What is a 64 Degree Wedge Used For?
64 degree wedges are best used for hitting green-side bunker shots that covers a distance of 140 yards on the course. The 64 degree wedge is more suitable for an experienced and professional golfer, as amateurs can struggle with this type of wedge.
It’s a good club for deep greenside bunker shots which depends on the level of the bounce of the ball. If you want to hit high shots off the rough and through the greens, then again you can use a 63 degrees wedge.
However, you need to practice well with it in order to get the right shots as you would have to regap your wedges and it would require you to compromise on several other factors. It can work great for the touch shots off the greens.
On the softer course, that has area grown around the greens with fast greens, you can bring the extra loft of the 64° wedge to use. It will give the ball a higher flight and will also stop quickly on the course.
The 64° wedge has a great loft angle which can be used to fill the gaps with half, quarter andfull swings. It is ideal to use on the rough where the ball can easily get right under and be launched higher. It also depends on the shots you make to analyze the use you can make out of the wedge.
When to Use a 64 Degree Wedge
If you are more of a sweeper on course and have to manipulate the shots to make the ball swing, then the 63 degrees wedge can be helpful. To create a steeper swing, you should hinge your wrists earlier than normal, put more weight on the front foot, focus on the ball, and playback in the stance.
With the 64 degree wedge, you might not even need to manipulate the shots as you can get a natural swing with it once you’re in practice. If you have a good height, for the example above 6”1, then this wedge can get you some really good shots with increased accuracy.
The 64 degree wedge is handy for shortened shots without any specified distance. Getting a full swing is quite difficult, as the greater the loft angle a club has, the more difficult it is to have control over direction and distance covered.
However, if you have a good experience with using wedges, then you might be able to get full swings out of this club. If you are short-sided and need a soft landing, then the wedge can be used on course.
Some golfers use the 64° wedge to make sand shots and flops or lobs that are dictated by obstructions, ball positions, etc. If you get in good practice with the 64 degrees wedge, then it is a good club to be used for almost all shots.
Is a 64 Degree Wedge Worth It?
If you are a beginner, then this wedge might not be the best club for you as you will find it to be quite bouncy. The 64 degrees wedge is not easy to manage as it requires a lot of practice in order to get consistent shots.
Some 64 degrees wedges work well due to their heft that builds the tempo for the shots. By keeping the wedge at the square, you can get accurate shots around the green. It is often easy to hit off the sands and in the tough lies.
If you find it easier to hit with the fairway wood, iron or the hybrid clubs, then you don’t need to switch to the wedges, especially if you’re at an amateur level. If you can achieve the same consistent shots with the same amount of practice with another club, then you can choose that club over the 64-degree wedge.
The 64 degrees wedge can be used for the greenside shots when you need to get the ball up quickly and then stop. However, for a full swing shot, the 64-degree wedge is not really worth it. The 64 degrees wedge varies for each company, and each has a different loft angle.
The loft angle decides how much the ball will bounce; therefore, if it is less than 5 degrees, it can be used effectively.
Is a 64° Wedge Legal?
Yes, the use of a 64 degree wedge is legal. The 64 degrees is thought to be illegal by some golfers due to the misconception that 60 degrees are the maximum degrees that can be used on the club.
However, 64 degrees wedge has been used by many professionals like Phil Mickelson is totally legal to play with.
The thing that makes it illegal has more to do with grooves on the club than the loft angle.
In the early years of golf, box style grooves were banned on tours done by professionals. However, this ban was only applied on a small professional level and didn’t apply for amateurs.
Click to see the USGA’s List of illegal clubs
How to Hit a 64 Degree Wedge
To start off well with a 64° wedge, start with the shortest shot and then with gradual practice, work to the full swing. To get the right shot, it is important that you deliver a constant loft every time the club comes in contact with the ball.
For some golfers, the hinge and hold method works well while for others, straight wrists are easier to hit the ball off the course.
- Start with little and short touch shots and get more control over the trajectory. After you have done enough practice with the wedge, move out to the longer targets, and try full swing shots.
- The full swing shots and ¾ shots can be hard to hit with the 64 degrees wedge as it has a tendency for the ball to slide due to the increased loft. It can be used for shots off the green and around the greens but not every golfer finds it too great for playing out of the fairway.
- It might also be difficult to get perfectly consistent shots with the 64° wedge until you have practiced well enough with it. Hitting 100 yards with the 64 degree wedge is possible if you hit down on the ball and deloft the club a bit.
