How To Succeed at Bunker Shots: Here Are The Best Sand Wedges

However, that shouldn't be the case: a number of studies have shown that almost 25% of shots made by pros came from wedges, and legends like Ben Hogan even put wedges as his top 3 most important clubs.

Questions & Answers

What are the different types of golf wedges?

There are generally four different types of golf wedges:

The Pitching Wedge (PW)

The most common wedge, mainly because it's often included in an iron set. Typically, the loft angle of a pitching wedge is around 44 to 48 degrees and the bounce angle is around 2 to 5 degrees.

Primarily, the pitching wedges are used for longer chip shots, including long shots into the greens.

In modern golf, pitching wedges tend to have lower loft angles, which are intended to complement the current trend for longer-hitting irons. To choose your pitching wedge, make sure that the loft angle is not too far apart from your irons.

The Sand Wedge (SW)

Gap Wedge (GW)

As the name may suggest, the gap wedge is designed to fill the gap between the pitching wedge and the sand wedge.

Sometimes also called utility wedge (UW), or attack wedge (AQ).

Being a gap wedge, you can expect that the loft angle is above that of the pitching wedge, but below that of the sand wedge, thus, around 50 to 53 degrees.

The same thing will be found regarding the bounce angle, around 5 to 10 degrees, although some specialty gap wedges can have up to 12-degrees of bounce.

Commonly used to make a fuller shot to bridge a distance gap, but sometimes can be used to add more variety for pitches around the green. Typically, you won't use it for longer chips.

Lob Wedge (LW)

A relatively new wedge design, and now is the highest both in loft and bounce angle.

Typically, the loft angle is around 60 to 64 degrees, which is the highest among all wedges today. On the other hand, the bounce angle on the lob wedges is the lowest, sometimes as low as 0 degrees, to enhance their precision.

Those features will produce more flight trajectory and spin, making the lob wedges ideal for chip shots, bunker shots, and flop shots.

How many golf wedges should I carry?

The answer to this question will vary depending on your current skill level, and many other factors. Considering you can only carry a maximum of 14 different clubs, will carrying all 4 wedges be worth it?

At the very least, most players will carry a pitching wedge, which is often included when they buy an iron set. The gap wedges are increasingly important for modern golf plays and should be considered as your second wedge.

How about the other two, and especially our discussion focus today, the sand wedge?

Let's look at how the pros play: Rory McIlroy, Patrick Reed, Bryson DeChambeau, and Paul Casey are carrying all four wedges. On the other hand, there are those who are carrying only three, such as Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson, and Jason Day.

Here are the common wedge systems you should consider:

Here at Golf Influence, we thrive on only reviewing the best equipment - that is why we will show you the best wedges currently in the market.

When do I need to use a sand wedge?

The bounce angle is designed to literally bounce off to soft sands, hence the sand bunker is especially useful for bunker shots. You can also use it when the ball lies on thick grass or muddy grounds because it can bounce to the surface, and the angled sole will

The sand wedge, however, is a very versatile club, and you can use it anywhere from fairway to the green, as long the ball is not sitting on a hard ground or other firm surfaces.

Look at some of the best sand wedge applications on the greenside bunker on this video below.

And some best of the best shots from the fairway bunkers here.

What are the advantages of using sand wedges over other wedges?

The main benefit of the sand wedge is the high bounce, which differentiates the club from other wedges and irons. The high bounce accomplishes three things:

The overall design makes the sand wedge more versatile than the other wedges. They are also shorter compared to other clubs, which in turn will make it easier for golfers to put more spin.

What characteristics should I pay attention to when I buy sand wedges?

First things first, answering this question will depend on the condition of the golf course you frequent.

What if you change courses frequently? The well-rounded choice will be a medium to wide sole, a moderate bounce of around 12 to 15 degrees, and D-5 to E-0 swing weight.

What is the usual loft of sand wedges?

Typically the usual loft of sand wedges is around 54 to 58 degrees, although some can go up to 60 degrees and up. Choosing your loft angle will depend on the loft of other wedges and irons, try to not make it too far to each other.

How far can I expect to swing with a sand wedge?

Most skilled players with decent swing speed can achieve 80-110 yards of distance.

Of course, it will be dependent on your swing speed. Also, the sand wedge will naturally produce more spin, which in turn may suppress distance when you cannot control the spin properly.

