Understanding When to use each Golf Wedge

Golf Wedge FAQ’s: Which golf wedge should I use for a bunker shot?

No golfer is excited about getting stuck in the sand, but when it comes to which club to use, GolfersProShop.com selection of sand wedges are here to help. Sand wedges are specifically designed for escaping bunkers with ease. Ideally you want your sand wedge loft to be between 54° and 58°, finding one that sits perfectly in the gap will act as the perfect loft for a one-and-done bunker escape. Why is loft important? When you’re stuck in the sand you need loft to ensure you’re lifting the ball out of the sand. With men’s golf sand wedges, you are sure to fly your golf ball out of the bunker and onto the green!

Which golf wedge is best for partial swing approach shots?

Have you ever been on the fairway, about 100 yards from the green, and you’re unsure of which golf wedge works well for this distance? A gap wedge is your answer. For full or partial swings, gap wedges are designed for mid-distance shots; in general this would be 80-115 yards. 

You might be wondering, why should I choose a gap wedge over a pitching wedge if they cover similar distances? With gap wedges you are able to hit the ball higher and shorter than a pitching wedge. The closer you are the more precision you will need. If you are 80-115 yards from the green, a men’s gap wedge will place you directly in the sweet spot beside the hole. 

Which golf wedge will help me clear a water hazard?

Deciding which wedge will get you over the water hazard in front of you comes down to how close you are to the green. Picture you’re on the fairway and the only thing keeping you from reaching the green is the small pond in front of you. If you are approximately 40-75 yards out, your best bet is selecting your lob wedge. 

Lob wedges are most useful for shots near the green where you need the golf ball to stop quickly. A golf ball stops quicker with increased spin. 

• Cleveland uses the UltiZip technology for sharper grooves. What does this do? This allows for an increased, stronger ball spin. Additionally it helps flop shots with precision.
• Callaway uses the Offset Groove-in-Groove technology, promoting additional spin on lob shots. To minimize rolling far, their razor sharp grooves take spin and control to a higher level.
• Wilson’s Precision-Milled Grooves promise high spin in all conditions. Delivering a more precise shot for golfers. 

These are important because with more ball spin the quicker its stops and softer it lands. Take on other obstacles as well like bunkers, hills, or slopes without a problem using men’s golf lob wedges.  

The further out you are, let's say 125 yards, in order to clear a water hazard a lob wedge can still be used, however in this scenario a pitching wedge would cover greater distance and benefit you in the long run. 

How far away should I be to use a pitching wedge?

Differentiating when to use which men’s golf wedge can be simplified into one question, how far away am I from the green? Pitching wedges will give you the best results when you are 100-150 yards out from the green. When looking for a full swing approach, this wedge will send the ball far while still sending it high enough to land nicely on the green.

It’s important you take into consideration your swing approach and yardage distance. Generally speaking, gap wedges are used for shots 80-115 yards out, offering you height with a shorter distance. If you are looking to cover more ground, pitching wedges will deliver the ball more directly with less loft than gap wedges. 

No matter your skillset, wedges selected on GolfersProShop.com are promised to deliver confidence and precision approaching the green. Feel free to checkout our Mens Golf Wedges or our Womens Golf Wedges.

Men’s Full Face Wedges: When looking through Golfers Pro Shop wedges selection you’ll be met with club options for full face wedges. The degrees listed underneath the club tab will range from 44°-64°. In simple terms, selecting a club degree of full face wedges will determine whether it will behave as a pitching wedge, gap wedge, sand wedge, or lob wedge. 

See below for a loft to wedge guide, making an easy break down for the purpose behind different full face club heads. 

Full Face Wedges Loft Chart with Club Heads:

Club Head	Which Wedge the Full Face Will Perform As
44-48 Degree of Loft	Pitching Wedge
48-54 Degree of Loft	Gap Wedge
54-58 Degree of Loft	Sand Wedge
58-64 Degree of Loft	Lob Wedge

So what does this mean? Using the chart above, you can match the degrees in Full Face Wedges club options to how you want the wedge to perform. 

What Loft Means for Men’s Golf Wedges

To break down how loft determines the type of wedge you want, first it’s important to understand what loft really is. Loft is the angle of the clubface. Let’s say your club is 56 degrees, this means that the face is tilted upward more so the ball would go higher and shorter. With a lower loft there would be less of a tilt, so the ball would go further, but lower. 

This is important because if a golfer is trying to clear a water hazard whilst being close to the green, they would need the ball to go higher, but not too far where they mess up their putter shot. In this instance you would need a high loft to have the club behave as a lob wedge. 

When you’re selecting the degrees of loft you really are determining what the behavior of your club will be. 

When to Use Full Face Vs. Traditional Wedges  

If you are confused on what full face wedges are and why they’re important, the experts here at Golfers Pro Shop have broken it down for your ease. 

Full face wedges have grooves that cover the whole face of the wedge, as opposed to standard or traditional wedges that only have grooves in the center of the clubface. Standard, regular, and traditional wedges are used interchangeably. Grooves are lines cut into the face of a wedge that add spin and help the ball stop sooner. Without grooves you would have a lot less control with your shot.

Choosing between a full face wedge and the standard wedge comes down to confidence, distance from the green, and the golfers skill level. 

