Who can play low bounce, sharp edge irons?

DonM · 2020-02-29T01:46:10+00:00

Does it take a high swing speed to be able to cut through the turf and not hurt yourself? I have one club like that, an MMB gap wedge. Today on a watered p...

Mattyv

DonM

I play low bounce clubs. Not sure if you have many AZ summer rounds under your belt yet, but the ground gets really hard. I went through many, many wedges before I realized I needed as little bounce as possible to play off the hard AZ turf. My 54° Maltby wedge has 6° of bounce and has the most bounce of any club in my bag. I use a 60° with 4° bounce out of the traps. I am also a sweeper. Give me Sharp edges and low bounce any day of the week. I have learned how to play them off of lush turf over the years. I do on occasion encounter turf that is not as hard as it looks and the club will slide under the ball and go nowhere. It's better than sculling 80% of the shots with a wedge with 10-12° of bounce that I used to do before I learned.

DonM

Mattyv Our course is already firming up, but no I haven't played here in the summer. I do well with low bounce, but need a rolled leading edge. I think the sharp leading edge might be the difference that made that particular swing dig into the turf like it did. I already beveled the leading edge but apparently not enough.

Tinker

I was always a big divot guy. As I changed my swing the last couple years to accommodate my senior status I narrowed my stance to play a little taller and worked on keeping my left arm as straight as possible to lengthen my arc. I went from a digger to a picker. I now like thin sole low bounce irons. My shots got short enough without ground contact slowing the club head down. Sharper soles also get through the rough a lot easier. I’m now only about a club shorter than my old, young distance.

DonM

Tinker Okay that’s a great point about the rough.

sdandrea1

What is low bounce to you? In Florida, I need a tad more than VA, where the turf is softer. I like 4 to 6 degrees in my irons (7-Ws) in Florida. In VA, I can play less, but still like 3 to 4, at least. Leading edges can be ground to your liking on some heads.....depends on finish.

I just checked the latest PING specs. The G410 and i210 are way higher than I thought. Double digits in the shortest irons.

DonM

sdandrea1 The MMB gap wedge in question is 5 degrees and thin sole. That’s low for a gap wedge in my book.

sdandrea1

DonM The MMB gap wedge in question is 5 degrees and thin sole. That’s low for a gap wedge in my book.

Yeah.....I agree. I think I notice the effect of leading edge grind more than bounce.

YafflDaffl

There isnt a club i can"t duff

DonM

YafflDaffl As long as it doesn't hurt you, that's okay. 🙂

scotts33

Came across this thread and because I play sharp leading edge Louisville Classic 50's forged blades I thought I'd post this maybe it helps others.

Larry Rinker good PGA player in the 80's.

sdandrea1

No thanks Scott. Golf is already difficult. 😉

scotts33

sdandrea1 No thanks Scott. Golf is already difficult.

I hear ya! Larry plays/lives in FL that's off hard to hit against the grain Bermuda. ☺

rsvman2

I like a forgiving sole.

DonM

rsvman2 Me too. I have tried to rid myself of any irons that tend to dig.

Typhoon

rsvman2 I like a forgiving sole

So basically you need a high bounce wedge if you are a digger and a picker can get away with a low bounce wedge. Or like in Arizona where the ground and sand are hard, a low bounce will be good.

scotts33

If you grew up before course irrigation came into fruition and played muni golf you were a picker and could use low bounce sharp leading irons/wedges. In fact, it was a need. ☺

DonM

scotts33 That was after you walked 4 miles home from school, right?
😀

scotts33

DonM That was after you walked 4 miles home from school, right?

There are the hot days of summer July/August right now on irrigated courses on muni golf courses where agronomy isn't great and sketchy lies are often when I play my Louisville Classic 50's because of the iffy turf and no grass under the ball. I watch the wide sole big bounce guys suffer while I can play decent shots with sharp leading edge low bounce irons and some experience. Experience at 74 helps more than most golfers know. 😉 Oh and yes, I still carry and walk more like 5 miles on 18 around here. LOL

Walterjn

DonM uphill both ways??