How long is a pitching wedge

What is the most common length incremental change for wedges on the PGA Tour? This is a great question because it brings up an often overlooked topic. Most golfers understand and value the importance of length when it comes to their driver or fairways woods, but they forget that the length of their irons and wedges plays a role in performance and feel.

Some golfers on the PGA Tour use wedges degrees that all measure the same length as their short irons with no variance. Some use wedges that are a half-inch shorter than their irons, and others employ a progressive length change in 0.

Also, some golfers use three-wedge setups while others use four-wedge setups, throwing a wrench into any commonalities. 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. This is measured in degrees and each one is designed to do a certain job. Understanding the different types of wedges and knowing a little about their degree of loft can help you choose the most appropriate one for any situation which may arise on the course.

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. 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. To help with this you'll notice sand wedges have a wider, more rounded sole which allows the club to slide under sand but bounce back out the other side rather that getting stuck in it. This of course is not their exclusive use.

The next wedge is called a Gap Wedge. The loft of the pitching wedge is typically between 45 and 48 degrees and it is mainly used for shots outside of yards — the average club golfer hits a pitching wedge around yards, while the Tour professional carries it around yards. It is the most versatile of all the wedges because it can be used for hitting "full out" shots or "chip-and-runs" around the green.

The sand wedge SW typically carries a loft between 54 and 58 degrees, and as its name suggests, is mainly used for bunker play. The average club golfer hits a full sand wedge 70 yards, while a Tour professional carries it yards. Because of its wide, rounded and curved head, the SW is ideal for deft little chips from the fringe and for playing those belly-wedge putts from the collar of greenside rough striking the ball on its equator with the leading edge.

Gap wedges range in loft from 50 to 55 degrees and are a compromise between a pitching wedge and a sand wedge. A gap wedge is particularly important to use today because the five-degree difference in degrees between the SW and PW in the s has now grown to approximately 10 degrees. This has created room for club manufacturers to respond by inventing a new club to fill the "gap", and of course, encourage us to buy more products.

They just take a pitching wedge and sand wedge and go. But now they're 45 to 47 degrees while the sand wedge has stayed at That's a two-plus club difference because now the pitching wedge is essentially the loft of a 9-iron.

Most instructors recommend you should have around four degrees of difference between all of your wedges. It is useful for throwing the ball up very high from short distances, also known as the "flop shot" - Phil Mickelson is the expert at this.

A lob wedge is built more for more finesse than power so 30 yards is probably its optimum distance for the amateur. A pro, however, will not only use it over a hazard, but from the fairway for those 75 to yard shots that need to land softly with some spin. It is recommended players visit a certified club fitter to best understand the loft of wedges they should be using.

The sole grind refers to the additional shaping of the sole of the wedge, usually around the heel or the toe. Companies offer a range of sole grinds in addition to the standard wedge sole, grinding the soles with a machine to suit specific turf conditions or shots.