Opinion & Analysis

The Wedge Guy: What’s in a name?

Published

3 years ago

May 3, 2023

There was an extremely romantic line from Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare that professes, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” That may be so, as it implies that the name of the rose has nothing to do with its quality as a beautiful, fragrant flower.

Shakespeare aside, though, the fact is that we do assign meaning to the names of things. We know what “beer” is (or at least should be). Likewise, the words shovel, hammer, water, and so on pretty clearly tell us what to expect when we see it and use it. A rake cannot pass for a shovel, a hair brush makes a pretty poor hammer, and a tall glass of sand wouldn’t really quench your thirst, would it?

But when it comes to names of things, the golf club industry has ventured far afield, especially when comes to the “pitching wedge.” Hear me out and you just might improve your scoring range performance.

This week’s post was “inspired” by a long-time golf industry friend of mine — a former PGA Professional and industry rep — who was coming back into golf after a few years off to tend to a young family. I was flattered that he called me to chat about wedges, leading with “What the h— has happened to irons?”

He went on to explain that he had just been through a fitting and was “prescribed” one of the new iron models from a major brand (who shall remain nameless to protect the guilty). He was floored that the “P-club” which most people call a “pitching wedge” was built to 42 degrees of loft.

Let’s venture back a few decades when iron sets took on numbers. That last club after the 9-iron – the one with the highest loft of 50 to 52 degrees – eventually came to be known as the “pitching wedge.” MacGregor often numbered that iron “10”, and others simply put “W” on it, but the club was the same, about 35 inches long and loft of 50 to 52 degrees.

Those professionals of the 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s learned to be masters with their “pitching wedges,” hitting all kinds of magical scoring shots from about 115-120 yards and in. They could hit them low, high, and in between. They could turn the ball over or hit a little cut. They could make the ball hit and stop on a dime, or release and roll out a bit.

Even though they all carried a “sand wedge,” the legends recognized it as a specialized tool for bunker play and only certain shots around the green where the enhanced bounce and loft would give them a bit more flexibility with their creative shotmaking. For most, the “pitching wedge” was the prime scoring club.

But as perimeter weighting evolved, iron lofts began a path of constant strengthening, to a point where the “P-club” really wasn’t a wedge at all. It can be argued — no, proven — that true “pitching” capability ended when the loft of that club dipped below 48 degrees. By the way, those legendary pros and elite players also mastered bump-and-run shots, most often turning to their 8-iron or 9-iron, which had loft of, you guessed it, about 42-44 degrees of loft.

So, here we are in the 2020s. Golf hasn’t changed all that much, but your bag of tools sure has. You certainly need a selection of clubs in your bag in a range of lofts from 20 to about 45 degrees for your full-swing approach shots to give you consistent distance gapping so your approach play can be optimized. It’s your preference as to how many of those are irons, hybrids, or high-loft fairway woods – whatever makes you better.

But you also need a true “pitching wedge” of 49-53 degrees of loft, in addition to one or two wedges of more loft for those more challenging greenside recoveries. In modern golf club parlance, you might call that club your “gap wedge,” but it can be so much more than just the club you use when you are inside “P-club” range.

Our research indicates most golfers will see more consistent distance control and improved spin if you will learn to hit your less-than-full wedge shots with your “true pitching wedge” of 49-53 degrees of loft. The dynamics of that club greatly reduce the ball’s tendency to slide up the clubface, which always costs you distance control and spin. And it is actually more forgiving of shots hit slightly fat or thin. So there’s that, too.

I’ve been accused of being “old school”, and maybe I am, but calling a golf club one thing doesn’t make it something it isn’t. And your “P-club” is no longer a true pitching wedge any more than calling your 5-iron a driver makes it one.

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Terry Koehler

Terry Koehler is a fourth generation Texan and a graduate of Texas A&M University. Over his 40-year career in the golf industry, he has created over 100 putter designs and dozens of wedges. In 2014, he put together the team that reintroduced the Ben Hogan brand to the golf equipment industry with his TK 15 wedges and Ft. Worth 15 iron designs. Since receiving a U.S. Patent for his “Koehler Sole” in the early 1990s, he has been challenging “conventional wisdom” in the wedge category. In addition to inspiring multiple companies to emulate this sole technology, the performance of his wedge designs have stimulated all other companies to reposition some mass toward the top of the blade in their wedges. Terry is retired from his role as Chairman and Director of Innovation for Edison Golf, and remains active in the industry as an independent designer and consultant. But his most compelling work is in the wedge category. Since he first patented his “Koehler Sole” in the early 1990s, he has been challenging “conventional wisdom” reflected in ‘tour design’ wedges. The performance of his wedge designs have stimulated other companies to move slightly more mass toward the top of the blade in their wedges, but none approach the dramatic design of his Edison Forged wedges, which have been robotically proven to significantly raise the bar for wedge performance. Terry serves as Chairman and Director of Innovation for Edison Golf – check it out at www.EdisonWedges.com.

