Best Golf Wedges for Shaving Strokes Off Your Game

A good wedge is a very important club in your bag. In fact it's critical. Along with your putter and driver, it's among the most important clubs you have and finding the best golf wedge for your game is a MUST!

Get the right wedge to suit your style and you'll be on your way to making better recoveries from the bunker and improving your short game. Don't just accept the wedge that came with your set of irons ... this is a special club for special shots and selecting the right model is essential to improving your game.

And how important is wedge play? Professionals make 30% more putts from 3 feet than they do from 6 feet. So if you can chip and pitch the ball closer to the hole, you will score better, it's really that simple.

Some of the Best Golf Wedges You Can Buy

Here's a quick guide to the typical lofts for each wedge:

• Sand wedge - 54-degree loft
• Pitching wedge - 52 or 54-degree loft
• Lob wedge - 60-degree loft

Best Sand Wedge - Callaway Mack Daddy PM Grind

We can start with my favorite wedge - the sand wedge. It's possible to just use a standard pitching wedge out of the bunker, especially with a clean lie, but for me the sand wedge is an essential club. Picking the right wedge can improve your bunker shots and shave precious strokes off your handicap. Being in the bunker will be dreaded no more!

The matte black option on this club looks absolutely incredible and this is the ultimate sand wedge. This club was designed by Callaway alongside Phil Mickelson for a more open face wedge and it really offers supreme playability! Mickelson likes it so much he carries both the 54-degree loft and the 60-degree loft when he plays on tour.

The club is designed to be a versatile wedge that can be used out of the bunker or anywhere around the green. The bounce on the wedge makes it perfect for shots from the sand trap. As well as being (in our opinion) the best wedge for bunker shots its versatility means it's a club that will get used all around the course - the perfect addition to any bag.

The design is focused on more surface area and the Groove-in-Groove Technology means added spin on chips, pitches, and lobs. This club will help you get more backspin on short game shots, which means greater control.

See the new model of this wedge at Amazon

Callaway and Mickelson took the previous wedges and set about a process of creating a new, versatile wedge that you can be aggressive with on the course. The weight has been moved higher which allows you to use this club even in thick rough and still play a decent shot with spin and control. We're really impressed with this club and the reviews on the Callaway site are very positive. Users are saying it is the best wedge they've ever owned and it's a "get out of jail free" club.

You can get this awesome wedge from Amazon below! If you're looking for different options you can choose between the matte black and the chrome and the 60-degree or 54-degree loft to get the right one for you - or you could always carry both like Phil Mickelson does.

Callaway Wedges at Amazon

Best Value Sand Wedge - Pinemeadow PGX Wedge

Here's our selection if you don't want to pay up for the Mack Daddy wedge but still want a decent wedge in your bag. The Pinemeadow PGX wedge comes from golfing manufacturer Pinemeadow and this club comes with lots of 5* reviews on Amazon. Pinemeadow See PGX Wedge pricing and reviews at Amazon. . At this price range, it's an absolute bargain!

For right handers, Pinemeadow offers a choice of lofts including 52, 56 and 60 degrees. For lefties there's only a 56-degree wedge. As you'll see from, this is a very nice looking wedge and a great value!

Pinemeadow Golf PGX Wedge information

Best Lob Wedge - Cleveland Golf Men's RTX-3

The lob wedge is a club that takes some practice to master if you want to hit the real high and soft flop shots. Persevere and you'll find it's a brilliant shot to have in your bag, but you need the right lob wedge.

We've selected this as our best lob wedge due to the range of lofts available. Most manufacturers stop at 60-degree loft but the RTX-3 goes as high as 64 degrees - which is superb for lob shots around the green.

This family of wedges has a loft option every 2 degrees from 46 to 64 and has the full range left handed as well - unlike some others. We also rated this as our best left-handed wedge for all lefties.

The club has a patent pending design that moves some of the weight (9oz) from the shaft into the head which shifts the center of gravity into the club face rather than in the heel. This should make short game shots more simple and when playing a lob shot can reduce the chances of blading or shanking the shot (reminder: at 64 degrees you'll need some practice to hit this sweetly!)

The latest price and information is at the Amazon link below.

Cleveland Golf RTX-3 pricing and options at Amazon

What degree wedge should I get?

Here's our guide to reaching the green with the correct wedge.

Most wedges come in several different configurations of loft, lies and bounce. This varies by manufacturer so you'll want to check and see if your preferred wedge is available.

52-degree wedge

(aka pitching wedge/pw)

This is your standard wedge for your short approach shots and short game around the green. PWs are used off the fairway and the rough. They are usually not the best options for bunker shots, unless the sand is really hard or the distance to the pin is very long. Mainly the PW is a club for your short game, but depending on your skills level it can be used for distances as great as 130 yards from the green.

54/56-degree wedge

(aka sand wedge/sw)

Sand wedges are usually the wedge with the most bounce, the rounded rudder like surface on the bottom of the club that was designed to bounce off of the ground. You're looking for the 54-degree wedge - this is the loft angle that is perfect for getting up and down from the bunker or hitting soft chips and pitches. The loft angle and grooves make it perfect for generating spin when playing shot around the green.

60-degree wedge

(aka loft wedge/lw)

I personally use a 60-degree wedge (not this exact one) and my advice is - if you buy one practice with it first. It's a tricky club to hit and master due to the loft. Take some time on the practice tee and get used to hitting it and seeing the spin you'll get. This wedge is usually referred to as a loft wedge or lob wedge by most golfers and manufacturers.