Golf ScoutHow far should you hit a sand wedge?
Most male club golfers hit a full sand wedge 70 to 95 yards. On our chart that's about 98 yards at scratch, 87 at a 10 handicap and 76 at 20. A sand wedge is usually 54° or 56°, and Vokey puts a full 56° at about 80 to 100 yards and a 54° at 85 to 105.
Full-swing sand wedge distance by handicap
| Club | Scratch | 5 hcp | 10 hcp | 15 hcp | 20 hcp | 28 hcp | 36 hcp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gap wedge | 118 | 112 | 105 | 98 | 91 | 78 | 69 |
| Sand wedge | 98 | 93 | 87 | 82 | 76 | 65 | 57 |
| Lob wedge | 82 | 77 | 73 | 68 | 63 | 54 | 48 |
Typical total distance in yards, carry plus roll, on a still day at sea level. The same figures as the club distance chart.
England Golf's iGolf gives male amateurs 70 to 95 yards with a sand wedge. Our chart assumes 56°. Foresight Sports' launch reference tables give a sand wedge carry of 96 yards at 72 mph of club speed and 106 yards at 83 mph.
54° or 56°?
Vokey describes a sand wedge as 54° to 56° and says the 56° is the most-played loft on tour. A 54° flies a little lower and further: Vokey's figures are about 85 to 105 yards for a full 54° and 80 to 100 for a 56°. Pick the one that sits 4° to 6° above your gap wedge, which is Vokey's recommended spacing: 54° after a 50° gap wedge, 56° after a 52°.
It's also the bunker club
Vokey describes the sand wedge as designed for bunker shots, pitches and short-range scoring. What makes it work in sand is bounce: the angle between the leading edge and the lowest point of the sole. Titleist's Vokey guide to bounce explains that high bounce stops the leading edge digging into the sand, so the club skims through under the ball.
- Soft, fluffy sand: high bounce, above 10°.
- Normal or firmer conditions: mid bounce, about 7° to 10°, the most versatile.
- Hard or coarse sand, and firm turf: low bounce, about 4° to 6°.
A greenside bunker shot isn't a full swing and has nothing to do with the distances above: you hit the sand behind the ball, and the sand carries it out. So the full-swing number matters from the fairway, and the bounce matters in the bunker.
What a bunker costs
The strokes gained model behind our calculator shows why getting out cleanly matters. For a 15 handicapper, 20 yards from the hole in a bunker averages 3.17 strokes to hole out, against 2.97 from the fairway at the same distance: about 0.2 of a shot every time. Try your own shots in the strokes gained calculator.
Women and beginners
England Golf's iGolf says women typically hit 15 to 25% shorter than men, which turns our 82 yards at a 15 handicap into about 62 to 70. At a 36 handicap our chart gives about 57 yards.
Find your own full and part-swing numbers
Inside 100 yards you'll hit more part swings than full ones. The pitching wedge guide covers the three-swing method for every wedge. To see where your sand wedge sits next to your gap and lob wedges, enter your numbers in the club gapping calculator, or read gap wedge and lob wedge distances.
See every club for your handicap
Related guides
- How far should you hit a gap wedge?
- How far should you hit a lob wedge?
- How far should you hit a 7 wood?
Sources
Golf Scout shows the reach and carry distances for bunkers on the hole, so you know when one is in play. Get Golf Scout on the App Store, free for iPhone and Apple Watch.