On Fridays, I do a Q@A in my @johnny_wunder IG stories and my lord do the gearhead questions come in like a hurricane. I love it. The only caveat is sometimes when I want to go in deep on something I can’t. It sucks.
So this week I wanted to start a new practice by picking one question and responding with a bit more beef than just one sentence.
Quick FYI, there is more bounce on Tour than you will find at your club championship. That’s a fact. Hopefully you will read the rest of this and look at it differently lol.
The question on why Callaway doesn’t offer super low bounce wedges is a good place to start and it’s one that may surprise some but most importantly it’ll give you the real nitty-gritty on those random numbers on your wedge IE the bounce.
Keep in mind I’m giving you how WE at Callaway do it, can’t speak for the whole golf industry.
- Callaway used 8/10/12 numbers as a fitting system using the actual width of the sole as a predominant factor, they are NOT the actual bounce number
- CG Location will help dictate exactly how much bounce the wedge needs to perform in all conditions, for example, the T-Grind which is signified as a lower bounce profile, requires more bounce to accommodate the higher CG. With the weight up towards the toe, you need more bounce to mitigate digging at higher speeds. So it says 8 but the actual bounce is 14.
Yes, you read that correctly. If the wedge says 8 it has little to do with the actual bounce, it’s more an identifier of the sole/bounce/CG and who it might fit. Steep attack angles may like the 12’s and shallow players may live in the 8’s.
For example, the C Grind has an “actual” bounce of 13 degrees
T Grind: 14 degrees
W Grind: 12 degrees
S Grind: 13 degrees
X Grind: 18 degrees (Our highest)
Quick Trivia, do you know the lowest “actual” bounce wedge Callaway makes?
According to Roger, there is only one way to measure bounce, just one.
Roger uses a protractor that he places in the dead nuts middle of the sole, that will give you the true bounce.
The width and grind of the sole actually have more impact on the performance of the wedge for specific players than the bounce numbers. Wide soles give the player more margin for error and the thinner soles put more of the ownership on the player. Kinda sounds like Muscle Backs VS Game Improvement irons doesn’t it? Well, that’s because it is. Sure there are VERY low bounce sections on a wedge, like when a certain grind has more relief in certain areas but that ain’t the whole wedge.
So to answer the question as to why Callaway doesn’t offer LOW bounce options? Well, the answer is we do. We just don’t put low numbers next to the loft because, in all honesty, the bounce number tells 1/10th of the story. Low bounce has taken on a misleading connotation since they first starting appearing on wedges, in my opinion, I’d lose them from the club altogether. Just call it by its loft and grind and be done with it.
So Now What? 🤷🏻♂️
My advice? Go get a proper wedge fitting on grass and try them all, if you truly pay attention, your eyes, ears, and the ball will tell you the right wedge for you. It’s a feel thing. Let the grass guide you as well, if around the greens the wedge is taking pelts outta the ground, probably not the right one. If the wedge is skipping thru and giving you that nice click. You are very close to home. Think of it as a skid plate, when they are correct they function perfectly.
Watch what I do with the Jaws Full Toe:)
Let the ball and the ground tell you when something is good, not the internet (LOL) or your ego.
LFG
JDub
Jonathan Stoltz
August 23, 2021 at 9:30 pm
Great explanation and info here! Love the content.
Marc Salzberg
September 1, 2021 at 2:52 am
These look like a more mass-market version of the PM wedges, which, I have to say, are a little wonky looking (and my 56º PM wedge is probably the most used club in my bag – I love it). Have Callaway given up on the PM grind?
I like the new high toe (like the PM), and I like the full face grooves (like the PM). I don’t know much about bounce and grinds, but I do know that with the PM grind I can open my club face and never worry about the leading edge; so much so that I’ve actually taken my 60º out of the bag – the PM is so versatile.
Oh, I’m a lefty; maybe that’s why I like it so much?
joelafives
September 29, 2021 at 6:50 pm
Problem is that high bounce doesn’t seem to work well in hard sand. Tour plays have that nice fluffy white sand.
Johnny Wunder
October 1, 2021 at 1:18 pm
Yes and no but keep in mind they also play off of extremely tight fairways and around the green areas. They will most times lean towards more bounce than les
Todd Hawkinson
September 30, 2021 at 9:00 pm
Thank you for really confusing me. I’m not ill informed about golf terminology. I understand bounce is a measure of sole angle from horizontal. I understand there is bounce and effective bounce. For example, a wide soled wedge supposedly has more effective bounce. However, I don’t understand how effective bounce is quantitatively measured. It makes sense that a wedge with high CG needs more bounce to prevent digging. Other than that, your explanation confuses. I wouldn’t have a clue what Callaway wedge to buy, which is why I haven’t to date. And no I won’t embarrass myself by going to a wedge fitting.
Johnny Wunder
October 1, 2021 at 1:28 pm
Effective bounce is a terminology used to describe basically how a wedge plays like. “Plays like 8 degrees or plays like 12” every company uses this term for the most part but each may define it in different terms. As far as I know, there is no REAL metric for the effective bounce. The point is based on your delivery and preferences there is a Callaway wedge that’s perfect for you but if you want to pick a wedge based on “the numbers” on the wedge you handcuff yourself. That goes for any wedge you buy whether its Callaway or a 1995 Snake Eyes.