CLOSING THE GAP

Picking the best wedges for your game is an exciting, albeit sometimes daunting, experience thanks to the range of high quality options available. The bounce and head design are indeed crucial aspects of wedge performance, but the lofts you select and the gaps between them are just as important but are often overlooked by average golfers.

With iron lofts consistently getting stronger in recent years, one of the first points of call when setting your wedge gaps is finding out the loft of your pitching wedge, which can vary by as much as six degrees within some brands.

It is always best to aim for even gaps between each wedge, preferably between four to six degrees, taking into account your swing type, greenside shots you like to hit and common course conditions when selecting the bounce and sole grind.

The next step is deciding how many wedges you wish to carry – a decision that is influenced by the number of clubs you have at the other end of your bag. Whether you like to make full swings with wedges or hit a variety of different distances with each wedge will also influence this decision.

Ideally, with proper loft spacing, you will have a distance gap of around 10 metres between each wedge.

If your pitching wedge carries 46° of loft, and you like to make full swings as well as having numerous options when pitching and chipping, an ideal four wedge setup might be 46°-50°-54°-58°. However, another player with the same pitching wedge loft but a preference for less wedges could easily carry 46°-52°-58°.

While even loft spacing should help deliver consistent distances between each wedge, this isn’t a guarantee, so testing new wedges (preferably with the golf ball you typically use) on a launch monitor is a great way to ensure you have the right combination of lofts. And like so many other parts of golf, there is no right or wrong in choosing the correct wedge setup, which is best achieved as part of a club fitting.