Bounce is a local decision

Where we begin

Which two courses do you play most?

Terrance opens every wedge session with that question because bounce is not an abstract property. It is a relationship between the sole of the club, the way you deliver it, and the specific ground you are standing on. A wedge that works beautifully out of soft, deep bunker sand will bounce straight into the middle of the ball out of a shallow, compacted one.

Around Knoxville the picture varies more than golfers assume. Some courses run a coarse river sand that plays firm; others have imported a softer, finer product. Fairway turf goes from lush in May to thin and firm by September. We keep notes on the local courses and use them.

Bounce in one paragraph

Bounce angle is the difference between the leading edge and the lowest point of the sole when the club sits square. High bounce resists digging, which helps steep deliveries and soft ground. Low bounce lets the leading edge get under the ball, which helps shallow deliveries and firm ground. Most golfers own a set of wedges with essentially identical bounce because that is how they were sold, when the sand wedge and the gap wedge are doing genuinely different jobs.

Grind is the part nobody explains

A grind is material removed from the heel, toe, or trailing edge of the sole. Heel relief lets you open the face without lifting the leading edge off the ground. Trailing edge relief helps the club release through the turf on a shallow strike. Full-sole grinds do the opposite and suit golfers who dig.

We put candidates on the turf board and in a sand tray, and we watch what actually happens rather than reading the letter code stamped on the sole. Two wedges with the same nominal bounce and different grinds can behave nothing alike.

Gapping from the bottom of the set

Strong iron lofts have pushed pitching wedges down to 43 degrees and below, which opens a gap that needs filling before the sand wedge. Four wedges is common now and there is nothing wrong with it, as long as the spacing is deliberate. We map the distances you actually produce, including partial swings, and set the lofts from there.

Shafts and the wedge nobody thought about

A wedge built on the same shaft as your 9-iron will feel continuous with your set. A wedge built on whatever came in the box frequently does not. We match weight and profile through the bottom of the bag because the transition into the scoring clubs should be invisible.