Re: sand wedge construction

a SW just has bounce to not dig in the sand, right. u can use a LW or AW, or even a PW, just like u cant just use a SW in the sand, its useful for chipping and approach shots.

of course phil had a LW, he is the master of shortgame.



lie is the angle the club is to the shaft, i cant explain it much better but it can have a big affec on your performance.

Re: sand wedge construction

Geez - the chart sure didn't translate well copy & paste, eh?

A long time ago, on a golf course far, far away (from North America), sand traps had big lips. The only way to get over these lips was to use a highly lofted club - something in the 50's in terms of loft. The sand wedge was born. It looked just like every other blade iron. After a while, somebody (Gene Sarazen, I believe), found that if you welded some material to the back of the sand wedge, it made it easier to get out of the bunkers. This welded material increased sole width in the club, allowing it to bounce through the sand.

This technology eventually evolved into bounce angle, while being able to keep sole widths pretty much the same.

So yes, you can use any club in the bunker. Hard back bunkers require less bounce (I recommend 8° or less). Fluffly bunkers require more bounce (I recommend 12° or more). Bounce is also present on your irons and other wedges. Any club is acceptable in the sand - putter included.

I'll carry 4 wedges (minimum) and sometimes a 5th. To me, they're scoring clubs. My setup includes low bounce wedges for any wedge I'm likely to full swing with (so both PW and GW are low bounce). My SW is 10° bounce, and my LW is 6°. My course has gravel pits, not sand traps, so the lower bounces work well.

As for lie. This is the angle between the shaft and the club sole. It represents how flat or upright the club will be when properly soled. A club with an improper lie (largely in the short irons) will have the effect of moving your shot left or right, if your lie is too upright or too flat, respectively (RH Golfer).

Lie angle is progressive, starting at about 58° in your woods, down to 64° in your wedges. Most club manufacturers bend the lie's flatter by 0.5° for every 0.5" difference in club length. This is a fine starting point, but lie should be checked against you swing by a clubfitter.

But overall, your assumption regarding the sand wedge is correct. It's no different than any other wedge. It's got loft and bounce, and different sand wedges have different lofts and bounces.

Re: sand wedge construction

Thanks LowPost! Sorry about the cut and paste. Looked good before I hit send. You explained it very well to my engineers mind! Can you buy clubs with the bounce you use or do you just buy a stock club and modify it? Regarding lie angle, I should have known that. I just purchased a set of Ping G5s and they are 1 degree flat (red dot) which I know refers to the lie angle ( didn't know it was called lie angle before your post ) being increased by 1 degree.

Re: sand wedge construction

Yes - wedges often come in multiple configurations.

Now, the really high-end shops can get tricky, and start grinding the soles of wedges to customize bounce, etc.

The other thing to remember is that when you bend clubs for loft, you simultaneously bend them for bounce as well. Bend them stronger, and you have less bounce. Bend them weaker and you have more bounce.

So if you want a 56/10 sandwedge (and can't find one - which I'd find tough to believe), you could bend a 54/8 or a 58/12.

Sometimes you have to shop around for what you're looking for.