9 Comments

Nathan Riggle

May 31, 2023 at 1:26 pm

This is a good article, but in reality, the set “gap wedge” is a old school spec’d pitching wedge. So yes, a PW is no longer a “traditional” PW but the “gap w” is, so things have changed but at the same time, all that really has changed is the number that is stamped on the bottom of a sole.

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ericsokp

May 20, 2023 at 12:36 am

Personally, I was saddened to see the Ben Hogan Company go out of business (again!) as they were about the only OEM that typically started their iron sets at around 22* and then proceeded in even 4* increments. This gave consistent gapping and you ended up with a 46* PW and a 50* Utility/Gap Wedge, with Sand Wedges then available in the 55* – 60* range.

If I was to buy a newer set of irons with the stronger lofts prevalent today, I’d have to have a cheat sheet to remember what irons are for what distance.

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Pickles

May 4, 2023 at 4:12 pm

Terry, why are you so partial to the name of the club?
I disagree with you on three points. If TLDR: let’s just name it a 10 iron like Honma and move on, who cares.

1. You want to emphasize that it’s a Pitching wedge because that’s it’s name, but undermine your own argument when you mention that the club had varying names historically:
“And your “P-club” is no longer a true pitching wedge any more than calling your 5-iron a driver makes it one.”…”MacGregor often numbered that iron “10””. If all manufactures stamped it as a 10 iron, would you be happy?

2. You argue that golf is the same, but our equipment has changed. “So, here we are in the 2020s. Golf hasn’t changed all that much, but your bag of tools sure has.”
I agree the equipment is hugely different, but so too is the game. The courses are hundreds (if not near a thousand) of yards longer. The agronomy can be much more extreme with faster greens, tighter fairways and aprons. Longer, thicker rough. The top level pro/amateur players are stronger and smarter with advanced analytics that trickle down into the regular game. So no, I don’t believe the game is the same, no game is the same compared to 75 years ago. That little chippy 8iron you mention wouldn’t be playable for 98% of the shots I hit in tournaments.

3. You note golfers are best with partial wedge shots: “Our research indicates most golfers will see more consistent distance control and improved spin if you will learn to hit your less-than-full wedge shots with your “true pitching wedge” of 49-53 degrees of loft.”
This finding is opposite to Dave Pelz’s, that golfers can more easily replicate consistent distances with full swings. He notes this as the catalyst of his invention of the lob wedge, it was easier for players to make a full swing 80 (or whatever) yard shot than a partial swing to produce the same distance.

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- Reality Check
  
  May 15, 2023 at 9:57 pm
  
  LOL – “that little chippy 8 iron wouldn’t play on 98% of my tourney rounds.”
  
  You might want to tell that to Jim Furyk, who made a career (and won a major, and shot 58 on tour) by being deadly around the greens with a toe down chipping motion where he used all the irons in the bag to roll chips up to the cup.
  
  https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2mp64n
  
  But you’re such a baller, do tell us again how the game has changed and you can’t play that way anymore.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Terry Koehler
    
    May 18, 2023 at 9:25 am
    
    I like Furyk’s suggestion for a solid chipping technique, but this article is referring to pitch shots, not chipping. And for those, you need a different technique and a club that is at least 49-30 degrees of loft. Every golfer’s arsenal should include good chipping and good pitching techniques and tools.
    
    Reply Report comment
    - Reality Check
      
      May 23, 2023 at 1:56 pm
      
      “By the way, those legendary pros and elite players also mastered bump-and-run shots, most often turning to their 8-iron or 9-iron, which had loft of, you guessed it, about 42-44 degrees of loft.”
      
      I get what you are saying – but truly, I think it’s abit odd to make these bright line designations between chips, pitches, lobs, bump and runs, etc. The reality is that golfers are faced with a variety of short game situations and a good deal of creativity is required. I very much agree with what you said in the article, and completely disagree with Pickles. There are a lot of ways to go about things, and just because one player uses a high lofted wedges inside 80 yards, it does not mean that is the only way to do things.
      
      Reply Report comment
WoodenHead

May 4, 2023 at 12:02 am

So true! It became much more difficult to chip the modern urethane covered golf balls with anything less than a club with at least 52 degrees!

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Opinion & Analysis

AVL: My U.S. Amateur local qualifying experience

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6 days ago

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