A pitching wedge has a median factory loft of 45° across the 339 iron-set charts in our catalog, with a range from 38° to 50.5°. Sets that include matching wedges put the gap wedge at a median 49°, the sand wedge at 55° and the lob wedge at 60°. Most wedges sold on their own come in 2° steps, and 53 of the 60 specialty wedge lines in the catalog offer the familiar 52°, 56° and 60°. All of these are published factory specifications rather than measurements, and a loft does not tell you how far a wedge carries for you.
Wedge loft chart: pitching, gap, sand and lob wedges
| Wedge | Median | Most common (sets) | Range | Sets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pitching wedge | 45° | 45° / 46° (65 each) | 38°–50.5° | 339 |
| Gap / approach wedge | 49° | 50° (83) | 43°–52° | 257 |
| Sand wedge | 55° | 54° (51) | 52°–58° | 139 |
| Lob wedge | 60° | 60° (26) | 57°–61° | 57 |
The table reads the wedge rows of iron-set charts: the pitching wedge every set includes, plus any matching wedges the manufacturer lists after it. A set's gap wedge may be marked AW, GW, UW, U or W, and its sand wedge SW, S or SI, depending on the brand. We match the rows by those printed names and ignore their loft when sorting them. The sets column is how many charts list that wedge. Most sets stop at the pitching wedge or gap wedge, so the sand and lob wedge rows rest on fewer charts. Those two clubs are also sold on their own as specialty wedges, covered below.
| Club | Before 2010 | 2010–2017 | 2018 or later |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pitching wedge | 47° (66) | 45° (74) | 44° (154) |
| Gap / approach wedge | 50° (32) | 50° (59) | 49° (135) |
| Sand wedge | 55° (31) | 55° (36) | 55° (67) |
| Lob wedge | 60° (22) | 59° (17) | 59° (15) |
The era columns use the model year the source states, or else the year of the dated manufacturer page or catalog. That is when the set was documented, which can be later than its launch. The golf club loft chart explains the method and shows the same split for every iron.
Pitching wedge loft
The pitching wedge is the last club of the iron set, and its loft has moved with the set. The median went from 47° in charts dated before 2010 to 45° in 2010–2017 and 44° in 2018 or later. The spread is wide: the strongest pitching wedge in the catalog is the 38° of the Titleist T400 (2023), and the weakest is the 50.5° of the PING Eye 2 (1982). Look up the pitching wedge of your own set before you choose the wedges above it; the iron loft finder lists every published PW loft we have.
Gap wedge loft
257 of the 339 charts list a gap or approach wedge after the pitching wedge. Its median loft is 49° and the most common is 50°, with a range from 43° in the Titleist T400 (2023) to 52°. In the sets that list both clubs, the gap wedge sits a median 5° above the pitching wedge, and 148 of the 257 sets use exactly 5°. The letter on the club varies by brand, which our guide to PW, AW, GW and UW markings sorts out.
Sand wedge loft
139 charts list a set-matched sand wedge, with a median of 55°, a most common value of 54° and a range from 52° to 58°. At the low end, 4 charts, including the PING ISI (1996) and the PING Zing 2 (1994), list a 52° club as a sand wedge, so the label alone does not give you the angle. Among separately sold wedges, 55 of the 60 specialty lines in the catalog offer a 56° and 49 offer a 54°.
Lob wedge loft
Only 57 iron charts include a lob wedge, at a median 60° and a range of 57° to 61°. Among separately sold wedges, 57 of the 60 specialty lines offer 60° and 52 offer 58°; a few go to 62° or 64°, as the Titleist Vokey SM10 and Cleveland RTZ line-ups show.
What do 52°, 56° and 60° wedges mean?
The number is the club's loft: the face angle in its measured position. More loft generally gives you a higher-launching option, but the shot you actually hit also depends on your delivery, the lie, the sole and how you swing. The names on the clubs are useful categories, not fixed standards. Titleist's Vokey wedge range groups them this way:
- Pitching wedge (PW): roughly 44°–48° in that specialty-wedge range. An iron-set PW can be stronger or weaker, as the chart above shows.
- Gap or approach wedge (GW/AW): usually 50°–52°. It fills the space between your PW and sand wedge. A 52° wedge is often used for approach shots, pitches and lower chips that have room to roll.
- Sand wedge (SW): usually 54°–56°. A 56° is a common starting club for a standard greenside bunker shot and is also useful for pitches and chips from grass.
