My suggestion for wedges for beginners is to go with cavity back models as they are alot more forgiving than traditional wedges. Options would include the Cleveland CBX and the Callaway Mack Daddy CB wedges. I have the Cleveland CBX wedges in 46, 52 and 56 degree lofts and they work much better for me than anything else I have tried. For a sand wedge, you could also consider the C3i 65 degree wedge ($99), as with those, there is no need to open the club face or open your stance, so I find that it makes bunker shots a lot easier.