I've been reading up on the amount of bounce a wedge has and what it means to the golfer. I've always used my 60º out of the bunkers, my 56º from the fringe or close to the green and a 52º from up to 100yards out, i never took the bounce of the club into consideration.
In basic terms (my terms
) the bounce number on your wedge refers to the angle on the sole of the club which in turn effects the leading edge. 1º of bounce = leading edge low to the ground and a flat sole, 12º of bounce = leading edge slightly off the ground and a rounded sole (measured with shaft at vertical not address). The higher the number of bounce the less the club will dig into the ground or the better the sole will glide through loose materials. Example: A 75 yard shot from a fairway lie with a 56º that has 6º of bounce will more than likely produce a well hit shot and a good divot, now try the same shot with a 56º that has 12º of bounce, the result will most likely be a thinned shot and no divot. The reason? the leading edge of the 6º bounce club was lower and able to dig into the ground, resulting in the ball hitting the center of the face whereas the 12º bounce club has a higher leading edge which stops it digging into the ground and therefor slides (bounces) over the turf and the ball makes contact with the lower part of the face.
Now take the same to clubs to a bunker which has soft sand, the 6º bounce will dig into the sand and decelerated the club face causing a nice chunk and another shot from the same bunker, but the 12º bounce wedge will enter the sand and slide over it without digging too deep resulting in a good contact on the ball.
Understanding what the amount bounce means can really help you decide on which club to use for a particular shot and also help you when purchasing your next set of wedges, if your local course has tight fairways, light rough and heavy sand in the bunkers then go with a lower bounce on your wedges and obviously the opposite for dense rough and fluffy bunkers. My course has tight fairways, light rough and fluffy sand in the bunkers, so i use a 52º gap wedge with 6º of bounce and a 58º lob wedge with 8º of bounce for the fairways, fringe and light rough and a 56º with 12º of bounce for the bunkers. I've only known about the effect of bounce for 2 weeks but already i've saved myself a lot of shots and a whole lot of embarrassment not thinning my shots over the green.
Chief.
The Bounce
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