Loft angle will, of course, affect the distance potential. Refer to this table here. 

The higher your loft, generally the lower the potential distance will be, in exchange for easier lobs and chips to get out from traps and bunkers.

This short video will help you understand how to swing the sand wedge properly.

The Cleveland CBX is especially designed to pair with cavity back irons, giving you a more seamless transition between your irons and wedges. Unlike Cleveland’s previous cavity back wedges, like the RTX-3 CB, which are based on the bladed models, the CBX is designed from the get-go as a cavity back.

Thanks to that approach, the Cleveland CBX features an increased Moment of Inertia (MOI), with the overall weight of the head is focused around the back. Since the head is designed as a cavity back from the start, it saves 76 grams of mass.

The sole is also wider than usual. Compared to Cleveland’s most recent Tour wedge, the RTX 3, the toe area is 9mm wider while the center is 5mm wider. This extra width obviously means you have a bigger sweet spot.

Commonly, there are two main downsides with a wide sole: balance and versatility, but those issues are addressed on the CBX. The wide toe squares the face during impact.,while the center width allows a balanced feel. It is also quite versatile and is actually very decent in short shots.

Most cavity back designs shift the center of gravity towards the heel. This usually results in a compromise of feel when you are hitting from the center. Cleveland understood this, and so they moved the center of gravity to the middle of the head, only around 2 mm from the center of the face.

Cleveland call this the Feel Balancing Technology, moving the sweet spot much closer than similar wedges to where you hit the ball. Not only this feature improves feel, but you also get a better distance control and tighter dispersion.

The Cleveland CBX features Cleveland’s highly regarded ROTEX 3 face, which is designed to give more spin. Basically, Cleveland added four laser-milled lines between each groove, giving you more friction, the maximum amount allowed by the USGA rules. So, you get maximum spin even when opening the club face, meaning, you get excellent shot-shaping playability on top of its decent forgiveness.

The face is bigger than usual for that extra sweet spot and forgiveness, but doesn’t look bulky. The rounded face looks pretty nice behind the ball, and the curved leading edge is manageable.

The Cleveland CBX is available from 46° to 60° lofts for every 2-degree difference.

While previous Cleveland wedges feature different bounce with different loft angle, that is not the case with the CBX, where the bounce type is similar throughout all options (with only slight differences in bounce angle).

This usually results on digging on the higher lofts, but thanks to the wide sole, that is not the case. In fact, the wide sole in combination with the bounce offers increased forgiveness while eliminating the risk of digging.

Which Loft And Shaft Is Best For You?

The Cleveland CBX is available with both steel and graphite shafts.

The stock steel shaft is True Temper Dynamic Gold 115 Wedge Shaft, while the stock graphite shaft is Cleveland’s Rotex Precision.

The True Temper Dynamic Gold is very light for a steel shaft with only 115g of weight, giving you the extra flex while providing more stability. Players with decent swing speed of above 95 mph will benefit from a steel shaft for that added stability. For those with swing speed below that threshold, the Rotex precision graphite shaft can aid with even more flex and lightness.

For loft angle, the higher the loft, the more elevation you have and the less distance it will produce. Since this guide is about the sand wedge, your options here are the 54,56, and 58-degree.

The key in choosing your wedge is to maintain the gap between your irons and wedges, and so try to keep the lofts gap below 4 degrees between the lowest-lofted iron in your set and your first wedge. Then, if you want to add more wedges for versatility, choose the one with a 4-degree loft difference. 

The Smart Sole 2.0 was highly regarded as one of, if not the best wedge available if you were looking for an easy fix for your chipping and/or bunker shots. So, what did Cleveland do to improve on the already excellent wedge?

There are three main upgrades: the Feel Balancing Technology, Ultra Wide Three-Tiered Sole, and an optimized loft angle.

The Feel Balancing Technology is also present in the Cleveland CBX wedge discussed above, and although the technologies are a little different, both the Cleveland CBX and Cleveland Smart Sole 3.0 feature the wider sole than your average wedge.

The thing about wide sole is that the weight tends to be too heavy on the sole side, especially with the low center of gravity placement of today’s clubs. This is where the Feel Balancing Technology comes into play: Cleveland put the center of gravity almost dead-center in the club head, very close to where you hit the ball. This results in a more balanced feel while you get the forgiveness benefit of a wide sole, giving you the best of both worlds.

