Wedge Bounce

[Fabia999]

Hi All,

I don't have much of an idea on wedge bounce. I think the higher the bounce is designed for fluffy lies, soft sand etc (maybe wrong)?

How would I decide what bounce I need when I buy a wedge? Does it even matter for a higher handicap? Is it a golfer thing or more about my course?

Thanks.

 

[Deleted member 21258]

Maybe a golfer thing. I don't tend to use any bounce when playing chips etc.

I use a wedge with very little bounce for out sand for instance and from lies that I wish to slide the club under the ball.


If in doubt have the standard or ideally try out some with little and some with loads or bounce to see what works for you

 

[Grant85]

Personally feel that higher bounce will help with playing out of rough or sandy.

Lower bounce for playing off firmer ground / tight lies.

I have a 54 08 that I use for all shots around the green where I need a bit of elevation.
I really really struggle with using this in a bunker.
I have a 60 12 that is great for bunkers, and I also use for lofty shots out of rough.

Does it matter... I'd say it matters if you want to practice and improve your technique then having the right tools will help you with this.

However I wouldn't overthink it. You can carry 14 clubs - get one for playing off tighter lies and one for bunkers / rough.
The lofts don't matter too much - probably you want that bit extra loft for the bunkers.
Put them in the bag and practice / play with them. Play positive shots, turning your body through the impact.

 

[Grant85]

Maybe a golfer thing. I don't tend to use any bounce when playing chips etc.

I use a wedge with very little bounce for out sand for instance and from lies that I wish to slide the club under the ball.


If in doubt have the standard or ideally try out some with little and some with loads or bounce to see what works for you

And just like that - you have 2 opposing views.

 

[Britishshooting]

This should give you a starting point but still nothing on a proper wedge fitting, if you have a good grasp on your swing style.

https://www.titleist.co.uk/golf-clubs/wedges/selector

With how the course conditions change in UK from firm to soft over the seasons the course conditions won't always suit your bounce unfortunately so a lot seem to stick to mid bounce for versatility or incorporate a range of bounces within the wedges to cover yourself.

If you tend to hit shots fat with your wedges it's likely you would benefit from more bounce.

Personally I have :

Low/Mid Bounce (6) Lob Wedge (Use on tight lies, bunkers with no sand and around greens generally)
High Bounce Sand Wedge (14) (heavy rough and deep fluffy sand)
Mid Bounce Gap Wedge (12)
Low-Mid Bounce PW (8)

 

[Jacko_G]

I'm different again, despite playing tight links I prefer between 10 & 12 degrees of bounce on all my wedges, 50,54 &58.

 

[Grant85]

Maybe a golfer thing. I don't tend to use any bounce when playing chips etc.

I use a wedge with very little bounce for out sand for instance and from lies that I wish to slide the club under the ball.


If in doubt have the standard or ideally try out some with little and some with loads or bounce to see what works for you

To explain this - when I am playing out of a bunker I am thinking I want to move the sand, not the ball.
My 60 degree with 12 degrees of bounce is attempting to hit the sand just behind the ball and eventually impact the ball up and out of the bunker.
Less bounce, and therefore less metal impacting with the sand would not move as much sand and not have as much influence on the ball.

I am not trying to slide the club under the ball with this club.

I try and do that with my 54 08.

When you really get into this and see the variation that most manufacturers have around loft, bounce, grind, finish etc. It can be very difficult to determine what is best for you.

 

[patricks148]

Prob would depend on the type of swing and strike.

i play on a links with tight lies and both my 58 SW and 52 GW are 12 deg bounce, i'm a bit steepter with my wedges than i was, when i had low bounce and was changing my swing slightly hit a lot fat with the low.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Probably a good starting point is to answer what sort of courses do you play most, links or parkland. Then how steep do you swing, are you a divot person?

This is a good bit of info https://www.golfbidder.co.uk/golf-advice/520/golf-club-bounce-angle-buyers-guide.html

As a high h/capper I would say that middle of the road makes a lot of sense, ie don't get a club with an extreme bounce, or lack of. If you are buying Cleveland wedges that probably means 2 dot bounce and you wont go too far wrong.

 

[Dando]

the bounce on my wedges depends purely on how far I throw the bloody thing after another duffed shot

 

[Deleted member 21258]

To explain this - when I am playing out of a bunker I am thinking I want to move the sand, not the ball.
My 60 degree with 12 degrees of bounce is attempting to hit the sand just behind the ball and eventually impact the ball up and out of the bunker.
Less bounce, and therefore less metal impacting with the sand would not move as much sand and not have as much influence on the ball.

I am not trying to slide the club under the ball with this club.

I try and do that with my 54 08.

When you really get into this and see the variation that most manufacturers have around loft, bounce, grind, finish etc. It can be very difficult to determine what is best for you.

