The game of golf has evolved over decades, and so has its equipment. Wedges are a relatively modern innovation in golf. The clubs, which appeared first in the 1930s, were introduced to provide golfers with more accurate approach shots. Golf wedges are irons, but people regard them as specialized or sub-set; sometimes, they are even considered an entirely separate club type.
Many features define golf wedges, including the loft, bounce, sole grind, grooves, flex, shaft construction, and distance gapping. Wedges have the highest loft of all golf clubs, and an iron with a greater loft than 45 degrees is considered a wedge. Sometimes, people identify the wedges by their lofts instead of their names.
The pitching wedge is the oldest and most common wedge club. Its origins are traceable to producing the first standardized, numbered set of irons by the Spalding Sporting Goods Company. The pitching wedge has the least loft of all the wedges, ranging from 44 to 50 degrees. The golf ball pops in the air and travels between 110 to 140 yards farther than any other wedge when struck by the club. One of the primary golf clubs golfers carry is the pitching wedge.
In 1928, the Sand wedge came into being. For about 50 years, it was the only wedge used by golfers. Edwin McClain, a Texas golfer, created the design for the club as a way of solving his personal need and then patented it. The sand wedge is the shortest club, which helps the golfers put a spin on the golf ball. Generally, they have a loft angle that ranges from 54 to 58 degrees. The club can strike the ball up to 90 yards and is particularly helpful when hitting from the sand, rough, or fairway, making them effective for shots around the green and outside the bunker. Players take advantage of the higher loft of the sand wedge when hitting from a downhill lie.
Dave Pelz created the third wedge type in the 1980s. The more modern greens had become more challenging, characterized by elevated, sloped nature, and surrounded with more hazards. NASA physicist Pelz thus developed the lob wedge to mitigate this problem. This club had more loft than the two older wedges, allowing golfers to achieve a higher launch angle for their drill approach shots.
The degree of its loft is from 60 to 65 degrees and is particularly useful for precise shots around the green. The wedge's design is suitable for shorter ball travels, generally about 70 yards, but can get the ball high into the air quickly. Lob wedges are not often found in club sets and may need to be purchased separately.
Gap wedges are the most recent form, developing around the early to mid-1990s. To advertise and sell long-distance clubs, golf manufacturers gradually began to decrease the loft angles of most other golf clubs. This created a gap in the loft angles between the sand and the standard pitching wedge. As the name suggests, the creation of the gap wedges was to close the gap between the other two, allowing the golfer to take a full swing. Having a loft degree of between 51 to 54 degrees, the club is ideal for shots in the range of 90 to 100 yards.
Many features define golf wedges, including the loft, bounce, sole grind, grooves, flex, shaft construction, and distance gapping. Wedges have the highest loft of all golf clubs, and an iron with a greater loft than 45 degrees is considered a wedge. Sometimes, people identify the wedges by their lofts instead of their names.
The pitching wedge is the oldest and most common wedge club. Its origins are traceable to producing the first standardized, numbered set of irons by the Spalding Sporting Goods Company. The pitching wedge has the least loft of all the wedges, ranging from 44 to 50 degrees. The golf ball pops in the air and travels between 110 to 140 yards farther than any other wedge when struck by the club. One of the primary golf clubs golfers carry is the pitching wedge.
In 1928, the Sand wedge came into being. For about 50 years, it was the only wedge used by golfers. Edwin McClain, a Texas golfer, created the design for the club as a way of solving his personal need and then patented it. The sand wedge is the shortest club, which helps the golfers put a spin on the golf ball. Generally, they have a loft angle that ranges from 54 to 58 degrees. The club can strike the ball up to 90 yards and is particularly helpful when hitting from the sand, rough, or fairway, making them effective for shots around the green and outside the bunker. Players take advantage of the higher loft of the sand wedge when hitting from a downhill lie.
Dave Pelz created the third wedge type in the 1980s. The more modern greens had become more challenging, characterized by elevated, sloped nature, and surrounded with more hazards. NASA physicist Pelz thus developed the lob wedge to mitigate this problem. This club had more loft than the two older wedges, allowing golfers to achieve a higher launch angle for their drill approach shots.
The degree of its loft is from 60 to 65 degrees and is particularly useful for precise shots around the green. The wedge's design is suitable for shorter ball travels, generally about 70 yards, but can get the ball high into the air quickly. Lob wedges are not often found in club sets and may need to be purchased separately.
Gap wedges are the most recent form, developing around the early to mid-1990s. To advertise and sell long-distance clubs, golf manufacturers gradually began to decrease the loft angles of most other golf clubs. This created a gap in the loft angles between the sand and the standard pitching wedge. As the name suggests, the creation of the gap wedges was to close the gap between the other two, allowing the golfer to take a full swing. Having a loft degree of between 51 to 54 degrees, the club is ideal for shots in the range of 90 to 100 yards.
