Sand wedge

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This article is about golf equipment. For a wedge as feature of periglacial environment, see ice wedge.
Not to be confused with Sandwich.
bunker
.

A sand wedge, or sand iron, is a type of

chips
.

History

Clubs with the loft of the sand wedge can be traced as far back as Young Tom Morris, who used a "rut iron" for play from troublesome lies.[2][circular reference] Such irons were, however, traditional in construction, without the wider, heavier sole featured on the modern sand wedge.

USGA and R&A
regulations, and many were banned. With the concave-faced wedge having been outlawed in 1931, Sarazen designed his sand wedge with a straight face. Another modification that he made was to add extra lead to the front edge of the club face, allowing it to cut through the sand more smoothly. After he won the 1932 British and U.S. Opens with the help of his new club, its popularity vastly grew.

Design

The modern sand wedge is often the heaviest iron in a player's bag, with most weighing nearly 16 oz (470 grams}. Traditionally it also had the highest loft at 56 degrees (55–56 being most common), although that distinction now goes to the lob wedge, which often has a loft of 60 degrees or more. It usually has one of the shortest shafts, between 33 inches (84 cm) and 36 inches (91 cm), though in some sets the sand wedge has a longer shaft than the pitching wedge.

Bounce

The main distinguishing difference of the club from most others, however, is a feature called

Callaway Golf for instance markets a "Big Bertha
" line of irons in which the lob wedge has significantly higher bounce than the sand wedge.

Usage

As its name suggests, a sand wedge is used most often to extract the ball from a sand

chips, generally onto the green. It can also be used as any other short iron would; with a full swing, a skilled golfer can typically hit a sand wedge between 80–100 yards (70–90 m). Tour players often use a lob wedge
(60° wedge) to get out of bunkers with controlled trajectory and much spin.

References

  1. ISSN 2433-1309
    .
  2. ^ "Young Tom Morris".
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