- Lob wedge (LW): usually 58°–60°. A 60° can help when you need a higher, shorter shot over an obstacle or a steep bunker lip. It demands practice and is not required for every short-game shot.
These are ranges, not promises about carry distance. A 56° wedge does not automatically go a particular number of yards, and a club stamped “SW” may not have exactly 56° of loft. Check the actual model or have an older club measured if the loft matters.
From about 50 metres (55 yards) and in
Start with where the ball can land and how much green it can roll across, then consider the lie. The distance to the flag alone does not pick the club.
- Clear path and plenty of green: try a lower chip with a PW or gap wedge, landing it on the green and letting it roll. A short, simple motion can be easier to repeat than a high shot.
- Some carry, then some roll: a 52° gap wedge or 54°–56° sand wedge gives a middle option. For a 30–50 metre pitch from grass, choose the club and partial swing whose carry you have practiced; don't assume that “50 metres” always means one loft.
- Obstacle, elevated green or very little green beyond the landing spot: a 56° or 60° may give a higher option. The lie must allow the shot, and extra loft alone will not make the ball stop.
A chip normally spends more of its journey rolling. A pitch carries farther through the air before it lands. Either can be played with more than one wedge. Titleist's short-game lesson illustrates why landing spot, trajectory and available roll matter more than automatically reaching for the most lofted club.
Try a simple practice test: from the same lie, hit several balls with your PW, 52° and 56° using a controlled motion. Mark where each lands and finishes. Repeat from a longer pitch and from a different lie. Your own carry and roll pattern is more useful than a generic yardage chart. Our loft gap checker compares the angles in your bag; it does not calculate these shot distances.
Which wedge should you use from sand?
For a normal greenside bunker shot, a 54° or 56° sand wedge is a reasonable starting point. A 58° or 60° lob wedge can also work, especially when the lip is high or the landing area is short. In a longer bunker shot, a less lofted wedge may help you cover more distance if the lip permits it. Titleist instructor James Sieckmann even demonstrates a pitching wedge for a long bunker shot. These are shot choices, not fixed rules.
Bounce matters as much as the loft label. Bounce describes how the sole can help the club move through turf or sand instead of digging. A fuller sole and more bounce can be helpful in soft, fluffy sand; firm or thin sand may call for a different sole, face position or technique. Two 56° wedges can therefore behave differently. Titleist's bounce guide explains the basic trade-off. A buried ball or a steep lip also changes the shot; first choose a safe way out.
The key is to practice with the wedges you actually carry in the bunkers you usually play. Titleist's bunker instruction shows both sand and lob wedges in use and emphasizes controlling where the club enters the sand. If you are learning, build a repeatable standard shot with one wedge before adding a high, delicate alternative.
Scottie, Tiger and why both choices can be right
In TaylorMade's 2023 bunker conversation with Scottie Scheffler and Tiger Woods, Scheffler describes preferring a 60° for his usual bunker shot, while Woods describes using a 56°. That illustrates two workable preferences, not a rule that every bunker needs one of those lofts. TaylorMade has also documented both a 56° and a 60° in Woods's wedge setup. What a professional carries does not prove which club they use for every lie or course condition.
Build your wedge setup from the PW you own
Before buying a 52°/56°/60° set, look up your actual PW loft; the wedge gap planner can load it from your iron set and space the wedges above it. A 43.5° PW leaves a much bigger angle gap to 52° than a 47° PW does. Titleist's wedge selector uses the PW as its starting point and treats 4°–6° between wedge lofts as a fitting guide, then asks about your shots and course conditions. You may find that 50°/54°/58° fits your bag better than 52°/56°/60°. If the last club in your set is marked W, AW, GW or UW rather than PW, check what that letter means for your brand before you count the gaps.
Check the clubs' present lofts if they are used or have been adjusted, and test your actual partial and full-swing carry gaps. Start with the shots you need most often. There is no need to carry a 60° simply because a tour player does.
Sources and scope
The wedge loft tables are computed when the site is built from the 339 iron-set charts and 60 specialty wedge records in our catalog. Each model page names its manufacturer source and retrieval date, and the figures were reviewed October 14, 2026. Wedge categories, bounce and shot examples were checked against the linked Titleist instruction and Vokey pages; the professional example was checked against TaylorMade's video and Tiger Woods wedge page on September 28, 2026. This guide offers starting choices for practice. It does not predict distance, spin, fit or a guaranteed bunker result from loft alone. For every iron, driver, fairway wood and hybrid, see the golf club loft chart.