Wide vs. Narrow sole and bounce ..... (in a 60* wedge)

[Gerald]

I bought the new Phil Mickelson DVD set a few weeks ago and there is a short chapter on recomended wedges. Phil says it make little difference if the bounce of a 60 degrees wedge is 6 to 9 degrees, but he prefers a wider sole as the wider sole prevents digging in.

This chapter isn't clarifying much, same with the whole DVD ...... it is all a bit talk on the surface, not really into the deep, still I like his approach to the short game.

I would say that my Bob Vokeys have quite narrow soles, but what brands have wider soles and what would be the downside of wider sole in a 60 degree wedge.

Personally I think/feel that it is more difficult with a wider sole to open the face without increasing the risk of blading the ball.

Please advise ...... !

[GaijinGolfer]

With a wider sole its a lot harder to skip the club under the ball to hit high shots, no matter of the face is open or not.  Thats why none of the, "tour" wedges are wide-soled GI wedges.

[sean_miller]

Cleveland 588 and 485 Tour Action wedges were fairly popular back in the day. The wedges in tour players bags look pretty similar to the ones available at the golf shops. With the proper grind, opening up a wide soled wedge is easy - if you have any skills that is - and it's nice to get that solid thump out of the bunkers that's hit or miss with a narrow soled wedge. Whatevs.

[Gerald]

Well on the DVD Phil mixes up bounce and sole ....... I personally feel that most of the pro's have less knowledge of clubhead design, but they are magicians with the clubs .... so who cares.

A club can have a wide sole and a few degrees of bounce, while another can have a narrow sole with lots of bounce. A sand or lob wedge with a big flange can still have a minimum bounce, while at first sight you might feel that the big flange might mean a big bounce ...... not the case.....

I am no magician with the wedge, but I can get my scrambling shots really close, one day better than the other.......

I would call the BV 54-11 relative narrow, but maybe I am wrong, I have no bunge of others to compare with......

I am planning to get a 60, but after seeing Phil's DVD and his mixed-up comments on bounce and solewidth I feel I must work this out before going for a next wedge.......