Descriptions of Golf Wedges

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm PGA member Jay Golden, talking about the differences in wedges. There are many subtle differences, related to bounce, and grooves, and lie, but the main difference in wedges, is the amount of loft, the degrees. For many years, people had a pitching wedge and a sand wedge. The pitching wedge, forty eight degrees, sand wedge, fifty six degrees, and those were their two wedges. Today, there's the 48 degree pitching wedge, the 52 degree gap wedge, the 56 degree sand wedge, the 60 degree lob wedge, and the 64 degree, what I would call the ultra lob wedge. Many pros today carry three wedges, some four, and some five wedges. The way they think, well, how often am I going to use my two iron, or three iron? but around the green, I'm going to use more wedges, and from in the fairway, I'm going to use more wedges. I could take a full swing with a 60, and it's going to go, let's say eighty five yards. That's what I want to do, take a full swing, just like hitting a seven iron, or a six iron, and taking a full swing. Why would I want to take a three quarter swing with a six, when I can hit a full seven? Why would you want to hit a three quarter, 56 degree sand wedge, if you could take a full swing from eighty five yards, with your 60 degree wedge? Also, around the greens, that 64 degree wedge. Many people have trouble hitting high shots, short distances, around the green. That 64 degree wedge is a fantastic club, because you don't have to open it up as much, you don't have to be as precise. You set it up square, you hit that ball, and it goes in the air nicely, with a soft shot, so that's the basic thing in wedges these days, the number of degrees. If you don't have a 60 degree or a 64 degree, to hit those short shots around the green, it's slightly to your disadvantage. Try it out, you might like it, and that's a short description on today's wedges."