If you are puzzled by what the loft of a pitching wedge is, what it should be and whether yours is suited for your short game, read on to find out how knowing the answers to these questions can lower your scores.

What Degree Is a Pitching Wedge?

Generally,  the loft of a pitching wedge will range in from 43 to 48 degrees. However, the degree of loft will vary based on the type of golf club. For example, game-improvement pitching wedges have lower lofts to help promote greater distance. Blade-style pitching wedges will have a higher loft to encourage higher ball flight on approach shots and a greater ability in controlling and stopping the ball.

Why Does Pitching Wedge Loft Matter?

Does it really matter if your pitching wedge is 43 degrees or 46 degrees? 

Yes. 

The pitching wedge is often the last club in an iron set for an average golfer. The loft of that pitching wedge will then need to be used to determine the lofts in the gap wedge, sand wedge and lob wedge. 

Without knowing your pitching wedge loft, you can leave yourself with a large distance gap in the bag.

How To Determine My Pitching Wedge Loft?

Searching for the specs on your golf wedges takes just a few seconds. Enter the name of your golf club into an internet search engine and put the word “specs” after it. You will quickly find the lofts of your wedge set. 

There is only one issue you can run across here.  Sometimes, if your pitching wedge was a custom order or you bought it from someone who adjusted the lie and loft, your lofts could be a little off. In this scenario, you can stop by a local golf club fitter and check your lie and loft to ensure that they are what you think they are.

What Is The Perfect Pitching Wedge Loft?

There is no “perfect” loft for a pitching wedge. In fact, if you look at some of the top irons on the market, you can see that the pitching wedge loft varies widely. 

TaylorMade Stealth Irons – 43 degrees Srixon ZX5 MK II – 45 COBRA AEROJET – 41.5  Mizuno JPX 923 Tour – 46  Srixon ZX7 MK II – 46 Mizuno JPX 923 Hot Metal – 42.5  Srixon ZX4 MKII – 43

The key is to find a pitching wedge loft that allows you to get the distances you need. You have to look at the loft of your approach wedge and even your 9-iron to determine if your pitching wedge is the right choice. 

You should have around four to six degrees of loft gapping between each of your wedges. If your pitching wedge is 46 degrees, your gap wedge is 52 and your sand wedge is 56, you are doing quite well. 

However, if you find out that your pitching wedge has a really low loft like the COBRA AEROJET at 41.5 and your gap or approach wedge is 52 degrees, you have a huge gap in your bag. 

This gap will make certain pitch shots, chip shots and even bunker shots more difficult to figure out. It’s not just the full shot where loft gapping becomes an issue. Proper loft gapping could change your entire short game.

Is My Pitching Wedge Loft Right For My Game?

If you can get past the distance factor in your wedge game and focus more on loft gapping (as opposed to total distance), you will benefit. 

For example, if you can hit your pitching wedge 140 yards but your next club in your bag is the gap wedge which only travels about 100, you aren’t doing yourself any favors. 

Here is how to decide if your pitching wedge is the right loft for your game.

Use a Launch Monitor

Try to find access to a launch monitor where you can record some chips and full swings with your wedges. 

Pay very close attention to the carry distance for each wedge. 

Do some of them have the same carry distance? Some golfers have a 60-degree wedge in their bag; they consider a lob and a sand wedge with 58 degrees. This should be a wider loft gap. 

Using the launch monitor, you can narrow the yardage you hit each shot and see how well that transitions into your 9-iron.

Check Your Distance Gaps

Now that you have this data from the launch monitor, you can evaluate the gaps in distance that you may have. By alternating the type of wedge you are using and the degree of loft of the club, you can narrow those distance gaps. 

Ideally, if every club in your bag has about 10 yards of distance between them, you will have an easier time managing the golf course and making accurate decisions.

Consistency, Accuracy and Feel

As much as we love technology and data, when it comes to playing great golf, you have to respect the feel aspect. 

How good are you at working with your pitching wedge? 

I can tell you that my pitching wedge is a little stronger than I would like it to be. The gap between my pitching wedge and gap wedge is two degrees wider than I would like. 

However, when I’m on the golf course, if I need to take a little off of my pitching wedge on an approach from the fairway, I don’t struggle to do that. 

In addition, my gap wedge full-swing distance is exactly where I want it to be with the loft angle it has. These types of exceptions happen all the time, as they should. 

However, plenty of beginners are out there playing with a 46-degree pitching wedge and the only other club in their bag is a 56-degree sand wedge. Another wedge between these two would be a smart decision.

When To Change The Pitching Wedge?

As loft jacking has become more popular, the concept of the iron set stopping at the pitching wedge and moving to the wedge set has started to disappear. Now, a common set of irons will likely include the gap wedge or approach wedge. 

If you have found a large loft gap between your pitching wedge and 9-iron or pitching wedge and approach wedge, it is time to change the pitching wedge. 

Many manufacturers such as Titleist, Cleveland and Callaway make wedges with as little as 48 degrees of loft to help golfers fill in their gaps and get a solid set of wedges.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a 56-degree wedge called?

Generally, a 56-degree wedge is called a sand wedge. The 56-degree wedge is great for high-lofted shots around the green that require the ball to stop quickly.

What is a 60-degree wedge called?

A 60-degree wedge is called a lob wedge. The lob wedge is often the highest-lofted club in the bag. It is known for stopping quickly on the greens and it is a strong choice when hitting shots out of the bunker.

Is a 52-degree wedge the same as a pitching wedge?

A 52-degree wedge is not the same as a pitching wedge. With 52 degrees of loft, the wedge is going to be more of a gap or approach wedge. A standard pitching wedge loft will be closer to 43 to 46 degrees of loft.

Are a “wedge” and a pitching wedge the same?

Many golfers refer to their pitching wedge as their “wedge” but many golfers carry four wedges: pitching, gap (or approach), sand and lob. The pitching wedge is the lowest-lofted wedge.

Recap- The Right Pitching Wedge Loft

As you can see, the game of golf managed to complicate things once again. Years ago, a pitching wedge was a 48-degree golf club. Today, we have lofts just above 40 extending into the upper 40s. 

Golf technology has changed, making pitching wedges more forgiving and lowering their center of gravity. When this happened, the lofts could go down without disrupting forgiveness and accuracy. 

The bottom line: There is no perfect pitching wedge loft but you need to dial in your wedge lofts to match your game, your distances and your typical shot selections.

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