TEN things you should know about WEDGES

Array of 10 models of Nike wedge

Golfers are hitting the ball so far these days that many par-4 holes are being reduced to a 'drive and a flick' increasing the importance of the high lofted clubs in our bags.

Some pros - and an increasing number of club golfers - are, consequently carrying as many as four wedges in their bags each, they claim, with differing lofts and a different job to do.

The Rules of Golf allow for 14 clubs to be carried in competitive rounds and with a rescue and utility clubs replacing as many as three long irons or a fairway metal, this allows for more 'scoring' clubs to be included for shots played upto 100 yards from the flagstick.

Lofts

A club which comes within the modern wedge category can have as little as 45 degrees of loft and as much as 64 degrees.

Many leading manufacturers produce upto 10 wedge models rising in 2-degree increments - and with different degrees of bounce (we'll come on to that) to compliment the loft.

For example TaylorMade is shortly to introduce its rac Black TP wedge series in five different loft and bounce configurations from 52 degrees to 60. The design of the head makes it more versatile, say the makers, to reduce the need to provide more loft options.

Grooves and bounce on Ping wedges

Bounce

This term refers to the bulbous flange built into the sole of the club. If your local course tends to be wet parkland, wedges with more bounce (8-11 degrees) will be less likely to dig into the ground.

Clubs with less bounce (6-8 degrees) will suit drier, fast-running heathland and links courses. So take into account the type of turf and sand you play on most regularly.

Also more bounce is built into sand wedge to allow them to glide through the sand as opposed to dig into it.

What's a pitching wedge?…

The pitching wedge (PW) is the straighter faced of the wedges (45-48 degrees of loft) and normally comes with a set of irons you purchase.

It's a great all-rounder club for hitting 'full out' from upto 120 yards, pitching and punching low to grip and stop or for some delicate chips or chip-and-runs around the green. Minimal bounce is built into it to make it more versatile. An average 40 year-old club golfer would hit it 105 yards (compared to a Tour pro's 135 yards)

Black Ox gap wedge

…Gap wedge? A five-degree difference in degrees between the sand wedge and the pitching wedge in the 1960s has grown to a ten-degree difference. This has created room for club manufacturers to respond by inventing a new club to fill the gap and, of course, encourage us to buy more products, despite probably having an unusable 3- or 4-iron in the bag or gathering dust.

Also known as an Approach, Attack or Dual wedge, the gap wedge (GW) has between 50 -54 degrees of loft for those 'in between' shots from around 70-90 yards that prove too far for the sand wedge to handle, yet demand more loft and finesse than a pitching wedge. Not much bounce on this club which allows you to nip it off the turf and gain maximum spin.

Average distance for the club player is 85 yards, but the pro rarely carries one.

Most pros carry three wedges

…Sand-iron/wedge

Heaviest club in your bag, the sand wedge (SW) usually has maximum bounce (10-12 degrees) built into the sole and 54-56 degrees of loft on the face.

Ideal for escaping from sand around the green, allowing you to drive the sole of the club into the sand just behind the ball and lifting it out on a cushion of sand.

Because of its wide, rounded and curved head, it's good for deft little chips from the fringe (hood the face, hands slightly forward) and for playing those belly-wedge putts from the collar of greenside rough (striking the ball on its equator with the leading edge).

Typical distance for the club player from the fairway is 70 yards, while the pro can propel a ball 115-120 yards.

Phil Rodgers wedge from Cobra

Lob wedge/lobber

Again, the lob wedge (LW) has a big face with maximum loft between 60-64 degrees. Not so much bounce built into these which allows you to create even more loft by laying the face open.

With its sharp leading edge, a great club for slicing under the ball to get it up quickly (with an out to in swing path) over a hazard on to the green. Pros tend to use them from firm fairways to nip the ball off the turf and stop quickly. Needs a lot of practice.

A lob wedge is built more for height than distance, more finesse than power so 30 yards is probably its optimum distance for the amateur. A pro, however, will not only use it over hazard but from the fairway for those 75-95 yard shots that need to land softly.

Grooves

Most wedge have around 15-16 grooves etched into them, slightly rounded at the surface to avoid damaging high performance ball but allowing water and debris to escape at impact.

The latest trend is to introduce Y-cutter grooves on TaylorMade wedges to minimise ball damage yet still provide an efficient means of allow debris to escape.

Mark O'Meara chipping

Materials

The days of every wedge being coated with chrome over steel are over. Finishes also include, raw (unchromed), beryllium copper, nickel-coated and oil-quenched.

A thin layer of black oxide, can also be applied, which gives a rusty appearance and wears down when it gets wet. However, it can tend to deliver more spin, feel and control.

The softer the face of your wedge the more spin and feel you will get. Unfortunately this tends to wear down the grooves more quickly.

Shafts

Wedges tend to be favoured by steel shafts - check out most pros' lofted clubs and they are like stiff steel pokers. Steel shafts are reckoned to consistently deliver more spin, feel and control.

Graphite shafts, however, are perfectly adequate if your set comes complete with pitching wedge and sand iron.

What should you pay?

You can buy a new wedge for as little as a tenner or as much as £160 though most can be purchased for under £100 even from the leading brands.

You might also consider checking your local pro's second hand stock. Top name wedges that have had an oxide coating and developed a rusty appearance could provide just the tool you are looking for at a bargain price.