What Golf Club Should I Use for 50 Yards?

Figuring out which club to use for a 50-yard shot can be a real head-scratcher, trapping golfers in a frustrating cycle of chunked wedges and bladed pitches that fly a country mile over the green. But conquering this distance isn't about finding a single secret club, it's about understanding your options and building a simple, repeatable swing. This guide will walk you through the different clubs to consider, the techniques to use, and how to practice so you can turn this tricky in-between shot into one of your biggest strengths.

The Standard Answer is "Use a Wedge"... But Which One?

Walk up to any golf coach and ask them for the 50-yard club, and they'll almost certainly say “a wedge.” And they’re right! The problem is that most golfers carry between two and four different wedges. Each one is designed to do a slightly different job, sending the ball on a different trajectory with a different amount of spin and rollout.

The first step is to get familiar with your candidates. Here’s a quick breakdown of the wedges in your bag and what they generally do:

• Pitching Wedge (PW): Typically has around 44-48 degrees of loft. This wedge produces the lowest-flying shot of the group. From 50 yards, a PW shot will come in low, hit the green, and roll out a good distance. It's a great option when you have lots of green to work with and don't need to fly the ball over a bunker or other trouble.
• Gap Wedge (GW) or Approach Wedge (AW): Usually has 50-54 degrees of loft. As its name implies, it fills the "gap" in loft and distance between the pitching wedge and sand wedge. It will fly higher and land softer than a PW with a moderate amount of rollout. It’s often the go-to club for many golfers at this distance.
• Sand Wedge (SW): With 54-58 degrees of loft, the sand wedge is a staple for greenside bunker play, but it’s just as useful from the fairway. A 50-yard shot with an SW will fly high, land softly, and check up quickly with minimal roll. This is the club you want when you need to fly a bunker and have the ball stop fast.
• Lob Wedge (LW): This is the most-lofted club in the bag, coming in at 58-62 degrees. A lob wedge from 50 yards will produce a very high, floating shot that seems to drop straight out of the sky and stop a dime. It’s the perfect tool for when you’re short-sided and have very little green between you and the hole, but it’s also the least forgiving if mis-hit.

There's no single "correct" choice. The right club for your 50-yard shot depends on the situation (is the pin front, middle, or back?) and the shot you are most comfortable hitting.

Building Your 50-Yard Shot: Two Proven Methods

Once you know your tools, you need a system for using them. Most golfers land on one of two methods for controlling these touch shots: the "Feel" method using one club or the "System" method using multiple clubs. Let's look at both so you can decide what fits your game.

Method 1: Master One Wedge with the "Clock System"

This approach is all about simplicity. You pick one favorite wedge - many golfers pick their Sand Wedge (around 56 degrees) - and learn to hit various distances by simply changing the length of your backswing.

The "Clock System" is a fantastic mental image for this. Picture yourself as the center of a clock, with your head at 12 and the ball at 6.

• A backswing where your lead arm stops at roughly 7:30 is a very short shot, maybe for 20-30 yards.
• A backswing where your arm reaches 9:00 (parallel to the ground) is your a half swing. This might be your 50-yard shot!
• A backswing to about 10:30 is a three-quarter swing that will send the ball even farther.

How to Practice It: Go to the driving range or a short game area. Grab your chosen wedge (let's say it's your SW). Start by hitting ten shots using a comfortable half-swing (9:00). Don't try to kill it, just make a nice, smooth swing. Walk out and see how far the average shot went. That distance is now your "stock" half-swing number. For many, this will land right around 50 yards. By practicing this one swing repeatedly, you build a reliable shot you can trust under pressure.

Method 2: Use One Swing and Change Clubs

For some players, trying to control the length of their backswing feels inconsistent. If that's you, this method might be better. Here, you use the same exact swing - for example, that 9:00 "half swing" - but you simply change the club to produce different distances.

