Connect with us

Equipment

From a Fitter: An in-depth discussion of wedge bounce, grind, loft and lie

Published

on

Wedge fitting is an interesting subject due to so many variables of the player and the course we play on. This article is to help break a few components down and help you make better choices when purchasing wedges.

Bounce is generally given a number which is a reference to the angle measured through the center portion of the sole of a club, from leading to trailing edge. The larger the angle, the more bounce you have, and the lower, the less bounce you have. No doubt this is a handy number to know, but for me, it is only the beginning of understanding the wedge.

It has often been said that “better players” use lower bounce, but this is not always true. Many tour players use higher bounce wedges these days, with special grinds (shapes of the club’s sole). Do not get pigeon-holed into a wedge option because of your handicap!

For me, wedge fitting is about versatility, forgiveness, and compatibility for that one player’s style.

I start the wedge fitting with an intensive interview process about the player’s entire bag layout and how many wedges can be fit into the bag. I then discuss their perception of the shots they play a lot of (specific yardages, flights of shot, etc.). Finally, we discuss the conditions of their most played course. Unfortunately, a lot of us do not have the luxury of owning multiple sets of wedges for all conditions, but if I can give a set of wedges some versatility, that will give the player more choice of shot from course to course.

I then measure a player’s angle of attack with their PW through to their highest loft wedge with what I call their “stock shot” or most played shot with that wedge. This process is really just an indicator of the options I will try first.

From here, it is very much player-driven. We move to the grassed area and cycle lofts, bounce and grind options. Not letting a player hit too many shots with each (otherwise they can start to manipulate the wedge too much from their normal action, especially good players). We look at divots and flight, keeping an eye especially on the bad shots and how they feel through the turf and how the shots fly/land. During my intensive sessions, we also go to a bunker area and play sand shots and shots to a green to hone in specialist areas of the short game.

Generics I use for grind

  • Players who play ‘square to square’ shots, such as bump and runs, or mid-flight shots often deliver leading edge to the ground first. Depending on conditions I combat this with leading-edge relief i.e the shape of the sole looks like a V from heel to toe. Sometimes a softer rounded leading edge can also do the trick.
  • Players who hit lots of flop shots and try to manipulate the club on the ground. I experiment with variations of heel and trailing edge relief. These players often have success with aggressive grinds, as when the club is splayed open they feel as though the missing heel and trailing edge material allows the leading edge to sit snug to the surface, and it prevents the club bouncing too much through strike.

Ultimately, I facilitate a player with options and information.

The number one key of knowing you have the right wedge is clean strike! This means the club does not want to dig or bounce, but is allowed to slide through the ball and turf delivering the loft you intended.

One of the big areas that gets missed for me is the loft and lie adjustments. If a player’s lie is way out when testing a wedge, it can make it impossible to use. During a session, I try to keep uniformity between iron setup and wedge setup ensuring distance gaps are covered. This means I manipulate lofts and lies during the fitting. I have to be aware of the implications of bounce and turf interaction as I bend loft due to it adjusting the look of offset and most importantly the presentation of leading and trailing edge. The lie is just as important: one little tweak the right way and strikes can go from average to perfect.

Generics of loft and lie adjustment

  • Adding loft can deliver more trailing edge, de-lofting can present more leading edge.
  • Having more upright lies can help ‘square to square’ players, whereas flatter lie angles can help the Mickleson flop shot specialists!
  • It’s not uncommon for me to flatten a player’s lob wedge a little more to allow that shaft to lay down easier.

Key points to get the most out of your wedge fitting

  • Test options outside on turf.
  • Do not base your fitting on just your angle of attack!
  • Play lots of style of shots during testing.
  • Make sure you have enough wedges to cover important distance and shot types for your game (have versatility in your wedge setup).
  • Make sure length, loft and lie have been accounted for—as for shaft, that’s another article!

If you attain all of this and like the look and feel of your wedges, you will be set to play your best golf home and away. No matter the lie you encounter, you will feel you have a tool for the job at hand. This gives you the confidence in your swing at the scoring end of the game.

 

Your Reaction?
  • 164
  • LEGIT26
  • WOW3
  • LOL3
  • IDHT3
  • FLOP2
  • OB2
  • SHANK19

Jack Gilbert is currently a Master Club/ Putter Fitter and Builder at Cool Clubs Australia, with 10 years experience in the industry. Day to day he is fitting and helping players from beginners to Major winning golfers and everywhere in between. Jack helps produce specific Putter Studio designs, alongside R&D for club fitting technology. He has played in the U.K and U.S.A as a Collegiate Golfer. In the last decade he has worked out of London, Gold Coast, Sydney and Melbourne and has been publishing content for Cool Clubs Australia since the company's inception. His content focuses on club fitting, club/shaft design and technology advancements.

