Your distance club should not be your sand wedge. You should actually be more focused on your sand wedge. Distance controlIt is more than the distance total.
However, this doesn’t mean that you should be hitting wedge shots without knowing what your total distances are. The distance you should be hitting your sandwedge has a lot to do with not only your swing speed, but also your handicap level.
Let’s take a deeper dive into how far your sand wedge can go and how you can learn to improve your sand wedge distance control.
How far you should be hitting your sandwedge
The sand wedge is one the most commonly used golf clubs in your bag. Not only can the sand wedge be an option when hitting out of the bunker, but it’s also good for chipping, pitching, and approach shots to the green.
Here’s how far you can expect to hit your sand wedge shots based on your golf handicap.
Beginner
A sand wedge can be used by a beginner golfer to reach 70-80 yards. Your swing speed and the type of sandwedge you use will impact how far you can hit your sandwedge.
Beginners should avoid too many full swing sand wedge shots. Instead, this club should be used for shorter shots when you are learning to control trajectory and distance.
For great results with the sandwedge, beginners must learn how to strike the middle of the clubface. Don’t worry if your total distances are not that high yet; if you can learn to hit solid shots, you will eventually get the distance.
High Handicap
High handicappers should aim for sand wedges of approximately 80 yards.
It’s important to note that if you have a game improvement style cavity back sand wedge, it’s a bit easier to get long distance than a blade style wedge.
Blade style wedges don’t have as much forgiveness, and they are good for shorter shots around the green. Blade wedges may travel only 60 to 70 yards for high handicappers. This is acceptable.
Mid Handicap
Mid handicappers should aim to hit a 90 yard wedge of sand.
The 90 yard distance comes up quite often in the game of golf, and it’s essential to have a club you trust in this yardage range. Mid handicappers will find the ability to hit 75- and 50-yard shots with confidence to be the most important aspect of a sand wedge.
The shorter shots will save you a par, or even make it easier to tap in birdie on a par 5.
Mid handicappers have the option of choosing between the game improvement style wedges or a more simple blade style. I would consider at least the blade-style lob wedge or the sandwedge.
This set makeup allows you to choose from a variety shots depending on the situation.
Low Handicap
A low handicap golfer will usually hit a sand shot anywhere from 90-100 yards. It seems that the lower your handicap, the more you realize that full-swing sand wedges can be a percentage shot on a golf course.
Low handicappers tend have higher swing speeds and more power to generate greater distances. However, very few people use that distance when using the sand wedge. You will instead see more shots of 60-90 yards being hit with this club in your hand.
Spin is another important consideration.
Golfers with higher swing speeds and lower handicaps tend to have more speed. This speed results in increased spin and lower roll. A lower handicapper might have a similar carry distance and total distance.
Higher handicappers will have their carry distance and total distance differ due to the extra roll.
Professional golfers
Professional golfers can hit their sand wedge for 100 yards or more. For those with more power, they can go over 120 yards. Professional golfers are extremely skilled at distance control. They will be more focused on this control than on the total distance.
You won’t hear professional golfers out on the driving range bragging about how far they can hit their sand wedge; the total distance just doesn’t matter to them.
Best Scenarios to Use a Sand Wedge
Amateur golfers struggle to know where to place a sand wedge. Although this is a very valuable club with great technology, it can’t be used everywhere on the golf course.
Here are some situations where the sandwedge is your best choice.
Bunker Shots
The sand wedge is more buoyant than other wedges in your bag, which makes it easier to get the club through the sand. Bunker shots are a common problem for amateur players. However, with the right equipment, it can be much simpler to hit these shots.
Another great feature of the bunker sand wedge is its extra loft. Even if the bunker has a high edge or lip, the loft is higher and the ball should fly out easily.
Approach Shots under 75 Yards
A shot under 75 yards will be considered a good shot. It should be high and fast, with a slow stop on the green. Anytime you are less than 100 yards from the pin, it’s smart to try and get the ball on the green and make a one putt.
The 75-yard sand wedge is a good choice for beginners. For those, this may be more of a ¾ swing or half swing and wedge.
Chipping and pitch shots
The pitching wedge, gap, lob, and pitching wedge can all be used to assist with chip-and-pitch shots. I really like the sand wedge when I’m in a bit of rough. It can be difficult to spin a ball in the rough, but a sandwedge has more spin and impressive grooves.
To make your flop shot more impressive, you can open up the face of the sand wedge to give it more height.
How to Get out of Trouble
When you miss the fairway and get stuck in that deep rough, don’t forget about the sand wedge. Although you won’t get much total distance from this recovery shot, you may be able to get the ball out of the rough and back into play.
Other clubs are often used to replace a sand wedge
A sand wedge is typically a 56 degree wedge, but some golfers have had to play with the lofts of their wedges to accommodate the way that loft gapping has changed in a golfer’s bag.
Some players prefer a 52- or 54-degree sand wedge, while others prefer a 58-degree wedge.
A sand wedge is the best tool for the job. If you don’t play with a 56 degree sand wedge, make sure you have something relatively close to serve the same purpose.
Tips to make your Sand Wedge more effective
Here are some of my top tips that will help you better use your sandwedge. This club is one you should be confident in.
Check Your Ball Position
It’s important to pay attention to the ball position in your golf stance. Don’t place the ball too far forward, or you may hit it thin and have it travel over the green. I prefer to place my sand wedge in either the middle or the back of the green.
Give the Left a little more weight
You can put a little more weight on your left side when hitting shorter shots using a sand wedge. This allows for better contact between the clubface of the golf ball and your clubface.
A better connection and the descending blow lead to higher ball flight, and more spin.
Keep your head steady
Golfers often move their heads when they swing the ball. Although some head movement can be acceptable, when you stay more stable, it’s easier to clip the ball with a clean strike. My head should be directly above the golf ball.
A narrow approach
It is easier to control the distance you are hitting your golf shots with a narrow stance. You will be able to control the backswing better if your feet are closer together.
It can be beneficial to keep your feet close together when you are taking shots that are very close to the green. As you move further away from the green, your shoulders can be back at shoulder width.
