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what is the pitching wedge in golf

by Esta Pollich Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
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Golf Wedge Use Explained

  • Pitching Wedge. A Pitching wedge has the broadest loft and the longest shaft. The pitching wedge is used to play pitch and chip shots.
  • Gap Wedge. A gap wedge act as a bridging wedge between the pitching wedge and sand wedge. ...
  • Sand Wedge. A sand wedge is primarily used to hit bunker shots. ...
  • Lob Wedge. A Lob wedge is used to hit high-flight shots. ...

A pitching wedge is a wedge used to hit a shot with higher and shorter trajectory than a 9-iron and a lower and longer trajectory than a gap wedge.

Full Answer

What is the best pitching wedge?

  • Best Overall: Cleveland Golf Pitching Wedge
  • Best Value: MAZEL Golf Pitching Wedge
  • Best Budget: Founders Club Pitching Wedge

How far should a pitching wedge go?

You’ll need a 50 degree wedge in the following situations:

  • You do a lot of chipping or pitching near the greens.
  • You have a yardage gap of approximately 25 yards or more with the present golf clubs in your bag.
  • You hit even and better strokes with your gap wedge than a club.
  • You play full-swing approach shots.

What do you use a pitching wedge for?

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What loft should a pitching wedge be?

What Are The Ideal Lofts of a Set of Golf Wedges?

  • Pitching Wedge: typically around 45 can be as low as 41 and as high as 48
  • Gap Wedge or Approach Wedge: normally around 50 but will range from 48 to 54
  • Sand Wedge: ideally 56 degrees but can vary from 50 to 58
  • Lob Wedge: primarily a 60-degree wedge but will range from 56 to 64. As you can see, there is a wide range between each of the ideal wedge lofts. ...

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What's the difference between a wedge and a pitching wedge?

Pitching Wedge. The pitching wedge is designed to hit the ball further than an approach wedge and with a little less spin, it is one club stronger than an approach wedge. It is slightly longer in length with less loft, around four degrees if you are set-up properly.

Is a 52 degree wedge the same as a pitching wedge?

Golfers who have a 52-degree wedge in their bag typically have a pitching wedge that's between 47-48 degrees. 52-degree wedges are a lot less common, and the reason is that pitching wedges are normally 44-46 degrees. Having a 6-8 degree gap between clubs is a bit too much, and that's why 50-degrees is more common.

Is a 56 the same as a pitching wedge?

"In the old days that was okay because most pitching wedges were around 51 degrees. But now they're 45 to 47 degrees while the sand wedge has stayed at 56. That's a two-plus club difference because now the pitching wedge is essentially the loft of a 9-iron."

Which club is the 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.

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 chipping?

Most people would agree that something around 56 degrees of loft is going to be best for chipping. A wedge with this loft seems to have the right amount of height, spin, and maneuverability to help you get shots around the green completed with ease.

What wedges should a beginner carry?

What golf wedges should a beginner carry?Gap wedge. This golf wedge was literally designed to fill the gap in terms of loft. ... Lob wedge. ... Sand wedge.

Do I need a sand wedge and a pitching wedge?

Most golfers agree that a sand wedge is essential in your bag. As your experience and skills grow you can look at other wedges but to start with one should have at least a pitching wedge and a sand wedge. The Cleveland CBX 2 Sand Wedge is an example of a quality sand wedge that will work well for most golfers.

What is a 60 wedge used for?

A 60-degree wedge is considered a lob wedge and is mostly used to launch the ball high up in the air and land softly on the green. Examples could be hitting the ball over water or sand and quickly stopping it on the green. I used to have a 60 degree in my bag and it did come in handy in certain situations.

When should I use a pitching wedge?

A pitching wedge should be used when on the fairway or rough for approach shots, or when doing some higher trajectory short pitch shots around the green. They are great for creating spin and distance, while also giving you the control you need to keep your short game tight and accurate.

What is a pitching wedge good for?

Golfers usually use pitching wedges for approach shots to the green, for chip shots that they want to keep low and for long sand or bunker shots. Pitching wedges have the least amount of bounce–generally between about 2 and 5 degrees–of any of the wedges (except, sometimes, for lob wedges).

What wedge should I use in the sand?

A 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.

