Wedge Bounce

[amollerud]

This is a great subject. My 2 cents is fitting bounce is every bit as important as the lofts of the wedges. When I am fitting what I try to do is get my client a couple bounce options so that they can play the different conditions at different courses. As a general rule the SW will have more bounce than any other wedge in the bag. So if I am fitting 2 or 3 wedges I will give them 1 lower and 1 higher bounce wedges and if it is 3 I try to fit 2 where they are and 1 higher/lower depending on what they need. Bounce is just not a sand issue. Reading lies around the green and understanding which bounce to play is huge in terms of playing a more forgiving shot. Anybody that has played with me knows I am a huge fan of low bounce wedges. Just so you know I used to play wedges with no more than 4-6 degrees of bounce. I now play a 12 and a 6. It has given me more options out on the course.

 

[Johnboy12.5]

Two sets of SW/LW for me. My scratch wedges are set up for digger/driver and have strong bounces and come out to play when it's wet. My cleveland SW has 10 and my cleveland LW is 8 degrees and are usually in the bag at a few courses I know will have thin lies and bunkers (these usually stay in my bag). Both sets have pros and cons

 

[the_paulo]

Anybody that has played with me knows I am a huge fan of low bounce wedges. Just so you know I used to play wedges with no more than 4-6 degrees of bounce. I now play a 12 and a 6. It has given me more options out on the course.

That sounds just like my game, up until this year. I prefer lower bounce, at least on my 52/54ish wedges. This year, I kind of happened upon the 2 wedges I'm playing (they have more bounce), and it's made me think more about my shots. I don't play the 54 from a tight lie on the fairway like I used to, as I'm just not as confident with it. In the long rough around the green, it seems a bit more versatile.

 

[PiratePenguin]

Since I play a variety of courses that have a variety of sand/turf conditions, I carry a 58* with a 8 bounce and a 54* with a 12 bounce.
If the sand is wet or dense, I use the 58*. If dry or powdery, I use the 54*.
I figure that has me covered pretty well.

Ditto. I have a 54.10 (soon to be replaced by a 54.12) and a 58.09. I will play either from the sand or from around the green, or hit a higher iron for chipping if it is tight, etc.

 

[StupidLester]

If you have the money to buy 2 or 3 different sand wedges I think its well worth it to be able to switch what club is in your bag for different sand. Much easier than changing your technique.

 

[golf4life]

I don't like a lot of bounce on my wedges. I'm currently playing a 54 with I believe 8 degrees of bounce and a 60 with about 5. When I need more bounce for sand shots, I typically open the face way up to help out. I love playing my current wedges from tight lies. Its a little more challenging out of the deep stuff, but manageable. I switched to low bounce wedges because I hate high bounce wedges out of tight fairway lies.

 

[Super Tuna]

Playing in the Soggy Northwest I have two 56 wedges one with 12 and the other 16. As of right now and all winter long it’s been the 16 bounce to help me from getting too deep in the mud. As it dries out I will put the 12 in the bag, hopefully it dry's out. Please dry out.

I don't find that to be the case for me up here mate. I don't dig unless I really botch my ball placement with a wedge and find that even medium bounce can be a determent once it dries out. Maybe my wedge technique isn't good enough for it to be a factor, but I'm finding that the lower the bounce, the better off I am in either wet or dry conditions.

 

[jlbrown70]

I don't find that to be the case for me up here mate. I don't dig unless I really botch my ball placement with a wedge and find that even medium bounce can be a determent once it dries out. Maybe my wedge technique isn't good enough for it to be a factor, but I'm finding that the lower the bounce, the better off I am in either wet or dry conditions.

The higher bounce, for me, works best on soggy fairways. For rough and sand either amount work fine. But on thin grass that resembles a sopping wet sponge - The extra bounce keeps my wedge from becoming a farming implement. As it firms up the lower bounce club will go back in the bag. At this current rate that should be mid-September.

 

[Vegan702]

I worried about this for some time, but finally settled on just using the correct wedge for my course which I play 90% of my rounds on. Here I need low bounce as we have very tight lies and hard sand, so I use a 50/8 and 55/8.

