Just because you are in the sand or in your average sand wedge distance for an approach shot there are times when a sand wedge is not the best option. It usually has one of the shortest shafts, between 33 inches (84 cm) and 36 inches (91 cm), though in some sets the sand wedge has a longer shaft than the pitching wedge. In fact, if you're being fit for irons, it's an excellent idea to add on a wedge fitting to properly fill out the rest of your bag. GOLF DIGEST MAY EARN A PORTION OF SALES FROM PRODUCTS THAT ARE PURCHASED THROUGH OUR SITE AS PART OF OUR AFFILIATE PARTNERSHIPS WITH RETAILERS. The added width at the bottom of the club will help your club slide underneath the sand and pop the ball out of the sand. With the help of a sand wedge, it is possible to get a distance of around 50-90 yards. These are general guidelines, make sure you're working with your fitter to get the gapping that works best for you. Only the sand wedge was left alone. His mid wedge allows him to cover between 88 and 138 yards while his lob wedge can go anywhere between 64 and 110 yards. Swinging positively is the only way to achieve good contact with the ball and hit more predictable wedge shots.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'golfingfocus_com-leader-1','ezslot_7',112,'0','0'])); Professional golfers will typically carry 3 or 4 wedges with lofts of between 46 and 60 degrees. A wedge is designed to lift a ball quickly from a short distance and each wedge is measured in degrees (angle of the clubface). That's for two reasons: (1) The sand wedge is not used to achieve distance. Specifically the two on the left – which are a 9 iron and a wedge and the one on the extreme right which is a lob wedge. Tour professionals have been known to hit a sand wedge some 100 yards. If you therefore only carry those wedges that can leave a distance gap between how far you can hit each of those clubs which can make it harder to hit the golf ball the correct distance for those crucial short shots. Given their name, many golfers automatically think of sand traps and bunkers when they think of sand wedges. If it’s a 100-yard wedge, it goes 50 yards,” he says. Given the maximum number of clubs a golfer can carry though is 14 that choice will require a compromise on the longer clubs they have in their golf bag and mean they will not carry a 3 iron or 4 or 5 wood or equivalent hybrid.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'golfingfocus_com-box-4','ezslot_3',109,'0','0'])); Whatever wedges you choose will inevitably depend on your own game and preferences. I can’t begin to tell you how crucial gapping in wedges is. Average Loft (SW): 56 degrees Average Distance (SW): 80 yards (100 yards for professional players) The gap wedge (usually around 50 degrees) provides a vital yardage between those two clubs. A sand wedge with a loft of 52 or 54 degrees. You mention you use a 57 deg sand wedge. Expect a distance of 70 to 80 yards when using this club. Golf Club Distance Chart (By Skill Level) This golf distance spreadsheet shows the differences ranging from beginner golfers all … They just take a pitching wedge and sand wedge and go. Sand Wedge – 54 to 58 Degrees in Loft Gap Wedge – 50 to 54 Degrees in Loft Lob Wedge – 58 to 62 Degrees in Loft. How Far Should Beginners Hit A Golf Ball? The average distance covered when using a 56 degree wedge is 75 yards (71 metres). This distance is almost the same as you will get from a sand wedge (80 yards). Wedges are available from a range of 46 to 64 degrees. 2. Take a look at the picture of Brooks Koepke’s yardage book. (2) Reducing the loft of the sand wedge would have made the club less useful in the very sand traps it was designed for. Pro tip: Testing by the Titleist Vokey R&D team found that a new wedge can generate up to 2000RPM more than one which has played 125 rounds. They will normally have a loft of about 50 to 54 degrees and a full swing should take the average golfer 90 to 110 yards. Ideally, you should choose wedge lofts that will allow you to carry distances from your most common approach yardages. But while golfers will frequently get hung up on distance and how far individual clubs go it is ‘distance control’ which is crucial for wedge play. How well players handle these ‘inbetween’ yardages separates the best from the rest and the great wedge players are best equipped to adjust their shot to carry whatever distance they are faced with irrespective of how far their full wedges carry. Good Putting Numbers – It’s About 3 Putts Not Putts per Round. what degree is a pitching wedge- sand wedge, gap wedge-lob wedge. Instead of trying to hit a shot with a 3/4 swing, you'll be able