Average Wedge Distances Revealed (For Pro vs Amateur Golfers)

Wedges are some of the most important clubs in your bag – regardless of whether you’re a pro or an amateur – and knowing how far you hit them is crucial for scoring low.

If you don’t know your average wedge yardages, or fail to hit them regularly when on the course, it can lead to less greens in regulation which, in turn, will put more pressure on your short game and likely lead to more bogeys (or worse).

Naturally, every golfer is built differently. Some players are taller than others, heavier than others or swing the club at higher speeds than others, and all these attributes factor in to how far you hit your wedges.

But, for the purpose of this article, I’ve listed what is considered the average wedge distances for pro golfers (based off Trackman numbers) and amateur golfers (based off my own research and playing with other weekend warriors) to give you an idea how far you should be hitting yours.

Average wedge distances for pro male golfers

ClubYardsMetres
PW (46 degree)136124
PW (48 degree)131119
50 degree wedge125114
52 degree wedge120109
54 degree wedge115105
56 degree wedge110100
58 degree wedge10596
60 degree wedge10091

Average wedge distances for pro female golfers

ClubYardsMetres
PW (46 degree)10797
PW (48 degree)10192
50 degree wedge9586
52 degree wedge9082
54 degree wedge8577
56 degree wedge8073
58 degree wedge7568
60 degree wedge7064

Average wedge distances for amateur male golfers

ClubYardsMetres
PW (48 degree)95-11586-105
50 degree wedge90-11082-100
52 degree wedge85-10577-96
54 degree wedge80-10073-91
56 degree wedge75-9568-86
58 degree wedge70-9064-82
60 degree wedge65-8559-77

Average wedge distances for amateur female golfers

ClubYardsMetres
PW (48 degree)70-9064-82
50 degree wedge65-8559-77
52 degree wedge60-8054-73
54 degree wedge55-7550-68
56 degree wedge50-7045-64
58 degree wedge45-6541-50
60 degree wedge40-6036-54

As you can see, there are a lot of variations between pro and amateur golfers when it comes to hitting wedges (and these differences are only accentuated further when comparing the numbers of male and female golfers).

The key thing to remember when using your wedges is that they are a finesse club – and for this reason, you should rarely, if ever, try to hit them harder than what would be considered a ‘full swing’.

For the best result with your wedges, try and swing smoothly at around 80 percent while maintaining your balance; you’ll find you’ll make better contact, reduce excessive spin on the ball (which can hinder your distance) and develop far better control.

For some top tips on how to hit your wedges, in all scenarios, check out some of our other articles below:

How far should my wedges go?

The distance your wedges will travel will, above all else, be determined by the loft of the club you’re hitting. For example, a 48 degree pitching wedge will carry a lot farther than a 60 degree lob wedge. Your wedge distances will also be dictated by whether you’re taking a full, three-quarter or half swing.

How far should my pitching wedge go?

The average male golfer hits their pitching wedge between 95-115 yards (86-105 metres) when making a full swing, or as little as 75-95 yards (68-86 metres) with a half or three-quarter swing. Average female golfers hit their pitching wedge 70-90 yards (64-82 metres) with a full swing, or 50-70 yards (45-64 metres) when making a half or three-quarter swing.

How far should my 50 degree wedge go?

The average male golfer hits their 50 degree wedge between 90-110 yards (82-100 metres) when making a full swing, or as little as 70-90 yards (64-82 metres) with a half or three-quarter swing. Average female golfers hit their 50 degree wedge 65-85 yards (59-77 metres) with a full swing, or 45-65 yards (41-59 metres) when making a half or three-quarter swing.

How far should my 52 degree wedge go?

The average male golfer hits their 52 degree wedge between 85-105 yards (77-96 metres) when making a full swing, or as little as 65-85 yards (59-77 metres) with a half or three-quarter swing. Average female golfers hit their 52 degree wedge 60-80 yards (54-73 metres) with a full swing, or 40-60 yards (36-54 metres) when making a half or three-quarter swing.

How far should my 54 degree wedge go?

The average male golfer hits their 54 degree wedge between 80-100 yards (73-91 metres) when making a full swing, or as little as 60-80 yards (54-73 metres) with a half or three-quarter swing. Average female golfers hit their 54 degree wedge 55-75 yards (50-68 metres) with a full swing, or 35-55 yards (32-50 metres) when making a half or three-quarter swing.

How far should my 56 degree wedge go?

The average male golfer hits their 56 degree wedge between 75-95 yards (68-86 metres) when making a full swing, or as little as 55-75 yards (50-68 metres) with a half or three-quarter swing. Average female golfers hit their 56 degree wedge 50-70 yards (45-64 metres) with a full swing, or 30-50 yards (27-45 metres) when making a half or three-quarter swing.