The secret of the Smart Sole 3.0 is indeed the sole, and not only the width. The sole consists of three different tiers, and so the sole will hit the ground in three different stages. These tiers ‘correct’ the angle of impact while preventing digging, and so it makes it easier to get the best results, whether it’s chipping with the C version or bunker shots with the S version.

With the C version, there’s another hidden secret. Coming with a 42-degree loft, it is more similar to a pitching wedge and even to a 9-iron than your standard lob wedge.

Yet, the shaft is only 33.125 inches long, which is even shorter than most putters. Not only this shortness allows an easier time to feel and control the head, this forces you to put your hands a little bit forward.

So, the Smart Sole 3.0 C will force you to a better posture and better alignment, allowing you to improve and ‘graduate’ to a better-player wedge.

The S version comes with a relatively high 58-degree loft, which, together with the three-tier sole allows a very easy time to lift the ball out of the sand bunker.

​Cleveland’s test panel of 31 different golfers found that they are more likely to hit the ball out of the bunker by 50%, while being 30% more likely to land the ball on the green. An impressive statistic.

With both versions, there is virtually no spin produced, and so you get a very limited shot shaping playability. Yet, that’s not what the clubs are designed for. The Cleveland Smart Sole 3.0 C and S are designed especially for high-handicappers (and mid-handicappers) struggling in getting consistent chips and bunker shots, and they are doing excellent jobs at those. 

Both the Smart Sole 3.0 C and S offer steel and graphite shaft options. The standard steel shaft is the Smart Sole Steel by Cleveland, while the standard graphite shaft is the Cleveland Wedge Flex.

Most players of which the Smart Sole 3.0 is intended for will benefit from the graphite shaft, which is lighter and has more flex. It will assist those with insufficient swing speeds of below 90-95 mph.

For players who have enough swing speed but that still struggle with consistency and accuracy, the steel shaft option will be the better choice. A steel shaft will help players with high swing speed to have more consistency, while also offering a better feedback.

The name ‘Mack Daddy’ comes from Phil Mickelson’s nickname for Callaway’s high-spin grooves a few years back, and Callaway used that name to create a new line of wedges characterized by, you guess it, that same grooves.

The grooves are progressive from the lob wedge to the sand wedge and to the pitching wedge: the higher lofts have more aggressive grooves to generate more spin. With the focus on spin, obviously the focus of the Mack Daddy wedges is all about shot-shaping features.

The Callaway Mack Daddy 3 S comes in two different color options: the classic satin chrome finish and the black matte finish.

Both versions look pretty good, so it’s down to a matter of preference, but the MD3 S Grind is by itself, an excellent looking club, especially thanks to the four holes drilled in the sole, which are given a neon lime-green finish.

The four holes are not solely a cosmetic treatment, as they are there so that Callaway can remove some weight from the sole and move the center of gravity a little higher. The aim of this higher center of gravity is to keep the flight trajectory down, which will complement the very high spin of the aggressive grooves. Too add more in the looks department, the stock Lamkin UTX grip is also in the lime green color, matching the whole theme of the Mack Daddy 3.

The secret to Mack Daddy 3’s performance is the design, which Callaway dubbed as ‘Advanced Shaping and Design’, lead by the legendary Roger Cleveland. The S Grind is designed by gathering data from Tour games, and the result is a very balanced wedge with a high toe profile and semi-straight leading edge.

The result of this design, especially on the S-Grind version, is a well-balanced feel especially at the higher lofts. The spin is really high and you can easily control the trajectory. Whether you want a soft-landing lob shot or a penetrating one, you can easily deliver with the S Grind.

Regarding sound and feel, the Mack Daddy 3 might not be as good as the previous Mack Daddy models, simply because it is now a milled wedge instead of forged. Yet, it is still pretty decent with excellent hit feedback. While the sound is a little muted, you get a pleasant, soft sound during impact.

The Mack Daddy 3 is an excellent, versatile wedge especially for mid to low-handicappers. While it is not as forgiving as the Cleveland CBX or the very forgiving Smart Sole 3.0, the Mack Daddy 3 offers versatility and playability not offered by those wedges discussed above. 

Which Loft And Shaft Is Best For You?

