Which wedges do you actually need?

Most golfers carry two or three. Which ones depends on numbers that are already in your bag.

Start with your pitching wedge

Look at the pitching wedge in your iron set. It is probably between 43 and 47 degrees. Everything below it should step down in even gaps so your carry distances step down evenly too and you are never stuck between clubs. Four to six degrees between wedges is the interval most golfers end up happy with.

Be honest about the gap

We make 45, 56 and 60. The step from 45 to 56 is eleven degrees, which is wider than the four to six above. We would rather say that here than let you find it on the course.

It matters less than it looks if your pitching wedge is already 45 or 46, because then our 45 is not your gap club and the real step is from your pitching wedge down to the 56. It matters more if you carry a 50 or 52 today and expect us to replace it. We do not make one yet.

The useful question is not which loft is missing, it is which yardage is missing. Loft is a starting point, not a distance. Two wedges at the same loft can carry differently depending on shaft, length and how you deliver the club.

Work out your own gaps

Write these down before you buy anything, from us or from anyone else.

1. The loft stamped on your pitching wedge.
2. The loft on every other wedge in the bag.
3. Your carry distance with each one, if you know it.
4. The lies you actually play from most: firm turf, soft turf, deep rough, sand.
5. The one shot inside 100 yards you would most like to stop losing.

If the carry distances between two clubs are more than about 15 yards apart, that is the gap worth filling. If you do not know your carries, a launch monitor session or a few balls to a measured target will tell you more than any loft chart. Send us that list and we will tell you which of our three lofts covers those yardages and which does not. For anything beyond that, a qualified fitter with a launch monitor will do better than we can by email.

The setups people actually carry

Two wedges (56 and 60). The simplest setup. It works when your pitching wedge is 45 or 46, because that club covers the full shot and the 56 takes over from there. 56 or 60 covers which to buy first if you are only buying one.

Three wedges (45, 56, 60). Full shots, standard greenside, and the high soft one. This is the most common combination our buyers take, with the eleven degree step above accepted.

Four wedges. If you know your carry numbers and there is a real hole around 50 or 52, you want a fourth. We do not make one. Tell us anyway, because those requests decide what gets built next.

What bounce actually does

Bounce is the angle between the leading edge and the lowest point of the sole. It is what stops the club digging.

Low bounce (8 and under) works on firm turf and tight lies. It lets you open the face and slide under the ball. It punishes a steep swing on soft ground.

High bounce (12 and up) works in soft sand and thick grass, and it forgives a steep angle of attack. It can feel like it skips on very firm turf.

Rough guide: if you take a big divot, go higher. If you pick it clean, go lower.

Our 45 and 60 are 8 bounce. The 56 is 12, because that is the one you are using out of sand.

What grind means

Grind is material taken off the sole so the club sits and moves the way you want when you open or lean the face. We make two sole shapes and label them M and K. The M goes on the 45 and the 60 and is the all round one. The K goes on the 56, with more sole width and the 12 degrees of bounce, because that is the club you are using out of sand. Those letters are our shorthand for our own two soles. They are not a claim that our sole matches anyone else's shape of the same name.

When is a wedge worn out?

Grooves wear, and a worn wedge stops holding the green. The tell is not a round count, it is the ball. Greenside shots that used to check start releasing, and the face stops gripping in the wet. Look at the leading edge as well: when it starts to round off, the club is done. How long that takes depends on how much you practise, the turf you play and the balls you use, so nobody can honestly give you a number of rounds for your bag. The 60 usually goes first, because it takes the most abuse. How to tell when your wedges are actually worn out walks through the checks.

Still not sure? Email Business@palmettagolf.com with the list above. We will answer with what we think fits, including when the answer is that we do not make what you need.