Equipment
Golf 101: What is bounce?
Although I could pen a 2,000-word essay on the subject of “what is bounce,” that’s not the goal here. Instead, let’s paint a simple picture.
You are a new golfer looking to buy your first sand wedge because your buddy told you it was necessary. You enter your local shop and start looking at racks of wedges with numbers and letters. Loft? That’s simple enough. But what’s this other number—this “bounce” thing?
What is bounce?
When I explain it to new players, I use Bob Vokey’s “rudder” analogy. For soft sand, you need a bigger rudder (more bounce/wider sole) to move the sound out of the way. On firmer sand, you need a smaller rudder (less bounce/narrow sole) to keep the leading edge under the ball.
Basically, more bounce equals leading edge sits higher off the ground, less bounce means leading sits lower to the ground. Yes, there are exceptions to every rule, but this is for beginners so let’s keep it easy.
This is a VERY simple picture for those that are visual learners
Vokey’s Aaron Dill had this to say:
“Bounce is a combination of sole angles and shape that create forgiveness and versatility for all golfers.”
In simple terms, every golfer fits into a unique profile based on how they deliver the club at impact. Players that are steep tend to need a wedge with more bounce, shallow/sweepy/pickers prefer less bounce.
By the numbers: This is general, OEMs all have their own parameters for Low/Std/High but this will give you an idea
Low Bounce = 4-9 degrees
Std/High Bounce= 10-14 degrees
So when you are buying your first wedge (yes, just one, to begin with, a 56 degree), ask some questions, try some different options and if at all possible, more than any club in your bag, get to know that wedge like the back of your hand. As a new golfer, it will be the first club that will actually help your score.
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Whats in the Bag
Kevin Streelman WITB 2024 (April)
- Kevin Streelman what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic.
Driver: Titleist TSR3 (10 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 6 X
3-wood: Titleist TSR3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 8 X
5-wood: Ping G (17.5 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 10 X
Irons: Wilson Staff Model CB (4-9)
Shafts: Project X 6.5
Wedges: Wilson Staff Model (48-08, 54-08), Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks (58-L @59)
Shafts: Project X 6.5 (48), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (54, 58)
Putter: Scotty Cameron TourType SSS TG6
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Check out more in-hand photos of Kevin Streelman’s clubs here.
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Equipment
Choose Your Driver: Which 2012 driver was your favorite?
The year was 2012. Gangnam Style ruled supreme, its infectious beats and ludicrous horse-riding dance moves hypnotizing us with their stupidity. Everyone was talking about the Mayan calendar, convinced that the end of days was near. Superheroes soared on the silver screen, with the Avengers assembling in epic fashion. Katniss Everdeen survived The Hunger Games. And the memes! The memes abounded. Grumpy Cat triumphed. We kept calm and carried on.
In much the same way that automotive enthusiasts love classic cars, we at GolfWRX love taking a backward glance at some of the iconic designs of years past. Heck, we love taking iconic designs to the tee box in the present!
In that spirit, GolfWRX has been running a series inspired by arguably the greatest fighting game franchise of all time: Mortal Kombat. It’s not “choose your fighter” but rather “choose your driver.”
Check out some of the standout combatants of 2012 below.
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Nike VRS
Often harshly critiqued during its years releasing golf equipment (right, Phil Mickelson?), Nike’s tenure in the club-and-ball business gets a gloss of nostalgic varnish, with many of its iron and putter designs continuing to attract admirers. Among the company’s driver offerings, the 2012 VRS — or VR_S, if you will — drew high marks for its shaping and toned-down appearance. The multi-thickness, NexCOR face was no joke either.
Check out our coverage from 2012 here.
Callaway RAZR Fit
Callaway’s first foray into moveable weight technology (married with its OptiFit hosel) did not disappoint. With a carbon fiber crown, aerodynamic attention to detail, and variable and hyperbolic face technologies, this club foreshadowed the tech-loaded, “story in every surface” Callaway drivers of the present, AI-informed design age.
