How Far Should a Pitching Wedge Shot Go?

A pitching wedge is a very important golf club to know how to hit and when to hit it. It carries more distance than the other wedges, like the gap wedge, lob wedge, and all-important sand wedge. The distance you can hit a golf ball with a pitching wedge depends primarily on your swing and your ability. If you are a beginner, it's likely your pitching wedge play will be sporadic. As you develop your skills, you will gain more consistency in the distance of your shots.

What is the Average Wedge Distance?

The male average golfer typically hits his pitching wedge from 100 to 140 yards, depending on their skill level, while women hit the same club from 70 to 120 yards. Beginners and high handicappers often find they do not achieve these distances, but their distances will increase as their swing improves.

Professional golfers on the PGA Tour get an average carry distance of 136 yards with their pitching wedge shots. LPGA Tour players get an average carry distance of 100 yards with the same club, according to Andrew Rice Golf. The carry distance doesn't take into consideration the roll distance, so the tour players will typically gain additional distance on these shots.

Variables that can affect a swing

The ability to hit your pitching wedge consistently depends on a number of variables within your control and others outside of your control.

The swing speed of your clubhead at the point of impact, the centeredness of contact and the direction that the clubhead approaches the ball all play key roles in the distance of your shot. If you take a short, soft swing, you won't hit your pitching wedge as far as if you take a full swing.

Other factors include the lie of the ball and the speed and direction of the wind. Fairway shots will go much farther than those in the rough. If the golf course is wet, it will make for a different distance on the roll after hitting the ground

Consistency

Many golfers carry yardage books that help them gauge the distance from where their ball lies to the green or flagstick. Knowing this information is useful for selecting the right club for your shot. For example, if you hit your pitching wedge 100 yards and your ball is next the 100-yard marker, the pitching wedge is the right club to use.

Practice

An effective way to improve your consistency with your pitching wedge and learn how far the ball travels on a regular basis is to practice at a driving range.Because ranges are equipped with yardage signs, it's easy to hit a number of balls and see where they land. Note your average distance with full swings and half swings. Knowing this information can help you shave strokes off your score.

Many PGA tour players and amateur golfers alike go to giant training facilities like TopGolf where they can view distance charts and launch monitors in order to improve their game.

When to use a pitching wedge?

Pitch shots and the wedge game at large is very important to your short game. Most of the time the pitching wedge is brought out on approach shots. These golf shots are used to get from the fairway onto the green to putt and are usually from short distances. There are many different wedges to use for these shots and provide varying degrees of lost and distance control. Due to its low degree of loft on the clubface, the pitching wedge is the best golf wedge for distance and shouldn’t be pulled out of the golf bag for shots that require height or spin.

Pitching wedge is also a good club for those birdie bump and run chip shots. As you can roll the ball without fear of mishitting the ball and sending it in a different direction. Its low wedge loft also allows you to fly the ball lower which is very useful on bump and runs.