Clarity wanted on wedge questions

[rob_golf1]

Just got myself a new 54° wedge with 10° of bounce.

My question is, I want to use the club from the fairway as well as my main go to club for bunker shots. This is the reason I went for 10° of bounce so that I have something that is versatile and can be used from both conditions.

If I were to open up the club face, would this present more than 10° of bounce making it easier to hit from bunkers?

I'm also looking at adding a 58 or 60 to the set with much lower bounce to use around the greens. Not sure what loft to go with yet. Am I on the right track with my thoughts and selection so far?

 

[BubbaP]

I'll be interested to see the replies Rob. FYI my ageing wedges are 54-10 and 58-10. I reckon I use the 58 from the bunkers 9 out of 10 times.
My regular courses spans from very firm to soft n soggy. The bunkers are maybe not the best, that fairly heavy sand and quite shallow depth of sand. We had a couple of new bunkers added this year and a different sand has been used, finer (grabby) and deep. I was toying with maybe going 54-12, 58-08 or something, having the 12 bounce to help a bit in these new bunkers. But then I think maybe we (I) over complicate things and just stick as is.

 

[rob_golf1]

I'll be interested to see the replies Rob. FYI my ageing wedges are 54-10 and 58-10. I reckon I use the 58 from the bunkers 9 out of 10 times.
My regular courses spans from very firm to soft n soggy. The bunkers are maybe not the best, that fairly heavy sand and quite shallow depth of sand. We had a couple of new bunkers added this year and a different sand has been used, finer (grabby) and deep. I was toying with maybe going 54-12, 58-08 or something, having the 12 bounce to help a bit in these new bunkers. But then I think maybe we (I) over complicate things and just stick as is.

With the weather over here course conditions can change so quickly. Only a few weeks ago we were playing courses with very firm fairways and greens, compared to the course I played on Saturday where there was a bit of grab on the greens after a week or so of spots of wet weather.

I'm entriguted know whether opting for the 54/10 was a good choice due to its flexibility when playing different shots.

 

[the_coach]

Just got myself a new 54° wedge with 10° of bounce.

My question is, I want to use the club from the fairway as well as my main go to club for bunker shots. This is the reason I went for 10° of bounce so that I have something that is versatile and can be used from both conditions.

If I were to open up the club face, would this present more than 10° of bounce making it easier to hit from bunkers?

I'm also looking at adding a 58 or 60 to the set with much lower bounce to use around the greens. Not sure what loft to go with yet. Am I on the right track with my thoughts and selection so far?

presuming this 54º bought as a sand wedge - with that loft choice because of gap wedge & pitching wedge lofts with a view to gapping

dependent on the type of traps on the tracks you play as with a 54º you maybes find you will need to play the shot with the face open more often then not if there's a certain height you need to get the ball up & out

real truth of the matter my take is that gap wedge to sand wedge don't really need to be the sane gaps in loft as PW tp GW largely because there's not a whole bunch of time folks play 'full shots' with either GW or certainly SW

so my take/advice would be always chose the wedge to help get you out dependent on both the trap designs & sand type you come across as a norm

you look closely at the 54º when squared up you'll see the leading edge is a tad higher than the apex of the bounce & so then as you open up the face that leading edge then gets a tad higher as more of the bounce gets presented at the sole

depends on course types & conditions you play mostly at but also on the skill level & the type of pitching/chipping stroke when looking to chose the bounce for a higher lofted LW

if you tend to get a bunch of stubb-outs/chunks/fats then likely 6º low bounce probably not the best answer - especially on parkland type track that tend to hold water more

also a 60º can often times be real tough for a lot of index players to use as there's so much loft visible when soled as the club is meant to be folks then get a tad scared off and play the shots with the handle ways forwards & the ball way back to take loft off which can then easy put the leading edge straight into the ground behind the ball especially with a very active hand/wrist set in early takeback

my take/advice would be to look at maybes a 58º with the same 10º of bounce that then gives you a second sand wedge choice if the trap front is tall - plus gives you a bunch more room with the pitching/chipping technique around the green to use the bounce to protect against the leading edge digging in

 

[Region3]

I think it's more about finding the sole grind that suits you than the bounce angle.

My 60° has 8° bounce, but the grind means that it plays (or seems like it to me) a lot less. You can open it up and play a flop shot from a tight lie, but it's equally as easy to chunk a straightforward chip. My 54° only has 2 more degrees of bounce but plays so much easier just because there's less material ground away from the sole.
I know it's my bad technique, but the 54 comes out of bunkers so easily whereas I always take way too much sand with the 60.

Justin Thomas has a 60° with 12° bounce and hardly anything ground away on the sole (K), which I think shows that us amateurs have misconceptions about what we need in a wedge.

 

[PJ87]

I think it's more about finding the sole grind that suits you than the bounce angle.

My 60° has 8° bounce, but the grind means that it plays (or seems like it to me) a lot less. You can open it up and play a flop shot from a tight lie, but it's equally as easy to chunk a straightforward chip. My 54° only has 2 more degrees of bounce but plays so much easier just because there's less material ground away from the sole.
I know it's my bad technique, but the 54 comes out of bunkers so easily whereas I always take way too much sand with the 60.

Justin Thomas has a 60° with 12° bounce and hardly anything ground away on the sole (K), which I think shows that us amateurs have misconceptions about what we need in a wedge.

Think I have the same sort of situation as your wedges.. I have been practing my wedge shots with my 58 degree k grind sm5 which has less bounce than my 54 degree (11on the 58 but 14 on the 54) but looks completely different. My 54 degree comes out of bunkers a lot easier than my 58 which seems to come out lower (but I know it's because I'm taking more sand just can't seem not to!)

Defiantly something in the sole

 

[lukeysafc100]

Interesting that you feel fitting yourself is the right way to go.

Personally I got fitted for my titleist wedges - and its made a huge difference. It doesn't cost anymore.

and there's more to it now that than just bounce - you've got grinds to look at now. Also ensure you have even gaps.

 

[jim8flog]

It can be very dependent on the wedge design. Some wedges are designed to give you more bounce when you open the club face whereas another may retain the same bounce.

Place the club on a very smooth surface eg a lino floor and keeping the same face angle, open and close the face and watch the gap between the leading edge and the floor to see if it alters.

On a personal note I have 54/8 and 58/14 and what I use in the bunker depends upon the type, depth and dryness of the sand.