How far should my 58 degree wedge go?

The average male golfer hits their 58 degree wedge between 70-90 yards (64-82 metres) when making a full swing, or as little as 50-70 yards (45-64 metres) with a half or three-quarter swing. Average female golfers hit their 58 degree wedge 45-65 yards (41-59 metres) with a full swing, or 25-45 yards (22-41 metres) when making a half or three-quarter swing.

How far should my 60 degree wedge go?

The average male golfer hits their 60 degree wedge between 65-85 yards (59-77 metres) when making a full swing, or as little as 45-65 yards (41-59 metres) with a half or three-quarter swing. Average female golfers hit their 60 degree wedge 40-60 yards (36-54 metres) with a full swing, or 20-40 yards (18-36 metres) when making a half or three-quarter swing.

How far apart should wedge lofts be?

Wedge lofts should be kept four degrees apart to give you optimal, consistent gapping numbers. If you carry a pitching wedge with 46 degrees of loft, then you should use a 50 degree gap wedge, 54 degree sand wedge and 58 degree lob wedge for the best results.

Similarly, if your pitching wedge has 48 degrees of loft, then you should use a 52 degree gap wedge, 56 degree sand wedge and 60 degree lob wedge to obtain the ideal gapping distances between each club.

If you have more than four degrees of loft between your wedges, it’s likely the gap between carry distances for each club will be too great and leave you needing to hit awkward half or three-quarter shots more often to try and cover the deficit.

If you’re unsure about which lofts your wedges should be, and whether you’re using the correct gaps or not, check out these articles below:

Your wedge lofts should be four degrees apart for best results.

Can you hit a pitching wedge 200 yards?

It is possible to hit a pitching wedge 200 yards by placing the ball closer to the middle of your stance and striking it thin (meaning, contacting the belly of the ball with the leading edge of your club). Doing this will lower your ball flight and generate far more run-out for extra distance.

Of course, your pitching wedge isn’t designed to travel 200 yards and hitting it in this manner will make it harder to stop the ball quickly, and also control its direction and trajectory.

It is also an extremely difficult shot to execute as it requires precise ball-striking to intentionally thin the ball in a manner that will still get it airborne, while excessively lowering it’s usual flight in the process.

You can read more about how to vary your ball flight here.

What three wedges should I carry?

In golf, the three wedges you should always carry are a pitching wedge, gap wedge and sand wedge. The lob wedge is optional, however it can also be a great addition to your bag as it gives you more options when chipping over greenside obstacles, or hitting high-flighted pitch shots from the fairway.

Whether you carry three or four wedges in your bag is less important than making sure you have the correct gapping between each club.

A common wedge set-up is as followed:

  • Pitching wedge: 46 degrees of loft (125 yards)
  • Gap wedge: 50 degrees of loft (110 yards)
  • Sand wedge: 54 degree of loft (95 yards)
  • Lob wedge (optional): 58 degrees of loft (80 yards)

Another suitable set-up might be similar, but slightly different:

  • Pitching wedge: 48 degrees of loft (120 yards)
  • Gap wedge: 52 degrees of loft (105 yards)
  • Sand wedge: 56 degrees of loft (90 yards)
  • Lob wedge (optional): 60 degrees of loft (75 yards)

Start with a pitching wedge, gap wedge and sand wedge as a priority; then, you can always add a lob wedge later, if desired.

Which wedge is best for chipping around the green?

When chipping around the green in golf, it’s best to use a pitching wedge for bump-and-runs; a gap wedge for low chips that need less run-out; a sand wedge for mid-flighted shots that need to stop quickly; or a lob wedge for chips that require plenty of height and backspin.

As you can see from the answer above, there is no one single wedge that is best; you should use the wedge that best suits the situation.

I would, however, recommend mid-to-high handicappers practice getting really, really good with one wedge – preferably their pitching wedge.

One of the biggest things amateur golfers struggle with is getting up-and-down regularly and often it’s because they try to play high-lofted chip shots that require precise skills that they haven’t yet mastered.

The pitching wedge is the most forgiving of your wedges and getting good at playing the bump-and-run will give you the best chance of snuggling the ball close to the hole – rather than fatting or thinning it – and leaving you shorter putts as a result.

We’ve reviewed the best wedges on the market and rated them in a list here, which I definitely recommend you read if you’re considering buying new ones.

Final message

Your average wedge distances will vary depending on a lot of factors, ranging from your physical attributes (such as height and weight) right through to how fast you swing the club.

However, when it comes to wedge play, it really doesn’t matter if you hit the ball longer or shorter than your playing partners – what’s important is how accurate you are.

A strong wedge game will give you shorter putts on the greens, which will, hopefully, lead to more birdies and better scores.

Lewis Carhart
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