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what is w wedge in golf

by Geovany Ziemann Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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W, U, S is an abbreviation for Pitching Wedge, Utility Wedge, Sand Wedge, found on PING’s labeling of their golf clubs. W stands for Pitching Wedge U stands for Utility Wedge / Gap Wedge

The term "pitching wedge" is now used by virtually all manufacturers and players to describe this club; Karsten Manufacturing (maker of the PING brand) simply labels their pitching wedges "W" for "wedge".

Full Answer

What kind of golf wedges are the best?

 · 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 …

What Golf Club wedge to use?

Wedges are the clubs which are built to play the attacking game. They could be a very handful in playing pitch, chip, and bunker shots. You can even hit a shot up to a distance of 125m using wedges. Wedges come with the highest loft and the shortest shaft. They also …

How to choose the right golf wedge?

Many golfers wonder what the letters stand for. While a little unconventional in terms of wedge markings, it’s actually simple to understand. W, U, S is an abbreviation for Pitching Wedge, Utility Wedge, Sand Wedge, found on PING’s labeling of their golf clubs. W stands for Pitching Wedge; U stands for Utility Wedge / Gap Wedge; S stands for Sand wedge

What are the types of wedges in golf?

Pitching Wedge Virtually every set of golf clubs come with a pitching wedge, which is a club with between 44 and 49 degrees of loft to the clubface. The pitching wedge is …

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What degree is W wedge?

Occasionally referred to as an attack (AW) or utility wedge (UW), these wedges tend to carry a loft of around 50 to and 53 degrees.

What degree is a ping W?

A Ping U Wedge is a utility wedge or gap wedge. Depending on the set of Ping irons that you are looking at, the Ping U Wedge will vary in the loft that it has. Some U wedges will be around 49 degrees, and others will be 51.

Does W mean pitching 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.

What is the Ping W club?

It's just one of the quirks with Ping... they put a W for their pitching wedge, U for Utility (which is a gap wedge), and S for Sand... A few different companies have weird little things like this.

What loft is a Ping W wedge?

49.5°Utility Wedge - 49.5° Sand Wedge - 54°

What is aw wedge?

The "A" or "AW" stamped on certain golf clubs stands for "Approach" or "Approach Wedge." 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 is W iron in golf?

The term "pitching wedge" is now used by virtually all manufacturers and players to describe this club; Karsten Manufacturing (maker of the PING brand) simply labels their pitching wedges "W" for "wedge".

What wedges does a beginner need?

Therefore, the top two wedges that a beginner should carry in their bags are pitching and a sand wedge.Pitching Wedge. Golf Monthly suggests that a pitching wedge carries an average of 44.5-degrees of loft, making it the strongest lofted wedge on the market. ... Sand Wedge.

What does Aw mean in golf irons?

Quick Answer: An AW is an approach wedge often referred to as a gap wedge by some golfers and companies. The two names basically mean the same thing and can be referred to each other interchangeably.

Is a utility wedge the same as a gap wedge?

The utility wedge, also called as a gap wedge or an all wedge, is a wedge used to hit a golf shot with a higher but shorter trajectory versus other wedges that help with lower but longer trajectories. This type of wedge is supposed to be in between the sand and pitching wedges, and originated in the early to mid 1990s.

What is difference between gap and lob wedge?

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.

How far does a utility wedge go?

Again, the spread was pretty wide with the shortest distance being 60 yards and the longest being 90 yards. The average number was 73 yards for a full shot. The average distance was 15 yards shorter than the sand wedge....How Far Does The Average Person Hit A Lob Wedge?GolferLW Distance1060Average Distance73 Yards9 more rows

What is wedge golf?

Wedges are the clubs which are built to play the attacking game. They could be a very handful in playing pitch, chip, and bunker shots. You can even hit a shot up to a distance of 125m using wedges.

How many wedges are in a golf club?

A typical Golf Club Wedge Set has four kinds of wedges each differ from the other based on the loft, shaft length, bounce, and the purpose of the shot. Wedges are the club that can provide you with the maximum flight and backspin keeping the ball within the green. A golf club set consist of the following wedges:

What is the maximum loft of a lob wedge?

A lob wedge has the maximum loft that ranges from 60 to 64 degrees. The bounce of a lob wedge could be anywhere between 0 to degrees. You should not hit the full-swing shots with a lob wedge since it will raise the ball too high ad you will not get the desired distance.

What is the loft of a pitching wedge?

