Updated March 8, 2024. This article was thoroughly audited by multiple golf experts and coaches for its accuracy. You can read more about our rigorous testing protocol here.
As golfers, we all encounter challenging situations, and that’s where the best sand wedges shine.
These specialized clubs boast unique designs featuring wide soles and high lofts crafted specifically to tackle sand traps and rough patches with finesse.
Why do golfers need them?
Simply put, sand wedges are indispensable when navigating bunkers and getting out of sticky situations.
Their ability to lift the ball cleanly out of sand traps and rough terrain can be the difference between a bogey and a birdie, making them an essential tool in any golfer’s bag.
Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned pro, having the best sand wedge can elevate your game and give you the confidence to tackle any obstacle the course throws your way.
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Last updated on 2024-04-03. The links are affiliate links. Product images are served from Amazon Product Advertising API.
Table of Contents
- Featured Recommendations
- Best Sand Wedges 2024
- How Do I Choose A Sand Wedge?
- Questions & Answers
- What are the types of golf wedges?
- How many golf wedges should I carry?
- When do I need to use a sand wedge?
- What are the advantages of using sand wedges over other wedges?
- What characteristics should I pay attention to when I buy sand wedges?
- What is the usual loft of sand wedges?
- How far can I expect to swing with a sand wedge?
- What are the types of golf wedges?
Best Sand Wedges 2024
Titleist Vokey SM9 Wedge
Best Sand Wedge Overall
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Specifications
- Loft: 54°-56°
- Lie: 64°
- Shaft Length: 35.25”
- Swing Weight: D5
Pros
- Progressive CG delivers customized ball flight
- Milled grooves offer high spin rates
- Versatile bounce and grind options for total customization
Cons
- Expensive price point may keep casual golfers away
The SM9 Vokey sand wedge delivers a complete package of worthwhile features, including progressive CG, spin-milled grooves, and an assortment of bounce and grind options to customize your 56-degree club.
Regarding the SM9 sand wedge, Titleist offers seven different lofts, grind, and bounce options, allowing you to control your ability to adjust each shot’s shot height, spin, and softness.
What I enjoy about playing with the SM9 is how wonderfully versatile the wedge plays from around the green. If I’m sitting in the fairway, the SM9 responds beautifully to the distance and trajectory control the shot demands.
A highly capable wedge that stands atop the mountain, the Titleist Vokey SM9 continues to impress with a fantastic performance on the course.
Mizuno T22 Wedge
Best All-Weather Performance for Mid Handicappers
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Specifications
- Loft: 45°-62°
- Lie: 63°
- Shaft Length: 35.25”-35.5”
- Swing Weight: D5
Pros
- Heavier build offers stable shotmaking
- Superb turf interaction provides crisp contact
- Ultra-sharp grooves produce spin with control
Cons
- Size and heft could deter golfers that want more traditional wedges
Mizuno’s T22 sand wedge offers functionality and versatility from the fairway to the trouble spots around the green.
Incredibly sturdy, the T22 wedge offers pure all-weather performance, as the HydroFlow Micro Grooves along the face push away moisture while maintaining spin.
The flared and tapered design also creates penetrating flight that experienced golfers crave for their short game.
The T22 sand wedge isn’t for everyone. Some golfers are turned away by the size and heft of the sand wedge, but I’d suggest that outlook is a mistake.
The T22 sand wedge provides a smooth stability that remains unmatched out of the tens of wedges I test yearly.
The Mizuno T22 sand wedge deserves your attention and consideration for its outrageously good all-around performance.
Callaway JAWS Full-Toe Raw Wedge
Best High Spin Wedge for Mid Handicappers
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Specifications
- Loft: 54°-56°
- Lie: 64°
- Shaft Length: 35.25”
- Swing Weight: D4
Pros
- Full-face milling provides forgiveness and accuracy
- Six grind options offers total control and customization
- Balanced and smooth from any lie or situation on course
Cons
- The Hi-Toe design isn’t for every golfer
Callaway’s adventurous JAWS Full-Toe RAW sand wedge delivers exceptional all-around performance for high handicappers that need more softness, accuracy, and forgiveness from their short-game clubs.
The Full-Toe provides complete milling across the entire face with grooves that extend all the way to the end of the face. The full-face groove system generates healthy spin rates that provide control for golfers that need it the most.
With six different sole grind options, golfers can play with the sand wedge that best suits their game and home course.
I really enjoyed how soft these wedges were from within 20 yards of the pin. The JAWS RAW scooped the ball with spin from the rough, helping me save par in many troublesome situations.
An outstanding all-around sand wedge for golfers looking to shave their learning curve around the greens, the JAWS Full-Toe RAW from Callaway offers an enjoyable experience on the links.
