Do you want to know how to choose the right wedge for your golf? In this article we explain it to you. Do you need us to help you? Contact us.
What is the Wedge in Golf?
Wedges are the highest lofted clubs in the bag, designed for precision shots and ultra-high distance control on approach to the green. In the vast majority of players they make shots of about 120 m to the hole. The wedges are intended for shots around the green and the sand of the bunkers. In general, what most golfers are looking for are shots with the intention of making the ball rise sharply and with effect to have a very high control of the behavior of the ball.
Wedges are also irons but are really a subset of specialty irons. It is very common for golfers to buy them in stores as a part that supplements the irons. But how many people buy the right grades but then the wedges don't perform the way the player wants them to?
In the 1930s onwards, until the latter part of the 20th century, it was very common for top golfers to play 2 wedges:
- The pitching wedge: It is the lowest launching wedge, that is, the club that covers the most distance, and that is within the player's set of irons. It is a basic club for every golfer.
- The Sand Wedge: designed specifically to facilitate shots out of bunkers, abbreviated is the SW.
At the end of the 20th century, golf entered a maelstrom of specialization, where OEM's began to manufacture additional wedges. Today, with the distance trend and the obsession with distance, brands are increasingly making clubs with the closest grades. Doing something that for me is a white lie but with a purpose for the industry, reducing the number of long irons each time, for more wedges in the bag. Therefore today, the most common wedges are:
- Gap Wedge: it is given this name because this wedge is located between the pitching wedge and the sand wedge, and they are usually sticks that are between 48º and 50º.
- Lob Wedge: Being the most lofted club to be played in the bag, creating a very high launch angle in order to stop the ball on the green as quickly as possible.
Normally the GW, SW and LW are often sold separately and in the vast majority of cases are sold in subsets of 3 wedges.
Wedge Types
The wedges, as we have previously mentioned, have the objective of achieving distance control and precision. In the bag, manufacturers today manufacture many grades, in fact in the field of pitch & putt there are times when players carry the entire spectrum of wedges to cover all absolute distances. Manufacturers make 46º, 48º, 50º, 52º, 54º, 56º, 58º, 60º, 62º and 64º lofts.
pitching wedge
The wedges that are included in this category are clubs that are in the range of degrees of 46º or 48º in a traditional way, but we find that manufacturers increasingly close the pitching wedge and therefore we find them at 43º, 44º or 45º .
When selecting the PW we must directly take into account the set of irons that the player has to play.
The usual thing is that the length of the PW in steel is that we find it in "standard" with the grip is 35 ¾ "and in graphite rods it is 36". And on a technical level we must assess that in the set it is the iron that has a higher swingweight point than the rest of the set.
Gap Wedge
The wedges that are included in this category are sticks that are in the range of degrees of 48º or 50º in a traditional way, in order to cover the distance that we must have between the PW and the SW.
When selecting the AW or GW we must directly take into account the set of irons that the player has to play. That is, depending on the degrees that the PW has, we must place this wedge.
The usual thing is that the length of the GW in steel is that we find it in "standard" with the grip is 35 ¾ "and in graphite rods it is 36". And on a technical level we must assess that in the set it is the iron that has a higher swingweight point than the rest of the set. By this I mean that we have to make them with the same dimensions and swingweight.
Sand Wedge
The wedges that are included in this category are clubs that are in the range of degrees of 54º or 56º in a traditional way, in order to cover the distance that we must have between the GW and the LW.
When selecting the SW we must directly take into account the degrees of the Gap Wedge, since depending on the number of wedges that the player wants to have in the bag, the degrees can be between 6º, 4º or 3º. That is, depending on the degrees that the GW has, we must place this wedge.
The usual thing is that the length of the SW in steel is that we find it in "standard" with the grip is 35 ½ "and in graphite rods it is 35 ¾". And at a technical level we must assess that this wedge that has a swingweight point higher than the rest to the GW.
Lob Wedge
The wedges that are included in this category are clubs that are in the range of degrees of 58º, 60º or 62º in a traditional way, in order to get the distance that we must have are covered to the SW.
When selecting the LW we must directly take into account the grades of the Sand Wedge. To complement the selection, it is very important to take into account the state of the field that the player, in this case an amateur, usually plays on a regular basis.
The usual thing is that the length of the LW in steel is that we find it in "standard" with the grip is 35 "and in graphite rods it is 35 ½". And at a technical level we must assess that this wedge that has a swingweight point higher than the rest to the SW.
to your liking
As clubfitter and clubmaker, what I usually find with players is the fact that they have already bought the clubs and wedges and we must adjust or place a wedge to cover a distance.
In the case, for example, of selecting a 58º on many occasions, we must take into account the shaft that the player plays, the objective we have to put this club in the bag, the grind (sole design) that must be play the player depending on the skill you have. The bounce is another factor that we must assess directly since the bounce is selected by the type of terrain that we are going to play, since the bounce will give us the rebound that the sole of the wedge will have at the time of impact .
But you know that the shaft in the wedges is very important for all levels of players, and must be mounted according to the speed of the hands at the impact of the player.
Best Wedges Brands
All wedge manufacturers on the market have designs with a very clear meaning but... do you know which are the best wedges on the market according to the design and adaptability to suit all levels of player?