What are 52 56 and 60 degree wedge?

The 52-degree, the 56-degree, and the 60-degree wedges are some of the most commonly used clubs in golfing. You'd significantly narrow your scope of play on the course if you didn't have any of these clubs ready to go in your bag. They're extremely versatile, each with its own set of advantages and best uses.

Is a 50 or 52 degree wedge better?

With only 2 more degrees of loft than the 50 degree wedge, 52 degree wedges fulfills a very similar role in a player's golf bag, but with a few minor differences. More loft means less distance but more spin so a 52 degree wedge is useful for partial shots into the green and for a specific yardage on full shots.

Is a 52 or 56 degree wedge better?

The 56- or 60-degree wedge will be a better choice than the 52 when you need something to fly high and land softly. Learning which loft is best for a shot takes a bit of time and what golfers call feel. The higher lofted wedges typically land more softly, and they will not roll as far.

How do you hit a 52 degree wedge?

1:125:14How To Hit a Full Swing Wedge - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipIt'll because if you have it too far especially with this with this wedge. We start getting tooMoreIt'll because if you have it too far especially with this with this wedge. We start getting too steep on the ball ring that leading edge is so sharp with these wedges is they come into the ball.

What is a pitching wedge?

The pitching wedge is one of golf’s great all-rounders. It feels like an iron in your hands but can also be used to get you out of some tricky spots from a distance. It’s one of the best clubs for around the greens too.

How far is a wedge shot in golf?

However, to give you some clues, on the PGA TOUR the average distance of a pitching wedge shot is between 130 and 135 yards. On the LPGA tour it is around 110 yards.

What is a gap wedge?

The gap wedge tends to be the first ‘specialised’ wedge in the bag. By that I mean that the gap wedge is probably the first wedge in the sequence of the bag that you bought on its own.

How many yards does a sand wedge fly?

The sand wedge will fly a good 20 yards or so less than the pitching wedge and will impart an incredible amount of spin on the ball. Most tour players will rarely hit a full sand wedge into a green and would rather manufacture a soft wedge or gap wedge to control the back spin.

Which wedge has the least bounce?

One of the things you will want to decide first is the bounce of the wedge, the pitching wedge has the least amount of bounce. This is a feature of wedges that many are aware of but many still aren’t. The bounce is the sole of the wedge which helps prevent your club from digging into the turf too much through impact.

What are the problems with modern golf?

One of the major problems with modern golf is the loss of the creativity it once had. If you look at short game greats like Seve Ballesteros, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods, the one thing you will notice is how versatile they were with their wedges.

Is a 9 iron a wedge?

The 9-iron and the wedge are very similar as you would expect two adjacent clubs in the bag to be. The wedge should be slightly easier to hit, and of course go a little less distance.

What is a wedge in golf?

Wedges are the highest-lofted clubs in a set of golf clubs, designed for short approach shots (for most golfers, 120 yards and in), strokes played out of sand, chip shots and pitch shots, and generally any shot for which the golfer wants the ball to ascend and descend sharply.

What is the difference between a pitching wedge and a sand wedge?

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. Abbreviated SW.

What is a gap wedge?

With pitching wedges typically lofted from 42 to 46 degrees, the gap wedge is so-called because it closes the "gap" in loft between the pitching wedge and sand wedge. A typical gap wedge might might be lofted from 48 to 54 degrees. The gap wedge also goes by the names A-wedge, attack wedge and approach wedge.

What is the loft of a lob wedge?

A typical lob wedge might have a loft of 60 degrees to 64 degrees. As its name implies, a lob wedge allows a player to "lob" the ball high into the air, from where it will drop steeply down onto the green, with little or no roll. With pitching wedges typically lofted from 42 to 46 degrees, the gap wedge is so-called because it closes ...

What is a 60 degree wedge?

Wedges feature the shortest shafts and highest lofts of any golf clubs. In fact, wedges are often identified by their loft rather than their name. A lob wedge might instead be called a "60-degree wedge," for example. Sand wedges were invented (generally credited to Gene Sarazen) to make shots out of sand bunkers easier.

Why are gap wedges called wedges?

Today, the other two wedges that are common are: Gap wedge: So-named because it falls in-between the pitching wedge and sand wedge in loft. The gap wedge has more loft than a PW, less loft than a SW.

