Choice of Wedge for shot

[Migs]

Friends:

I am told that I need to open the face of the wedge to get more loft out of the sand.  Also that I should now aim more to the left since the ball will go to the right.

Why not just use a wedge with more loft and aim straight?  Why is such advice so common instead of the simpler: "Use a 60 instead of a 54"?

Thanks amigos

Migs

[alleztom]

My understanding is that opening the face of the wedge also exposes more bounce, bounce is your friend, especially in the bunker (see many articles and threads on this site). So a 54* opened 6* will (cereris paribus) have more bounce than a 60* wedge, thus the loft will be the club won't behave the same way through the sand

[boogielicious]

49 minutes ago, Migs said:

Friends:

I am told that I need to open the face of the wedge to get more loft out of the sand.  Also that I should now aim more to the left since the ball will go to the right.

Why not just use a wedge with more loft and aim straight?  Why is such advice so common instead of the simpler: "Use a 60 instead of a 54"?

Thanks amigos

Migs

Below is an excellent instruction thread on sand shots.

 

[Migs]

3 hours ago, boogielicious said:

Below is an excellent instruction thread on sand shots.

 

 

I cant find the link. Thanks -Migs

[boogielicious]

2 hours ago, Migs said:

I cant find the link. Thanks -Migs

Just click on the title "How to hit Sand/Bunker Shots" and it will open to the page.

[inthehole]

All this is assuming you're playing out of nice fluffy sand.   For hard sand, bounce is not your friend.   After blading countless bunker shots trying to use the bounce in hard sand (per everything you read about bunker play - which never indicates this technique only works for fluffy sand) ... I have learned that you simply have to dig the hell out of it with the leading edge in hard sand on the crappy muni's I play  ...

[SavvySwede]

7 minutes ago, inthehole said:

All this is assuming you're playing out of nice fluffy sand.   For hard sand, bounce is not your friend.   After blading countless bunker shots trying to use the bounce in hard sand (per everything you read about bunker play - which never indicates this technique only works for fluffy sand) ... I have learned that you simply have to dig the hell out of it with the leading edge in hard sand on the crappy muni's I play  ...

I would argue the exact opposite. Doing that in firm wet sand is going to give you the least margin for error. You could use normal bunker technique and take less sand or hit it like a pitch off hardpan if the stuff is truly rock hard.

[saevel25]

5 hours ago, Migs said:

Why not just use a wedge with more loft and aim straight?  Why is such advice so common instead of the simpler: "Use a 60 instead of a 54"?

Thanks amigos

Migs

Opening up the club adds more bounce which helps you glide under the ball more. I typically always open the club up slightly on most of my pitch shots. 

For bunker shots you want a lot of bounce to help you glide through the sand rather than dig into it. 

 

[Mr. Desmond]

I think choice of wedge is all relative, depending on your wedge - its width, bounce, relief and the sand.

Soft sand - I always open up a bit but not much. Short shot use a 60, longer use a 55, etc.

You may need more bounce in soft sand, less bounce in firm sand or river sand. Wet sand?  it's logical that if your wedge digs in the wet, it will stop - logically you will need bounce.

So look for the bounce and loft that meets the conditions - you may need to grip down, may need to open more or less depending on conditions, you may need to  lay the shaft down more to get more loft. Gosh, it's complicated...

[mcanadiens]

52 minutes ago, inthehole said:

All this is assuming you're playing out of nice fluffy sand.   For hard sand, bounce is not your friend.   After blading countless bunker shots trying to use the bounce in hard sand (per everything you read about bunker play - which never indicates this technique only works for fluffy sand) ... I have learned that you simply have to dig the hell out of it with the leading edge in hard sand on the crappy muni's I play  ...

Your muni's have real sand. Lucky boy.

[WUTiger]

The sand at my home course is medium weight, but it really packs down hard after just a little rain. When our bunkers are damp, I pick it clean with a PW, or a SW if I need some loft.

[Migs]

3 hours ago, boogielicious said:

Just click on the title "How to hit Sand/Bunker Shots" and it will open to the page.

Great!

Thanks guys!  I really appreciate your input.

 

Migs

[Golfingdad]

8 hours ago, Migs said:

Friends:

I am told that I need to open the face of the wedge to get more loft out of the sand.  Also that I should now aim more to the left since the ball will go to the right.

Why not just use a wedge with more loft and aim straight?  Why is such advice so common instead of the simpler: "Use a 60 instead of a 54"?

Thanks amigos

Migs

Yeah, you want that bounce to keep you from digging in and getting stuck in the sand.  Greenside bunker shots are basically the same style "explosion" shot for me in most cases and I just choose between the 54 and the 58 based on how long the shot is or how much roll out I want or expect.

If the pin is close or the green slopes downhill to the pin, then it's probably going to be the 58, but if it's uphill and/or further, then it's possibly the 54.  Each situation is different though.

[dkolo]

2 hours ago, Golfingdad said:

Yeah, you want that bounce to keep you from digging in and getting stuck in the sand.  Greenside bunker shots are basically the same style "explosion" shot for me in most cases and I just choose between the 54 and the 58 based on how long the shot is or how much roll out I want or expect.

If the pin is close or the green slopes downhill to the pin, then it's probably going to be the 58, but if it's uphill and/or further, then it's possibly the 54.  Each situation is different though.

I always use my 56° out of greenside bunkers. I tell people it's because the 56° has 14° of bounce versus only 4° in my 60°, but really it's because the 60° has a sweet black satin finish that I really don't want to wear out in the bunkers, haha. It's the biggest reason I don't know if I'll ever bring myself to buy a non-used sand wedge. It'd break my heart to use it.

[Golfingdad]

6 minutes ago, dkolo said:

I always use my 56° out of greenside bunkers. I tell people it's because the 56° has 14° of bounce versus only 4° in my 60°, but really it's because the 60° has a sweet black satin finish that I really don't want to wear out in the bunkers, haha. It's the biggest reason I don't know if I'll ever bring myself to buy a non-used sand wedge. It'd break my heart to use it.

LOL ... and I think the wear that sand puts on wedges is beautiful!  I used to have Cleveland RTG wedges back in the 90s - the trendy ones all the pros used that got rusty on purpose - and the rust originally came in all splotchy and bad, but once I used them out of the sand a lot, it acquired a really, really nice patina*. 

*(I've never actually used that word before, hopefully I didn't screw it up.)

[DaveP043]

20 hours ago, Golfingdad said:

LOL ... and I think the wear that sand puts on wedges is beautiful!  I used to have Cleveland RTG wedges back in the 90s - the trendy ones all the pros used that got rusty on purpose - and the rust originally came in all splotchy and bad, but once I used them out of the sand a lot, it acquired a really, really nice patina*. 

*(I've never actually used that word before, hopefully I didn't screw it up.)

Weren't you one of the vigilantes going after PEZ for his formatting difficulties??  "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone"

[Golfingdad]

53 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

Weren't you one of the vigilantes going after PEZ for his formatting difficulties??  "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone"

I was  ... what did I do wrong this time? 

[DaveP043]

LOL, just teasing about your wishful thinking on the new vocabulary word...patina.  Kinda sounds like a girls name, doesn't it?.  I wouldn't have ever looked twice at words and usage, I'm way too lazy to look 'em up.