Wedge loft degree

**MKPKR** · December 18, 2009

Can someone break down for me the different lofts that designate what type of wedge it is? for example what is the degree of loft in a PW SW AW GW LW?

**Uber$winG** · December 18, 2009

The PW is usually part of the iron set so it is around 4 degrees up from the 9 iron.

There really is no prescribed designation relative to the degree of wedge.

For instance; my PW is 49⁰, Approach Wedge (which is also a Gap Wedge between PW & SW) is 54⁰, and my Lob Wedge which also serves as my Sand Wedge is 60⁰.

**SQ Bimmer** · December 18, 2009

I know there are no set standards for what to call the wedge, but in general..

-49 - pitching
50 - 53 - gap
54 - gap/sand
55 - 57 - sand
58 - sand/lob
59+ - lob

In between ranges I would call gray area one way or the other. Add a lot of bounce to any wedge between 54* and 58* and I would call it my "sand wedge" if it were in my bag.

**MKPKR** · December 18, 2009

if your set came with PW and SW would it probably be safe to say the the PW is around 49 and the SW is around 54?

**WUTiger** · December 18, 2009

Getting beyond the pitching wedge...

Lots of three-wedge sets go with 52º Gap, 56º Sand and 60º Lob. The 52º often has six to eight degrees more loft than an iron set's stock pitching wedge.

If you are planning to have Callaway irons and Cleveland wedges, or Mizuno irons and Vokey wedges, you need to check out what the actual gaps in yardage are between your PW and the "other" wedges you're considering. Past threads have had people talking about how their GW came up 25 yds. short of their PW. Then you check "What's in the Bag," and you see different brands for each.

Before buying my CG14 wedge, I tried a my X20 PW (45º) and the 52º CG14 on the launch monitor = a gap of 18 yds. between PW and 52º. The PW - 50º gap, however, was only 12 yards.

If you end up with large PW - GW gap , you might be able to cover it by choking down on the PW for "in between" shots.

**WUTiger** · December 18, 2009

if your set came with PW and SW would it probably be safe to say the the PW is around 49 and the SW is around 54?

Not necessarily. You need to compare the lofts between the two. The company may have left out the GW.

The Gap Wedge emerged from problems caused by loft inflation in golf irons starting in the 1980s. New-fangled cavity-back clubs tended to pop the ball up in the air more than the traditional blades / musclebacks, so some designers strengthened the loft a degree or two to prevent excess height. Then, the marketing guys got the idea that if you further decrease the loft, you can say that the 7-iron now goes 165 yds. rather than 150 yds. (Check out the blogs on Ralph Maltby's site if you find this interesting.) Anyway, lots of iron sets ended up with 8º difference between the PW and the SW, creating a yardage gap of maybe 20 yds. SW still needed to be about 56º or so to pop the ball out of bunkers. Hence, the GW was intended to split the difference between the PW and SW.

**LBlack14** · December 18, 2009

My set up is:

PW- 46*
GW- 51*
SW- 55*
LW- 60*

**MKPKR** · December 18, 2009

i have a set of TM R7's, and i want to add another wedge to the set.... thinking about a 56 or a 58.... that is why i was trying to figure out where my SW was. i have hit a 60 a few times, and i really think it would take a lot of practice to be able to be effective at hitting that club.

**WUTiger** · December 18, 2009

i have a set of TM R7's, and i want to add another wedge to the set.... thinking about a 56 or a 58.... that is why i was trying to figure out where my SW was. i have hit a 60 a few times, and i really think it would take a lot of practice to be able to be effective at hitting that club.

Went on the TM site,

http://www.taylormadegolf.com/mainle...l?IsPopUp=0#30 and found the specs for R7 CGB iron sets: PW = 44º GW = 49º SW = 54º GW = 59º Note: Not everybody likes the stock wedges that come with their iron sets. PW is usually good, but others may not be best choice for player. As for 60º LW, better players have told me it takes a lot of practice. You can hit similar shots - safer ones - with a SW if you practice a little.

**MKPKR** · December 20, 2009

To finish this up, i snatched a Taylormade Rac Z TP 58* on ebay for 30 bucks including shipping. Looking forward to throwing it around, and seeing what it can do. Thanks for the input.

glenntwo · December 21, 2009

Went on the TM site,

Agreed. I can't understand why anyone needs a 60 deg wedge, unless they play courses with bunkers that are 8+ feet deep. I carry one and it's by far the most useless club I own. Can do all the same things with a sand iron and I get much better feel for the shot. Drives me crazy when I try a 40 yard pitch with the LW, only to have it walk right up the face and carry about 25 yards. I'm actually in the market for a set of wedges similar to the numbers above, except 1 degree stronger in the GW and the LW (48 and 58).

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Wedge loft degree

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