• With standard wedges there is a more compact area that a golfer will have to hit in order for it to perform the way you want. Since the grooves are only in the center, if you hit the ball on the edge you risk ruining your shot. The more confident you are that you can execute your shot, a standard wedge with grooves in the center of the clubface is recommended. However you should note how far you are from the green, wanting a precise shot might be a determining factor for your use.
• The distance from the green is another thing to consider when choosing between a full face and a regular wedge. With deeper groove styles your shot would have extra control. The closer you are to the green the more you need a guaranteed precise shot. This is where the skill set comes in and plays a huge role.
• Standard wedges will perform with precision if hit correctly. A skilled golfer has practice in hitting the sweet spot. Hitting the ball in the wrong part of the clubface of a standard wedge will make your shot be less accurate. Players who are more experienced will have a greater reward for a small risk. Since the grooves of full face wedges go across the whole face of the club, you can get spin and control even if you hit it improperly. Therefore if you are a mid-high handicap golfer a full face wedge would be recommended.

Full face wedges will be labeled as is on GolfersProShop.com, whereas traditional wedges goes without saying. Now you can understand the importance of loft and grooves of a clubhead when deciding which Men’s Golf Wedge to use and when!

Importance of Bounce in Golf Wedges

Knowing the bounce in your golf wedge will make it easier to have cleaner shots from bunkers, fairway, soft sand, or rough. Bounce keeps your club from digging into the ground. That's right, there's a solution after all to inconsistent hits. With adjusting your bounce you can evolve into the greatest golfer version of yourself.

The greater bounce you have the more your club will glide rather than dig. Using a lower bounce will allow you to get under the ball more. So what should you choose bounce based off of? Two things. The ground conditions you’re hitting from and the style of swing you have. 

Ground Conditions

When to choose high bounce on a wedge: Matching the bounce to the ground below you is very important since bounce controls the club making contact with it. The last thing you want as a player is the wrong type of bounce on your wedge to get out of that bunker near the green. At this moment only one thing can save you and that is having a wedge with high bounce. This will prevent you from digging deep into the sand. High bounce will be your friend in softer conditions. 

When to choose low bounce on a wedge: Picture your golf ball landing on a fairway about 25 yards from the green. This strip of grass is short and maintained a lot differently than the rough. Having a low bounce here on your wedge will help you make direct contact, as opposed to a high bounce where your club would likely hit the grass before hitting your ball. As a golfer when you are in firmer grass you would want to look for a club with low bounce for an easy glide. 

Swing Style

What bounce to choose as golfers with steeper swings: Knowing your swing as a golfer is important to evolve your game. Matching your swing style with bounce should not be overlooked. Golferproshop.com suggests going out and hitting a couple of practice swings at the range to figure out what type of style you have. If you find your club attacking the ground first, for instance seeing grass come up once you hit, you have more of a steep swing. Another term for this would be “digging down.” This is seen in high-handicap players or beginners. 

Luckily for you the solution is right in front of you and that is using a higher bounce! A high bounce will prevent digging and pop up the ball cleaner than you’re used to. Watch your contact with the ball miraculously change for the better once you match your swing style to the wedges bounce. 

What bounce to choose as golfers with shallow swings:

Do you find your swings to skim the ground more as opposed to digging in? These shallow swings are also known as “sweeping.” This style of swinging keeps you from the maximum control that you could have. 

The solution? Using a lower bounce. A low bounce will give you that precise contact under the ball on tight lies, or shorter grass that you’re looking for. 

What does a low or high bounce look like? When looking into the specs of your club, typically lofts will suggest an associated bounce range. Golfers have different preferences however, so more often than not different bounce options for the same loft will be given. Us experts at Golfers Pro Shop will break down general bounce ranges you will see from certain types of wedges. It is important to note that looking into the specs of your club is suggested to select the exact bounce you prefer. 

Comparing Bounce With Men’s Golfs Wedges

Bounce Ranges	Which Wedge the Club Typically Will Perform As
4-8 Degrees	Pitching Wedge
4-10 Degrees	Lob Wedge
6-10 Degrees	Gap Wedge
10-14 Degrees	Sand Wedge

As you can tell there is quite some overlap between men’s golf pitching wedges, lob wedges, gap wedges, and sand wedges for their bounce ranges. This overlap exists because while a lob wedge might match your shot's purpose the most, identifying a bounce that meets the ground conditions and your swing style is equally of importance. 

To make this simpler, continue below to where you can read the order of which you should think about when asking yourself, which wedge matches my shot?

How to Choose a Wedge to Match My Shot

Based upon all the information above here is a direct step by step for how to choose the perfect wedge for your shot. To answer the following questions, reading the blog above will break down in detail what each point will require. 

1. Ask yourself, what type of wedge will I need for my shot? This would include choosing between the full face vs. traditional groove style, as well as if a pitching, lob, sand, or gap wedge would work best. 
2. After that step you should select the loft that will behave as the type of wedge you want. Be sure to use the loft comparison chart. 
3. Lastly, you should look into the specs of your wedge and identify which clubhead will give you the bounce you require for precise contact of the ball.

Congratulations you have now made the perfect hit because of your wedge choice! With all of this in mind, in selecting the best fitting men’s golf wedge you are setting yourself up for what's next up on the green.