Cleveland CBX Zip Core Wedge
Best Wedge for Feel for High Handicappers
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Specifications
- Loft: 54°-56°
- Lie: 64°
- Shaft Length: 35.25”
- Swing Weight: D4
Pros
- Hollow cavity design lightens weight for more distance
- ZipCore lowers CG for better flight and carry
- UltiZip grooves generate a ton of spin with shot-stopping power
Cons
- Rather plain wedge doesn’t have many eye-popping features
Cleveland’s ZipCore wedge offers many of the company’s best features that help produce dependable results you can count upon for your short game.
My favorite feature on the ZipCore continues to be the UltiZip grooves. This system offers an enhanced feel and crisp spin that helps stop shots on the green with authority.
If you are looking for a complaint with this wedge from me, I must say that although this sand wedge offers value with solid performance, it doesn’t reach a dazzling level.
And that’s certainly okay if you need something traditional and kind of boring that produces on-course results.
Ideal for high handicappers who need stability for their short game, the ZipCore sand wedge delivers distance and accuracy.
Ping Glide 4.0 Wedge
Most Accurate Sand Wedge for Low Handicappers
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Specifications
- Loft: 54°-56°
- Lie: 64.25°
- Shaft Length: 35.25”
- Swing Weight: D3
Pros
- Four different sole grind options offer versatility
- Precision-milled grooves help produce more spin
- Lower, more controlled launch on full swings for total distance control
Cons
- Compact blade is better for experienced players
Ping’s unique Glide 4.0 sand wedge offers a nice array of features to improve your short game. The wedge offers precision-milled grooves with a low CG that golfers can exploit to get more carry from full swings.
While I enjoyed the compact blade of the Glide 4.0 sand wedge, I fully admit that most golfers may want a larger and more forgiving wedge.
Aside from that possible opinion, I felt that from within 100 yards of the target, the wedge was accurate with a high launch and plenty of spin.
From deeper rough, the wedge worked even better, moving grass aside to easily lift the ball from trouble with spin.
The Gilde 4.0 sand wedge offers a simplistic yet traditional wedge for low and mid handicappers that can save short-game strokes.
PXG Sugar Daddy II Wedge
Best Luxury Sand Wedge for Mid Handicappers
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Specifications
- Loft: 54°-56°
- Lie: 64°
- Shaft Length: 35.25”
- Swing Weight: D5
Pros
- Full-face groove system offers forgiveness and enhanced spin
- High toe weighting helps lower and deepen CG on open-face shots
- Extremely balanced for optimal trajectory on full and half shots
Cons
- Design has a lot of flair when compared to traditional wedges
PXG’s Sugar Daddy II sand wedge provides golfers with a top-tier short-game weapon with optimal bounce, precise shotmaking, and outstanding spin for pinpoint accuracy.
The wedge comes with full-face grooves that expand the hitting area plus provide forgiveness and enhanced spin.
I really enjoyed the craftsmanship of this wedge series. With regard to the sane wedge, in particular, PXG has provided golfers with a full-face groove system that generates plenty of feel along with total control.
Within 50 yards, I felt the sand wedge, clocking in at 56 degrees, performed well to my demands.
Great for mid handicappers, the Sugar Daddy II offers a nice slice of tour-level performance that works extremely well for players that need more from the sand, rough, and fairway within 100 yards of the cup.
Callaway Mack Daddy 5 Wedge
Best High Spin Sand Wedge for Low Handicappers
Specifications
- Loft: 50°-60°
- Lie: 64°
- Shaft Length: 35”-35.5”
- Swing Weight: D0, D1
Pros
- Updated to provide more playability from different lies and situations on the course
- Tremendous feel at impact with excellent launch and soft finish
- Classic look that provides first-rate performance using modern technology
Cons
- Slim sole makes this sand wedge more for mid and low handicappers
The latest version of the Callaway Mack Daddy 5, known for its innovative JAWS groove design, is another fantastic sand wedge from the company.
One of the most pristine and gorgeously crafted short game clubs you’ll ever see, the Mack Daddy 5 has several grind options and a groove system that is second to none in creating spin and soft landings.
The JAWS groove system is innovative and unique. It features groove-in-groove technology that imparts more spin than any previous Mack Daddy wedge for additional precision and control around the greens.
The groove-in-groove acts as a type of teeth that grip the golf ball’s surface and amplify its spin rate with solid contact.
The Mack Daddy 5 has numerous grind options, with the company offering five different sole grinds with differing degrees of bounce for each style.
The great thing about this sand wedge is that there are versions for players of all skill levels, although the slimmer sole does make the club more ideal for mid and low handicappers.
An outstanding sand wedge that is versatile and adept around the greens, the Callaway Mack Daddy 5 will certainly exceed your expectations.
How Do I Choose A Sand Wedge?