- The swing speed and shot made varies for each brand of the wedge. For controlling distance with the wedge, leave the ball back in the stance and control the distance with the backswing like the clock swing. The exact positions shouldn’t be put in much consideration.
- By adding more clubhead to each shot, the backspin has a higher lift, but there is no significant difference in the distance covered. If your wedge has the right grind, trailing edge relief, and doesn’t bounce much on the course, then you won’t need another as the lob wedge can work as a multi-functional golf club.
- It is better not to change your mind with the forward swing. This means that you should stick to the swing and then accelerate the head of the club. Deceleration is not a good idea with a greater loft angle.
How Far Does a 64-degree Wedge Go?
For amateurs, I believe it’s better to carry a wedge with a loft angle less than 60 degrees. The 64 degree wedge is a very difficult club to use, and most will struggle using it.
If you’re able to make full swing shots with the 64 degree wedge, then you should cover about 65 yards.
For experienced golfers, it is quite easy to make shots with the 64 degrees wedges on short courses as they become less difficult to hit and can make flop shots with ease. For beginners, it is difficult to judge the wedge on the low pitches.
Moreover, the ball can stop rolling on the chips before wanted, which causes the golfer to struggle with the 64 degree wedge. I recommend first testing a wedge that has such a high loft on a small or crowned green.
The 64-degree wedge is a money grind for deep bunkers and greenside flops from the rough and can also be used as a good complement for the 58-degree wedge. For playing with a 64 degree, you need to be precise to cover 100 yards to 130 yards.
The wedge can be handy if you are comfortable with the shots made or else it can penalize you if your wedge game isn’t really good.
64 Degree Wedge Distance
The average distance of a 64 degree wedge is 32 yards.
The 64-degree wedge is the highest degree golf club among all the wedges. The distance covered on course varies for both male and female golfers. For men, the average distance is 35 yards on the course while for women, the average distance is 29 yards.
The average distance for professional golfers is much greater. On pitching wedge, a professional golfer can cover 130 to 135 yards. On a sand wedge, this distance can vary between 115 yards to 120 yards while for lob wedge the distance can be between 75 yards to 95 yards.
60 Vs 64 Degree Wedge
- The 60-degree wedge is more preferable if you are at a beginner level of golfing. This wedge gives more margin for error so you can make your shots easily and control the swing.
- The 60-degree wedge also offers a more versatile range of shots than the 64 degree wedge.
- The 60 degrees can be opened up and played like a 64-degree wedge if needed. For full swing shots, it is easier to hit with a 60-degree wedge than with a 64 degrees wedge.
- The 64 degrees wedge has the greatest loft that’s why it is difficult for some golfers to make consistent shots with it.
- The 60 degrees wedge, on the other hand, can be easier to handle, and one can make consistent shots with it after some practice.
- Choosing between the 64 degrees and the 60 degrees wedge depends on the course you play on. On the greens, the 64 degrees wedge is a good club to make shots.
- Besides the greens, on the rough and on the fairway, the 60 degrees wedge is more suitable.
- The 60 degrees wedge can always open the face-up; hence, it offers versatile shots on the course.
Is the 60 degree wedge better? Read more
62 Vs 64° Wedge
- If the course, you play on has thick grass on the greens then the 64 degrees wedge is better to play with than the 62 degrees wedge. The additional loft angles will help in getting shots through the grass.
- Playing with the 64 degrees wedge requires proper judgment as you need to consider how much the clubface should be opened before a particular shot.
- It depends on the conditions of the course and how comfortable you’re with playing with the wedges to make a choice.
- Both the 62° and 64°wedges are good for flop shots. You just need to consider what distance you need to cover on course.
- If you want to increase the yardage, then 64° wedge is a better choice since the yardage gap between the 58 degrees wedge and the 62°wedge is minimal.
- If you are willing to make high shots with a soft landing, then 64 degrees wedge would be the right club for you.
- Before choosing between the 62 degrees and 64 degrees wedge, you should consider the best grind for your shots along with style.
Callaway Sure out 2 – 64° Wedge
This 64-degree wedge is considered to be suitable for all courses whether it is the rough, fairway or on the sand. It has a high heel relief along with a new sole design. The sole refines the angle of the bounces and offers more playability to the golfers.
It comes with a 17-face groove that helps in the better spinning of the ball. It can also be used to make good shots out of the bunker. According to golfers, it is the best club to use for tight lies. Also, it is difficult to hit from beyond 30 yards.
The body of this 64° wedge is made from graphite, and the club has a great feel to it with improved accuracy in the shots made.
Is the 56 degree wedge better? Read more