Golf Wedges

An ever increasing section of the golf market, specialist wedges should not be ignored by golfers from intermediate to advanced ability. All golf professionals carry specialist wedges, some up to 4 of them at a time. The reason for this is that they allow you to play a variety of shots from around the green more consistently which, in turn will allow you to get closer to the pin. The average 18 handicap golfer may only hit 4-6 greens in regulation per round, hence more often than not a green will be missed and a chip will be required.

Golf Wedge Loft

There are 4 broad lofts to be considered for wedges. The most popular would be the 2 lofts not commonly included in a standard 9 iron set. These are the gap wedge (51-53 degrees) and the lob wedge (60-64 degrees). The other 2 lofts are the pitching wedge (46-50 degrees) and the sand wedge (54-58 degrees). The advantage of using specialist wedges is that they come in a variety of head shapes and head finishes that you may prefer. Furthermore, these wedges have differing bounce characteristics and top quality shafts.

Judging the 'Bounce'

Bounce is one technical aspect worth discussing. The bounce of a club is the angle between the ground and the front of the sole when the club, the leading edge (rear) of the sole, is placed on the ground. Higher bounce is generally good for softer turf conditions and escaping from bunkers. Lower bounce is good for firm conditions. Standard bounce is a good all round choice for non-bunker shots. If you dig into the turf with your iron shots then more bounce will help prevent this and vice versa; if you hit shallow iron shots then low bounce will help.

Most specialist wedges come with a steel shaft and a stiff flex as accuracy is the most important thing over everything else.