Here are the things you must consider when choosing the best sand wedges:
Spin
In a sand wedge, spin is everything. The club is specially made to give the golfer the spin and softness necessary to stop the ball on the green with accuracy.
This feature comes from the friction produced between the surface of the golf ball and the grooves and milling of the clubface.
Low handicappers want sand wedges with high spin rates because that determines shot height and the ability to hit beyond the cup and slide it back to the hole.
Other less-skilled golfers need spin to help slow down their game.
Shot Height
It may seem weird to consider shot height with a club that you use from inside 25-50 yards, but when you need more, say a shot from 80-100 yards, a sand wedge provides a useful option that allows for a spin and stopping power.
Knowing how the club provides height to each shot allows you to determine if this is the club for your game.
Perhaps, you would rather have a wedge with a moderate flight arc over a tall one that drops the ball down on the green. This reasoning is why knowing the shot height is so important.
Response
A well-made sand wedge will provide a response at the point of impact. After building up experience with a club, you may find that you can immediately gauge the quality of a shot from the moment the ball meets the face.
Understanding a club’s response helps a golfer maintain a rhythm throughout their round.
A club’s response can also be quantified by how the club creates a result based on your style of play.
Are you looking for more spin?
Then, the answer will be determined by how the club responds when you intentionally create a stance and swing path to deliver more spin on a shot.
Feel
Feel is graded by how the club feels at address and throughout the swing, including as it passes through the impact zone. The sand wedge’s feel at all times creates confidence and trust.
Does the golfer continue to trust the club if the club delivers poor shots? It is doubtful. So during our evaluations, we are looking at how the club presents itself from the point of gripping the club to the moment we finish our follow-through.
When you are gauging the feel of a club, it is wise to create your set of expectations that the wedge must meet to gain your trust.
Construction
Another area you should focus on when buying a sand wedge is how well constructed the club is compared to others.
Areas of the club you should inspect are the shaft, the clubhead, and the hosel where the two pieces meet.
After your inspection, take the club by the grip and feel how solidly built the club is with your hands. Solid construction dictates the club doesn’t feel flimsy or out of balance.
Going with your instinct about how a club first feels is a solid one to have confidence in because you want to trust all of your clubs when you first hit the course.
Questions & Answers
What are the types of golf wedges?
There are generally four different types of golf wedges:
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, ensure that the loft angle is not too far apart from your irons.
Sand Wedge (SW)
The topic of our discussion today. When it was first invented, the sand wedge was designed for shots on the sand bunkers, hence the name. It was characterized by a heavier and wider sole design and high bounce and loft angle.
Typically, sand wedges have a loft angle of around 54 to 58 degrees and a 10 to 16 degrees bounce angle.
For quite a long time in golf history, the sand wedge is the highest lofted of all clubs and is the bread and butter club for chips and bunker shots.
Nowadays, however, they are more versatile, partly because of the introduction of the lob wedges.
This article will show you how to pick the best golf sand wedges.
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 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 (GW)
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, mainly 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, some carry only three, such as Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson, and Jason Day.
Here are the common wedge systems you should consider:
- Two wedges with a pitching wedge and sand wedge
- Three wedges with a pitching wedge, gap wedge, and lob wedge, take notes that using the lob wedge for bunker shots is significantly harder over the sand wedge
- All four wedges
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
However, the sand wedge is a very versatile club, and you can use it anywhere from the fairway to the green, as long as the ball is not sitting on hard ground or other firm surfaces.
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:
1. The head is heavier due to the bounce design, and thus moving the center of gravity low and forward for higher flight trajectory
2. More flexibility to address the ball, allowing the player to perfectly line the ball in the center because the leading edge of the sole is lifted off the ground
3. The angled sole (the bounce angle) allows the club to bounce off soft sand, thick grass, or muddy ground, allowing it to be ideal for bunker shots or similar shots to bring back the ball to the greens.
The overall design makes the sand wedge more versatile than the other wedges. They are also shorter compared to other clubs, which 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.
Depending on the condition of the golf course:
- More shallow sand conditions: If you regularly play with more shallow sand conditions, then you will generally need a shallower sole, moderate bounce angle of around 7 to 11 degrees, and a swing weight of around D-5 to D-8. This type will also work well from the fairway green.
- Grainy and loose sands: On the other hand, if you regularly play in grainy yet loose sands (think of a gravel), you will need more bounce angle of 12 to 15 degrees, wider sole and generally more swing weight of D-5 to E-0.
- Powdery sands with traps: Lastly, if you play in powdery sands with a lot of buried traps and lies, you will need even more bounce angle of 16-20 degrees, even wider sole, and heavier weight of D-7 to E-2.
What if you change courses frequently? The well-rounded choice will be a medium to the wide sole, a moderate bounce of around 12 to 15 degrees, and a 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 not to make it too far from 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 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.