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Guide【Nov 2026 Update】How Many Yards Does Wedge Distance Change per Degree of Loft?Four clubs in 4° steps or seven in 2° steps: how to line them up, with my own measured carries
Updated: Nov 8, 2026Contains affiliate links
"I don't know how many yards apart my 50° and 54° are." For anyone worried about gaps in wedge distance. Short answer: lofts run from 48° to 60° in seven 2° steps, and lined up every 4° they fit in four clubs (48°, 52°, 56°, 60°). How many yards apart they are is something you settle by measuring your own carry.
Carry by wedge, and distance lost in conditions: In October 2026, at a local golf shop, I checked my Vokey SM11 50°, 54° and 58° as the average of 10 shots each on an indoor TrackMan, with a PRO V1. The PW (ZXi5) carried about 135 yards, the 50° (as stamped) about 122, the 54° (10S) about 108 and the 58° (08M) about 92. My 7-iron (ZXi5) carries about 160.
- The gap between the 50° and 54° is about 14 yards, and between the 54° and 58° about 16, which is the roughly 15 yards per 4° I expected. I have no 56°.
- On a 7°C morning in early November 2026, my full 54° shrank from the usual 108 yards to about 104. On a wet rough the full 50° came up about 8 yards short, and grass between the ball and face made it harder to stop. These are TrackMan and by-eye estimates, and I write the conditions next to each number.
- A word for the undecided: don't choose by the loft number alone; measure your own full-shot and half-shot carry.
In this article
Bottom line
Wedge distance is decided by "your own carry" before the loft number. From 48° to 60° there are seven lofts in 2° steps, four clubs in 4° steps, or three if you narrow it to 50°, 54° and 58°. If the full-shot gaps line up at about 15 yards and the half shots in between are settled, you will not hesitate between clubs.
Lofts come from Callaway Japan's list (re-read on Nov 7, 2026), and I calculated the number of clubs myself. The yardages are my own measurements (Vokey SM11, indoor TrackMan).
How many clubs can 48°–60° be split into? Counting by loft gap
| Spacing | Loft | Number of wedges | Gap to the next club |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2° steps | 48°, 50°, 52°, 54°, 56°, 58°, 60° | 7 clubs | 2 deg |
| 4° steps (even) | 48°, 52°, 56°, 60° | 4 | 4° |
| 4° steps (from 50°) | 50°, 54°, 58° | 3 | 4° |
| 6° steps | 48°, 54°, 60° | 3 | 6° |
A 12° span (60 − 48) in 2° steps gives seven clubs, in 4° steps four, and in 6° steps three. A bag holds at most 14 clubs, so how many go to wedges also depends on the spacing.
Three numbers for measuring your own carry
- Full-shot carry (yards): the average of 10 shots. Discard the first three and read it from a TrackMan or a range's distance display.
- Half-shot carry: fix your swing length at 9 o'clock to 3 o'clock and take the average of 10 shots.
- Measured loft: the stamped loft can be off by 1°, so have a shop measure it.
With these three, you can say "this many yards with this club and this swing length." The numbers also change with the ball and the temperature, so write down the conditions you measured in.
My measured distance by wedge: full, half and 100 yards
Here are the full-shot carries of my Vokey SM11 and PW (October 2026, indoor TrackMan, average of 10 shots, PRO V1).
| Club | Loft | Carry | Gap to the previous club |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7-iron (ZXi5) | — | About 160 yards | — |
| PW (ZXi5) | — | About 135 yards | −25 yards (160 − 135) |
| 50° (as stamped) | 50 degrees | About 122 yards | −13 yards (135 − 122) |
| 54° (10S) | 54° | About 108 yards | −14 yards (122 − 108) |
| 58° (08M) | 58° | About 92 yards | −16 yards (108 − 92) |
From the 50° to the 58°, 8° brings 30 yards (122 − 92), or about 3.75 yards per degree (30 ÷ 8, my own calculation). About 15 yards per 4° is my number. A shop gauge confirmed my 54° is 54° as stamped. Whenever I pick up a wedge, I have a shop measure it.
For half shots: 50 yards is the 50° at 9 to 3 o'clock (about 50 yards of carry), 40 yards is the 54° at 9 to 3 (about 40), and 30 yards is the 54° at 8 to 4 (about 28, with about 2 yards of roll after landing; PRO V1, practice green, by eye). Inside 20 yards I use the 58° with my hands at waist height and keep the roll down to stop the ball.
There was also a time the distances left a gap. In October 2026, on a downhill shot with 100 yards to the pin, the full 54° (about 108 yards) was too long and the full 58° (about 92 yards) too short. So I gripped down one on the 54°, shortened the swing a little from 9-to-3, landed it short of the pin and finished about 100 yards. Since then I treat about 100 yards as a three-quarter 54°.
Three criteria for choosing
- Keep gaps to the next club at about 15 yards: where a gap passes 20 yards, add a club or fill it with swing length.
- Check the stamped loft against the measured one: if the loft is off by 1°, the distance changes too.
- Distance changes with conditions: temperature, rain, lie and ball all matter, so write the conditions next to your numbers. On a 7°C morning, my full 54° lost about 4 yards.
By my numbers, 4° of loft changes the carry by about 15 yards. My full-shot gaps line up at 14 to 16 yards, and I fill what lies between with swing length. On cold mornings my full 54° loses about 4 yards, so I write the conditions next to the numbers.
Update history
About the writer and sources
Written by a gear nerd who studies golf equipment, averages a 72, and plays about 150 rounds a year.
For the list of lofts, I re-read the Callaway Japan product pages on Nov 7, 2026. I did the club-count calculation myself.
About the writer and sources
Written by a gear nerd who studies golf equipment, averages a 72, and plays about 150 rounds a year.
Last updated 11/8/2026. The source of each number is written right under the table.
FAQ
How many degrees apart should my wedges be?
The 12° from 48° to 60° splits into four clubs in 4° steps or seven in 2° steps. Choose the spacing that puts your full-shot gaps at about 15 yards.
How many yards does 2° of loft change?
In my measurements, 8° from the 50° (about 122 yards) to the 58° (about 92 yards) is 30 yards, or about 3.75 yards per degree. A 4° step gave about 15 yards (Vokey SM11, indoor TrackMan, average of 10 shots each, PRO V1, October 2026).
Ready to choose? Start here
Related reading
How many wedges should you carry?
Sources for this article
- Callaway Japan official: OPUS SP wedge Chrome (lofts 48°–60°)
- Callaway Japan official: X FORGED wedge (lofts 48°–60°)
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