Bounce Is Not a Difficulty Rating
High bounce is not for beginners and low bounce is not for good players. Bounce is a match between the sole of the club and the way you take turf, and getting it wrong is why some players have never trusted a wedge from a tight lie.
Bounce, Roughly Grouped
- Low4 to 6°
- Mid7 to 10°
- High11 to 14°
- Very high14° and above
The stamped number tells you less than the sole shape does. Two wedges at ten degrees can behave very differently depending on where the material has been ground away.
How Steeply You Arrive, and What the Ground Is Like
Bounce is the angle between the leading edge and the lowest point of the sole. Its job is to stop the club digging. A steep attack into soft ground needs more of it; a shallow sweep across firm ground needs less, because too much bounce lifts the leading edge and produces a thin strike.
Both halves of that sentence matter, and the second half is why a wedge fitted in April on lush turf can feel wrong in September. In Wichita the ground changes character substantially through the season, and a wedge chosen for one condition will misbehave in the other.
We test three surfaces in a wedge session: the mat, a firm dormant-style lie, and the practice sand we keep on site. If a single wedge cannot cover the range, the answer is usually different bounce in different wedges rather than a compromise across all of them.
Where the Material Has Been Removed
Grind is what the sole looks like once the manufacturer has taken metal off the heel, toe or trailing edge. It changes how the club sits when you open the face, which is the whole short game conversation.
Full Sole
Nothing removed. Maximum bounce across the whole sole, and the most resistance to digging. Best for steep players and soft conditions, awkward when the face is opened.
Heel Relief
Material removed from the heel so the club still sits flush when the face is opened. The most useful grind for players who like to hit soft, high shots around a green.
Trailing Edge Relief
The back of the sole is rounded away. Lets the club release through the turf rather than dragging, which suits shallower deliveries.
Heel and Toe Relief
Both ends taken down, leaving a narrow effective sole. Very versatile in skilled hands and quite unforgiving in a steep swing on firm ground.
Wide Low Bounce
A broad sole with the leading edge kept close to the ground. Sounds contradictory and works well for sweepers playing firm turf.
Sand-Specific
High bounce with a cambered sole designed to skid rather than dig. Worth carrying if your home bunkers hold soft sand.
How Many Wedges, and at What Lofts
This is settled by the loft of your pitching wedge, which in modern sets is a moving target. A pitching wedge can be anything from forty-three to forty-eight degrees depending on how strong the iron set is, and the wedge structure has to be built downward from that number rather than from tradition.
The aim is a consistent loft step, generally four to six degrees. A larger step leaves a distance gap that turns into an awkward half swing; a smaller one wastes a slot in the bag. With a strong pitching wedge you frequently need four wedges to keep the steps even, and with a traditional set you may only need three.
We measure the actual loft of your pitching wedge on the bench rather than trusting the stamp, then build the structure from the real number. Stamped and measured lofts differ often enough to matter.
Two Worked Examples
- Strong PW at 43°48 / 52 / 56 / 60
- Modern PW at 45°50 / 54 / 58
- Traditional PW at 47°52 / 56 / 60
Starting structures. Your carry gaps from measured blocks decide the final lofts.
Wedges Should Not Feel Like Your Irons
Wedge shafts are typically the heaviest in the bag and that is deliberate. Extra mass helps control the small, precise swings that make up most wedge play, and it damps the tendency to get quick from forty yards.
The mistake is fitting wedges with the same shaft as the irons purely for consistency. A wedge is not asked to do the same job as a seven iron, and a swingweight two or three points heavier frequently improves distance control noticeably. We test it during the session rather than defaulting either way.
The Part That Wears Out
Wedge grooves degrade with use, and the effect is real: a worn fifty-six loses spin most obviously from wet grass and rough, which is exactly where you need it. A wedge played twice a week is usually past its best inside two seasons.
We inspect groove condition on the wedges you bring as part of the session. Occasionally the finding is simply that the wedge is worn out, which is a cheaper answer than a fitting change and we would rather tell you than sell around it.
Workshop and session ratesWhat the Session Covers
Three Surfaces
Mat, firm dormant-style lie, and the practice sand we keep on site.
Measured Lofts
Your existing wedges and pitching wedge checked on the bench, not read off the stamp.
Gap Map
Full-swing and three-quarter carry numbers for each wedge, with gaps flagged.
Groove Inspection
Condition assessment on every wedge you bring, with a replacement call.
Bring Every Wedge, Including the Pitching Wedge
The structure cannot be planned without knowing the real loft at the top of it. Bring the whole short end of the bag and we will map it properly.