E.J.L. Golf

A sand wedge will commonly have 56 degrees of loft, sometimes 58, but 56 is pretty standard.

A PW loft will likely range from 48 to 52 degrees, depending on how "modern" the lofts are. If you have an older PW, it might well be 52 degrees; otherwise, i'd bet on 48 or so.

Why the difference? Recently, manufacturers, in their quest to have the "longest clubs," strengthened the lofts. Whereas a PW used to be 52 (or maybe 50, depending), now they tend to be around 48. And the same goes for all the other clubs in a set--they're stronger lofts.

The net effect is to leave you a very large gap between your PW and your SW. As from above, perhaps 8 degrees, which means there are distances in between that require you to hit a partial PW, something many find difficult to do consistently.

To make up for this, manufacturers have filled the gap between the PW and SW by producing what are called "Gap" wedges--they'll have an A or G on them (A meaning Approach wedge, G meaning Gap wedge). Guess what loft these are? Answer: The same as the old PW!

Those crazy manufacturers! Leave it to them to create a problem, then sell you something to solve it.

Mike (The Club Doctor).

How To Choose Golf Clubs

How To Buy Golf Club Sets

A basic set of golf clubs is all any golfer needs to start playing the game. Three woods, a collection of 3-9-irons, pitching wedge, sand wedge and a putter, are all that is required. As your game develops and you improve, certain additional, more specific clubs can be added to suit your abilities.

To start there's only one rule to remember: You can't carry more than 14 clubs in your bag at any one time.

Determining your ability level
The low-handicap golfer
The mid-handicap golfer
The high-handicap golfer
Determining a basic set
Buying a child's club set
Determining your ability level

Before buying a set of clubs, first determine your ability level.

The low-handicap golfer

A low-handicap player has a single-digit handicap, meaning he or she generally scores less than 10 strokes over par, or an 82 or less on a par-72 course.

Woods
The low-handicap player should carry a driver and at least 1 fairway wood, most likely the 3-wood
Irons
The low-handicap player will benefit from lower irons in his bag, because the three or four-iron is a difficult club to hit but can be very useful if it can be controlled
Wedges
A minimum of 3 wedges--sand wedge, pitching wedge and either a lob wedge or approach wedge--in their bags, with a maximum 4-degree difference between each one
The mid-handicap golfer

The mid-handicap golfer plays "bogey golf," meaning his or her score averages out to 1 over par on each hole, or somewhere in the 11-20 handicap range.

Woods
In addition to the driver and a 3-wood and a 5-wood, consider adding a 7-wood or even a 9-wood. These fairway woods give much better control and consistency than the harder to hit long irons.
Irons
Usually only a 3 through 9 are recommended, since the 2-iron is very difficult to hit consistently
Wedges
Three different wedges are recommended- pitching wedge, sandwedge, and either a lob wedge or approach wedge
The high-handicap golfer

The high-handicap golfer is either a beginner or has not had the time to hone his game to reach the mid-handicap level. The high-handicapper usually shoots close to or over 100.

Woods
You may not even want to have a driver in your bag. Instead, go with the 3-wood as your off-the-tee wood and add the easier-to-hit 7- and 9-wood.
Wedges
Up to 3 wedges - pitching wedge, sand wedge, and either a lob wedge or approach wedges - should be carried

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