Define 'wedge'

[Toby_LeRhone]

Okay, all this talk of wedges has got me thinking about what the difference is between a wedge and an iron. To me, its got to be face angle; anything over 45 degrees must be a wedge and anything less an iron.

Does this then make my Cobra S2 'P' wedge, at 43 degrees, a 10 iron; or have I spectacularly missed the point?

 

[ScienceBoy]

When your underwear rides up after an overexerted drive or iron approach.

Seriously I think it is anything with more loft than what is commonly an iron, it is a way of distinguishing those clubs from the clubs generally played as a full shot. I tend to try and manufacture shots more to get close to pins with "wedges" than other clubs.

 

[birdieman]

For those of us over a certain age we grew up with the concept of a set of irons being nine clubs from 3 to sand wedge so wedges weren't separate from irons 15+ years ago, they were still just irons.
The new way of buying 4-PW then adding 3 wedges on top of that seems like a way for us to part with more of our hard-earned cash. Clever marketing really!
Can't be defined, they're all just irons really, how you wnat to make up your 14 clubs involves a lot more choice than it used to, good thing or not, I don't know.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I'm in the "all clubs are irons" camp. Like Birdieman I remember the good old days when irons were sold as a set 3-SW and so a wedge was just part of it. I don't really see what has changed even if a lot of us have chosen to add other wedges to out line up. It's still a set of irons

 

[Tiger]

Don't wedges tend to have a different sole grind and bounce angle to irons, which are consistent through the set? Looks that way when you see a pro bag set up with 3-9 iron and then specialist wedges.

 

[USER1999]

Thing is, no one can hit a 3i and 4i these days, probably because theyare really a 1 and 2i. Then you are short down under, and need to buy more clubs to make up the set.

I'm not fussed what is written onthe club, I bought mine to give an even loft spacing.

Then I shank them.

 

[JustOne]

Does this then make my Cobra S2 'P' wedge, at 43 degrees, a 10 iron;...

No, it makes it an 8-iron! (with the word WEDGE written on it)

If I hit one of those with my swing which delofts the clubface I'd probably be hitting it with 40° of loft... about 160yds


It's getting to the stage where we really should FORGET about numbers written on clubs and just worry about what the loft is that we are about to hit... eg: 150yds for me would be a club with 44°... it doesn't matter whether it says 9-iron or sandwedge on it.

 

[RGDave]

The PWs in my sets don't look any different from the 9 or 8 iron. Might as well call them 10 irons or something.
A wedge looks like a wedge, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I'm sure a lot of manufacturers in the 80's were calling them 10 irons. Pretty sure Wilson and Ping did for a while

 

[Toby_LeRhone]

It does seem to me that anything more than 45degs is a wedge as it projects the ball more up than forward.

 

[USER1999]

Nope, irons go forward. wedges go sideways. Simple definition, easy to split the two designs. Naff all to do with loft.