Sand wedge ...yardage

[Face breaker]

Think im a bit off when it comes to wedge distances

9 iron - 150 ish
PW - 135 - 140
50 degree wedge - 115
54 - 90
58 - 70

Basically i hit 5-pw with some sort of pattern, but when i get to my wedge the height increases massively and the gap between my PW and 50 is quite large

I hit all my clubs quite high however it is silly high when i get to my bladed wedges. Regardless of what make and model wedge i have owned, the all go mega high.

It does not cause me any issues mainly and i can stop a wedge shot on a sixpence regardless of conditions, however i will say that when the wind is in my face is KILLS distance. The shots just ride the wind up up and away.

Any ideas as to why you do that, I'm only asking cos I suffer the same problem wherein it goes up further than it goes foward which is beautiful for flops but not much cop when it comes to anything else !

Only thing I can think is that I'm getting under the ball to much and popping it up rather than foward, your thoughts on the subject would be appreciated !...👍

 

[Smiffy]

i like to hit a full shot if I can......you dont hit a three quarter five iron ,no,you just hit a six ,

I agree with that. But we're not talking about manufacturing shots with 5 or 6 irons, we are talking about with a wedge.
I bet pro's spend more time practicing different shots with wedges than they do with 5 or 6 irons.
Being able to master a wedge in different situations can save plenty of shots, believe me.
A manufacturered 5 iron shot is only going to save the sweet spot on my 6 iron.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Only thing I can think is that I'm getting under the ball to much and popping it up rather than foward, your thoughts on the subject would be appreciated !...👍

This is exactly the reason why I said earlier I don't like to hit flat out wedge shots. I get more consistent distance control by taking an extra club (or 2!) and swinging easy, the ball won't pop up off the face doing that. Nothing wrong with a smooth full swing but I wouldn't try to squeeze extra yardage from a wedge.

 

[garyinderry]

Are you taking a divot when the ball pops up the face? Sounds like you are scooping it.

 

[Norrin Radd]

I agree with that. But we're not talking about manufacturing shots with 5 or 6 irons, we are talking about with a wedge.
I bet pro's spend more time practicing different shots with wedges than they do with 5 or 6 irons.
Being able to master a wedge in different situations can save plenty of shots, believe me.
A manufacturered 5 iron shot is only going to save the sweet spot on my 6 iron.

with my wedges i know what a full shot can do and i have wedges that range from 100 to 60 yards ,so i can still hit a full shot with whichever loft i choose ,obviously from about 55 and in im choking down and hitting half shots or less. when i do have to hit less than full wedge shots then its all done with my standard loft 46 wedge. its a club that i know.
saying all of the above is working on ideal conditions ,if i have a very tight lie and distance says its my 60 lob wedge ,well i wont use it i will go to my 46 and play the shot ,the bounce on my 60 is totally wrong for a tight lie.

 

[MashieNiblick]

Any ideas as to why you do that, I'm only asking cos I suffer the same problem wherein it goes up further than it goes foward which is beautiful for flops but not much cop when it comes to anything else !

Only thing I can think is that I'm getting under the ball to much and popping it up rather than forward, your thoughts on the subject would be appreciated !...👍

I would imagine it's physics and aerodynamics and rather than anything to do with your golf swing. I'm no scientist or physicist but I've always thought it is simply because the more lofted the club the more energy from the strike goes into creating upwards rather than forwards motion. When the loft is more than 45 degrees (i.e. wedge territory) I assume that is the point at which more than half of the energy goes into generating elevation. Add in the additional elevation from the spin imparted on the ball which is also greater with a more lofted club, and in terms of distance you would have a diminishing returns effect from hitting harder where the ball goes higher rather than further.

Anyway whatever the cause it's one reason I don't think it is worth hitting a SW flat out as I don't think you gain anything much more than you get from hitting it at 80-90%.

Hopefully one of the scientists or engineers on here will be able to explain it. I am prepared for my explanation to be shot down in flames by people who really understand these things.

 

[delc]

Unless I thin it, when it goes about 200 yards, in this weather I can only hit my 55 degree Sand Wedge about 75 yards, flat out. But then I am a slightly ancient senior!

 

[Jates12]

I have a 56 sand wedge and I carry it about 90. my 52 goes around 105

 

[Karl102]

Funny one this.... At the range I hit the 100 yard marker... In the course I think it's a good 10 yard shorter.... My wonky swing....

 

[Region3]

To those saying their lofted wedges go too high (and therefore shorter than other clubs pro-rata) my "guess" would be ball too far forward or weight too far back.

To those that say they don't like to hit wedge shots flat out - why would you want to hit any club flat out? There aren't many that can hit full shots flat out and get away with it for very long.

Anyway, to answer the original question, my sand wedge is 54° and carries 100yds on a 'nice' full swing.

I'm more than happy to play full shots with any club. That doesn't mean to say I always will though. If there's a strong wind or I don't want a lot of spin on the ball I'll take more club with a shorter swing.

 

[tugglesf239]

Are you taking a divot when the ball pops up the face? Sounds like you are scooping it.

I dont take a divot with any iron or wedge unfortunately. Generally i put a very good feeling strike on a ball and get the thing moving no issue. I dont hit thin ever really but can on occasion hit it fat and take a fairway burger.

Taking a divot is my next priority. I have spent the last year trying to stop the big hooks and feel i have nearly eradicated them. My ball goes high and long and feels really nice of the club face, however i dont know how to take a divot.

