Which is the Best 52 Degree Wedge
Out of all the gap wedges in the market, Ping Glide 2.0 SS – 52 degree gap wedge is my personal favorite. The reasons why I believe it’s the best 52° golf wedge are as follows:
- It has a standard loft of 52° and a bounce of 12°.
- It has a steel shaft with a hydro pearl finish that lets you play through any kind of weather.
- The club hasmilled, closely spaced grooves that offer more friction and up to 400 RPMspin.
- The clubface of the 52-degree gapwedge houses an extra groove and the sidewall angle has been upped from 16° to 20°.
- The excess groove imparts more control while striking a shot.
- The SS grind is custom made for golfers who have moderate attack angles.
- The club glides through sand bunkers and offers great spin.
Is a 54 Degree Wedge Better? Read my answer
What a 52 degree Wedge Is Used For
A gap wedge with a loft range of 50-54° fills the gap between a pitching wedge and a sand wedge. A pitching wedge is used to hit the ball higher and longer while a sand wedge is used to hit it lower and longer.
A 52 degree wedge can replace a pitching wedge, and is used to hit the golf ball higher in the air but at a shorter distance. A 52° wedge delivers a lower and a longer strike when used as a replacement to the sand wedge.
Normally a distance of 75 to 100 yards can be reached when using this club.
It is also used to hit chip shots where the golfer hits the ball to a shorter distance. The ball makes a slight elevation and then fallsquickly without too many rolls.
How far does a 52 degree wedge go
A 52° wedge can cover a distance of 85-100 yards, depending on the golfer’s expertise. A professional golfer can hit the ball as far as 100 yards, while beginners will only reach 80-85 yards.
52 Degree Wedge Distance
The average distance for a 52 degree wedge is 90 yards.
Best Bounce for a 52 Degree Wedge
A low bounce of 8-10° is the best for a 52-degree wedge.
Heavy sand bunkers and a firm golf course demand low bounce while high bounce works best when there is soft sand in the bunker and the golf course isn’t as firm.
In the case of a gap wedge, a low bounce of 8-10° works best as it usually comes handy while hitting the ball out of heavy sand bunkers.
Can You Use a 52 Degree Wedge in the Sand?
Yes, a 52-degree wedge can be used to hit the ball out of a sand bunker. Sand bunker shots with a gap wedge rely heavily on the bounce. A low bounce helps with hitting the ball out of heavy sand bunkers while a high bounce helps with softer sand bunkers.
To strike the ball out of a sand bunker, square up the clubface and swing the club firmly.
How to Use a 52 Degree Wedge
The following steps show how to use a 52-degree wedge correctly.
- Place your hands lower on the grip than you normally would. Taking this stance will help you shorten the distance your ball covers by 5-7 yards.
- The ball should be placed in the middle of your stance. Placing it at the back will send the ball too high and by placing it forward your club might not even hit the ball.
- Focus most of your body weight on your front foot.
- Turn your body towards the target while your hands are in level with your chest.
- Establishing good contact between the golf ball and the center of the clubface coupled with a half swing will help perfect the shot.
- A half swing usually ends with your arms parallel to the course.
- Hit the ball hard and make full use of the loft of the club.
- Making a slight divot at impact can go a long way with a gap wedge shot.
How to Chip with a 52 Degree Wedge
A low-bounce 52-degree wedge offers adequate distance and less roll which is ideal for a chip shot.
To attempt a chip shot with the 52 degree wedge, follow the steps given below:
- Narrow your stance sothat your legs aren’t too far apart from each other.
- Place the ball at the center.
- Place your hands together towards the base of the club so that the grip is strong and tight.
- Make sure that more than fifty percent of your weight lies on your front leg.
- Give the ball a firm strike. Make sure that the backswing and the follow-through swings are short and nothing too forceful.
- Keep the hand action to a minimum sothat the ball doesn’t travel too high. If the follow-through getsa full swing, the ball will travel too high which will not give you the best chip shot.
52 Vs 54° Wedge
The gap wedge typically has a loft that ranges between 50-54°. It bridges the gap between a sand wedge and a pitching wedge and can also be used to hit chip shots.
