What bounce in Vokey wedges for Colorado Golf?

[kleraudio]

Thanks for that!  Do you know what kind of grind the SM4 vokey's use?  I also want to grab a 58 but I'll be opening the face on many shots with that club.

[boogielicious]

http://www.titleist.com/golf-clubs/wedges/spin-milled-sm4.aspx

The above link has specs and pictures of each wedge.  54-11 has the M-Grind.  If you are using this for your sand shots, you may want to go to the 54-14 for more bounce.  If not, the M-grind is versatile.  I use my 58 for most sand shots.

[kleraudio]

Thanks for the link!

If you were to use the 58 for sand shots, what bounce would you want there?   I'd like the 58 to be my greenside club too, where I need to open the face and hit lobs, or close it and hit runners....

The sole is a lot thinner on the 11 degree with M grind than the 14 degree with full grind...

I'm so friggin confused now.  What should I get?

[boogielicious]

I want the max bounce for my sand/around the green wedge, because bounce = forgiveness in both sand and the rough and even hard surfaces.  I use my 52 for some chipping and longer pitch shots, but the bounce again is my friend.  Don't think of bounce as an impediment.  Think of it as an aid.

I would go to a golf shop and just do chips and pitches with both the 54 and 58 in the top two bounce options.  See how it feels to you.  Do it on the hard and soft parts of the mat if they have that too.

Also, I don't know if you have seen the video, but it is a great way to practice pitch shots.  If you use this technique, you will see how the bounce helps on any surface, hardpan, fairway, rough and sand.

Bounce also helps in full shots if you are a bit fat on contact with the ground.

[kleraudio]

Thanks Scott.  I think 11 degrees of bounce is a good middle ground.  I think....

[boogielicious]

Don't worry so much about it.  Pick it up and work with it.  You'll be fine.

[kleraudio]

Well I just came home with the 54.11 SM4.  Got it for 109 at GolfSmith.

Pretty excited to have a Vokey in the bag!  Now onto the 58.....

What bounce you guys recommend for that?  I'd like to use it greenside, and also in the sand....

[mvmac]

As much as you can stand

Would recommend the K grind if you want to stick with Vokeys.

[boogielicious]

As much as you can stand

Would recommend the K grind if you want to stick with Vokeys.

The K grind is only in the SM5 58-11.  The SM4 58-12 is the M-grind.  I think I will be trying the SM5 soon as @mvmac keeps recommending it!

[iacas]

@saevel25 FWIW, there are some out there that say bounce will get in the way of hitting the spinner shots. That being said, yeah for most of us and the shots we play it helps on all the shots.

Many of the Edel wedges have a lot of bounce, mine included(I think 20ish on my 57). It is worth noting that the bounce is rather short though and so it makes the club very versatile being able to hit soft shots on tight lies as well. I have held mine next to some wedges in the 10-12 degree bounce range and the leading edge actually is lower to the ground on mine. So @tmac20 more than just the degree of the bounce, the way it is used and the grind makes a huge difference. I would look at how high the leading edge sits in various positions on different grinds when picking a wedge off the rack. That is more important to me than the number in the bottom. Hitting the ball thin with high bounce wedges is usually either a result of bad technique or it is in your head, unless you have a very long bounce, no grind and are trying to open the face.

Just wanted to highlight that sentence.

There's a LOT more to the sole of a wedge than its bounce.

[kleraudio]

You guys think the 58-12 Sm4 would be a good club?  I'm a mid capper so not sure I'd even know the difference between these grinds :)

[boogielicious]

That is the one I use and I like it a lot. @mvmac recommended the SM5 58-11 though.  It is $20 more, but it might be worth the try.  The sole is different for each.  They both will work well for you.  You just need to work on the techniques to get really comfortable with the one you choose.  If I was buying new, I would opt for the SM5.  It will be better out of the sand and rough.  The only difference is opening up the face for a flop shot.  The grind on the SM4 has heel relief and makes it a tiny bit easier.  But I only do a flop shot once every 3 or 4 rounds.  The SM5 has a wider sole with more camber and will be a little smoother for pitch shots.

[kleraudio]

damn these decisions are tough because I can only hit these two clubs on the sim at Golfsmith.  No real world demoing in bunkers and rough, etc....

They feel the same to me on the artificial turf..

[boogielicious]

Just go with your best guess.  You are putting way too much stress on yourself .  You will adapt the the club.  Both will be forgiving.

[kleraudio]

Who knows, my best guess is usually incorrect :)  I'll just go with the 58-12 SM4 as it's 20 bucks cheaper.  Not sure the SM5 would be that much of a difference and I have exactly 110 to spend which is what the SM4 costs new.

[boogielicious]

It will be fine.  Yesterday, I did a 30 yard pitch shot with that wedge, off a tight lie, to within 8 inches.  I also had an up and down chip, off a downhill lie to a down hill slope from the rough.  It is very versatile.  Have fun playing with it!