“Sand Wedge Bounce”
Most of us don’t spend a lot of time thinking about our sand wedges. We usually find one we like well enough to have a relationship with and stick with it through thick and thin (lies). You know you are in this type of relationship when the engraving on the sole becomes hard to read due to prolonged use.
Speaking of soles, the sole angle of an iron is the angle in degrees of the sole from front to back compared to the ground line when held in the playing position. A bounce angle occurs when the leading edge of the sole is higher than the trailing edge which is typical for most sand wedges.
But don’t get hung up on the definition. What a bounce angle helps us do is glide through the sand much the way the bow of a boat plows through and over the water. It keeps us from digging too deep. Can you have too much of a good thing? That depends a lot upon the bunkers you play from. If you are playing in fluffy Disneyland sand, a lot of bounce is good. If you are playing in coarse sand or bunkers with a 2” veneer of sand over hardpan then less bounce could be helpful. Many sand wedges measure 12 degrees of bounce but you can get one lower than that. For the courses I play on in this area I carry a sand wedge with 9 degrees of bounce which works well from bunkers and fairways.
The correct bounce angle can also help you improve your bunker play. If you tend to leave the ball in the bunker you might try a sand wedge with more bounce or one with a wide sole which can also keep the clubhead from diving too deep. If you tend to hit the ball thin out of the bunker try a sand wedge with less bounce or experiment with the lob wedge.
When chipping or hitting approach shots the sand wedge may not always be the best choice. Make sure you have some grass or soft ground under the ball or the clubhead may skip and you’ll hit the dreaded thin shot across the green and onto the next tee box. You may want to try a pitching, gap or a lob wedge which all have less bounce for this type of shot.
Finally, be aware that if you change the loft on your sand wedge you will also be changing the bounce angle. De-lofting a wedge will reduce bounce while increasing loft increases bounce.
Patrick Blair
Blair Golfworks
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