What is bounce angle on wedges?
You will often hear golf coaches and equipment fitters refer to the bounce angle in wedges but what is it and how does it help?
Bounce angle refers to the relationship between the leading edge of the clubface and the sole of the club.
If you hold your wedge on a flat surface, like a table top, with the shaft perpendicular to the surface you will notice that the back of the sole sits lower to the ground than the leading edge. If you drew a horizontal line through the leading edge of the wedge and then another line along the angle of the sole, the difference between these two is your bounce angle.(Pic.1)
How does it help?
Bounce is your friend. In bunkers,when used correctly, it ensures that the club is able to keep moving through the sand without digging in and causing a duffed shot. Equally, when you chip from fluffy lies, the bounce of the club comes into contact with the ground through impact and ensures it continues to accelerate. Even from bare lies if we feel the sole of the club brushing the ground during our practice swing and try to repeat this during our shot it can help ensure a crisper strike.
How much bounce do you need?
With regard to wedge selection most golfers focus on loft and neglect bounce angle. Selecting the correct bounce angle on your wedges is crucial and ultimately it revolves around two things – your technique and the type of golf courses you play most regularly.
· If you play on a soft, parkland courses more bounce would be preferable. Alternatively, if you play firm links courses you might require less bounce so the leading edge of your wedge is able to nip in closely behind the ball.
· In picture 2 we are testing angle of attack using an impact board.
If your angle of attack is shallow (Pic 3) the impact marks will appear towards the rear of the sole meaning that a wedge with a lower bounce angle is advisable.
If you have a steep angle of attack (pic 4) the impact marks will appear more towards the front of the sole meaning a wedge with a higher more bounce would be beneficial to help prevent the wedge from digging in.
Of course, moving your hands ahead or behind the ball at address will manipulate the bounce angle but this also alters the loft of the wedge and can affect the quality of your strike.
As always consult with your local P.G.A. Professional for advice. Here, we offer a full wedge fitting service and can advise on making the correct decision for your game.
I hope this article helped. If you have any specific questions regarding this article or wish to book a wedge fitting session, you can book online or email me on info@eddietraceygolf.com.