Definition: The gap wedge is a golf club with high loft that is carried by some golfers to provide more accuracy and variety on short shots.
For much of the second half of the 20th century, golfers typically carried only two wedges, the pitching wedge and the sand wedge. Pitching wedges had lofts in the mid- to upper 40-degree range, and sand wedges had lofts in the mid-50s. That left a gap of about 8 degrees of loft from the pitching wedge to the sand wedge.
So to close that gap, some golfers added wedges with lofts in-between the loft of the pitching wedge and the sand wedge. And that wedge therefore became known as the "gap wedge."
A gap wedge typically has a loft of 50 or 52 degrees, with the goal being to slot it directly in the middle of the lofts of your pitching wedge and sand wedge, so there is a consistent progression of loft through your wedges.
Also Known As: Attack wedge, approach wedge, A-wedge
