Gap Wedge

I read a lot of things referring to gap wedges, and was just wondering what exactly a gap wedge was. I'm guessing it lies somewhere between a pitching wedge and a lob wedge, but I'm not sure what it would be used for.

I have a gap wedge in my bag.  It's 52*, so sits between my PW and SW.  The idea is that instead of jumping from 48* to 56* you have something in the middle for those shots of 80 to 100 yards that are too long for your SW but not a full PW.  Mine gets a lot of use around the greens as I am reasonably confident with the distances I get from it.  I also have a 58* SW instead of having a 56* SW and 60* LW. 

I carry a Nike SV Tour 52* and 10* of bounce GW simply because I needed a club with greater loft than my PW (48) but lower bounce than my SW (my SW is a Nike Pro Combo 56 with 16* or bounce).   

The high bounce of the SW helps in the sand but tends to lead to hitting the ball thin from the fairway.  I have a LW or two (64* and 60*) but have always struggled with them.

Like most things in golf it is horses for courses (sorry must be that Cheltenham banner on the right of this post whilst I am typing).

I may get one but am working on using the clubs I have to do the job. Its all about the feel and then reducing your shot strenth on getting the results!