Is 9 deg enough bounce for a SW?

[Danfix99]

Hello everyone,

I am looking at a 54 deg SW with 9 deg bounce. Is that enough bounce to be my primary bunker club? I can get the same wedge with 12 deg bounce, but I'm afraid that I will not be able to use it as well from the fairway. Which is easier--hitting a higher bounce wedge on the fairway, or hitting a lower bounce wedge in the bunker?

[SulfurAcid]

I think that it will be easier to hit a lower bounce wedge in the bunker, than a high bounce in the fairway. The high bounce in the fairway will just not allow you to get the club under the ball.

I think that 9 degrees of bounce is fine, but I use 14 on my sand wedge.

[mikelz]

  Danfix99 said:

Hello everyone,

I carry 54/9 and a 56/12 degree sand wedges (4 wedges total).

I don't like the 54 as my primary sand club because of the loft. It doesn't ever "float". I don't think the bounce is the problem. The 54 is my primary club from about 90-60 yards & in for the exact same reason. I can drive the 54 lower with less spin and the bounce isn't a problem on a closely mowed fairway. I don't have a problem with the 56/12 out of the fairway. That's my primary from 60 yards & in. If I hit the ball with a descending blow, the bounce has never bothered me. The ones I skulled because of the bounce I would have hit fat with a lob or pitching wedge. Oh, I also keep my 54 because I figure I need one club without box grooves around the green. That sort of looks like an answer. If it's not, I'll hear about it.

[DavidFehertysBike]

  SulfurAcid said:

I think that it will be easier to hit a lower bounce wedge in the bunker, than a high bounce in the fairway. The high bounce in the fairway will just not allow you to get the club under the ball.

Its the opposite. The lower the bounce the easier it is to hit off of flat lies, and vice versa. TBH ive never seen a 56 with 9 bounce, unless the one he has is a 58, which i see 8 degrees of bounce often. I use a 56/10 as my SW and i think its the most verstaile spec to have on that club.

[Magnus]

Well, I guess you need to ask yourself, is this club going to be used more in the bunker or fairway? Do you intend on it being a sw from the fairway most often, and use it only out of the sand when you happen to hit it in there? If you intend on it being primarily for the fairway, get the 9. You can always open it more to expose more bounce. On the other hand, a 12 or 14* still can work in the fairway, if the fairway is tightly mowed you can just play it back in your stance, hands forward a bit, and remove some or all of the effective bounce from the club.

More bounce=sand, less bounce=fairway - as stated above.

I use a 54* Vokey that has 10* bounce, works well in the fairway, and the sand.

[odstore]

I'd just look at what you want for loft in the wedge. I don't think that 12 degrees will be too much bounce in the fairway. My 588 has a 14 degree bounce and I don't have any issues hitting from the fairway. If you want something in between you can always get either one and have the wedge bent to 55 degrees and have a bounce that's more in the middle.

[Catul]

With a 30 handicap, I'd recommend you get higher bounce in your sand wedge - the 54/12 should be a lot easier in most situations. What kind of sand do they have on the courses you play? Higher bounce would be better suited for softer/fluffier sand.

I use a higher bounce 58* wedge for most sand shots, but we have very fluffy sand and I typically don't have long(er) bunker shots. I also have a 54* with 10* bounce that is very effective; better sand players have no problem "creating" bounce with a relatively lower bounce wedge - read Stan Utley's "Art of the Short Game" to see how you setup for a sand shot; works every time!

[SulfurAcid]

  DavidFehertysBike said:

Its the opposite. The lower the bounce the easier it is to hit off of flat lies, and vice versa. TBH ive never seen a 56 with 9 bounce, unless the one he has is a 58, which i see 8 degrees of bounce often. I use a 56/10 as my SW and i think its the most verstaile spec to have on that club.

Right, so a lower bounce is going to be more useful on the fairway, being a flat lie, right? I was trying to distinguish which would be easier to pull off.

[Dave24309]

You might consider the typical courses you play. If there are a lot of tight lies and hard sand, a lower bounce would be more versatile. Personally, I like a lower bounce. My 60 degree has little higher bounce, for those situations needing it. And when I need it, I usually really need it.

That being said, you'll probably be fine with a lower bounce for a more versatile wedge. On the other hand, you could stay out of bunkers