Wedges form a category of golf clubs designed to send the ball onto the green from shorter distances. Their shafts are shorter than on irons, their club face angle loftier, and at least a few of them will generally find their way into a golfer’s bag.
Thanks to their high loft, balls struck with a wedge using a full swing will come in using a very high trajectory, optimal for a soft landing into the putting green, for example.
Types of Golf Wedges
- Pitching Wedge (PW)
- Gap Wedge (GW)
- Sand Wedge (SW)
- Lob Wedge (LW)
Variety of Loft
Although one can find wedges for every individual loft angle from 46 to 60 and even higher, they usually take the form of a pitching wedge (PW-48°), a gap wedge (GW-52°), sand wedge (SW-56°), or lob wedge (LW-60°).
Typically, wedges will be used for shots that need to travel distances of around 130 yards or less.
Notably, wedges will be used in a variety of ways around the green, from full swings in the bunker using the sand wedge to small chips from just off the green using a pitching wedge and so on.
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Variety of Bounce
Wedges also vary from other clubs in that they feature varying levels of bounce; wedges usually have more bounce than other clubs in the bag.
Moreover, the sand wedge will usually have the most bounce, restricting its digging abilities and instead helping the club to slide under the ball for a bunker shot.
Variety of Grinds
A relatively newer customization option now offered to golfers takes the form of different grind patterns that one can choose when selecting a wedge.
These grind options allow for the alteration of the bounce, sharpening or blunting the trailing and leading edge of the clubhead in different ways in line with the specific objective being pursued.
Variety of Finish (Color)
Wedges are also distinct from irons in that they are offered in different kinds of finish, or color. Indeed, a shopper can find a wedge in the following, non exhaustive color finishes: chrome, satin, black, gun metal, BeCu, BeNi or even rust.
Although which one a golfer will end up choosing is mainly a matter of personal taste, there are specific qualities being promoted. Indeed, darker or matte finishes are thought to reflect sunlight in a more subdued way. This can prove particularly helpful in a wedge since the high loft angle can allow for conditions where the sunlight could be directed straight into the golfer’s eyes, especially when setting up with an open face.
Other selling points mention the contrast between the clubhead and its immediate environment, sandy bunkers for example, and how one color can allow the golfer to better see his club in relation to the ball when setting up for a shot.
Variety of Clubhead Roundness
Furthermore, wedges can also be categorized according to the roundness of their clubhead faces. Indeed, wedges can feature either teardrop or rounder clubheads, although the definition for each is up for interpretation.
A big, round head is usually found to be more forgiving to golfers who don’t regularly hit the club in the center of the sweet spot.
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