Sand Play

[Grass Roots Tour]

At the end of last season I bought a new Titleist 56* sand wedge. I am a really good bunker player but I bought this new wedge with far less bounce than normal so I could fan it open and play shots off tight lies around the greens. The tight lie shots are much better but my bunker play has suffered due to the lack of bounce. My bunker shots aren't terrible now, just different.
Has anyone already been through this type of equipement change that can shortcut my learning curve back to stiffing my bunker shots? :help: Or have I got to go back to 14* bounce angle?

[countclub]

hey GRT, I changed 2 yrs ago ,to an 8* sw the difference is night & day i found a much more crisp shot from 35 yds & in , i used a 12* before , now my bunker shots are running alittle more , but that is the only thing , don't be afraid to try things.......;)

[haribo]

Bottomline is you got to figure out what kind of swing type you have. Are you a Digger/Driver with your wedges or a Sweeper/Slider?
Based on that you know how much or little bounce you need. Or what sole design, grind and leading edge would be best for you.

Digger/Driver

Swing Shape: Steep in, shallow out. The golfer is digging down and driving through on the shot.

Sole Design: Higher bounce, minimal camber, wider sole, sharper leading edge.


Sweeper/Slider

Swing Shape: Shallow in, shallow out. The golfer is trying to sweep the ball off the ground by sliding the club under the ball.

Sole Design: Lower bounce, more camber, mid sole width, rounder leading edge.


There's of course more to it to really fine tune things (sharp to blunted or round to rolled leading edge, heel and/or toe relief, etc. etc.) but it should help you to figure out what's best for your swing.

haribo

[el tigre]

Another factor in choosing a sand wedge is the type of sand used at the course(s) you play at the most. If it is the nice soft, fluffy kind of sand then a high bounce wedge will be more appropriate, while a low bounce wedge works well for the hard-packed stuff.

IMHO it is a good idea to have a high bounce sand wedge for use in bunkers and deep rough. Then you can use a low bounce gap wedge or lob wedge for your other shots under 100 yards from the fairway or in bunkers with hard-packed sand.

[Grass Roots Tour]

Based on the fact that I'm playing the tour, the courses I play will change a lot this year and conditions will be very different at each venue. I was (probably mistaken) thinking that I could use one set of wedges for all conditions with moderate to decent success.
In junior golf I only had one wedge (not incl. PW) and always had a good sand game at away tournaments. Bad news is I have no idea how much bounce that wedge had. I am guessing that it was 14* but not sure.
Anyone wanna trade a Titleist 56* wedge with 10* bounce for the exact same wedge with 14* bounce?