Having the appropriate wedges in your bag can lead to an immediate improvement in scoring. Having the right number and type of wedges will improve your short game and help you land closer to the pin more often. Once you’ve mastered the wedge, you will notice a significant improvement to your score as you’ll be able to place the ball on the green with more accuracy than any other club in your bag. For this reason it is recommended to carry at least one utility wedge in your bag.

The focus with wedges is on accuracy with the aim of landing a short shot as close as possible to the flagstick. For this reason wedges are often referred to as the "scoring clubs".

Distances

The appropriate time to use a wedge will be determined primarily by the distance between your ball and the pin. On full shots from the fairway, a typical golfer might hit a sand wedge 70 meters while women are likely to cover a distance of 50 meters. A lob wedge would cover 50-55 meters for men, 20-30 meters for women. A gap wedge would fall in between your pitching wedge and sand wedge distances.

When properly struck, wedges produce a very high, arching shot. So if you need to get over a tree, for example, a wedge comes in handy. Or if you’re off the green with a big bunker right between you and the flagstick, a high, arching shot with a wedge is a good choice. Because wedge shots have such a high trajectory, they tend to roll very little once they hit the green. More accomplished players can produce a great deal of backspin with a wedge, causing the ball to back up once it hits the green. Any wedge can also be used for chipping around the green.

If you are looking for your first utility wedge consider the 52 degree gap wedge which lies between a sand wedge (typically 56 degrees) and a pitching wedge (typically 47 degrees). The gap wedge is useful in situations where you are too close to use a pitching wedge yet too far to use a sand wedge. The 60 or 64 degree lob wedge will cover short distances to the green.

Understanding Bounce

Bounce is a concept that even golfers who have been playing for decades may not understand, or may misunderstand. So no beginner should worry too much if he hears other golfers talking about "bounce" and doesn't have a clue what it means. 

The angle between the leading edge and the trailing edge of a golf club is called bounce. The idea is to choose a wedge that lets you glide through your shot without the club digging into the turf. Less bounce is good for harder surfaces. It is important to find out what kind of surface you generally play off. Harder surfaces require less bounce while softer surfaces require more. Your angle of attack is also important; if you have a steep swing then you would want more bounce rather than less to avoid your club digging into the turf.  

Things to consider when choosing bounce:

• Course conditions
• Angle of attack