In most irons, pitching wedges (abbreviated PW) are included as part of the set. These wedges are the lowest lofted wedges (the ones that hit the ball farthest). What does SW mean in golf clubs? The sand wedge is more lofted than a pitching wedge, generally between 54 and 58 degrees.
Full Answer
How many clubs are in a 3-PW set of irons?
A typical, off-the-shelf set of irons will include a 3-iron through pitching wedge (advertised as "3-PW"), 8 clubs total. The clubs are identified by a number (3, 4, 5, etc.) on the sole of each club, except for the pitching wedge which will have a "PW" or "P."
Why do golf clubs hit iron shots on the downswing?
That is because iron shots are played with the ball positioned so that it is struck on the downswing. That is, the club is still descending when it makes contact with the ball. Knowing which iron to use in which situation is mostly a function of learning how far you hit each club.
What is swing weight on a golf club?
They’re referring to the club’s swing weight. Here’s how it works: the swing weight of a golf club is measured on a 14-inch fulcrum that assesses the balance point of a club, which is displayed on an alphanumeric scale. The heavier a club “feels,” the more the club will tilt toward the club head side when balanced on that fulcrum. ...
Why are golf clubs called Irons?
The golf clubs called irons are so-called because their clubheads are made of metal. Of course, "woods" are now also made of metal, but that's a relatively recent development. Irons have featured metal clubheads (steel, these days) for centuries.
What does SW mean in golf irons?
Sand WedgeSand Wedge As the name suggests, one of its main functions is to hit from the sand in bunkers.
What does SW mean on a golf club?
Approach wedges are simply another name for a Gap Wedge (GW), a golf club with a loft between a Pitching Wedge (PW) and a Sand Wedge (SW). It's also common for golfers to refer to one of these clubs as an "Attack Wedge."
What degree is a SW iron?
54°-58°Golf Club Lofts ChartClubStandard Lofts (Tour Level Irons)Strong Lofts (Game-Improvement Irons)9-Iron42°38°PW46°43°GW51°48°SW54°-58°17 more rows•Jul 24, 2021
What does irons 6 SW mean?
Sand WedgeMid-irons are numbers 5, 6 and 7 and short irons are numbers 8, 9 and wedges such as a Pitching Wedge (PW), Gap or Attack wedge (GW or AW) and a Sand Wedge (SW)
What is PW and SW in golf clubs?
Pitching wedge: The lowest-lofted of the wedges (the one that hits the ball the farthest), pitching wedges (abbreviated PW) are usually included in a set of irons. The PW is considered one of the basic clubs every golfer carries. Sand wedge: Designed specifically to make hitting shots out of bunkers easier.
What 3 wedges should I carry?
Know your pitching wedge loft. If it's 45 degrees or less, add three more wedges that are spaced apart by no more than 4-5 degrees each. So generally think about putting in a gap wedge that's 48 or 50 degrees, a sand wedge that's between 54 and 56 degrees, and a lob wedge that's between 58 and 60 degrees.
What degree wedge is best for sand?
56-degreeA 56-degree sand wedge is suited for hitting out of the sand or for a golfer who hits behind the golf ball a lot. The higher degree of bounce helps the club glide through the sand or dirt, which makes it the most versatile wedge in the bag.
Which wedge to use around the green?
For the average golfer, chipping with a pitching or gap wedge will produce the most consistent shots around the green. Using a gap wedge will be the best place to start for standard chips, but a pitching wedge could work better if the ball is sitting up in the rough.
Should a high handicapper use a 60 degree wedge?
What Loft Wedges Should A High Handicapper Carry? High handicappers should carry at least a 56-degree wedge. In addition, it makes sense to have a 52-degree wedge and a 60-degree wedge to have a variety of shots. The thing that you have to pay attention to is the loft gapping in the set.
What is an 11 iron golf club?
The 8 through 11 irons (in Honma's nomenclature, the 10-iron is a pitching wedge and the 11-iron is a gap wedge) are designed for optimum spin to control the ball when it lands on the green by increasing contact time with the grooves while maintaining forgiveness, Suzuki says.
What is a 7 iron golf club?
What is a 7 iron? A 7 iron is a golf club that is classified as a mid-iron and usually ranges between, 29-33 degrees of loft. Because it is towards the middle of the golf bag, the 7 iron can be used to hit a wide variety of golf shots: Going under trees.