to take a full swing. Good controlled wedge play can cover up a multitude of golfing sins on your off days and make the days you are firing on all cylinders even better! Some players will go one step further and carry a lob wedge as well to give them even more options when it comes to the distances they can comfortably cover with their wedges. This may not sound like much but can make a huge difference in terms of distance, loft and performance on sand wedge shots. If you have a pitching wedge at 48 and a sand wedge at 58, that gap is too big. 10-14 degree bounce is best. Carrying 4 wedges – a Mizuno MP-18 46 degree pitching wedge and 3 Cleveland RTX4 wedges with 50, 55 and 60 degrees of loft (Check here to find out the latest price on Amazon) – he has details of how far he can each club with between 3 and 5 types of wedge shot. Golfers with a handicap of 10 and over will hit less than 7 greens out of 18 in regulation on average while even single figure golfers will only hit between 8 and 11 greens each round. Lob Wedge When faced with these ‘inbetween’ shots a lot of amateurs will try to swing more slowly resulting in them decelerating at impact and frequently hitting a poor shot or even duffing the ball. And for those short shots, your wedges will be the key clubs so it is very important you know how far you hit them. Notice how much higher the leading edge (front bit) is than the other clubs. The sand wedge isn’t designed to be a pure distance club, and it never will be. 1. So make sure you don’t just keep blindly playing with whatever wedges you have. 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. Gradually, the difference in loft between the pitching wedge and the sand wedge increased. Players, such as Phil Mickelson, can very occasionally a 5th wedge to give them even more options for shots inside 125 yards. 9 more rows. You got a set of clubs with irons including a pitching wedge and sand wedge and you went off and started playing. The average distances for a male or female as outlined below: Sand Wedge. Take your sand wedge, hit 10 shots towards a target and then measure out how far you hit each one.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'golfingfocus_com-banner-1','ezslot_4',110,'0','0'])); If you hit a really bad shot just do not count it and if you can use the same ball for all 10 shots that is even better. But it’s not your fault. That clearly greatly reduces the number of ‘inbetweener’ yardages he is likely to face thereby giving him even more chances to get the ball close from those crucial short distances.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'golfingfocus_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_6',113,'0','0'])); Whatever distance you hit your wedges the key is not to get hung up on how far you hit them compared to everyone else. What combination of wedges they carry can change depending on the course design and conditions. And one of those things was simply putting a bit more thought into... GolfingFocus.com was created simply as a place to allow us to try and find answers to common golfing questions asked, and problems faced, by all standards of golfer. Only the sand wedge was left alone. Most everyday players have little idea about the loft gaps with their wedges. If it’s 10, then you have room for four wedges. Men – 60 to 100 yards and Women – 40 to 60 yards. You must have a wedge between your pitching wedge loft and your sand wedge loft. Sand Wedge Distance. Traditional Wedge Results* Summary; Sand shot (impact 2” behind ball) Distance: 32.2 yds Max height: 19.6 yds Spin rate: 5,234 RPM: Distance: 17.8 yds Max height: 12.4 yds Spin rate: 3,367 RPM: The C3i slipped through the sand so cleanly, its shots carried 14.4 yards farther on average, than those hit with the other wedges. If you want to get even more precise you can also keep a note of the shortest and longest distances you hit the ball with each wedge to give you a range for each club. IF YOU ARE A CALIFORNIA RESIDENT AND WOULD LIKE TO EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT TO OPT-OUT OF THIRD-PARTY DATA SHARING, YOU MAY DO SO HERE: DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION. Focus on Gaps & Variety, link to Should Your Wedges Match Your Irons? USE OF AND/OR REGISTRATION ON ANY PORTION OF THIS SITE CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF OUR VISITOR AGREEMENT (UPDATED 1/1/20), PRIVACY AND COOKIES NOTICE (UPDATED 1/1/20) AND CALIFORNIA PRIVACY NOTICE. Here you can see the detail with which he goes into when it comes to wedge play. Wilson Deep Red II Sand wedge Distance with Control Weave Women's | Sporting Goods, Golf, Golf Clubs & Equipment | eBay! Many gap wedges can be hit 90 yards, less than the average pitching wedge shot, which is about 105 yards, but more than the average sand wedge (70 yards), according to Leaderboard.com. The most accurate way to measure each shot is to use a GPS measuring device, smartwatch or a laser range finder but if you do not have any of those simply pace out the distance to each shot and write down how far you hit each shot. September 2, 2012. The skill level of the individual golfer clearly is the key factor in where an individual golfer will fit within these ranges and indeed beginners will often find they do not achieve any of these distances. Gradually, the difference in loft between the pitching wedge and the sand wedge increased. Check out our series: Scoring 101. This is the site where we share everything we've learned. Manufacturers have been strengthening the lofts on irons for decades and while there are merits and demerits to this practice, it does mean that golfers need to pay a little more attention to how the short irons and wedges are spaced within your set. Sand Wedge. I played with a 58 degree sand wedge between 2007-2009 because I found it too complicated to decide whether or not to use a 55 deg SW or 60 LW. As the name suggests, the sand wedge is the club you’ll use when your ball is stuck in a bunker. The average distance PGA Tour professionals hit a pitching wedge is 130 to 135 yard, 115 to 120 yards for a sand wedge and between 75 and 95 yards for lob wedges. Why Use an Approach Wedge? The sand wedge is the second from the right. Players on the LPGA Tour by comparison hit pitching wedges between 105 and 110 yards on average and sand and lob wedges between 75 and 90 yards. Pelz hits another shot with a 9:00 swing. Should All Your Wedges be the Same? While this is helpful in soft sand or long grass, it can be a major disadvantage on firm compacted sand or hard ground. When golfers start talking about how far they hit the ball chances are they will be talking about their drives. The high range of loft these clubs have, make a SW ideal for getting your ball out of the bunker! Graeme Hay is the owner of GolfingFocus.com. An ideal progression is for the pitching wedge to be 45 degrees, followed by a 50-degree gap wedge and complemented by 54- and 58-degree sand and lob wedges. A general guess about how far you hit your wedges is not going to be good enough if you really want to improve your short game and get your scores down. Focus on Gaps & Variety. (2) Reducing the loft of the sand wedge would have made the club less useful in the very sand traps it was designed for. Different wedges have different degree lofts and on average will typically be hit by the average male and female golfer within the following ranges:CLUBLOFT(Degrees)MEN(Yards)WOMEN(Yards)Pitching wedge45-4985-11550-65Gap wedge50-5575-9540-55Sand wedge56-5960-8030-45Lob wedge60-6445-6520-35. Players on the LPGA Tour by comparison hit pitching wedges between 105 and 110 yards on average and sand and lob wedges between 75 and 90 yards. This one simple change can help a great deal when faced with inbetweener differences and stops players falling victim to the fatal mistake of decelerating through the ball. Traditionally it also had the highest loft at 56 degrees (55–56 being most common), although that distinction now goes to the lob wedge, which often has a loft of 60 degrees or more. A Wedge Swing for Every Distance. Every degree strong reduces bounce by a degree, and vice versa. 5. A Wedge Swing for Every Distance. Count how many clubs you want in your bag up to and including the 9-iron. Remember wedges can easily be bent a degree or two, strong or weak, to achieve the desired loft spacing. But in today's game... Should Your Wedges Match Your Irons? Starting with your putter, if the number of clubs you’re carrying up to your 9-iron is 11, then you only have room for three wedges. Pitching Wedge (45 Degrees): 125 Yards, Gap Wedge (51 Degrees): 115 Yards, Sand Wedge (56 Degrees): 100 Yards, Lob Wedge (60 Degrees): 90 Yards I chose the lofts on these wedges because of the various distances I hit the ball, but you can see that I have pretty much every yardage covered inside of 130 yards. 