<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article does not cite any sources . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (November 2007) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article does not cite any sources . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (November 2007) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> A pitching wedge is a wedge used to hit a shot with higher and shorter trajectory than a 9 - iron and a lower and longer trajectory than a gap wedge . </P> <P> 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 ° . </P>

What do you use a pitching wedge for