I have a 60 wedge with little bounce for bunkers (and 'floppy' kind of shots to tight pins, when I miss in the wrong place). This is mainly that in the UK most of the time the sand is partially or fully compacted(and tbh as I play a lot of different courses and never know what it coming up, until I hit a bunker shot or what the lies are going to be like).

For me it is just easier to 'slide' under the ball/though the sand with a low bounce wedge, then risking hitting my SW which has high bounce and more likely to bounce up and then get metal to ball contact, which is never a good result

For chipping near the green I have changed this year to use whatever club I fancy hitting the chip with(after posting about my chipping up/down ratio on here, which has improved my up and down ratio in the last few months by 15-25%). From 10-90 yards I tend to use my SW which does have high bounce, I am a digger, but do not use a technique that utilises the bounce on any chipping or pitching.

Never even knew about bounce, until reading this forum and then read up about it...the above I worked out by trial and error and found it works best for me. As you say everyone will answer the question slightly differently

If it works for you, then use it. Not one club setup fits everyone with regards to short game tbh. My best tips for short game would be hit down, do not stop or flick at the ball, rather than spending to much time thinking about the bounce on a club.

 

[Spear-Chucker]

Unless you’re channeling the spirit of Seve, bounce is your friend

 

[garyinderry]

For a beginner I would recommend a high bounce wedge and learn how to use it.


It also helps out when you hit a full shot a little heavy.

 

[ScienceBoy]

I like low bounce wedges for most shots but I do use bounce. It’s essential for good technique.

Sometimes a good bootload of bounce is needed so you don’t just dissapear under the ball and pop it two feet.

Bounce is always your friend, if you have the right amount. I can’t flop well with my 56 but can with my 52 off clean lies. That said, I tend not to want to flop from clean lies so it doesn’t make a difference.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I still use my old Ping gorge wedges and have two 58 degree versions. One is their thin sole which is low bounce (around 6 degrees but not sure of the exact amount) and the wide sole which is there highest version. The thin one is better out of wet sand and hard turf conditions and the other I prefer when there is a bit of grass around and the sand is dry.

As for modern pitching and chipping methods, most videos advocate using the bounce as much as possible. Using the liner version as I do, you can even get away hitting an inch or so behind the ball and still produce a reasonable outcome. If I was the OP I'd speak to a pro and ask them to look at his action (steep v shallow) and recommend a wedge based on that and the normal conditions on the course he plays

 

[Blue in Munich]

I still use my old Ping gorge wedges and have two 58 degree versions. One is their thin sole which is low bounce (around 6 degrees but not sure of the exact amount) and the wide sole which is there highest version. The thin one is better out of wet sand and hard turf conditions and the other I prefer when there is a bit of grass around and the sand is dry.

As for modern pitching and chipping methods, most videos advocate using the bounce as much as possible. Using the liner version as I do, you can even get away hitting an inch or so behind the ball and still produce a reasonable outcome. If I was the OP I'd speak to a pro and ask them to look at his action (steep v shallow) and recommend a wedge based on that and the normal conditions on the course he plays

Just for the OP's guidance, thin soles & wide soles do not necessarily determine or relate to the bounce. It is possible to get narrow soles with high bounce and wide soles with low bounce.

I'm with Spear-Chucker, bounce is your friend.

 

[cliveb]

Always amuses me how the YouTube golf pros tell us to "use the bounce" as they demonstrate how to chip off perfectly fluffy grass.
Just try that on my course, chum, and see how far you get (actually, probably very far as you blade your chip way over the green).
Our rough and even semi rough is very clumpy and the ball inevitably sits down in a hole. Bounce definitely isn't your friend in those circumstances.

 

[jim8flog]

Bounce is exactly what it says.

The higher the amount of bounce the more the club will do exactly that. The less the more it will tend to dig in to soil/sand.

When looking at a SW for use in the bunker it is important to realise (as others have said) you are not trying to hit the ball you are trying to the hit the sand and you want the club to bounce off the sand without going to deep removing a load of sand from the bunker carrying the ball on top of it. It is therefore important to match the bounce to the type of sand.

To most beginners I would recommend getting a wide sole SW (56 degree) with not less than about 10 degrees and concentrate on just getting the ball out on to the green .

 

[Jacko_G]

Just for the OP's guidance, thin soles & wide soles do not necessarily determine or relate to the bounce. It is possible to get narrow soles with high bounce and wide soles with low bounce.

I'm with Spear-Chucker, bounce is your friend.

I don't think Homer was implying that was the case, more the fact that Ping label their wedges TS - thin sole, SS - standard sole & WS - wide sole.

Wide sole for Ping is their highest bounce, thin sole is the lowest and guess what SS is, that's right bang in the middle.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Just for the OP's guidance, thin soles & wide soles do not necessarily determine or relate to the bounce. It is possible to get narrow soles with high bounce and wide soles with low bounce.

I'm with Spear-Chucker, bounce is your friend.

Agreed but in the early gorge models (c2015) they didn't quote bounce degrees and so only offered wedges in varying sole widths. At least now Ping have put the bounce on their latest wedges