter. One of the more recent developments in the game is the use of the pitching wedge, the gap wedge and the lob wedge. All three are used from different distances and have different impacts on the ball. Learning how to hit all three can have a dramatic effect on a golfer's score.
Pitching wedge
The pitching wedge is a versatile club that can be used to pitch a ball from 80 to 100 yards from the green or to chip a ball from 30 to 60 yards. When pitching the ball with the pitching wedge, you can take a full swing from about 100 yards or a 3/4-swing from 80 yards. Bring the club back to shoulder height, rotate your hips and bring the club through the hitting zone and finish high. By finishing high, you will put a stopping action on the ball, and it should land 15 to 20 feet from the flagstick. The pitching wedge has a loft between 46 and 51 degrees.
Gap wedge
Use the gap wedge when you are between 60 and 80 yards from the hole. The gap wedge will hit the ball higher than the pitching wedge but won't hit it as far. If your strike and aim are correct, your ball should finish within 10 to 15 feet of the hole. The loft on the gap wedge is between 51 and 55 degrees.
Lob wedge
The lob wedge is an excellent club to use if you are within 60 yards of the green. The lob wedge has a loft of about 60 degrees although it can go as high as 64 degrees. This club will send the ball high and land it softly on the green. This is a difficult club to master, but low-handicap golfers can land the ball within 10 feet of the hole once they understand how to use the lob wedge.
Sand wedge
A sand wedge is for use in the bunker. It has most of its weight on the bottom of the club head and is excellent for hitting explosion shots out of the bunker. Some golfers try to use their sand wedge for chipping or pitching from the fairway or short rough, but it is difficult to use on those surfaces because the club is rounded on the bottom. The sand wedge has a loft between 55 and 58 degrees.
Significance
The use of all three wedges -- pitching, gap and lob -- can help a golfer to remove five shots or more from his/her final score of an 18-hole round. Twenty years ago, there were just pitching wedges and sand wedges. The gap and lob wedges have given golfers more precision in their games.
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