Design/history
Though technically a wedge, pitching wedges are generally treated as if they were numbered irons. This is for a number of reasons: first, before the term "wedge" became common for high-loft short irons, the pitching wedge was actually numbered as the "10-iron" of a matched set, and to this day it follows the normal loft progression of the numbered irons. Also, even though it has been named a wedge, many matched iron sets for retail sale include the pitching wedge even when not including other wedges. Finally, the loft of modern irons has been reduced compared to older designs. This is both to compensate for cavity-back iron designs that launch the ball higher for a given loft, and to increase the distance carried by each club for the average golfer's clubhead speed. (Professionals now also use similar designs, preserving the gap in hitting distance between the amateur golfer and the pro.) As a result the loft of the pitching wedge decreased along with the numbered irons from a traditional loft of between 48–54° to between 45–50°, similar to that of an older 8-iron. Many pitching wedges have a loft close to 50°.
Read more about this topic: Pitching Wedge
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