If you’re new to golf, or if you just play the occasional round, getting your head around all the different types of individual clubs – the 14 that you’re allowed to play in a competition – can take a little time to get the hang of.
At the ‘top end’ of the bag, you have your woods – the driver (also known as the ‘big stick’), as well as your fairway woods and hybrids. These clubs are designed to hit the ball further. Straightforward enough.
It’s at the ‘bottom end’ of the bag where it can get a little confusing. What’s with all the different letters on the soles of the clubs? These will be the golf wedges, otherwise known as your ‘scoring clubs’ – and there are a number of different types.
Types of wedges
Pitching wedge
‘PW’ (or just ‘P’ or ‘W’) stands for ‘Pitching Wedge’. Typically, the loft of the pitching wedge will be somewhere between 43° to 48°.
Golfers use a pitching wedge when they are playing the longest wedge shots, although they can also be used effectively to play pitch-and-run shots; they’ll come out lower than a 58° wedge and with a little less spin.
If you buy a standard set irons, a pitching wedge is normally part of the set. It’s up to you how many wedges you carry, and very much a personal choice depending on the type of game you play and what shots you feel confident with.
The loft of the pitching wedge varies between different manufacturers (although it’s usually within this 43° to 48° bracket). It’s important that you know what the loft is. If and when you add other wedges to your bag, you don’t want the loft to be the same. Two clubs performing the same task is a waste of one of the 14 clubs that you’re allowed to carry.
This pitching wedge has the loft (43°) stamped on the sole of the club
(Image credit: Future)
Sand wedge
‘SW’ (or just ‘S’) stands for ‘Sand Wedge’. This club has more loft than a pitching wedge, typically somewhere between 54° to 58°. As the name would suggest, it’s generally a club that gets used to escape bunkers. Sand wedges will tend to have a wider, more-rounded sole, which allows it to slide under the sand and pop the ball out.
As well as bunker shots, sand wedges can also be used to play standard wedge shots from short range. Because they have more loft than a pitching wedge, they…
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