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. When I started playing golf everything seemed much simpler. If you hit a full gap wedge approximately 90 yards on average you can guarantee the first wedge shot of the day you have to play will be 93 yards. Gap Wedge History For many years, pitching wedges contained about 48 to 50 degrees of loft, and sand wedge loft hovered in the mid-50s. Odds are your wedge lofts - everything from your sand wedge to your pitching wedge - are messed up. For example, if you have a 46-degree pitching wedge you should consider adding another 2 wedges – a gap wedge with between 50 or 52-degree loft and a sand wedge with 54 or 58-degree – depending on your choice of either 4 or 6 degree spacing between your wedge lofts. Gripping down an inch can take off 5 yards and for some players gripping down the entire length of the grip takes as much as 20 yards off their wedge. The same reason you'd choose, say, a 6-iron rather than a 5-iron or 7-iron. 3. Your average golfer will not hit many greens in regulation during a round. Having specific clubs for your short yardage shots which ensure you can comfortably cover a good range of distance is going to be very important to good scoring. To get the best measurement of how far you hit your wedges head to somewhere where you can walk and collect your golf balls. That inevitably means your average golfer will be hitting a lot of shots from 120 yards and less so having clubs which let you cover those distances is going to be crucial to scoring well.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'golfingfocus_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_2',108,'0','0'])); A standard pitching wedge has a loft of 46 degrees while a standard sand wedge will today have 56 degrees of loft. The average club golfer hits a full sand wedge … When looking for a sand wedge, there are a few things to consider as a beginner: clubhead, bounce, and loft. The average golfer is able to hit a sand wedge around 70 yards. I've been playing golf for over 40 years now and there are now a load of things looking back I wish I had paid more attention to. Gene Sarazen won the 1932 British and US Open tournaments with a new club he had invented that was specialized for sand play. Soft Sand – Using a sand wedge with a larger bounce angle is best in fluffy sand. There are distance charts for beginners, average golfers, good golfers, excellent golfers, seniors, average women golfers, as well as the PGA and the LPGA. A single figure golfer all of his adult life he lives in London and still enjoys playing whenever he can with friends and family. It is important to understand what the best degree for sand wedge shots is for you. It has a loft of about 56°, and about 10° of "bounce". This will be less precise but still useful and an improvement on any existing guesswork you are currently basing your wedge distances on.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'golfingfocus_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_5',111,'0','0'])); No matter how many wedges you carry in every round you will be faced with a wedge shot which is ‘inbetween’ the distance your full wedge shots carry. What is most interesting about professional players’ approaches to how far they can hit their wedges is the accuracy with which they detail how far they can hit each of their wedges with a variety of different swings. But if you are serious about getting better reducing the number of strokes it takes you to get the ball into the hole from 120 yards in is vital. Gap Wedge. One single and effective tip is simply to grip lower down the club and swing normally. Finding a way to make space in your bag for one extra wedge is going to give you the ability to have more specific clubs for certain shots. So if your wedges are more than 3 years old it’s worth inspecting to see if the grooves are wearing down and starting to affect the amount of spin and control you are getting with your wedge shots. 6. Most 54-56 degree wedges are true sand wedges, with bounce angles between 10 and 14 degrees, making them better for sand play or other shots where the extra bounce may help (e.g., fluffy lies in the rough). Then simply repeat the process for each of your wedges and you will be ready for your next game and clearer on which wedge will work best for your short shots. That means a 50-degree wedge can easily be a 51- or 49-degree club, But be aware that as you start strengthening or weakening the lofts of your high-lofted wedges, you’re also affecting the bounce angle. 4. The average distance PGA Tour professionals hit a pitching wedge is 130 to 135 yard, 115 to 120 yards for a sand wedge and between 75 and 95 yards for lob wedges. In our experience, if you only have three clubs to carry you past your 40-degree 9-iron, you’re going to be playing a lot of in-between and half shots in the scoring zone when you should be making full swings. His sand wedge, for example, can let him cover a range of distances between 76 and 126 yards depending on the type of shot he decides to play – a smooth, medium, 3/4, full or maximum swing.