It might work out like this:

• A 9:00 half-swing with your Lob Wedge goes 40 yards.
• A 9:00 half-swing with your Sand Wedge goes 50 yards.
• A 9:00 half-swing with your Gap Wedge goes 60 yards.
• A 9:00 half-swing with your Pitching Wedge goes 70 yards.

This approach takes the guesswork out of swing length. The only variable you change is the club in your hand, which can be easier to remember and execute when you're feeling nervous on the course.

The 50-Yard Pitch Shot: A Coach's Guide to Technique

Whichever method you choose, the underlying technique is the same. This 50-yard shot is not a full swing, and it's not a short chip. It's a pitch shot - a mini-version of your full swing that’s all about control and solid contact.

1. The Setup

A good shot starts with a solid foundation. Here’s how to set up for success:

• Stance Width: Your feet should be narrower than for a full swing, about shoulder-width apart. This promotes rotation rather than a big weight shift.
• Ball Position: Place the ball right in the center of your stance. This helps you strike the ball at the bottom of your swing arc, which is what we want.
• Weight Distribution: Lean about 60% of your weight onto your front foot. This encourages you to hit slightly down on the ball, a feeling of "trapping" it against the turf, which produces a crisp, clean strike.
• Hand Position: Your hands should be slightly ahead of the golf ball, with the shaft of the club pointing toward your front hip. Choking down an inch or two on the grip also gives you more control.

2. The Swing

This is a body-controlled shot. Too many amateurs try to 'arm' the ball on these short shots, which leads to disaster. Think of your arms and torso as one connected unit.

• The Takeaway: Start the swing by turning your chest and shoulders away from the target. The club, arms, and body should all move together in one piece. We already discussed where to stop the backswing using the "Clock System."
• The Downswing: Begin the downswing by rotating your body back toward the target. Your arms will naturally follow. The feeling is that your torso is pulling the club through the ball.
• Impact and Acceleration: This is a big one. Keep accelerating the clubhead through the ball. A common mistake is to slow down right before impact, which causes ugly chunked or thinned shots. Trust the loft on the club to do the work of getting the ball in the air.
• The Finish: Let your body rotate through so that your chest faces the target. Your weight should be almost entirely on your lead foot, and you should finish in a comfortable, balanced position.

Course Conditions Matter: Adjusting for the Lie

Finally, a smart golfer always assesses the lie of the ball. The perfectly manicured practice mat doesn't exist on the course. Here's how to adjust for different conditions:

• From a Perfect Fairway Lie: This is your baseline. You can play your normal, stock 50-yard shot with confidence.
• From Thick Rough: The grass will grab ahold of your club and slow it down, so it's harder to get solid contact. You'll want to use a more lofted club (like an SW or LW) on these shots. Make a slightly steeper swing to come down more sharply on the back of the ball and "pop" it out. Expect very little spin and more rollout.
• From an Uphill Lie: An uphill slope effectively adds loft to your club. Your 50-yard SW might now fly higher and shorter, travel only 45 yards. The simple fix is to take one less club (like using a GW instead of an SW) to counteract the slope.
• From a Downhill Lie: This does the opposite, taking loft off your club. Your ball will fly lower and run out much more. To hit it 50 yards in the air, you may need to go with a more lofted club (like an LW instead of an SW).

Final Thoughts

Mastering the 50-yard shot won't happen overnight, but it's a skill well worth your time. The path forward is simple: get to know your wedges, choose a method for controlling your distance, and practice that technique until it's second nature. By building a repeatable motion, you'll replace uncertainty with an aggressive scoring mindset every time you step into that 50-yard-zone.

This process of dialing in your distances and making smarter club choices under pressure is exactly what our platform was designed to simplify. With Caddie AI, you can get instant, personalized club recommendations for any shot, including those tricky 50-yarders. You can even snap a photo of a tough lie, and our AI will offer a smart way to play it, removing the guesswork so you can step up and swing with supreme confidence.