Degree of "A" wedge

Alright I have a questions maybe someone can help me with. I have a set of Nike clubs that came with an "A" and Pitching wedge. I'm looking to add another wedge to my bag because I fly everything long within 125 yards with my A wedge and for par 3's within 140 I don't have a club I can fly consistently for those yardages. I've been thinking about adding a 58 or 60 degree wedge for shots within 125 and around the greens.....any suggestions or do I need to spend more time at the driving range practicing? Also what this the degree of the A wedge becuase I don't wanna add another club with the same amount of loft, I think that would be pointless..... I'm a weekend golfer with a 14 handicap..........

You would need to look up the Nike specifications sheet for your model of irons. These days, most A wedges (attack or approach, depending on mfgr) are 50* or 52*.

Do you have a sand wedge? You should consider this, probably 54* or 56*. SW can be used out of bunkers, or for partial wedge shots around the green. Some people also use them for full shots.

As for the 58* or 60* Lob Wedges, not everyone likes them. You just have to try them out.

These days, most golfers carry either three or four wedges (including PW). It just depends on what you want out of your wedges.

For examples of wedge mixes, just look at the sig lines or "In My Bag" lists of our Sand Trap bloggers. Also, look at other threads on wedges - we have a lot of them.

You can also check out wedge combinations in Golf Digest's monthly feature:

http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-equipment/whats-in-my-bag

Just google your set name followed by "lofts" and you should find what you need.  My Wilson Staffs are severely overlofted with my PW at 42.5 degrees, AW at 46, my GW at 49.5.  The club makers do this so that we think that we're hitting newer clubs substantially farther than older ones.  My last set had the PW at 47 degrees, so my current set is at least one club stronger, although I hit the newer irons higher as well.

Usually there around an old pitching wedge. Clubs have gotten stronger, so an old pitching wedge would be around 46-48 degrees. New ones are around 40-42 degrees. So an A wedge is usually 46-48 degrees.

Just take it to the store while shopping.  One with a simulator.

If you even like this club, then hit the clubs you have a couple times and get those distances.  Then pick a couple more wedges to gap out the missing distances.

A golf store can measure your club face angle too.

An internet search of your club might get you the specs, too.

58 or 60 for within 125 yards?  really?  That's a long ways to hit a 60 consistently.  I don't think I could hit my 60 more than 90 even with a huge swing and closing down the face a lot.  Maybe if I blade it just right.

I have 4 wedges and full swings with typical, but clean, contact are as follows:

PW (46) - 120 yards

50 - 110 yards

56 (14 bounce) - 100 yards

60 - 70 yards

the 56 and 60 I don't hit full swings very often at all - but I use them both a ton from 20 yards to 100, the sand, and over obstacles when in close.

take that PW and AW and practice your 3/4 (hands to shoulders only), and half to quarter swings and find those yards......very useful

If you aren't able to find the exact loft online, you can always take it to a brick and mortar store, such as Edwin Watts or Golfsmith, and have them measure the loft for you. Don't get too caught up on lofts, though. It's only one variable in the distance equation. Choosing equally spaced lofts is a good place to start, but you ultimately will need to put in time on the range to find out how far you hit them. Keep in mind that you can always bend a wedge to a different loft or adjust the length of the shaft to increase or decrease the distance that you hit it so that you end up with equal gaps between all your wedges.

That "A" wedge is just a gap wedge.  Why some of them had to call it different than everyone else I don't know, but all it does is fill the gap between the PW and the SW.  Not so long ago it was unnecessary because the PW had the loft of that gap wedge, so there wasn't any gap to fill.  Now most PW's are in the 45° to 47° range, so you have to fill the hole between that and the 54° or 56° SW.

You could just as easily ask why Ping calls their gap wedge a, "utility" wedge.  Its all semantics.  Who cares?

Wedges are most easily discussed when referred to by loft and usage.  For instance, my "utility" wedge is my 56°, which most would call a sand wedge (it's also what passes for a LW too, since it's the highest loft I carry).  My SW is 54°, and is used exclusively for greenside bunker play.  My 51° gap wedge is a full swing club, thus it's more like an 11 iron, with the PW as the 10 iron.  But both of those clubs are used as "wedges" too, for all sorts of greenside shots.  It just adds to the confusion when different manufacturers decided to call clubs with the gap wedge function by different names, even though the term "gap wedge" was already in common usage.

Strengthen the lofts, change the wimpy "gap" to "ATTACK!!!!"  Rage!!

-Corporate Golf Marketing Meeting

Because it confuses people?