How many yards is a lob wedge?

A lob wedge would be 40-50 yards for men, 25-40 for women. A gap wedge would fall in between your pitching wedge and sand wedge yardages. And these clubs will, when properly struck, produce a very high, arching shot. So if you need to get over a tree, for example, a wedge comes in handy.

What is a three wedge golf club?

The three wedge system is a popular choice for club golfers, as it leaves room for three fairway woods and/or hybrids , which is often more important for players who lack the distance tour professionals can muster.

How many yards of gap in a 4 wedge golf wedge?

If the four wedge system sounds preferable, you’re probably looking at something like a stock 46° pitching wedge, a gap wedge at 50°, a sand wedge at 54° and a lob wedge at 58°, which should equate to 8-12 yard gaps for the average golfer.

Pitching Wedge Vs. Sand Wedge

Before knowing the difference between the pitching wedge and sand wedge let's know the definition of both. What do they mean in golf?

Pitching Wedge

Knowing by the term PW the sand wedge was made before sand wedge. They sometimes treat as irons because before introducing the term wedge, people used to call the pitching wedge as 10-iron. These women sand wedges are mainly created for the farthest shot having a full swing. Normally, a sand wedge has less than 50 degrees loft.

How many yards does a pitching wedge go?

A pitching wedge is usually used for shots of 110 yards or less, but it may also be used in a variety of fashions near greens, out of sand, even out of the woods. Its variety of uses often makes it one of a player's favorite clubs.

What is the loft of a pitching wedge?

Older pitching wedges had lofts of 48 to 50 degrees, but with the advent of sand wedges, lob wedges and gap wedges, the loft of pitching wedges today typically is in the range of 45 to 48 degrees.

What is the bounce angle of a pitching wedge?

The bounce angle of a pitching wedge may range from 0 to 5 degrees.

How many clubs can you carry with a pitching wedge?

Pitching wedges are versatile clubs with a variety of uses, including pitch shots out of the woods. A pitching wedge is one of a maximum of 14 clubs permitted to be carried by a player under the Rules of Golf.

What is the pitching angle of a golf club?

Pitching Wedge Angle. Loft is the element in a golf club that usually determines the flight pattern of a golf shot. The lower the degree of loft, the lower the flight path of the ball but the farther it will travel.

What wedge is used for a bump and run?

Use this club when you have lots of green to work with, as it is best to get the ball rolling as soon as possible. The Pitching Wedge is used more for full shots or for longer bump and run shots.

How far apart should you gap a pitching wedge?

We suggest picking your Gap Wedge based on the loft of your Pitching Wedge. You generally want the degree to be 4 or 5 degrees apart, this will give you a nice 10 to 12 yard gapping between clubs. So, if your Pitching Wedge is 45 degrees, then you will need to choose a Gap Wedge with a 50 degree loft.

What is the difference between a gap wedge and a sand wedge?

Gap Wedge Vs Sand Wedge. A Gap Wedge has more loft than a Sand Wedge, this means the Sand Wedge will go shorter than a Gap Wedge. A Sand Wedge will be used more out of the bunker and for chip shots, where the Gap Wedge will be used more for bump and run shots around the green and full shots.

How many yards can you hit with a gap wedge?

Full shots with a Gap Wedge will range from 80 to 110 yards. For shots around the green, using a Lob Wedge to get over a bunker or loft it up high will be the better club, but the Gap Wedge is perfect for any bump and run style shots.

Why was the gap wedge invented?

It’s sole purpose is to fill the gap now created between the Sand Wedge and Pitching Wedge.

What is gap wedge?

Gap Wedges Overview. The Gap Wedge is not some special weapon that will make you hit it closer than another club. A Pitching Wedge was originally invented for pitching and shorter shots towards the green, while a Sand Wedge was originally invented to get out of the sand.

What is a Callaway wedge?

The Callaway JAWS wedge is Callaway’s number one wedge, and as the name states these things have a serious bite to them. This beautiful looking wedge has an extremely good feel as it is made from 8620 Mild Carbon Steel. The JAWS wedge was designed by Roger Cleveland and has two finishes, Platinum Chrome and Tour Grey.

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