The Mack Daddy 3 S-Grind is only available with steel shaft, and you can pick between 46, 48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, and 60-degree of loft angle. For a sand wedge, generally your option is between the 54, 56, and 58-degree.

The key in picking your loft is to make sure that it is not too far apart with the longest iron in your bag. A difference in loft under 4-degree between your longest iron and lowest-lofted wedge is ideal. If you want to add more wedge, pick another one with a 4-degree loft difference.

The stock steel shaft is the True Temper Dynamic Gold Steel, and you can only choose the ‘stiff’ flex with all the loft angle options, excepting with the 60-degree loft where you can choose the slightly more flexible ‘s300’ flex. The s300 flex will benefit players who need that extra swing for the high loft. 

With Phil Mickelson and Roger Cleveland at the helm of its design, we can safely expect many great things from this wedge, so what's it all about?

First things first, there are four different loft angles available for the Callaway Mack Daddy PM: 56,58, 60, and 64-degrees. All loft angle versions have 10-degrees of bounce angle, excepting the 56-degree loft, which have 13-degrees of bounce angle.

You might notice that although the 60 and 64-degrees versions are better suited as lob wedges, they have a very high bounce angle, which isn't ideal for lob wedges.

You can think of the 60 and 64-degrees version as specialty wedges, a sand wedge with very high loft, or a lob wedge that can really bounce.

Here are some unique advantages you will get from the Mack Daddy PM-Grind sand wedge.

Bottom Line

Can you buy Phil Mickelson's short game with this Mack Daddy PM wedge? Yes! Well, almost.

You can't expect to throw this club in the bag and get amazing results anytime, as the unique head shape will definitely need some practice time.

It is especially good for bunker shots or to get out from thick roughs, of which the Mack Daddy PM is very easy to use and very accurate. However, it is a little difficult to use it on the fairways, as the offset design and shallow leading edge will make it harder to make clean contact.

You might think that being a signature club, the price tag will be costly, but that's not actually the case. 

Cleveland RTX-3 Wedge

The Cleveland 588 RTX series is massively successful, selling over 10 million clubs ever since its invention in 1988. The latest entry, the RTX-3, superseded the popular RTX 2.0, and of course, we can expect great things from this wedge.

The RTX stands for Rotex face, which is the process to micro-mill the face to create more roughness between the grooves, which in turn, create more grip and forgiveness. You can choose a wide variety of loft angles from 48-degrees to 60-degrees, and the bounce angle is designated with the dots behind the clubface. 

One dot = low bounce angle, two dots = medium, and three dots = high bounce angle. Photo courtesy of Cleveland Golf

If you are familiar with the RTX 2.0 model, the grind is significantly changed in the RTX 3, to what Cleveland dubbed as the V-Sole Grind.

Here, the grind is far narrower than before, in fact, narrower that most of the wedges out there, allowing more versatility and easier time to go through thick turfs. Cleveland claimed that with the V-Sole, you will lose 23% less speed with every impact, which is definitely significant.

For the sand wedges, with lofts from 54 to 60 degrees, the V-Sole is wider and dubbed the V-FG, which also comes with high, three dots bounce angle.

Compared to the Mack Daddy PM above, the RTX 3 has a lower natural flight trajectory. This will translate to a better control since you can have an easier time in judging distance. The spin it provides is also exceptional, so you can easily shape shots with the RTX 3.

Here are some of the advantages of the RTX 3 over its competitors.

Also, it provides a lot of options regarding bounce and loft angle selections, providing six lofts options from 50-degrees to 60-degrees alone, with a 2-degrees gap. You can even ask Mizuno for a customized in-between loft and bounce angle of your choice. Adjustability and personalization are always a nice option to have.

In the looks department, the blue ion finish is exceptional, although it's also available in white satin for more conservative golfers. The shape is rather unique, with what Mizuno dubbed the silhouette shape, somewhat of a hybrid between rounded and teardrop shape, common with Mizuno clubs of the past.

It is of average size and average weight, with a rounded leading edge for easier swings through the thick turfs.

Here are some of the key advantages of the Mizuno S5 compared to other wedges available today.

With great forgiveness, usually there will be a sacrifice in both control and feel, but that's not really the case with the Mizuno S5. It still provides a great, very soft feel with excellent feedback.

Yet, the same thing can't be said regarding control. Although it still provides a decent enough control and versatility, more aggressive players might want to look another way.