The 52 degree wedge is used to hit 75-90 yards depending on the golfer’s experience.
The 54-degree wedge is more commonly known as the sand wedge. A wedge with its loft lying in the range of 54 to 58° is often called a sand wedge. A wedge with a loft as high as 54-degrees, is used to hit the ball out of sand bunkers.
Other applications include shots that go high up and hit the ground soon enough, covering shorter distances of 70-100 yards.
Beginner and amateur golfers should be able to strike the ball 70 yards using a 54 degree sand wedge, while golfers with a lot more experience easily achieve 100+ yards.
To use a sand wedge:
- Loosen your grip on the club
- Make use of the high loft that your sand wedge comes with. This can launch your ball higher without having to focus much on your stance with the clubface
- Shift most of your body weight on to the leg in the front
- Give the ball a sharp, hard strike and watch it fly high
52 Vs 56° Wedge
The 56 degree wedge typically has a higher bounce than a 52° wedge. A higher bounce often comes in handy while hitting a ball off the sand bunker.
The gap wedge’s lower bounce makes it easier to hit the ball higher and shorter with a few rolls.
A sand wedge can hit the ball to 60-100 yards while the gap wedge can hit it 70-100 yards or perhaps a little more.
The sand wedge hits a comparatively shorter distance because it’s primarily used for hitting the ball off a bunker.
Quick Tip: Does the extra 3 degrees of bounce of the 56° Wedge make it better than the 52° Wedge?
52 Vs 58° Wedge
The 58-degree wedge acts as a sand wedge when you use it inthe sand. When playing on sand, I can open the clubface to get the same action that I would get from a 60-degree lob wedge.
The 58-degree wedge also known as a sand wedge, is primarily used to hit the ball off a bunker. Their higher bounce launches the ball high into the air and helps get the ball out of the sand bunker.
Expert golfers can hit the ball 100 yards away using a sand wedge while others can achieve at least 60 yards.
A sand wedge’s sole is wide enough to not let the club scoop up sand during impact. The wedge offers the ball a good spin and gets it to land quickly.
On the other hand, the gap wedge or the 52-degree wedge has a loft that’s between that of the sand and the pitching wedge. A lower-lofted gap wedge is used to hit the ball off hard grounds while ones with higher lofts are used on softer surfaces. Gap wedges with lower bounce can also be used in sand bunkers.
52 Vs 60° Wedge
There are significant differences between the 52° and 60° wedges in terms of their properties and functionalities. The differences are as follows:
- The 60-degree and 52-degree wedges are known by other names too. The former is called the lob wedge while the latter is called the gap wedge. The loft in a gap wedge typically ranges between 50 and 54°
- As their names suggest, the 60-degree wedge has a higher loft of 60° when compared to the 52° loft that the 52-degree wedge comes with
- With a loft as high as 60°, the lob wedge is used to launch the ball higher and shorter. It is easier to achieve higher trajectories with a 60-degree wedge. The 52-degree wedge is used in place of a pitching wedge and a sand wedge.
- The gap wedge, as it is referred to, stands true to its name as it fills the gap between both pitching and sand wedges.
- The pitching wedge launches the ball high into the air and gets it to make a soft landing with fewer rolls while achieving a yardage of around 110-140. The sand wedge typically gets the ball out of sand bunkers.
- The gap wedge gives you a higher trajectory and a shorter yardage when used in place of a pitching wedge. When used as a replacement to a sand wedge, you can achieve longer distances coupled with a lower flight.
- The 60-degree wedge with a high loft angle lets you hit the ball higher by lowering the bounce and number of rolls that the ball makes when it hits the ground. The gap wedge hits the ball higher and shorter than a pitching wedge and lower and longer than a sand wedge.
- Amateurs and beginners can hit the ball 50-75 yards using a 60-degree wedge while professional players can reach distances up to 100 yards.
- The 52-degree wedge can cover an impressive distance of 85-100 yards.
- Is a 54 Degree Wedge Better? Read my answer