 

[Tadashi70]

Even if one is a picker or sweeper of the ball? A lower bounce MAY cause someone that plays like this to dig, no?

Good point, I always forget about the sweepers and pickers!


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[White Rhino]

After a poor round with my wedges yesterday I have been trying to become familiar with the term bounce and trying to get an understanding how it relates to me. Am I a digger or a sweeper, do Ineed high bounce or low bouce. I have enjoyed readin this thread as there is some good info in it. I am left with two questions at the moment: 1) If a person gets a "sand wedge (54*-58*) with high bounce then do you always (or generally) get a LW (> 58*) with a lower bounce to compensate? 2) Does bounce factor in when hitting shots from say 90-110 yards like with a 50*_52* wedge?

 

[Bridges]

After a poor round with my wedges yesterday I have been trying to become familiar with the term bounce and trying to get an understanding how it relates to me. Am I a digger or a sweeper, do Ineed high bounce or low bouce. I have enjoyed readin this thread as there is some good info in it. I am left with two questions at the moment: 1) If a person gets a "sand wedge (54*-58*) with high bounce then do you always (or generally) get a LW (> 58*) with a lower bounce to compensate? 2) Does bounce factor in when hitting shots from say 90-110 yards like with a 50*_52* wedge?

I think I have this right...

1) Most 58-60* wedges arent available in a real high bounce because they're used for tight lies, flop shots, and to get the ball out of deep rough so I think thats why you see people have 58-60* wedges with lower bounce than there SW. Also it depends on the types of surfaces you play on. Firm ground- you want lower bounce, soft ground- more bounce

2) Same as I mentioned at the end of post one. If you find yourself always chunking the ball a little bit more bounce should help you out so you wont dig into the ground. If you play on really firm ground then lower bounces helps out because that way the bounce wont come into contact with the ground first then ball, were as if you had more bounce you would hit the ground first on firmer conditions.

 

[pjcedog]

After a poor round with my wedges yesterday I have been trying to become familiar with the term bounce and trying to get an understanding how it relates to me. Am I a digger or a sweeper, do Ineed high bounce or low bouce. I have enjoyed readin this thread as there is some good info in it. I am left with two questions at the moment: 1) If a person gets a "sand wedge (54*-58*) with high bounce then do you always (or generally) get a LW (> 58*) with a lower bounce to compensate? 2) Does bounce factor in when hitting shots from say 90-110 yards like with a 50*_52* wedge?

Bounce is a factor with every iron in your bag, all irons have some degree of bounce to help you make good contact. I do both - dig and sweep - with wedges depending on the shot needed. I take divots on full swings with every club I hit off the ground most of the time, even my 3W but I can move the ball forward and sweep if I want more roll out and of course all driver swings are sweeps. Although the ground down here is usually pretty hard in the summer time here where I play I keep a mix of at least one wedge with a higher bounce say around 10-12 on a 54 or 56 and the rest with lower bounce, as little as 4 on my 64 LW and usually 8 on my GW. Works best for me anyway.

 

[White Rhino]

I think I have this right...

1) Most 58-60* wedges arent available in a real high bounce because they're used for tight lies, flop shots, and to get the ball out of deep rough so I think thats why you see people have 58-60* wedges with lower bounce than there SW. Also it depends on the types of surfaces you play on. Firm ground- you want lower bounce, soft ground- more bounce

2) Same as I mentioned at the end of post one. If you find yourself always chunking the ball a little bit more bounce should help you out so you wont dig into the ground. If you play on really firm ground then lower bounces helps out because that way the bounce wont come into contact with the ground first then ball, were as if you had more bounce you would hit the ground first on firmer conditions.

I have ben looking at the Cleveland (cg15) and Callaway wedges and I see higher lofted wedges with high bounce ( 13* -16*). Where would those fit in? Or should I just follow the thinking like Andy mentionedget "one of each" and if using a 3 wedge setup go "2 and 1" ?

