Best Way to Choose a Sand Wedge

The sand wedge, like the putter and the driver, is a very individual club. It needn’t match the rest of your set. A sand wedge is not just for playing shots out of a bunker. It is also the most useful club when you want height and loft around the green. Look for one with plenty of loft. Sand irons vary from 55 to 64 degrees of loft. That is roughly the difference between a 3 iron and a 7 iron. Ideally choose a sand iron with 62 degrees of loft on its face. In this way you can play lofted shots without using a complicated technique.

Look for a sand wedge with between 60—64 degrees of loft with the leading edge of the club forward and not backwards. The club like the one in the centre sits comfortably with its face beneath the ball. One like that on the far right is wry-necked and doesn’t encourage a good contact.

A sand wedge, like a fairway wood, is designed to bounce on the ground. A pitching wedge, by way of contrast, has a cutting edge, designed to take a divot. Think of the pitching wedge as a club to use for lofted shots when you haven’t reached the green. A sand wedge is the correct club for using over bunkers and for lofted shots near the green. The rounded sole of the sand iron will bounce on the ground.

Getting the correct lie to the sand iron is vital. The lie refers to the angle between the club shaft and the vertical. Looking through your set of clubs, the pitching wedge should sit most upright and the sand wedge slightly flatter. If the lie is too upright you will find certain bunker shots and pitch shots difficult. Look for a sand wedge with a lie of approximately your 7 iron. You will see later that in many shots with a sand iron the knees bend. The correct lie will allow you to do this. For advanced golfers, it will also allow you to open the clubface correctly and comfortably.

For certain bunker shots and advanced shots, we have to open the clubface. This means turning the clubface away to the right. The rubber (or leather) grips on clubs are usually egg-shaped with the pointed part of the egg at the back of the grip. This helps you to hold the club squarely. With a sand wedge, a perfectly round grip can be easier to use for the specialist shots, when you don’t want to hold the clubface squarely, but open.