Sand Wedge Still Common?

[Sandy Divot]

I use a g30 SW. I believe it i 54% with 12 or 13% bounce. Never had any issues getting out of bunkers.

[Mr. Desmond]

On 9/13/2018 at 3:11 PM, Papa Steve 55 said:

So I was having issues getting out of bunkers and my 'friends' advice of "don't hit it there" was not working as well as I would have liked. Anyway, I think I fixed it, was coming in too shallow and bouncing off the sand, resulting in thin or bladed hits. I watched the tour players during my difficulties trying to see what they did. Its tough to tell on TV, but it looked to me like they used more traditional wedges vs a sand wedge with a bounce.

Anybody know what the common club is? What do you use?

Thanks for looking.

I don't think coming in shallow is the issue. You will lower the hands a little so you turn a tad steeper and you want to get away from the ball. The wrists deliver the clubhead to the ball - it's a move the clubhead more than move the grip a lot.

You might want to feel as if the back of the sole of the club is hitting the sand first.

 

Edited September 16, 2018 by Mr. Desmond

[R Warner]

56-10 for me. I’ll typically put the ball back in my stance. 

[taxpayor]

I prefer my 60* from green side bunkers.

[dbuck]

The short answer is that the "sand wedge" is still in use but not as common as it used to be. More wedges now are identified by the loft, grind, and amount of bounce. The traditional "sand wedge" is still available though as a 54-58 degree club with generous 10-14 degrees of bounce and what is known as a full grind. In a Vokey for instance, the K grind is similar to what we would think of as a "Sand Wedge". I most often use a 56 degree Vokey with 10 degrees of bounce and the S or Stricker grind. It is similar to a fairway or F grind with just a little taken off the trailing edge which allows for a little manipulation around the green. If was in fluffy sand a lot, I might opt for more bounce and a wider sole grind.

Edited September 17, 2018 by dbuck

[Hacker James]

3 hours ago, dbuck said:

The short answer is that the "sand wedge" is still in use but not as common as it used to be. More wedges now are identified by the loft, grind, and amount of bounce. The traditional "sand wedge" is still available though as a 54-58 degree club with generous 10-14 degrees of bounce and what is known as a full grind. In a Vokey for instance, the K grind is similar to what we would think of as a "Sand Wedge". I most often use a 56 degree Vokey with 10 degrees of bounce and the S or Stricker grind. It is similar to a fairway or F grind with just a little taken off the trailing edge which allows for a little manipulation around the green. If was in fluffy sand a lot, I might opt for more bounce and a wider sole grind.

good points!  One reason I chose my wedges is that some material was shaved off the toe and heel to help prevent toe or heel digging in and as you say, allow for working around the green.

[LeftyWhiff]

I typically use a stock S wedge (54 loft, 14 bounce) from my set when I need to get it out with distance, and a 58 loft "lob wedge" with 12 degree bounce when I just try to clear the lip. I have used PW on greenside bunkers. For me, the key with any of them is to swing behind the ball an inch or so and swing through hard trying not to worry about what will happen if I thin it (which will shoot it to the next tee box).