During all of the snow of the past week, I went back and watched a number of Ralph Maltby (Golfworks) videos that I have. If you are looking for some easy to understand information on some of the key elements of clubfitting, these are excellent resources.
The one I was most interested in was “Learn All About Wedges.” In it he discussed the evolution of wedge heads (here I am talking sand and lob wedges), how one measures bounce for a wedge, but most importantly the concept of “Effective Bounce.” It was interesting to read again that a large majority of wedge heads on the market do not look substantially different than the original sand wedge designed by Gene Sarazen something like 50 years ago.
There are four variables that influence the “effective bounce” of a wedge head, these are…..
1. The normal bounce angle built into the wedge,
2. The width of the sole of the wedge,
3. The radius of the sole of the wedge, and
4. The sharpness of the leading edge of the wedge.
There are two primary reasons why, I believe, most mid to high handicap players should seriously consider playing wedges with high effective bounce (usually one with wider sole width):
1. To help players to more easily hit good sand shots, and
2. To eliminate one of the two ways a player can mishit a wedge. These two ways are hitting the shot fat and hitting it thin. With a wedge with high effective bounce, you can hit a shot fat but because of the bounce can still get good shot results. So you only have to be concerned about thin shots.
Look into, then, the option of non-standard wedge heads for the wedges in your bag. You can give your self the opportunity to save a number of shots around the greens and in the bunkers.
Tony