Definition of Golf Club Bounce
- Purpose. All irons have some bounce. Its purpose is to limit how much the front edge of a club digs into the ground when...
- Bad Bounce. Bounce can be a problem on some shots. Using a low-bounce club when conditions are soft can cause the club...
- Effective Bounce. You can change the effective bounce of the club in various ways. The late Seve...
How does bounce affect golf clubs?
How does bounce affect golf clubs? The high bounce helps the club glide through the ground. Players with a steep angle of attack can benefit from high-bounce wedges as the bounce can help prevent the leading edge from digging into the turf or sand. High bounce wedges are great for softer turf and sand conditions as the club can more easily ...
What does the "bounce" of a golf club mean?
Simply put, bounce is created when the trailing edge of a club’s sole is lower than its leading edge. The effect is that the leading edge will be off the ground when the club is placed flat. Bounce is measured in degrees; the higher the degree, the deeper the trailing edge. Understanding bounce is key when choosing a sand wedge.
What does degree of bounce mean for a golf club?
Degrees of Bounce on Golf Wedges. Golfers generally know that the loft of a club helps get the ball in the air. But bounce, which according to "The Sand Trap," is the angle of the sole against the ground at address, is just as important to a good golf shot as loft. The higher the degree of bounce to a club, the better it runs over the ground rather than cutting into it.
What Bounce is right for your golf wedges?
What Wedges Should you have in your Golf Bag?
- PW (pitching wedge 48 degrees)
- GW (gap wedge 52 degrees) – This one should have low bounce, and medium to high depth.
- SW (sand wedge 56 degrees)
- LW (lob wedge – 60 degrees) – Lastly, you should have a lob wedge with low bounce and low depth. Use SW for fluffy rough and fluffy sand.
What bounce should I have on my wedges?
Low bounce wedges are great for firm conditions and players that take very little divot. A low bounce wedge will tend to dig or cut into the turf. High bounce wedges are great for softer conditions and players that take a bigger divot. A high bounce wedge will tend to glide through the turf and resist digging.
Is bounce good golf?
The bounce on your wedges is one of those small details that so many golfers don't understand but can really improve your game. As Bob Vokey said, “Bounce is forgiveness in a wedge. The better the bounce matches your swing type and specific shot, the better your wedge game.
Do I need more bounce on my irons?
He says golfers with steep swings need more bounce, and golfers with sweeping swings need less. However, even if the soles on your irons are the right fit for your style of swing, he says, you'll only reap the benefits if the lie angle and shaft length are correct, too.
What bounce should I get on a 60 degree wedge?
What is the best bounce for 60-Degree Wedge? A 5°-8° bounce is considered best for a 60-degree wedge. Bounce refers to the angle formed between the leading edge of the club and the sole (bottom of the club). This angle is visible when your golf club establishes contact with the ground during impact.
What bounce is best for sand wedge?
Using a sand wedge with a larger bounce angle is best in fluffy sand. The added width at the bottom of the club will help your club slide underneath the sand and pop the ball out of the sand. 10-14 degree bounce is best.
Is 12 degree bounce too much?
Clubs with a bounce of more than 10 degrees are considered "high bounce" wedges, according to Publinks Golfer. Sand wedges and some specialty gap wedges usually have high bounce, making them a good choice for light sand, deep rough or a shaggy fairway.
How much bounce should my irons have?
Bounce varies from club to club. In long irons it tends to be 1° or 2° increasing to around 8° in the highest lofted club in the set as the angle of attack steepens as the loft increases. Specialist wedges tend to vary the bounce depending on how you swing and the type of shots you want to play.
What bounce do pros use?
10 bounce pitching wedges are the most used by the top 100 PGA Tour players while 10 and 12 bounce are common when it comes to gap wedges. More variety of bounces are found in the sand and lob wedges chosen but 10 bounce sand wedges are again the most used. The preferred bounce is 8 for lob wedges.
What is bounce angle in golf clubs?
The higher the bounce angle, the more the leading edge of the sole is off the ground at address. And different levels of bounce angle (higher or lower) in a wedge lead to slightly different playing characteristics. Bounce and bounce angle are elements present in all iron golf clubs, not just wedges. But the terms are commonly used almost ...
What is a bounce angle?
Bounce and bounce angle are elements present in all iron golf clubs, not just wedges. But the terms are commonly used almost exclusively in reference to wedges.
What does higher bounce mean on a wedge?
