Since Gene Sarazen invented a sand wedge over 70 years ago, most changes have come in the sole designs (combinations of loft and bounce) and the materials. Over the last 10 years or so, we also have seen many modern golfers have started to carry three or even four wedges.

Technological advancement in investment casting technology as well as new material applications to golf equipment have resulted in more irons with a lower center of gravity and less loft. Therefore, there is a significant gap between the pitching wedge and a regular sand wedge with 56-degree loft. The average gap between a pitching wedge and a 56-degree sand wedge would be 10 degrees or even more. This gap should be covered with additional clubs, and this is why so many modern golfers have started to carry three or four wedges.

Loft, Shaft Length, Lie Angle and Bounce - Today, many cast pitching wedges carry 46 degrees of loft (even less loft for some models) and 9-irons have about 41-42 degrees. The traditional loft for pitching wedge (PW) was 48-50 degrees, and 9-irons carried 45-46 degrees loft, while the lofts of modern forged PWs are 47-48 degree, and the most common loft of sand wedge (SW) is 56 degrees (see the following table for details). The bounce angle is determined by the position of the trailing edge relative to the leading edge when the club is squarely positioned (see the left picture). The sole width and geometry (sole camber) play important roles, together with the bounce angle, to affect the playability for different types of shot.  The following table shows typical wedge configurations.

For the 3-wedge system, one needs to determine which wedge, a gap wedge (AW) or a lob wedge (LW), to be added. It would make a better sense if the gaps in loft between PW-AW and AW-SW (or PW-SW and SW-LW) are nearly equal. Without a lob wedge, the gap in loft should be in the 4°-5° range. Without a gap wedge, the loft gap between the pitching wedge and the sand wedge would become very large at around 10°. Likewise, for the 4-wedge system, select a combination of PW, AW, SW and LW that makes each gap in loft becomes 4-5°.

	LW	SW	AW	PW
Loft	58°- 64°	55°- 57°	50°- 54°	45°- 49°
Shaft Length	35"- 36"	35"- 36"	35"- 36"	35"- 36"
Lie Angle	62°- 64°	62°- 64°	62°- 64°	62°- 64°
Bounce	0°-10°	10°-16°	5°-12°	0°- 5°

Sole Design - The original sand wedge that Sarazen invented featured an innovative concept of "bounce". The trailing edge of the club-head was higher than the leading edge which helped the club move through the sand and lift the ball into the air. For the purpose of making sand shots (from soft sand) easier, the additional bounce angle is often a plus.

However, an excessive bounce degree makes it difficult for golfers to make clean and crisp shots from the fairway and tight lies. Lob wedges with minimum bounce, sometimes even zero bounce, could become an effective alternative under such circumstances.

For the shots from rough, clubs with rounded leading edges and cambered soles are developed to reduce turf drag. It is clear, however, that design features appropriate for a particular type of shot are not necessarily good for other types of shots. Therefore, you need to select and use sand wedges with these design features and particular circumstances in mind.

Today, many sand wedges with variable sole designs are available. Cleveland, for example, offers four different materials for wedges - Beryllium Nickel, Beryllium Copper, Chrome Plated Mild Steel, and GunMetal. Chrome plated models include such models as 485, 588 and 691 which cover a wide range of loft ( 45° - 64°), and bounce angles (0° - 14°). In total, a significant amount of variations are available.

In addition, there are a number of unique sole designs, including such models as Trusty Rusty with the "Tri-Bounce Sole" design from Cobra, and Faldo Series Wedges from Adams Golf.

The following pictures are to show the unique sole geometry ("asymmetric sole with three distinct grinds") of Faldo Series Wedges. This design allows the golfer to use different parts of a sole for different purposes.

Wedges