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Wedge Bounce

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Franklin51

Franklin51

On the Verge
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Ardmore AL
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How do you guys determine which bounce you need for the courses you play?

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For me it's more about my swing than the course. I'll play in anything from soaking wet grass to grass that is hard pan, and anything in between. Something with a wider sole and more bounce work for me.
I've heard the pros talk about changing wedge grinds based on conditions. Specifically you normally here them talk about less bounce at Augusta. Sometimes a witb pic will display multiple wedges w the same loft, so maybe they change it up, but I'm a one size fits all golfer.
 
I am in the school of it is more swing related than condition related. i would suggest trying different bounces and seeing what works best for you. I was struggling with my chipping and switched to a wedge with lower bounce and my chipping improved significantly. For my fuller swings I don't see any difference. I think steeper swings benefit from more bounce and shallower swings from less bounce.
 
i've never really understood the idea of picking certain bounce for certain courses. here in orlando we can get really firm ground in the winter, and really soft wet ground in the summer. there's only one bounce configuration i want to play.

i asked the director of tour operations for cobra golf about this, and he said no most of the guys don't do this. they have custom grinds on their wedges specific to them and their preferences, and they stick with that.


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I am a big believer that most people don't play enough bounce with there wedges. So I would suggest play the most bounce that your specific swing style will allow. I play all my wedges with a lot of bounce. The only time that is an issue for me is on the rare occasion is I play a course with a lot of hardpan. If my regular playing conditions included hardpan than I could see playing less bounce but that would be the only reason.
 
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I try to simplify it--I have one low bounce wedge (54°) that I play off tight, hard packed lies and one high bounce wedge (58°) that I play from soft, fluffy, or gnarly lies. I (try to) play similar shots with each wedge, so I let the lie dictate the bounce (or wedge) rather than multiple sets of wedges for different courses.
 
I don't determine ahead of time so for me it's trial & error. I won't change wedges due to sand consistency as I can adjust well enough, so that's a non-issue for me.

But by accident I found that my old original 588 RTG wedges work far better for me through active bermuda rough. When it's dormant, any of my wedges will do.

Normally I prefer lower bounce wedges but I've found that the rough and somewhat wetter courses around here, more bounce is best for me.
 
I think it's trial and error with your swing and conditions you play. I've learned that despite a steep swing, generally I prefer a low to mid bounce wedge. Most of the conditions I play are firm and I struggle with too much bounce. Using bounce is important but knowing what works for you is learned.
 
I like the idea of playing the most bounce I can handle without worrying about the leading edge causing some issues.
 
I carry a 50/5, 54/10, and a 58/8, all year and everywhere. I approach each shot as a one-off and pull whichever club seems indicated; based on the type of shot and how I'm playing that day. Most of the time I use the 50 unless short-sided (58) or in the thick (54).
 
I went to a Cleveland short game clinic that used a Swing Analyzer to determine the best bounce for me. That was 2 years ago and I think with my swing improvements/changes I will go to another one this spring to see if the bounce is still working for me as myou wedge use has gone down hill the last few months.
 
I base it off swing first then conditions I see on a regular basis. I did the Cleveland fitting with wedge analyzer last year and the year before and I've come out with standard bounce options for the conditions I see regularly and iphave taken my wedges to softer and harder conditions than normal,and haven't had any issues
 
Like others have said, I think it depends more on you than any specific course. I have a pretty flat swing and have played super high bounce Hogan TK wedges for 6+ months and don't find any issues on tight lies. They are difficult to use with the face laid open, but I'm not sure if that's a bounce issue or the grind on the heel area.
 
It's all about assessing your lie. That is the most important for every shot between tee and green. Everybody talks about the specific course conditions your play on the regular, but think about bunkers as an example. Nearly every course has sand bunkers, and all are different from day to day. Some have rocks, some are fluffy, some are wet, etc. The course you play most may be soft, but it could be a dry season and the course is hard. Now you're up the creek without a paddle because you don't know how to assess the lie shot to shot. I might play my 56* normally on a shot, but it's winter and the ground is tough and/or the lie is tight. I will use my 60* or my 50* based on the lie. Maybe the grass is growing with the direction of the swing, maybe against. I will adjust the distance of a shot with my grip or swing if it means the bounce of one wedge will work better than another. Then three-putt for a double and go to the next hole.
 
At #StaffProto Mike Vrska said bounce is his friend, and he always chooses to go for the higher bounce options.

So that's what I do now too. He knows what he's talking about.


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I determine bounce based on the turf conditions I normally play. I rarely will go higher than 12* of bounce as that can cause issues with the turf here. My 58* has the most bounce as that is usually used out of the sand and the bounce helps there
 
O'Carroll said:
I try to simplify it--I have one low bounce wedge (54°) that I play off tight, hard packed lies and one high bounce wedge (58°) that I play from soft, fluffy, or gnarly lies. I (try to) play similar shots with each wedge, so I let the lie dictate the bounce (or wedge) rather than multiple sets of wedges for different courses.
Click to expand...

I do literally the same thing. Oddly reassuring to see that someone else out there thinks about bounce across a wedge set in this way.


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There wasn't any scientific reason as to why I chose what I did, they just seem to feel good to me, but I have a 50-08, 56-10 (bent to 54-08) and a 58-10. Just what works for me.
 
wound up going with a 58/12 K grind.
 
For me it is the sand and turf conditions. Hard, firm, soft...each one may require different bounce.
 
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