 

[Bridges]

I have ben looking at the Cleveland (cg15) and Callaway wedges and I see higher lofted wedges with high bounce ( 13* -16*). Where would those fit in? Or should I just follow the thinking like Andy mentioned get "one of each" and if using a 3 wedge setup go "2 and 1" ?

I have a 60* and it hasnt touched a ball during my round in probably 3 months. I dont even use it, every shot I could hit with the 60 I can now use my 55 and do the same. IMO I wouldnt even worry about 58 or 60. I dont know what loft your PW is, guessing 46? So id go with something like 50/6 and either a 54 or 55 with 10 or 12 bounce. High bounce is good for bunker shots, were you open up the face and use the sole (or bounce) of the club to hit the sand first and "push/lift/pop" the ball out. But it also depends on the situation to were you might use a 50/6 instead to pop it up once you open the face all the way. The lower the bounce, the "easier" it is to hit from the fairway and tighter lies so thats why you need a little bit lower bounce since the 50 is used most of the time from the fairway, but the lower the bounce the more the leading edge will dig into the ground. If you chunk the ball a lot get a little bit more bounce to help with that. I think "standard" for a 50 is 6-8 bounce, for 56 is 12 and 60 is 6. If I remember right, it varies from company to company. Id go with the 2 wedge set-up and really work on hitting all the shots with those instead of adding a 58 or 60 that might hurt your game more than help.

 

[White Rhino]

I have a 60* and it hasnt touched a ball during my round in probably 3 months. I dont even use it, every shot I could hit with the 60 I can now use my 55 and do the same. IMO I wouldnt even worry about 58 or 60. I dont know what loft your PW is, guessing 46? So id go with something like 50/6 and either a 54 or 55 with 10 or 12 bounce. High bounce is good for bunker shots, were you open up the face and use the sole (or bounce) of the club to hit the sand first and "push/lift/pop" the ball out. But it also depends on the situation to were you might use a 50/6 instead to pop it up once you open the face all the way. The lower the bounce, the "easier" it is to hit from the fairway and tighter lies so thats why you need a little bit lower bounce since the 50 is used most of the time from the fairway, but the lower the bounce the more the leading edge will dig into the ground. If you chunk the ball a lot get a little bit more bounce to help with that. I think "standard" for a 50 is 6-8 bounce, for 56 is 12 and 60 is 6. I remember right, it varies from company to company. Id go with the 2 wedge set-up and really work on hitting all the shots with those instead of adding a 58 or 60 that might hurt your game more than help.

Tend to agree with the 58-60* wedge as stated on other threads here they can do more harm than good. My current PW is a 45* loft so I am thinking of going 50* and 56* but not sure. I know with this new knowldge I am going to look at wedges differently.

 

[pjcedog]

I have a 60* and it hasnt touched a ball during my round in probably 3 months. I dont even use it, every shot I could hit with the 60 I can now use my 55 and do the same. IMO I wouldnt even worry about 58 or 60. I dont know what loft your PW is, guessing 46? So id go with something like 50/6 and either a 54 or 55 with 10 or 12 bounce. High bounce is good for bunker shots, were you open up the face and use the sole (or bounce) of the club to hit the sand first and "push/lift/pop" the ball out. But it also depends on the situation to were you might use a 50/6 instead to pop it up once you open the face all the way. The lower the bounce, the "easier" it is to hit from the fairway and tighter lies so thats why you need a little bit lower bounce since the 50 is used most of the time from the fairway, but the lower the bounce the more the leading edge will dig into the ground. If you chunk the ball a lot get a little bit more bounce to help with that. I think "standard" for a 50 is 6-8 bounce, for 56 is 12 and 60 is 6. If I remember right, it varies from company to company. Id go with the 2 wedge set-up and really work on hitting all the shots with those instead of adding a 58 or 60 that might hurt your game more than help.

A LW has its place, it may be that where you are playing you don't need it very often but I use mine at least 4 or 5 times every round. I hit a lot of sand shots with it and anything inside of about 80 yards from the fairway unless I need to hit a low runner. I don't use it for chipping very much.

