Bounce is the angle from the leading edge to the trailing edge of your wedges. Depending on the conditions you play in can determine how much bounce you should be using. The lower the number the lower the bounce.
On many wedges you will see two numbers. The larger number is the degrees of loft. The smaller number represents the amount of bounce. Here we see a wedge with 10 degrees of bounce. Some will have a much higher degree like 16. So how do you know which one is best for you? This depends on the courses you play most often and the firmness of the bunkers you play.
Let’s say you play a course with tight lies around the greens and the bunkers have lots of fluffy sand in them.
For chipping you want to use less bounce. But for the bunkers you would want more. So your 52 degree wedge that you chip with you would want 10 degrees of bounce. This would allow the leading edge to get closer to the ground at impact. That will allow the ball to get higher on the face which help prevent skulled shots.
If you are playing greens with lots of rough then a higher bounce would be a better choice. This higher bounce will help stop the leading edge from digging into the ground. The the club can motor through the thick rough and strike the ball fairly high on the face of the club. Higher bounce is also better for those fluffy bunkers. With a lower bounce the club would not slide through the sand as easily on these type conditions. I find that a lower bounce is better for bunkers with less sand or firm sand. I suggest that you carry your lower lofted wedge like a 52 degree with a low bounce and your sand wedge with a higher bounce like 14 or 16 degrees. This way you have two different clubs to choose from depending on the conditions you are playing. Conditions change from course to course and depending where you live will determine which bounce you should choose.
Bounce is used to do just that. Bounce the club off of the turf so it slides through and doesn’t dig into the grass and stop the club. The more the club glides along the turf the easier it is to make solid consistent contact and have smoother softer shots that land soft. This can help prevent those fat shots and lower your margin of error. Test different types of bounce around the greens that you play before you make your final decision on what works best for you and the courses you play the most.
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