The approach wedge is also called the gap wedge. It is one of the three pitching wedges used when you are trying to put your ball on the green from a short distance. Use the approach wedge when you are between 60 and 90 yards from the hole. This club will give you greater flexibility and accuracy when it comes to getting the ball near the flag stick.
Function
The approach wedge is the ideal club to use when you are at least 60 yards, but no more than 90 yards, from the hole. When the ball is well-struck with the approach wedge, it will fly high in the air and land softly. If you are playing on a course that has not been baked hard by the sun, you can land the ball with this club just a few feet past the hole and possibly have it roll back toward the flag stick. However, in hot summer conditions, you will want to pitch the ball to the front of the green and have it roll up toward the flag stick.
Potential
The approach wedge is a club that can best be taken advantage of by an experienced short-game player. Golfers who struggle around the greens are not going to be able to use a specialized club like an approach wedge. A standard pitching wedge will have to do for most high-handicappers and beginners. But when you get close to the green and you are going to try to play a shot with back spin, your approach wedge is an ideal club to use.
Identification
The approach wedge is identified by the loft of the club. A typical approach wedge has a loft of 50 to 54 degrees. For shots that are closer than 60 yards, you may want to use a lob wedge. A lob wedge has a loft of 56 to 60 degrees. A standard pitching wedge has a loft of 48 to 50 degree. A sand wedge has a loft of 54 to 56 degrees.
Significance
In the 1960s, and through the 1970s, there was not an approach wedge or a lob wedge. There was a pitching wedge and a sand wedge. The development of the gap wedge and the lob wedge came at the insistence of pro golfers who told club manufacturers that having to take 3/4 and 1/2 swings with the pitching wedge was troublesome. The development of the approach and lob wedges allowed golfers to take full swings on closer shots—and when you can take a full swing, you are much less likely to mis-hit your shot.
Warning
While you can take a full swing with an approach wedge, you don't want to swing the club with too tight a grip. According to noted golf instructor Dave Pelz, if you hold on to the club too tightly, you will have a much harder time getting the ball to land where you want on the green. "Excess grip pressure is a surefire way to lose your touch around the greens," says Pelz on Golf.com.
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