A 50 degree wedge has the degrees of loft that many golfers need to fill the gap between a pitching wedge and a sand wedge. The confusing thing about a 50 degree wedge is when to use it. Many players wonder if these golf clubs are for bunker shots, approach shots, or chips and pitches around the green.
I’ll show you how far a 50 degree wedge will go, what to use it for, and whether or not you should have one of these in your golf bag.
What is a 50 degree wedge used for?
The 50 degree wedge is a gap wedge to fill the space between the pitching wedge and the sand wedge in the golf bag. With the 50 degree wedge, you can hit a slightly lower lofted shot that stops relative quickly. In addition, the 50 degree wedge is a great club for a 15-40 yard sand shot.
The standard gap wedge was 52 degrees for many years. However, as iron lofts started getting stronger, the 50 degree wedge became more popular. If you have a pitching wedge around 44 degrees, and a 50 degree gap, the 56 degree wedge is a perfect compliment.
Use the 50 degree wedge for lower lofted, bump, and run shots, as the ball will still roll out a bit when it hits the green. For many average swing speed golfers, the 50 degree wedge ends up being the 100 yard club, an important yardage throughout the round.
How far will a 50 degree wedge go?
The average golfer hits a 50 degree wedge between 100 and 105 yards. However, swing speed is one of the most critical indicators of average distance. Slower swing speed players may only get about 80 yards, while faster swing speed players can get up to 130 yards with their 50 degree wedge.
One of the things to remember when looking at golf wedge distance is that distance is not always the most essential skill to work on. Instead, you should be working on distance control.
Learning how to hit a 50 degree wedge 50 yards, 75 yards, and even 90 yards is important.
The 50 degree wedge is a little stronger than the standard 52 degree wedge used in many traditional wedge sets. With the strength in the 50 degree wedge, moving right from this wedge to a lob wedge with 58 or 60 degrees would create too large of a loft gap in the bag.
Is a 50 degree wedge good for chipping?
The 50 degree wedge is suitable for chipping, but be aware that golf balls will not stop as quickly as they would with sand wedges or lob wedges. The degrees of loft on the 50 degree is slightly stronger, requiring you to leave a little more room for the ball to release when it hits the green.
With 56 degrees, players tend to be a little more aggressive with their shots and focus on getting the ball to land close to the hole. The 50 degree is the type of club you will want to use for slightly longer approaches or those awkward yardages in the 40-60 yard range.
For shorter chips where you may have short-sided yourself, the sand wedge loft is a better solution because of the types of shots you can hit, and the higher ball flight.
What type of wedge is a 50 degree?
A 50 degree wedge is a gap wedge, filling the gap between the pitching wedge and the sand wedge. The 50 degree gap wedge has a slightly lower ball flight and slightly less spin than the Best sand wedge. However, the 50 degree will be a little more lofted than the pitching wedge and should provide a softer approach on the wedge shots.
The 50 degree could also be called an approach wedge instead of a gap. However, the distances and playability are the same regardless of the club’s title.
Do I need a 50 degree wedge?
Golfers have many loft options to choose from when it comes to wedge lofts in quality wedges. The best way to tell whether or not you need the 50 degree wedge is to look at your iron set and see what lofts you already have covered.
If your pitching wedge is 46 or 47 degrees, you may want a more lofted club for the Gap wedge. This is where you see players choose the 52 degree, to keep those distance gaps consistent.
If your pitching wedge is 43 or 44 degrees, the 50 degree wedge is a great option.
You will want to analyze the difference in distance between your Sand wedge vs pitching wedge and determine which golf club will fit best.
What to look for in a 50 degree wedge?
The first thing to consider in a wedge is the type, either blade or cavity back style. The wedge type will impact the size of the sweet spot as well as the forgiveness. Then it’s vital to consider bounce angle and sole grinds.
Choose the bounce and grind based on the conditions you are playing in. Soft conditions do well with a little more bounce; hard conditions need less bounce to hit the proper type of shots.
Most importantly, when looking to replace a 50 degree wedge, pay attention to any yardage gaps in your game. This issue could be created because of a pitching wedge loft that is too strong and additional wedges in the bag with higher lofts.
What is the easiest wedge to chip with?
The easiest wedge to chip with is typically the 56 degree wedge. However, this is when golfers are playing from shorter distances. In addition, recreational golfers are more likely to pull the sand or pitching wedge out of their bag, so they have more practice and experience with it. Some golfers that struggle with chipping may consider playing with a Chipper golf club.
The lofted gap wedge is a great choice when you need just a little more distance and want to control the backswing’s size. Amateur golfers and higher handicap golfers don’t have the control that professional golfers do. Therefore smaller swings often lead to better results.
The 50 degree is one of the more versatile clubs in the bag because of the ability to hit both short and slightly longer approach shots to the green.
Final Thoughts
The Types of wedges you have in your bag greatly impact your golf game and playability. With a 50 degree wedge expect consistency from the slightly longer greenside bunker shots, control on approach shots to the green, and solid contact on average-length (15-30 yard) chips and pitches.