Generally, the loft of wedges varies from 47 to 64 degrees.

How long should a golf wedge be?

Like the other Golf Clubs wedges also differ from each other based on the shaft length. Ideally, the length of a pitching wedge should be 0.25m shorter than the 9-Iron; the gap wedge should be a half-inch shorter than the pitching wedge; the sand wedge should be shorter by 0.75 inches than the gap wedge and the lob wedge should be 1-inch shorter than the sand wedge.

What is the angle between the clubhead and the shaft called?

The angle which the clubhead makes with the vertical plane of the shaft is known as the loft of a golf club. In other words, the angle between the clubhead and the shaft is called the loft. The broader loft allows you to gain more height in your shots but at the same time, this will give you the minimum distance.

What is a gap wedge?

Gap Wedge. A gap wedge act as a bridging wedge between the pitching wedge and sand wedge. The gap wedge’s loft ranges from 50 to 53 degrees and the bounce is between 5 to 10 degrees. The major use of a gap wedge is to hit mid-chip shots. You can reach a distance of up to 65m.

What is a Ping U wedge?

What is the Ping U Wedge. If you love golf, you most likely have heard of the golf club manufacturer called PING. The Ping U is a gap wedge (also known as a utility we dge), designed and developed by the US based company Ping. Norwegian born Mr Karsten Solheim, was the founder of PING golf clubs which started operations back in 1959.

How are G30 golf clubs different from G20?

Nearly all the clubs have been strengthened and some have even increased in length by half an inch.

What is the difference between a G25 and a G30?

G25 Vs G30. The differences are quite significant when you compare Ping’s G25 and G30. The strength of the G30 clubs has been increased. Many users feel like the G25 is easier to swing which I would have to agree with. Most of the G30 clubs are longer Vs the G25 size.

What is the G10 set?

Being the very first set of clubs in Ping’s G set, the G10 is a classic set that holds fond memories for many golfers. In 2009, 2 years after the initial release, Ping spiced things up by releasing the G15 series. While some say the differences are marginal, I had a different experience.

What does "ping" mean in golf clubs?

PING is one of those companies who label their clubs using the letters W, U and S. Many golfers wonder what the letters stand for. While a little unconventional in terms of wedge markings, it’s actually simple to understand. W, U, S is an abbreviation for Pitching Wedge, Utility Wedge, Sand Wedge, found on PING’s labeling of their golf clubs.

When did the Ping G10 come out?

The G10 first released in 2007, is not ageing well at all.

What does it mean when a golf club turns around?

If you turn the club around, you’ll notice support bars ingrained into the wedges design. Ping says this feature creates club stability on impact.

What is a wedge in golf?

In the sport of golf, a wedge is a subset of the iron family of golf clubs designed for special use situations. As a class, wedges have the highest lofts, the shortest shafts, and the heaviest clubheads of the irons. These features generally aid the player in making accurate short-distance "lob" shots, to get the ball onto the green or out ...

How many wedges are there in golf?

As a result, since the mid-80s the number of wedges available to players has grown from 2 (pitching and sand) to 5 (adding gap, lob and ultra lob), most of which are now available in a wide array of lofts and bounces to allow a player to "fine-tune" their short game with the wedges that best meet their needs. In some cases, with the high degree of customization, companies have done away with the traditional names for each club, and instead simply label each club with its loft and bounce angles. A 52-8 wedge, for example, would have 52 degrees of loft and 8 degrees of bounce, generally placing it in the "gap wedge" class. Most players carry three or four wedges on the course, and sometimes more, usually sacrificing one or two of their long irons and/or higher-lofted fairway woods to meet the 14-club limit.

What is the bounce of a wedge?

The wedge typically has low to moderate bounce (0–4°) for fairway and other firm lies, but because of its high loft even 2–3° of bounce will counterbalance the downward force of the wedge's striking face, making a club with this configuration useful in sand as well.

What is the best club for short shots?

Prior to the 1930s, the best club for short "approach" shots was the " niblick ", roughly equivalent to today's 9-iron or pitching wedge in loft; however the design of this club, with a flat, angled face and virtually no "sole", made it difficult to use in sand and other soft lies as it was prone to dig into soft turf. The club most often used for bunker shots was called the "jigger"; it was used similarly to today's pitching wedge, and had a similar short shaft, but its loft was closer to the "mashie" of the day (equivalent to today's 4-iron). The lower loft prevented the club "digging in" to soft lies, but the low launch angle and relatively high resistance to the club moving through the sand to "dig out" a buried ball made recovery from a bunker with this club very difficult. The club was also not ideal for approach shots from a bunker near the green, as a chip shot made with this club tended to roll for most of its distance.

