We all love to hit every green in regulation.
But reality is, most of us mortals will only hit half the greens or even less. This brings short game into play. Whether we get up and down for par is dependent on how close we pitch, blast, lob or chip it. Of course, we also need to putt decently.
In this article, let me discuss more about wedges, the different types, and the role they play in our own games.
A standard set of golf clubs used to include two wedges: A pitching wedge and a sand wedge.
When I started playing golf in the early 1990s, my very first set was my dad’s old Ping Karsten 2. The set was composed of 3 iron to sand wedge.
My second set, also hand me downs from dad, was TaylorMade Tour Preferred blades, also 3-sand wedge.
Up until the early 2000s, I think most sets would be sold either as a 3-sand wedge or 4-sand wedge. Today, sets usually top out at 4 iron and the highest loft would be a pitching wedge. Gap wedges, and sand wedges are usually purchased separately.
But how many wedges should we have? What lofts, what bounce and finishes should we pick?
LOFTS
Choosing wedge lofts isn’t really complicated.
The objective is to have even gaps in yardage from pitching wedge down to sand or lob when hitting full shots. Let me use my own set as an example.
My pitching wedge, as part of my iron set that is a 4-pw set, has a loft of 46 degrees. When I purchased complimentary wedges, I added a 52-degree gap wedge, a 56-degree sand wedge, and a 60-degree lob wedge.
The 52-56-60 wedge set-up is pretty standard. Why did I choose those specific lofts?
They were chosen based on my yardage gaps from my pitching wedge.
I hit my full pitching wedge 120 yards, my 52 gap wedge goes 100, and my sand wedge goes 80 yards. These increments or gaps are what I feel comfortable with. I don’t swing all out with wedges so these are comfortable full swings that produce consistent distances for me.
With each wedge, I also have choked down full swings which go lower and 10 yards less, ¾ swings that go 20 yards less, and ½ swings that go even less.
With these lofts and swing combinations, I can cover distances between 120 yards to 40 yards, in 10-yard increments.
Sounds confusing?
It just means that with my 4 wedges, I know I have a club and a swing that goes 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110 and 120 yards. I don’t hit full shots with my 60 degree wedge. I only use it in bunkers and when I need to hit high lob shots, which is very rare. I would rather hit lower shots that roll than high-risk flop shots.
So choosing wedges will always depend on your yardages from pitching wedge.
Search for your pitching wedge’s loft if you don’t know it, and then get wedges that are in increments of 4-6 degrees higher.
BOUNCE
Bounce on wedges seems complicated and honestly, I just chose standard bounce on my wedges.
As a rough guide, low bounce wedges are ideal for hard ground and high bounce wedges are ideal for soft conditions.
Why is this so? Low bounce doesn’t bounce too much, it digs more. So when playing on firm to hard ground, you want to avoid bounce to avoid hitting thin shots.
The reverse is true on soft conditions. When it is soft to muddy, you don’t want your wedge to dig and hit fat shots. More bounce makes the club glide instead of digging.
I don’t play well enough to need very specific bounce on my wedges so I just chose standard wedge bounce. Standard is around 10-14 degrees.
FINISH
Unlike before when we can only get finishes in chrome or satin, wedges are now available in different finishes.
There’s black, raw, copper, even blue wedges. This is down to personal preference, but for me, I pick finish based on lack of glare, so I have always been partial to black or raw finished wedges.
When we stand over shorter clubs (wedges and putter), we stand closer. This means we look almost directly down on the ball.
A shiny chromed or metallic finish acts like a mirror and has a tendency to reflect light and can be difficult to look at on sunny days, hence my preference for dark, matte finishes on shorter clubs.
More than aesthetics, for me it is to avoid glare. My current wedges are all black, as is my putter.
I hope this guide helps you understand the options and functions involved when choosing wedges.
Ultimately, the goal is to have consistent gaps on full shots and versatility around the greens. Having the proper wedges can greatly improve confidence and should lead to better scores when we don’t hit greens in regulation.
Enjoy and hit ‘em close!