 

[White Rhino]

A LW has its place, it may be that where you are playing you don't need it very often but I use mine at least 4 or 5 times every round. I hit a lot of sand shots with it and anything inside of about 80 yards from the fairway unless I need to hit a low runner. I don't use it for chipping very much.

If I may ask, what do you use the 56* wedge for if you use the 60* for all this?

 

[Bridges]

A LW has its place, it may be that where you are playing you don't need it very often but I use mine at least 4 or 5 times every round. I hit a lot of sand shots with it and anything inside of about 80 yards from the fairway unless I need to hit a low runner. I don't use it for chipping very much.

Yes, but your also a 5 handicap and can hit the LW more consistently than we can, so thats why it does more harm than good for us higher handicappers...
Dont get me wrong, absolutely nothing wrong with carrying a LW. I still carry mine but never use it, I just find it makes me hit a lot of 5 yard chunks than good shots.

 

[pjcedog]

If I may ask, what do you use the 56* wedge for if you use the 60* for all this?

I would have to carry the 56 just for full shots 80 - 100 yards from the fairway if for nothing else, but I also use the 56 for longer sand shots and for short chips.

 

[Lukey719]

When I bought my wedges I focused on the 2 or 3 courses I'd be playing the most and then picked my bounce based on that factor. Fact is unless you have 20 wedges sitting at home you will never have the right bounce for each and every course.

 

[White Rhino]

When I bought my wedges I focused on the 2 or 3 courses I'd be playing the most and then picked my bounce based on that factor. Fact is unless you have 20 wedges sitting at home you will never have the right bounce for each and every course.[/QUOTE]

It sure seems that way.. hehe

 

[dhjkelly]

i personally bought my wedges with mid bounce because of the thing about playing different courses. seemed like the most logical thing to do

 

[wburdett]

I have a 60* and it hasnt touched a ball during my round in probably 3 months. I dont even use it, every shot I could hit with the 60 I can now use my 55 and do the same. IMO I wouldnt even worry about 58 or 60. I dont know what loft your PW is, guessing 46? So id go with something like 50/6 and either a 54 or 55 with 10 or 12 bounce. High bounce is good for bunker shots, were you open up the face and use the sole (or bounce) of the club to hit the sand first and "push/lift/pop" the ball out. But it also depends on the situation to were you might use a 50/6 instead to pop it up once you open the face all the way. The lower the bounce, the "easier" it is to hit from the fairway and tighter lies so thats why you need a little bit lower bounce since the 50 is used most of the time from the fairway, but the lower the bounce the more the leading edge will dig into the ground. If you chunk the ball a lot get a little bit more bounce to help with that. I think "standard" for a 50 is 6-8 bounce, for 56 is 12 and 60 is 6. If I remember right, it varies from company to company. Id go with the 2 wedge set-up and really work on hitting all the shots with those instead of adding a 58 or 60 that might hurt your game more than help.

All do respect I couldn't disagree more. I use my 60 all the time around the greens. As soft flops and pitches are crucial to scoring. Now if playing fairly flat and non bunkered courses you can get away with it but trying to open up 56's and 54 wedges just too much room for error. When short siding myself I'm still going to make par but only because I can throw a flop over a bunker and get within 5 feet of pin. I used to not carry a 60 and used 56 but just can't get it to stop fast enough and control.

I think a 60 is the key to lower scores. You'll see every pro out there playing in US with a 58-64 wedge specifically for flops and pitches. I don't hit it much from fairways or full shots as prefer the 56 half shots for that.

Just some food for thought.

I"m in the process of redoing wedges and looking at bounce. I'm thinking of taking on higher bounce for my 60 to avoid fat shots. Same for 52 which is 8 bounce but just don't seem to hit that well I think higher bounce will help even in harder conditions as I tend to come in hard to the ball as I've been used to playing harder fairways in north now in Florida bermuda is so soft turf comes up easy.

 

[biggsy]

I use to carry all low bounce wedges. Now mine are higher bounce. I play on tighter lies most of the time. It's helped my short game and I can play every lie out there. I used to dream getting up over wedge shots with my old wedges.

I don't get too worried about changing wedges based on the course I play, I'm just not that good to even be concerned about it.

Good thread.