Titleist Vokey Wedge
Bob Vokey is one of the many gear gurus in the industry that over the years has developed in line with the insights and specifications and tastes of professional players on all Tours. Vokey wedges are usually soft touch wedges that allow for a lot of feel and spin control. The manufacturer has different raw, chrome, black or nickel finishes, which gives different sensations of how the ball comes out.
TaylorMade Milled Grind and Hi Toe.
The range of wedges that TaylorMade has is one of the brand's products that I like the most, in addition to the fact that it allows me to give it total customization, the fact that I can adapt it to all levels of players, creating configurations of all kinds.
The manufacturer has different types of materials and touch, in this case the sensation of the touch is a little harder, but it has a technological part that I really like, that the RAW finish of the faces allows the face to have a greater brake with the striae and oxidation of the face.
The Hi Toe head has, in addition to having a Raw finish face, it has grooves all over the face and a wider sole on the 56º, 58º and 60º wedges, allowing for a higher sole playability.
Callaway JAWS Wedges.
The JAWS range has two variants of Hi Toe wedges and the classic range, which has the same sense that we find in other manufacturers with the same purpose, to have control and playability in all shots. One difference that these wedges have with respect to others, for example, is that they are soft to the touch and that as a consequence they lose effectiveness in less time and require players in the lob wedge to replace them more frequently than normal.
PXG Sugar Daddy.
PXG is a manufacturer that is constantly innovating and in this case the manufacturer is developing each wedge on a block that is milled by computer as if it were a 3D model. This allows you to have all the wedges with the same design, weight and the same specifications.
In addition to this, these wedges come with the placement of tungsten weights around the back of the face, thus allowing for the most forgiveness and best MOI to be positioned on the face of the wedge. The feeling that the wedges have is intermediate, which allows the player to have resistance with use and time.
The only handicap that these wedges have is that they are expensive.
Miura Tour Wedge.
It is often said that when a player has a wedge from the brand it is difficult for him to change it later because the feeling of Miura is very particular and the fineness of the design is very classic, the touch is made of pure steel. It is available in chrome and black finish.
It should be noted that the traditional design of a lifetime is really followed. They are in the upper-middle price range.
What to take into account when fitting wedges?
At the time of doing Custom golf clubsIn this case, the wedges, what we must do is first of all take into perspective what the player's distances are like and therefore we must have the 9-iron and Pw distances knowing that the configuration of the irons is correct.
To do this we must follow the following steps:
Validation of the shaft and the set up of the irons.
In the first place, the objective evaluation is the base and starting point, that is, recording the data and that these coincide with what the player has.
In this case, what we must do is take into account the shaft, the pw configuration and the shaft.
Once we have the configuration and the distances, we can start to fit the wedges, and the initial decision making is to define how many wedges the player wants to have.
In the case of selecting 3 or 2, it changes a lot because we need a lot of versatility when it comes to making the player feel that he can cover the distances desired by the player.
Hand acceleration on impact.
Once we have made the decision of the degrees and the number of wedges that we are going to put, we have to concentrate on getting the player who plays the wedges that he currently has that he can observe with the configuration that we design for him, the following parameters improve from substantial form:
- Smash Factor: the higher the groove works the harder and the ball comes off the clubface faster.
- AOA: What the AOA improvement will facilitate is that at the same Club Speed we have a higher Ball Speed.
- Height: We will try to make the player always make the same swings so that he can appreciate how the height of the ball changes and in this way greater control after the bounce on the ground in the carry. We are looking for more control of the carry.
- Spin rate: We must look for the spin to rise and for the player to be able to make shots with greater acceleration and look for the ability to generate more or less spin with acceleration control.
Obtaining better numbers overall is synonymous with greater control of the carry and spin. The objective that we will have with each player regardless of the level.
How to choose the right wedge for your Golf?
The choice of the wedge by Handmade Custom Clubs has a very clear trigger, it is a mixture of the 100% tastes of the player with the art of the clubfitter that is Miki Rapado, this hand in hand that we will then build the wedge or wedges as they have been programmed with the player will give the new set of wedges a brutal dimension to the player's short game.
And you will tell yourself that he says it well, but is this real? The answer is YES. I have to tell you that it is not an easy process, since it requires a very high level of analysis and objectivity. Obviously I know that what you have read in the article may or may not sound familiar to you, but what I can tell you is that I am not inventing anything you have read and that my wedge fitting system works at 100%. I refer to the tests of the many players and professional players with whom I work and who I help in all their game and very dedicated in their short game since in a professional player as well as in an amateur player it is the base of the game that makes strategic errors or incorrect shots fail to leave the result of each hole in the best situations, that is, par.
Create the perfect wedge for your game
In the club game we have a set base and special clubs. We are very clear about this and I think you cannot find a better place for us to help you. We believe that the driver and putter are special clubs that are also very important in each player's bag. But wedges are also very important clubs as they help us to have the best birdie options and recoveries from failures.
To put a solution to all your problems, you don't have to do anything more than make an appointment with us and enjoy an unparalleled experience at a fitting level that will make you enjoy and go crazy about what you are going to enjoy playing golf when you finish passing by our hands.
What are you waiting for?