Check out our coverage from 2012 here.
Cleveland Classic 310
Truly a design that came out of left field. Cleveland said, “Give me a persimmon driver, but make it titanium…in 460cc.” Our 2012 reviewer, JokerUsn wrote, “I don’t need to elaborate on all the aesthetics of this club. You’ve seen tons of pics. You’ve all probably seen a bunch in the store and held them up close and gotten drool on them. From a playing perspective, the color is not distracting. It’s dark enough to stay unobtrusive in bright sunlight…Even my playing partners, who aren’t into clubs at all…commented on it saying it looks cool.” Long live!
Check out our coverage from 2012 here.
Titleist 910
While there’s no disputing Titleist’s “Titleist Speed” era of drivers perform better than its 2010s offerings, sentimentality abounds, and there was something classically Titleist about these clubs, right down to the alignment aid, and the look is somewhere between 983 times and the present TS age. Representing a resurgence after a disappointing stretch of offerings (907, 909), The 910D2 was a fairly broadly appealing driver with its classic look at address and classic Titleist face shape.
Check out our coverage from 2012 here.
TaylorMade RocketBallz
The white crown. The name. You either loved ‘em or you hated ‘em. TaylorMade’s 2012 offering from its RocketBallz Period boasted speed-enhancing aerodynamics and an Inverted Cone Technology in the club’s titanium face. Technology aside, it’s impossible to overstate what a departure from the norm a white-headed driver was in the world of golf equipment.
Check out our coverage from 2012 here.
Ping i20
Long a quietly assertive player in the driver space, Ping’s i20 was more broadly appealing than the G20, despite being a lower-launch, lower-spin club. Ping drivers didn’t always have looks that golfer’s considered traditional or classic, but the i20 driver bucked that trend. Combining the classic look with Ping’s engineering created a driver that better players really gravitated toward. The i20 offered players lower launch and lower spin for more penetrating ball flight while the rear 20g tungsten weights kept the head stable. Sound and feel were great also, being one of the more muted driver sounds Ping had created up to that time.
Check out our coverage from 2012 here.
GolfWRXers, let us know in the comments who “your fighter” is and why!
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Equipment
Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/29/24): Krank Formula Fire driver with AutoFlex SF505 shaft
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a Krank Formula fire driver with AutoFlex SF505 shaft.
From the seller: (@well01): “Krank formula fire 10.5 degree with AUtoflex SF505. $560 shipped.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Krank Formula Fire driver with AutoFlex SF505 shaft
This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules
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Jack Wullkotte
Sep 9, 2020 at 11:03 am
As far as I know, Toney Penna was the first club designer to incorporate bounce in designing iron heads. I believe it was in 1950. Prior to that, most irons had zero or minus bounce and laid wide open with extremely sharp leading edges. Toney also attempted to put 4 way roll on iron heads, but that never materialized. Just a little trivia from a 90 year old man who began working for the MacGregor Golf Co. in 1947.
Ted Noel
Sep 9, 2020 at 11:02 am
This article is pablum. Bounce is not bounce is not bounce. Take the low bounce wedge and extend it further aft. You will get leading edge rise the same as a high bounce wedge. Thus, the key feature is leading edge rise. You can get it different ways, but your technique will determine how much leading edge rise you need. Further, leading edge shape will affect your shots. A sharp edge is less forgiving, while a more rounded edge will let you get away with some shots.
We need to define wedges by 1) leading edge rise 2) leading edge profile 3) sole grind (for versatility). Bounce angle is worthless.
Gebby
Sep 10, 2020 at 7:32 am
Potato -cpotahto, tomato – tomahto
Jack Nash
Sep 9, 2020 at 10:39 am
Important to consider bounce when chipping “against” the grain also. Lower bounce digs in more. Good article and explanation.
Jim
Sep 9, 2020 at 10:22 am
I like the skid plate vs shovel analogy. Bounce is your friend For the average guy.