Sand Wedge Vs. Lob Wedge and Why

Boy, did I open a can of worms last month when I introduced the idea of BOUNCE into our discussion of conquering the bunkers around the green!

To clarify, bounce is simply the degree to which the leading edge of the club is raised in the air when you sole the club on the ground. The higher the front edge of the wedge is off the ground, the more the bounce. This term is truly only relevant to 3 wedges: the gap, the sand, and the lob. Give or take 2 degrees, the industry standards are as follows: lob wedge 6 degrees, sand and gap 12. It is also important to note the sand wedge is the heaviest of all 3 wedges.

 So why is all of this so important? When working to master short game shots, which is the goal of our 2015 newsletters, you need to know when to use each wedge and why. The loft on the wedge is many times secondary in your choice based on the conditions of the course. Example: You may be close to the green on an uphill lie in some rough and logic would say to hit the lob wedge; but that would be WRONG!  In the rough you need to take more bounce (a higher leading edge). Otherwise, the leading edge will simply dig into the tall grass, delivering a less than desirable result. You would also need more weight like the sand wedge offers to get through the heavy grass. In this month's Facebook video I demonstrate this uphill pitch out of tall grass. I also go over the set up which includes tilting the shoulders with the lie of the land.

 Here are some key points to remember when selecting clubs for pitching as well as playing in the sand around the green:

1)  In tight lies and less sand choose the lob wedge with less bounce.

2)  For deep rough and heavy sand choose the sand wedge for more weight and more bounce.

3)  With uphill lies think about a gap or sand wedge since the land adds loft.

4)  On downhill lies choose the lob wedge to get more loft.

Next month, I will demonstrate a downhill pitch on a tighter lie and demonstrate with the LW. Thanks for all the great reviews and don't forget to send in a short game shot that has been plaguing your game. We will do our best to help!

Ted Frick 

Owner/Director of Instruction 

Classic Swing Golf School