Wedge Bounce and How to Use it Properly

Most golfers are familiar with the term “bounce”. It refers to the bottom of your wedges. If you look, you will see two edges on the bottom of the golf club, known as the “leading edge” and the “trailing edge”. If you take a closer look, you will notice that the leading edge is lower than the trailing edge. So, the bottom of the club is not flat - it is on an angle. The amount of angle from the leading to the trailing edge is called the “bounce” angle. Standard off-the-rack sand and lob wedges may come with an average of 12 degrees (listed on the bottom of the club) but this is where you may need to be careful. Let’s take a look at why. 

There are times when we use the leading edge and times when we need the trailing edge. Okay, so what to do when? The first consideration is the lie of the golf ball: does it lie on the fairway in a tight lie or the rough in some heavier grass? This is an important distinction because it will determine what edge of the club and what face angle we need to present at impact. On very tight lies, the trailing edge can be a nuisance because it may “bounce” off the turf and cause the leading edge to contact the equator of the golf ball causing the classic “skull” shot! Here we prefer a low bounce wedge, perhaps six to eight degrees, to be safe. We also need to keep the club face fairly square as opposed to open because when it is open, we are exposing the back edge and using more bounce. Remember the bounce is designed to help us, but not in every situation.  

Another time when the trailing edge is a problem is when we chip - a low running shot across the green. Here the safe play is to keep the leading-edge low by setting up with the club face square and the hands well in front of the ball. This way we can ensure contact with the bottom of the golf ball and send the ball away low and rolling. That is why chipping from the rough is a bit dangerous. Just as the leading edge can be safer on tight lies, it can be a disaster from the rough; if it gets caught in the tall grass, the shot is chunked-dead! Now we introduce the trailing edge!

When the golf ball lies in the rough or the bunker, it is important to use the bounce, the “rudder” on the bottom of the golf club. It will SLIDE through the grass and/or sand and not get stuck in it. Consider it similar to a bunker shot, we need the bounce to slide through the sand. It works exactly the same way in the rough. To use the bounce, we would open the club and be sure the hands are OVER or even slightly BEHIND the golf ball, not in front of it. Remember the hands in front EXPOSE the LEADING EDGE. Again, the same in the bunker: NEVER square the face or deloft the club by keeping the hands in front; the leading edge is bound to get stuck.

So here is a checklist for shots around the green:

Clean lie, short grass…square clubface and hands slightly in front.

Rough lie, tall grass…open clubface and hands over the ball.

Greenside bunker…very open face, hands low and over or even slightly behind the golf ball.

Far too many shots are wasted around the green. You can improve your short game tremendously simply by knowing how the golf club is constructed and how to use it to your advantage! I strongly suggest a private lesson to guide you through this critical component of scoring. Everyone reading this has chunked or skulled a short shot near the green. Thinking about these simple set-up and face conditions may, in itself, help your short game. Feel free to send me a video of your pitching or chipping if you are struggling: dennisclarkgolf@gmail.com.