Who should use game improvement irons?
weekend golferWhat is this? The traditional game improvement iron should be used by the average weekend golfer. If you happen to break 80 regularly, you will probably want to look more into a player's iron than a game improvement iron.
Golf Club Lofts Chart
We'll explore the lofts of each golf club in more detail below, but here is a chart summarizing each club's loft.
Wood Lofts
Woods typically have lower lofts than their iron and hybrid counterparts. For example, a standard 3-wood has around 15 degrees of loft, while most 3-irons have 19-21 degrees of loft.
Hybrid Lofts
Like irons, hybrids have more loft than their wood counterparts. Most 3-hybrids have 19 degrees of loft, while the most common 3-wood loft is 15 degrees.
Putter Loft
Unless you're Bryson Dechambeau, chances are a putter is the lowest lofted club in your bag. A traditional putter loft is 3 to 4 degrees.
Golf Clubs Loft Comparison Table
The table below compares lofts of irons, woods, hybrids, and drivers. We've gathered data from top manufacturers like TaylorMade, Cobra, Callaway, and Mizuno.
Why is it important to use a heavier swing weight in wedges?
The heavier swing weight in the wedges and short irons can possibly help club and club face awareness for greater precision. It’s important to remember that swing weight and overall weight are mutually exclusive. A heavy club can have a light swing weight and vice versa. That’s because swing weight is merely addressing the balance point ...
What happens if you swing heavy?
A light swing weight can prohibit the golfer from properly feeling where the head is during the swing and cause issues with squaring the face at impact, while a heavy swing weight can cause fatigue and negatively affect performance over time. ADVERTISEMENT.
Is swing weight too heavy?
Finding the proper swing weight for your game is mostly preference-based, but according to Tim Briand, Senior Vice President of GOLF’s sister company True Spec Golf, issues can arise if swing weight is too light or too heavy. A light swing weight can prohibit the golfer from properly feeling where the head is during the swing ...
What is wedge golf?
Wedges are the clubs used for the shorter and more accurate shots in golf. Approach shots, chip shots, pitch shots, bunker shots, lob shots to mention just a few. There are different types of wedges generally defined by the lofts they have.
What is the gap between a pitching wedge and a sand wedge?
The next wedge is called a Gap Wedge. If your pitching wedge is 46- degrees and your sand wedge 54-degrees there will be a distance gap of about 30 yards between these clubs. A gap wedge is designed to bridge that 30 yard "gap". Your gap wedge will have more loft than your pitching wedge and less loft than your sand wedge.
What is the difference between a sand wedge and a pitching wedge?
The sand wedge is more lofted than a pitching wedge, generally between 54 and 58 degrees. As the name suggests, one of its main functions is to hit from the sand in bunkers.
What is a pitching wedge?
Pitching Wedge. The pitching wedge is often the final and most lofted club in most modern iron sets. Pitching wedges are generally in the range of 44 to 48 degrees loft and used for hitting the longest wedge shots into a green. Pitching wedges are also quite handy for short pitch and run shots around the green. Example of a Wilson Staff wedge.
Set Composition
Loft, Length, and Distance
- As you go through the set, from the 3-iron to the pitching wedge, each iron has a little more loft than the previous, and a little shorter shaft length than the previous, so each club (going from 3-iron to PW) hits the golf ball a little less distance than the previous. That is, a 5-iron has more loft, a shorter shaft, and produces shorter shots than the 4-iron; the 4-iron has more loft, a shorter sh…
Long, Mid-, and Short Irons
- Irons are generally categorized as long irons, mid-irons , and short irons. Long irons are the 2-, 3- ,and 4-irons; mid-irons, the 5-, 6-, and 7-irons; short irons, the 8- and 9-irons and pitching wedge. (Two-irons are becoming obsolete and are exceedingly rare for recreational golfers. Because of this, some sources now count the 5-iron as one of t...
Distances
- Learning your distances—how far you hit each club—is much more important than trying to hit each club to some predetermined "correct" yardage. There is no "right" distance for each club, there is only your distance. That said, a typical male recreational golfer might hit a 4-, 5-, or 6- iron from 150 yards, while a typical female might use a 3-wood, 5-wood, or 3-iron from that distance. …
Hitting
- Irons can be played from the teeing ground, using a golf tee, and it is often appropriate to do so. On a par-3 hole, for example, you will probably use an iron on your tee shot. Or you might use an iron off any (or even every) tee in order to have better control over the shot. But most of your iron shots will come from the fairway. Irons are designed with divots in mind. That's why they have a …