How many wedges are needed for a 52-8?

A 52-8 wedge, for example, would have 52 degrees of loft and 8 degrees of bounce, generally placing it in the "gap wedge" class. Most players carry three or four wedges on the course, and sometimes more, usually sacrificing one or two of their long irons and/or higher-lofted fairway woods to meet the 14-club limit.

How much weight does a sand wedge weigh?

The modern sand wedge still uses the ideas of high mass, high loft, and bounce angle, but the modern sand wedge clubhead has much higher mass than earlier designs, up to 40oz (2.5 lb, 1.13 kg), to drive the clubhead through the firmer sand found in many courses.

What is a gap wedge?

Gap wedge. A gap wedge is the next higher-lofted wedge after the pitching wedge, and is usually used in a similar manner. It is a newer wedge and so is one of the least standardized as to its purpose and thus its design, but lofts for gap wedges are centered on 52° and have a moderate amount of bounce.

How many degrees of difference between wedges?

The rule of thumb is that a player should have four degrees of difference between wedges. For instance, a golfer with a pitching wedge lofted at 46 degrees should have a gap wedge of 50 degrees, a sand wedge at 54 degrees and a lob wedge of no less than 58 degrees.

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

This means that it has a loft somewhere between 50 and 54 degrees, putting it in the middle of the pitching and sand wedges in terms of loft.

What is the loft of a lob wedge?

Lob wedges have a loft of between 59 and 65 degrees and are designed to lift a golf ball quickly, then land it with lots of spin. The individual first taking up golf can become very confused by the different kinds of wedges and what these golf clubs are used for.

How does a sand wedge work?

The height a sand wedge can make a golf ball go when it is properly played translates into the ball usually stopping quickly after it descends onto the green. Some sets of golf clubs come with a sand wedge, while others do not.

What does degree of loft mean in golf?

The degree of loft on a golf club influences the trajectory of the ball when the club strikes it correctly—the higher the degree of loft, the more quickly the golf ball goes into the air.

How many different types of wedges are there?

The individual first taking up golf can become very confused by the different kinds of wedges and what these golf clubs are used for. This is because there are four different types of wedges, each with a different degree of loft, which is the key characteristic that separates one wedge from another.

How far can you hit a gap wedge?

The gap wedge is used to hit the ball between 90 and 110 yards, which fills the gap between the optimum distances for pitching and sand wedges. Rather than having to choose between swinging a pitching wedge easy or a sand wedge very hard to make the ball go these distances, a golfer can opt for the gap wedge, which can accomplish ...

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It'll push and have more of a draw tilt (assuming the fade tilt wasn't too much). Gear effect still applies to irons, just less than with driver.

What is wedge grind?

Andrew Tursky, Senior Equipment Editor: A wedge grind refers to the shaping of the bottom part of the wedge. It’s the part of the club that actually impacts the ground, so the particular shape of the grind has a huge impact on how your club interacts with the turf. The most common would be a “C grind” which has the toe and heel sections of the sole shaved off a bit to make the sole more rounded. This allows the wedge to play a bit more versatile from different lies and face orientations (open face, shut face, etc.). The only thing you really need to know, though, is that you probably need more bounce on your wedge. More bounce makes the wedge more forgiving and will keep you from hitting those embarrassing chunks and skulls around the greens. Just know that it’s basically impossible to pick out a wedge from a retail store and have it be the perfect wedge grind for you. That’s why I highly, highly recommend a wedge fitting. You need to try different grinds and bounces to figure out what’s best for you.

Can you pick out a wedge from a retail store?

Just know that it’s basically impossible to pick out a wedge from a retail store and have it be the perfect wedge grind for you. That’s why I highly, highly recommend a wedge fitting. You need to try different grinds and bounces to figure out what’s best for you. 2. It helps off different kinds of turf.

What is a grind on a wedge?

In layman’s terms, the “grind” on your wedge is the geometry of the sole, which can be manipulated by removing (grinding off) material from the heel, toe, trailing edge and leading edge to perfect how the club interacts with the turf. (This is a process that should only be done by a certified clubmaker, so don’t get any ideas of grinding your wedges at home. You’ll ruin them.)

