Which clubs are the best golf wedges on the market? Which ones can give your short game the biggest boost?
But before we dive into this, here are a few direct links to wedge reviews we have on the site:
If you’re looking for golf wedges but you don’t know which ones to choose, our wedge reviews can help. But before you start reading them, here’s a short explanation of why the best golf wedges are important, along with descriptions of the types of wedges that are available. You’ll find links to some of our wedge reviews near the bottom of this page.
The Importance
You might already realize that the best golf wedges can be stroke-savers, but every golfer needs to be aware that wedges are also the most versatile of all clubs. For example, your sand wedge shouldn’t only be used for hitting the ball out of bunkers. Unless you carry a lob wedge, your sand wedge will have the most loft of any club in your bag. So, a sand wedge will work well when you need to hit a very high, short little chip, such as when a bunker is between you and the green. And, in some cases, your sand wedge will fly the perfect distance from lies in the fairway or rough. It’s actually quite a versatile little club.
But that’s just one example of the versatility of the best golf wedges. Personally, my pitching wedge and gap wedge are my “go-to” clubs as far as my short game is concerned. Both are extremely dependable clubs that I almost always hit well no matter what type of lie I have. It doesn’t matter whether I’m on the fairway or in some really gnarly rough. Those two wedges almost always rise to the occasion. So, they’re the best golf wedges for me.
No matter how long you are off the tee, you’ll always need a strong wedge game to score low. Played well, your wedges are capable of saving your bacon after the bad shots all of us seem to have during every round of golf. The best golf wedges can compensate for mistakes you make on other shots. And, as your wedge play improves, your putts will become shorter and shorter.
Types of Wedges
Think of wedges as the surgical instruments of golf. They’re used to produce shorter, more precise shots than your other clubs. There are four main types of wedges:
The pitching wedge has the least loft of all wedges, while the lob wedge has the most. There’s often a significant loft gap - and therefore a significant distance gap - between your pitching wedge (typically between 46 and 51 degrees of loft, but usually 48 degrees) and your sand wedge (typically between 55 and 57 degrees of loft, but usually 56 degrees). With a loft between 51 and 53 degrees, the gap wedge (sometimes called an “approach wedge”) fills that big loft and distance gap between your pitching wedge and your sand wedge. That’s why it’s called a “gap wedge.” Lob wedges typically have between 60 and 64 degrees of loft.
Most iron sets come with a pitching wedge. These wedges have the least loft and they produce the longest wedge shots. A few iron sets come with a gap wedge, which can be thought of as “halfway between” a pitching wedge and a sand wedge. Other iron sets include a sand wedge, which is used to get out of the sand and for fairly short shots from the rough or fairway. Typically, shots hit with a sand wedge will fly extremely high, although not as high as shots hit with a lob wedge. A lob wedge is primarily a finesse club, used to fly the ball over obstacles between you and the green.
Many golfers should carry at least three of these wedges, if not all four. I have three in my bag (pitching, sand and gap wedges). I’m in the middle of deciding which lob wedge I want to buy.
Identifying
Okay, so now you’re convinced that the best golf wedges (and a good wedge game) are essential for low scores. How do you identify which wedges are the best? Well, it’s not as difficult as you might think. You can start by checking out some of the wedge reviews we’ve listed in the next paragraph.
Our Wedge Reviews
These are just a few of the wedge reviews we’ve posted on our site:
We invite you to read as many of our reviews as you like. They’re here to help you find the best golf wedges.
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