How to Use a Golf Gap Wedge

Video Transcript

"Hi I'm PGA member Jay Golden and I'd like to talk about how to use a gap wedge. First I'd like to explain what it is and why it was invented. A pitching wedge and a sand wedge were the normal two clubs in a set of golf clubs. Pitching wedge, 48 degrees, sand wedge, 56 degrees. And that's quite a difference, there's quite a gap between those two clubs and that's when the gap wedge was invented which is 52 degrees. So now you go from 48 to 52, 56. And that's a very important club because let's assume that you hit your 56 a 100 yards and you hit your pitching wedge 48 degree 130 yards, that's a 30 yard gap. The gap wedge, right in between is 115 yards approximately depending on the golfer. It's a shot that you hit similarly to a full sand wedge or a pitching wedge, your hands are in front of the ball, the ball is towards the back of your stance, you want to take a divot and you want to take a full golf swing with this club just like you would a full sand wedge, a full pitching wedge and a full gap wedge. They're hit very similarly, you want to take a divot after you hit the ball and you want to do it with a fairly full swing. If you only have a pitching wedge and a sand wedge you should seriously consider purchasing a gap wedge because hitting those 115 yard shots with a pitching wedge is much more difficult. If you don't have a gap wedge, get it, it's going to help you from 115 yards."