sandtrap bounce

[Sandwedge74]

hi quick question. i recently bought a vokey 56 with 10 degrees of bounce. sand play is the weakest part of my game for. Did I make a mistake. would a bunker shot really be THAT much easier if I had gotton 14 degrees of bounce??? if so - does anyone wanna buy a Titleist Vokey 56/10 practically new for $50

[Shindig]

hi quick question. i recently bought a vokey 56 with 10 degrees of bounce. sand play is the weakest part of my game for. Did I make a mistake. would a bunker shot really be THAT much easier if I had gotton 14 degrees of bounce??? if so - does anyone wanna buy a Titleist Vokey 56/10 practically new for $50

What type of sand do you generally play from? How do you use your sand wedge in situations that aren't in the sand?

[Sandwedge74]

well it really varies and I realize thats a problem. but generally medium grained to fluffy sand I guess - sometimes in NYC though these bunkers really suck and have harder sand - so whats the best all around?? is there one bounce in general that will help make it easier to get out no matter what?? barring really really bad rocky bunkers??

[MrSandman]

10 degree bounce is plenty. That is fairly standard. There is nothing wrong with 14 degre bounce, but don't think you made a mistake in going for 10 degree.

In NYC traps, where the sand is more like a glorified cart path, you would want less bounce (10 is still fine though). The bounce is there to prevent the club from "digging" too deep into the sand, it bounces the club back out. The "digging" effect does not occur if the sand is real hard. On hard sand, you don't want the club to bounce too much, because it will bounce off the sand into the side of the ball and result in a skulled shot.

But to answer your question, I think you should feel comfortable with a 10 degree bounce. That is pretty standard bounce for a sand wedge. 10 is probably best for all around. 14 might be better if your home course had real soft sand with deep bunkers, but if you are looking for versatility, 10 is fine.


And if you really think that you need 14 bounce, PM me and I'll gladly meet you in midtown with $50 and take that Vokey off your hands. I've been thinking about switching my 56 to a vokey, and I like the 10 degree bounce.

[Shindig]

well it really varies and I realize thats a problem. but generally medium grained to fluffy sand I guess - sometimes in NYC though these bunkers really suck and have harder sand - so whats the best all around?? is there one bounce in general that will help make it easier to get out no matter what?? barring really really bad rocky bunkers??

Confidence is really important in bunkers especially, so if you don't feel your club will do the job, it won't. That having been said, when I'm in fluffy sand, I use my 56.14, when I'm in the harder sand you describe (many LA Munis have sand like the ones you describe) I drop to my 51.6. So, if I carried a *.10, I suspect it would help in both situations. It sounds like a good general-use club. If you decide not to keep it, Mr. Sandman's offer looks pretty good.

[Sandwedge74]

thanks keep em comming- I feel like i always dig too far under the sand so thats why i was wondering if I needed MORE bounce

[elchene]

On hard sand, not as much bounce is fine. You don't want to end up skulling it. On fluffy sand, I play the clubface open to increase the bounce. Don't worry, 10 degrees is enough. The amount of bounce usually matters more on other shots. From a tight lie, less bounce. In the rough, more bounce.

[pjsnyc]

I play NYC area courses...and yes - the bunkers are like glorified cart paths (great way of putting it). I bought a 54* CG11 with 1 dot (low bounce) and I absolutely love it.

One question tho - I've been thinking of getting a higher lofted wedge since I feel more confident in my ability to hit them now - should I go with something around 58*-60* and more bounce to 'diversify' my wedges? Or should I stick with the low bounce?

[wtd]

One question tho - I've been thinking of getting a higher lofted wedge since I feel more confident in my ability to hit them now - should I go with something around 58*-60* and more bounce to 'diversify' my wedges? Or should I stick with the low bounce?

I've been wrestling with the same question myself. My wedges are now 3+ years old, so I think they could use an update. After trying a few out at my local pro shop I'm leaning towards the Vokeys.

I was thinking an 52/8*, the 56/14* and...well...ideally a 60* with very low bounce (I find myself hardpanned around the green more often than I'd like, but I'd like something with leading edge and heal relieve so I can open the face up without too much risk of skulling). I think it makes sense to cover a range of bounces so at a minimum you'll have a viable option from any lie.

[DJYoshi]

I know what you mean witih SUCKY sand in our area. A lot of bunker shots...it feels like you're hitting from cement instead of sand.....our sand (depending on the course) is more or like a full grain that when it gets wet, hardens like a rock.

The best way to play this type of sand...i've found has been to fully open the blade and stance....and really play it from your back foot with a full swing... even if it's a short green with not a lot of room to work with..I'll just adjust by how much I open the blade.... i'm not all that, but a big mistake I see people make from our sand is they don't open the blade enough... they play a regular shot and a lot of times they either pick it so clean that the ball travels 80 yards past the green or they come up short b/c they end up digging into the sand... I say don't even really mess with the swing and open the club up and let it work thru the sand for you to pop the ball out...

but the bounce of your club is PLENTY for standard shots and out of the bunker.
if you've got 0 room to work, do you have a lob wedge in there? I pull that out when I have to basically go straight up and play the shot more like a flop shot out of the sand....

I had a shot the other day on a green side bunker that i had to pop it up a good 4 feet and only had about a 2 foot circle to land in that was 3 feet away to be able to save par...the lob wedge worked lovely in that situation.