Guides / Wedge setup

Wedge Setup Guide: PW, Gap, Sand & Lob

Wedges are your scoring clubs, and the way you space their lofts has a direct effect on how many shots you save around the green. This guide explains each wedge and how to build an even setup.

The four wedges

Most golfers carry two to four wedges, chosen from these four types:

• Pitching wedge (PW): traditionally about 47 degrees, but often 44 degrees in modern sets. Usually comes with your irons.
• Gap wedge (GW), also called approach wedge: roughly 50 to 52 degrees. It fills the gap between the pitching and sand wedge.
• Sand wedge (SW): about 54 to 56 degrees. Designed for bunkers and higher soft shots.
• Lob wedge (LW): around 58 to 60 degrees. For the highest, softest-landing shots.

Why the gap wedge became necessary

As iron sets have grown stronger, pitching wedge lofts dropped from the high forties toward the mid forties. That created a large jump to a traditional 56-degree sand wedge. The gap wedge exists to fill that space so you are not stuck between two clubs on a common scoring yardage.

Spacing your wedges evenly

A reliable approach is to keep four to six degrees between each wedge. If your pitching wedge is 44 degrees, a tidy setup might be 44, 50, 54 and 58, or 44, 49, 54 and 59. Even spacing gives you an even distance gap, which means fewer awkward in-between shots where you have to manufacture a half-swing.

How many wedges should you carry?

There is no single right answer. Higher-handicap players often do well with three wedges and simpler decisions, while lower handicappers may carry four to cover every yardage inside full-swing range. Start by matching the loft of your pitching wedge, then space the rest evenly up to your highest-lofted wedge. Consistent gaps matter more than the exact numbers.

Bounce and grind, briefly

Loft gets most of the attention, but wedges also have a bounce angle — the amount the sole sits below the leading edge — which controls how the club interacts with the ground. Higher bounce helps in soft sand and fluffy lies and for players who take a steep divot; lower bounce suits firm turf, tight lies and shallower swings. You do not need to master the detail, but when two wedges of the same loft feel different through the turf, bounce is usually the reason.

Match your wedges to your turf

Where you play should influence your wedges. On soft, lush courses and in bunkers with plenty of sand, more bounce is forgiving. On tight, firm links-style turf, too much bounce can make the club skip into the ball, so lower bounce often works better. If you only change one thing, get the sand wedge right for your typical bunkers, since that is the shot where the wrong sole hurts most.

Test your spacing on the course

The best check of a wedge setup is a session hitting each wedge to a target and noting the carry. You are looking for even steps with no big gaps and no two wedges landing on top of each other. If two wedges carry almost the same distance, your lofts are too close; if there is a yawning gap, add or re-loft a wedge. Even, reliable spacing is what turns wedges into genuine scoring clubs.

Reference information only. Wedge lofts vary by brand and model — confirm before you buy.