When i have tried "hitting down" on the ball it never really works for me. I am sure there is some scooping action occurring

 

[ruff-driver]

I would imagine it's physics and aerodynamics and rather than anything to do with your golf swing. I'm no scientist or physicist but I've always thought it is simply because the more lofted the club the more energy from the strike goes into creating upwards rather than forwards motion. When the loft is more than 45 degrees (i.e. wedge territory) I assume that is the point at which more than half of the energy goes into generating elevation. Add in the additional elevation from the spin imparted on the ball which is also greater with a more lofted club, and in terms of distance you would have a diminishing returns effect from hitting harder where the ball goes higher rather than further.

Anyway whatever the cause it's one reason I don't think it is worth hitting a SW flat out as I don't think you gain anything much more than you get from hitting it at 80-90%.

Hopefully one of the scientists or engineers on here will be able to explain it. I am prepared for my explanation to be shot down in flames by people who really understand these things.

As another who hits a very high ball it seems creating the correct spin loft may be the key

[video]http://blog.trackmangolf.com/understand-spin-loft-and-control-your-ball-flight/[/video]

 

[Crawfy]

PW (46 deg) average 113y
GW (50 deg) average 92y
SW (56 deg) average 73y

 

[KenL]

Think im a bit off when it comes to wedge distances

9 iron - 150 ish
PW - 135 - 140
50 degree wedge - 115
54 - 90
58 - 70

Basically i hit 5-pw with some sort of pattern, but when i get to my wedge the height increases massively and the gap between my PW and 50 is quite large

I hit all my clubs quite high however it is silly high when i get to my bladed wedges. Regardless of what make and model wedge i have owned, the all go mega high.

It does not cause me any issues mainly and i can stop a wedge shot on a sixpence regardless of conditions, however i will say that when the wind is in my face is KILLS distance. The shots just ride the wind up up and away.

These distances are very long for 9 iron and PW. I hit my 9 about 130 and 46 deg PW about 115.
Do you play right hand above left or de-loft in some other way?
However your wedge ditances are more normal. We all hit less into the wind but you have noted a big gap with wedges. Might be worth getting checked out with a lesson or two. Consistency with shorter clubs is key in scoring.

I hit my 50 gap about 100 and my 56 about 90. I never hit my 60 lob wedge full except in emergencies.

 

[tugglesf239]

These distances are very long for 9 iron and PW. I hit my 9 about 130 and 46 deg PW about 115.
Do you play right hand above left or de-loft in some other way?
However your wedge ditances are more normal. We all hit less into the wind but you have noted a big gap with wedges. Might be worth getting checked out with a lesson or two. Consistency with shorter clubs is key in scoring.

I hit my 50 gap about 100 and my 56 about 90. I never hit my 60 lob wedge full except in emergencies.

I have a normal (well best endeavor) Vardon style grip. It hit very high right through the bag to be honest and have always been able to hit a decent distance, however i will say my Adams XTD irons with C Tapers have added noticeable carry distance onto my irons of late. Maybe the lofts are jacked? no idea.

I do swing very hard and think i just add a load of back spin onto the shots

I have previously mentioned my high hitting to my Pro but he was happy with it. Mind you i have never hit a wedge during a lesson and it is only the wedges that really concern me.

I actually changed from a 52, 56, 60 set up as the gap then was silly then.

 

[Face breaker]

Are you taking a divot when the ball pops up the face? Sounds like you are scooping it.

Not really what I'd call a proper divot more cutting the grass, it's quite hard to take a divot at our course as the ground is quite hard during the summer months in-fact you'd probably have more success trying to take a divot out of a Tarmac car park !...

 

[Face breaker]

I would imagine it's physics and aerodynamics and rather than anything to do with your golf swing. I'm no scientist or physicist but I've always thought it is simply because the more lofted the club the more energy from the strike goes into creating upwards rather than forwards motion. When the loft is more than 45 degrees (i.e. wedge territory) I assume that is the point at which more than half of the energy goes into generating elevation. Add in the additional elevation from the spin imparted on the ball which is also greater with a more lofted club, and in terms of distance you would have a diminishing returns effect from hitting harder where the ball goes higher rather than further.

Anyway whatever the cause it's one reason I don't think it is worth hitting a SW flat out as I don't think you gain anything much more than you get from hitting it at 80-90%.

Hopefully one of the scientists or engineers on here will be able to explain it. I am prepared for my explanation to be shot down in flames by people who really understand these things.

When you put it like that it seems to make sense !...

 

[Face breaker]

Unless I thin it, when it goes about 200 yards, in this weather I can only hit my 55 degree Sand Wedge about 75 yards, flat out. But then I am a slightly ancient senior!

It doesn't seem to make any difference no matter how hard I hit my 56*, in-fact the harder I hit it the higher it goes but it still only goes foward about 25-30yds !...

 

[Oddsocks]

To those saying their lofted wedges go too high (and therefore shorter than other clubs pro-rata) my "guess" would be ball too far forward or weight too far back.

To those that say they don't like to hit wedge shots flat out - why would you want to hit any club flat out? There aren't many that can hit full shots flat out and get away with it for very long.

Anyway, to answer the original question, my sand wedge is 54° and carries 100yds on a 'nice' full swing.

I'm more than happy to play full shots with any club. That doesn't mean to say I always will though. If there's a strong wind or I don't want a lot of spin on the ball I'll take more club with a shorter swing.