5 Comments

5 Comments

  1. freowho

    Dec 31, 2019 at 5:59 pm

    Good article. I agree with a slighlty flatter lie angle for flop shots but it makes the club hard to use for full shots. So the lob wedge basically becomes a specialty shot only club. I think if you are someone who enjoys playing different courses you do need a a couple of different setups. If I was playing a firm course I would carry the specialty 60 which means I would need a good 56 for pitch shots. If I was playing a softer course I might carry a 58 with more bounce instead of the 56 and 60.

  2. Dan

    Dec 31, 2019 at 1:49 am

    Good to know mate. Interested in your next article about wedge flex. As I play with Ap1 R300 shafts. I was fitted with a vokey wedge, 46F bounce 10. Half an inch long, 1 degree flat. Brought 3 more vokey wedges, same length and lie off a mate. Which have been upgraded to KBS hi rev 2.0 125/S. The feel and contact are amazing. Thinking about doing the same with my 46F. Your thoughts.

    • Jack

      Jan 1, 2020 at 4:50 pm

      Hi Dan,
      Thanks for the comment. I will go into a little more depth in the article but I would base your 46* on shots you hit the most – Generally this will be fuller shots for most players, therefore I would install the shaft that matches the rest of your iron setup (if you have been fit for those and enjoy their performance etc.. too).

  3. ht

    Dec 30, 2019 at 3:04 pm

    Yeah this is great info. Thank you. Looking forward to the wedge shaft post

  4. Adam

    Dec 30, 2019 at 1:40 am

    Very informative. Thank you

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Whats in the Bag

Russell Henley WITB 2024 (March)

Published

on

  • Russell Henley WITB accurate as of the Cognizant Classic.

Driver: Titleist TSi3 (10 degrees, B1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 70 6.5 TX

3-wood: Titleist TS3 (16.5 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 80 TX

Hybrid: Titleist TSi2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT Hybrid 100 TX

Irons: Titleist T100 (4-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold AMT (4-6), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (7-9)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 50-08F @51, 54-10S, @55, 60-04T)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Scotty Cameron T5 Prototype

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Your Reaction?
  • 0
  • LEGIT0
  • WOW0
  • LOL0
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP0
  • OB0
  • SHANK0

Continue Reading

Whats in the Bag

Vince Carter WITB 2024 (March)

Published

on

  • The NBA legend was teeing it up in the Arnold Palmer Invitational Pro-Am.

Driver: Ping G430 Max 10K (9 degrees)

3-wood: Ping G430 Max (15 degrees)

7-wood: Ping G430 Max (21 degrees)

Irons: Ping i230 (4-PW)

Wedges: Ping Glide 4.0 (50, 54, 58)

Putter: Ping

Ball: Renegade Mbu

Check out more photos of Vince Carter’s WITB here.

Your Reaction?
  • 3
  • LEGIT0
  • WOW0
  • LOL1
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP0
  • OB0
  • SHANK0

Continue Reading

Equipment

From the Forums: I need more forgiveness in my irons – Looking for recommendations

Published

on

In our forums, our members have been discussing the most forgiving irons currently on the market. WRXer ‘TheShark1’ is on the hunt for a new set of irons, saying:

“Currently gaming the Mizuno Pro 225’s but think I need more forgiveness in my irons. My well struck shots are real nice, but my mishits are not performing as good as I had hoped anymore. I really like hollow body irons so if I could find something more forgiving in a hollow body iron that would be great.

Open to any and all recommendations other than Ping. Can’t hit Ping irons at all.”

And our members have been sharing their best suggestions in our forum.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

  • AvidSwampThing66: “Another vote for the super forgiving and fast Paradym irons.   They look really good for being a GI iron.”
  • bobfoster: “I just went from MP20 MMCs to the new 245s in my scoring irons (just played my first round with them today). If you have a chance to try them, you might find them worth a serious look.”
  • vman: “Shoot me down, but spend the money on lessons.”
  • J_Tizzle: “i525s are great off the heel in my opinion.”

Entire Thread: “From the Forums: I need more forgiveness in my irons – Looking for recommendations”

Your Reaction?
  • 4
  • LEGIT1
  • WOW0
  • LOL3
  • IDHT1
  • FLOP0
  • OB0
  • SHANK2

Continue Reading

WITB

Facebook

Trending