What wedges does Tiger Woods use?

Tiger Woods has a very specific sole geometry on his TaylorMade Milled Grind 2 wedges.

How much bounce does a Taylormade wedge have?

For example, Tiger Woods’ TaylorMade Milled Grind 2 lob wedge has an overall bounce of 11 degrees when it’s square to the target, but with a shaved down heel, it’s possible for him to open the face to hit extreme flop shots with a bounce that measures just four degrees. All of this is possible thanks to the grind.

What is the best wedge for a steep angle of attack?

If you want to do your own research before seeking out a fitter, follow this general rule of thumb: a wide-soled wedge with more bounce and camber (the curvature from the leading to trailing edge on the sole) is a good option if you tend to have a steep angle of attack and take significant divots.

Can a wedge be used for a shallow swing?

Depending on where material is removed from the sole, a particular wedge can benefit a golfer with a steep or shallow swing. If you’re unsure of the grind needed for your swing, get a certified clubfitter involved. It’s the easiest way to guarantee you’re not paying for something that’s ill-fitting.

What is a gap wedge?

Clubs labeled as an Approach Wedge (AW) or Gap Wedge (GW) have more degrees of loft than a Pitching Wedge (PW). A full swing shot with an AW/GW should travel shorter than a PW, but further than a SW.

How much loft do approach wedges have?

As we've covered in our golf club lofts and wedge lofts guides, Approach Wedges designed for low-handicap golfers usually have 50 to 52 degrees of loft. Game-improvement A-Wedges can have as little as 48 degrees of loft.

What does the A on a golf club stand for?

The "A" or "AW" stamped on certain golf clubs stands for "Approach" or "Approach Wedge."

What is the difference between a PW and an AW?

It's helpful to think of your PW as a 10-iron and an AW as an 11-iron. Unlike Sand Wedges and Lob Wedges that are frequently used for shorter unique shots around the green, the two lesser lofted wedges will primarily be used for full or fuller partial shots (50%, 75%, 90%, etc. swings).

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Overview

In the sport of golf, a wedge is a subset of the iron family of golf clubsdesigned for special use situations. As a class, wedges have the highest lofts, the shortest shafts, and the heaviest clubheads of the irons. These features generally aid the player in making accurate short-distance "lob" shots, to get the ball onto the green or out of a hazard or other tricky spot. In addition, wedges are designed with modified soles that aid the player in moving the clubhead through sof…

History

The class of wedges grew out of the need for a better club for playing soft lies and short shots. Prior to the 1930s, the best club for short "approach" shots was the "niblick", roughly equivalent to today's 9-iron or pitching wedge in loft; however the design of this club, with a flat, angled face and virtually no "sole", made it difficult to use in sand and other soft lies as it was prone to dig into soft turf. The club most often used for bunker shots was called the "jigger"; it was used similarly to to…

Pitching wedge

A pitching wedge is the lowest-lofted of the named wedges, used to hit a variety of short-range shots. The modern pitching wedge has a loft of around 48° (exact lofts vary by clubmaker and player preference) and little or no "bounce" (angle of the sole to the ground).
The pitching wedge is descended from the "niblick", an obsolete blade-style club with a high loft. As the older naming system gave way to numbered sets in the mid- to late 1930s, the standardiz…

Gap wedge

A gap wedge is the next higher-lofted wedge after the pitching wedge, and is usually used in a similar manner. It is a newer wedge and so is one of the least standardized as to its purpose and thus its design, but lofts for gap wedges are centered on 52° and have a moderate amount of bounce.
The concept of the gap wedge originated when the loft angles of irons were reduced as a result …

Sand wedge

A sand wedge is a type of golf club with a specialized design intended to help the player play the ball from soft lies such as sand bunkers. It has a loft of about 56°, and about 10° of "bounce".
Gene Sarazenwon the 1932 British and US Open tournaments with a new club he had invented that was specialized for sand play. He is hailed as the inventor of the modern sand wedge, which he developed by taking a niblick (9-iron), soldering additional metal underneath the leading edge …

Lob wedge

The lob wedge is a club with a loft of around 60°, typically the highest in a player's bag. It is used for specialized shots requiring either extreme launch angle, short carry distance and/or no rolling distance after impact.
Dave Pelz, a former NASA physicist and golf short-game coach, envisioned the lob wedge in the 1980s as an answer to modern greens, which are designed to be more difficult to approach to a…

See also

• Golf glossary

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