The more bounce a wedge has—the higher its bounce angle—the better it will resist digging. Another way of saying it: Higher bounce equals smaller, shallower divots . You can also think of bounce as a feature that reduces the drag on a wedge moving through sand, or through longer grass or thicker grass.
What is the average bounce angle?
Bounce angle can range anywhere from zero degrees to 14 degrees or higher. You can think of bounce angles of four degrees or less as low bounce; 5-10 degrees as medium bounce; and anything above 10 degrees as high bounce.
Does swing type affect bounce?
Yes, swing type does have an impact on how much bounce will work best for you. "Golf course conditions and the way the golfer swings the wedges down into the ball have a bearing on how much bounce is good or bad for any golfer," says club designer and clubfitting researcher Tom Wishon, founder of Tom Wishon Golf Technology .
Do you need more bounce when swinging wedges?
These are the general guidelines: Golfers who swing their wedges steeply into impact (a steep angle of attack) need more bounce; Golfers who sweep into the ball (shallow angle of attack) require less bounce.
How much bounce does a pitching wedge have?
A pitching wedge will normally have between 2 and 5 degrees of bounce; a gap wedge between 5 and 10; a sand wedge between 10 and 16; and finally a low wedge between 0 and 10.
Which has more bounce, a sand wedge or a lob wedge?
A lob wedge will usually have very little bounce whereas a sand wedge will usually have the most. However, some prefer their sand wedge to have more bounce than others, for use in bunkers with very fluffy sand for example.
What is the angle formed by the line of the sole of the club in relation to the line of the ground?
Bounce . The bounce is the angle formed by the line of the sole of the club in relation to the line of the ground. When a club has no bounce the sole lies completely flat against the ground.
What is golf club bounce?
Definition of Golf Club Bounce. Sand wedges have bounce angles of 8 to 16 degrees. The whole idea of bounce often confuses golfers. At its simplest, bounce is merely the angle between the ground and the sole of a club at proper address. Having said that, bounce is more than just an attribute of a club. Bounce can make a big difference in ...
What does it mean when a golf club has a high bounce?
Higher bounce means the leading edge of the clubface is higher than the trailing edge.
What is the difference between a low bounce wedge and a high bounce wedge?
Although your regular set of clubs comes with a predetermined amount of bounce, you'll want to specify the bounce you want for your wedges. Low-bounce wedges are best for shots off tight lies and in bunkers with very little or very firm sand, and for players with very steep swings. High-bounce wedges are best for shots from the rough, soft lies, bunkers with a lot of sand or very soft sand, and for players with flatter swings.
How to use a high bounce wedge?
You can sometimes use a high-bounce wedge off of a tight lie by moving the ball back in your stance, delofting the club and eliminating the bounce almost entirely. Altering the effective loft of a club in this way requires some skill, but it can allow you to make otherwise improbable shots.
Why does my golf ball not fly far enough?
In these cases, the ball may not fly far enough or might barely move because the club digs goes under it.
Do irons have bounce?
All irons have some bounce. Its purpose is to limit how much the front edge of a club digs into the ground when you contact the ball. Most irons have only a small amount of bounce. Fairway lies are generally pretty good and you want the club to take a small divot after you hit the ball, so lower bounce allows the front edge to dig slightly into ...
Clubs With Bounce
Every iron or wedge has a measured degree of bounce. Manufacturers vary the bounce depending upon the target market for a particular set of irons. An example in a set is the Titleist AP2 irons: 3-iron has 0 degrees of bounce, 4-iron 1°, 5-iron 3°, 6-iron 4°, 7-iron 4°, 8-iron 5°, 9-iron 6°, pitching wedge 7°.
Other Wedges
When referring to bounce, generally we are speaking about wedges; pitching, gap, sand or lob. The sand wedge will have the greatest amount of bounce with 10 to 14 degrees, lob wedges have less than 10 degrees and gap wedges may have anywhere from six to 10 degrees of bounce.
Why Bounce?
The reason that clubs have bounce is to allow for the head to exit the turf or sand easily. A club with limited bounce is referred to as a “digger.” Diggers will create a larger divot and are used when playing in firm conditions. A club that has more bounce will be used in soft conditions, such as the sand.
Fit Your Game
When deciding upon wedges to purchase, think about your game. If you take large, deep divots, a club with more bounce will help you. If you have trouble with tight lies, you may benefit from clubs with less bounce. Most manufacturers will identify the bounce of their wedge somewhere on the club head.
What is the bounce angle of golf clubs?
