A golf wedge is one of a number of clubs that hit the ball high into the air and for a relatively short distance. Unlike a driver or other club that you may use off a tee, a wedge is designed for accuracy near and around the green. There are four main wedge types. Although these types are designed for different parts of the course, players may find multiple uses for the wedges they choose to carry in their bags.
Wedge Angle
The most important angle for a wedge is the loft angle, or the angle the face of the club makes with the ground. In general, wedges have loft angles from about 45 to 60 degrees, with higher degrees of loft producing shorter shots. By way of comparison, most drivers have loft angles of 8 to 10 degrees.
Pitching Wedge
The pitching wedge is the longest-hitting club of the four traditional types of wedges, usually producing a shot of about 110 yards. Depending on your skill as a golfer, you can also use shorter or less powerful swings from closer to the green to produce shorter shots. Pitching wedges typically have loft angles of about 45 to 50 degrees.
Gap Wedge
A gap wedge generally carries a loft angle of about 50 to 55 degrees and is designed to fill in the distance gap between a pitching wedge and a sand wedge. Gap wedges typically produce shots of about 100 yards.
Sand Wedge
A sand wedge is a specialized type of golf wedge that can be used for a number of shots. The sand wedge has a thicker sole and a greater bounce than other wedges, which makes it an ideal club for hitting balls out of sand bunkers or thicker grass near the green. Club bounce refers to the angle between the front edge of a club face and the sole of the club that actually lies on the ground. For most clubs, bounce is negligible, but sand wedges have extra bounce to prevent the club face from digging into the sand or high grass. With a loft angle of about 55 to 57 degrees, sand wedges can also be used to hit shots out of the fairway from about 90 yards out.
Lob Wedge
A lob wedge typically produces the shortest and softest shots of all of the standard wedges, with a loft angle of 60 degrees or more. A lob wedge is most often used to toss a shot high in the air over an obstruction between the golfer and the green, such as a sand bunker or a water hazard.
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