

Beyond this club, it becomes far more critical to hit clubs to consistent distances rather than hitting them further.Ĭlub manufacturers and club fitters use lofts and shaft lengths to optimize yardage gaps between clubs. When choosing a driver, hitting the ball as far as possible with reasonable control is your primary focus. Importance of Distance Gaps Between Clubs While some PGA Tour professionals use very high lofted wedges (up to 64°), the average player will typically struggle to hit anything with more than 58 or 60 degrees of loft consistently. This club really shines when you need to get the ball in the air quickly (like over a bunker lip) and have it quickly stop on the Most golfers would classify a lob wedge (LW) as a wedge between 58 to 64 degrees of loft, with 60 degrees being most common.Ĭompared to a sand wedge, lob wedges are even more specifically used for shorter shots around the green and bunker shots. Instead, these golfers will opt for 1/2 or 3/4 swing shots with less lofted wedges (PW and GW).Ī lob wedge is the golf club with the highest degree of loft.
SAND WEDGE LOFT FULL
Many golfers avoid taking full swing shots when they get to their highest lofted wedges because these shots are hard to hit consistently. Unlike your PW and GW, it's usually most important that you can competently use your sand wedge for shorter partial shots around the green and bunker shots rather than full shots. Sets made for the best golfers will have a pitching wedge with a higher loft, usually 46 or 47 degrees, while intermediate sets will be between the two extremes. Maintain yardage gaps relative to their stronger lofted 9-iron. Pitching wedges that are a part of a game-improvement iron set can have lofts as low as 43 or 42 degrees to Iron sets designed for beginner golfers, often called game-improvement irons, have stronger (lower) lofts than more traditional clubs. Today, a standard pitching wedge (PW) loft is 45 to 47 degrees. Most golfers prefer to buy these wedges individually to ensure they meet the requirements of the player and the course conditions they frequent. You'll mostly use your sand wedge and/or lob wedge for shorter shots around the green and out of bunkers. Iron and Wedge Lofts By Manufacturer and Club SetĪs you can see in the chart of iron sets' lofts in the image above, it's rare for sets to include a sand wedge or lob wedge.