This is the bounce angle. All clubs contain bounce, but it is more pronounced, and significant to your game, in the wedges. Bounce allows for the club head to glide through the turf more easily. Every iron or wedge has a measured degree of bounce. Manufacturers vary the bounce depending upon the target market for a particular club.
What does it mean to bounce your wedges?
Understanding bounce can help you determine which of your wedges gives you the highest chance of success with different shot types and turf conditions.
What is the angle of a golf club's sole from the leading edge to the trailing edge?
Bounce is the angle of a club’s sole from the leading edge to the trailing edge. If you hold a wedge upside down with the head up and the shaft perfectly vertical, you’ll notice that the leading edge sits lower than the trailing edge. This is the bounce angle. All clubs contain bounce, but it is more pronounced, and significant to your game, ...
Can you tell how much bounce a wedge has?
Many recreational golfers can identify the loft of their wedges, but most couldn’t tell you how much bounce they each have, and only the rare few could truly explain the purpose of bounce and how it impacts different shots. Even though it’s often overlooked, understanding bounce and how it impacts your short game can be just as important as knowing ...
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.
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.
What does a golf wedge bounce do?
What does bounce do? When you hit a golf shot with your wedge, you don't want it to get stuck in the ground. At the moment of impact, you want your wedge to come down and bounce gently under the ball so that the grass or the turf doesn't snag up or slow your clubhead.
Why use low bounce wedges?
Lots of Tour professionals also use low bounce wedges, because they are so skilful they are able to pick the ball cleanly off pretty much any surface and don't really need the help that bounce gives. So that's the basics of bounce - think skimming stones, and you're on a winner.
How much bounce do you need for a wedge?
Yes, for the average club player having wedges with lots of bounce, say 7 to 10-degrees, will work.
What is the degree of bounce?
The actual degree of bounce will be a number, usually between 6-12, it can be simplified into three categories - low, standard, and high - with each one great at some things but not so good at others. Below is a guide on how each one will behave to help you pick the right bounce for your game.
What is mid bounce?
Mid bounce is also an excellent choice for players who like to play an open or square face out of the bunker as the dynamic bounce does not change too drastically. However, this is something to be aware off and is the start of the conversation around grind. You can read more about that below and here.
What is the loft angle of a golf club?
Most golfers understand their golf clubs, in particular their wedges, differ by loft - typically from a 45-degree pitching wedge up to as high as 64-degrees for the most extremely lofted lob wedge. But there is also another angle you need to be aware of, and that's a wedge bounce angle. As the name implies, the bounce enables the clubhead to bounce off the sand or grass without digging in before impact.
What is a low bounce wedge?
Wedges with low bounce (less than 8-degrees) are ideal for shots from tight lies and firm turf conditions - think links golf and The Open Championship. The small bounce angle lowers the leading edge closer to the ground to put a premium on good ball-striking - most tour professionals will have a low bounce in their wedges.
What angle of attack do you need to pick a golf ball off the turf?
If you pick the ball cleanly off the turf, barely bruising the ground through impact, then you've got a shallow angle of attack. The sweeping motion through the bottom of the swing drastically reduces the chance of the leading edge digging in, and therefore the need for a higher bounce angle.
What is the best wedge angle for golf?
Wedges with a mid bounce angle (10 to 14-degrees) are the best all-around wedges for playability in all types of conditions and all golfers. These wedges are very versatile for players who like to be creative around the greens.
Why is bounce important in golf?
In fact, Bob Vokey says that “Bounce is your friend,” because it provides forgiveness on all wedge shots, allowing you to still strike ...
What is a low bounce wedge?
Low bounce wedges are designed for clean ball contact, giving you the precision you need in your short game. For instance, low bounce lob wedges can be used to hit high flop shots off tight lies near the green.
What is the best bounce for a sand wedge?
The best bounce for your sand wedge depends on your swing type and course conditions. If you have a steep angle of attack resulting in deep divots, a higher bounce is recommended. If you are a sweeper resulting in shallow or no divot, low bounce is recommended.
Why use mid bounce wedges?
Players tend to choose mid bounce wedges to create shots around the green, as they help achieve exact distance and trajectory control. This wedge bounce type is the most versatile for more players, and can apply to a wide range of course conditions.
Is there a one size fits all wedge bounce?
There is not a one-size- fits-all wedge bounce. Every player is different and course conditions change. The only way to get the best performance out of your wedge set is to be properly fit for your swing type. We design the best product possible, and take it to the tour.
