Understanding Wedge Design
Wedges are the most personal clubs in a golfer's bag, as they are designed to have multiple performance characteristics and these characteristics make wedges the most important part of a golfer's game. As the former VP of Tour Operations for Cleveland Golf (the #1 wedge on the PGA tour) I spent many hours grinding on wedges for famous PGA Tour Players. From Byron Nelson to Corey Pavin they all wanted their wedges to be "just right for them". It's this personalization that sets wedges apart from all other clubs in a PGA Tour player's bag. The average golfer needs to understand why wedges are designed the way they are and what these design options can do to improve their game. This article is to help all golfers understand the options they have when choosing their wedges. So here we go:
1. Overall design (Shape) - The best selling and performing wedges all have a traditional design and are patterned after the MacGregor wedges of the 40's, 50's and 60's. The reason; these wedges have a pleasing shape that is easy on the eye as the player looks down at the ball. Also, the design features allow for the bounce and leading edge to be blended into the performance of the club head. Better players gravitate toward this design so it influences the majority of the golf market. While I was at Cleveland Golf we became the #1 wedge in golf because we were the #1 wedge on Tour. And we made the "best" wedges!
2. Bounce - The most important area of wedge design! Wedges perform the way they do because of the bounce on the sole of the club head. The bounce angle is formed by the distance the leading edge of the club head is from the ground. The greater the distance between the ground and the leading edge the greater the bounce as this allows the trailing edge to bounce, not the leading edge to dig. A low bounce angle is where the leading edge is close to the ground while high bounce angles are created by rounding the sole along the leading edge. This moves the leading edge higher off the ground. Sand wedges were first designed to reduce digging on shots out of sand traps. Wedges come with many different bounce angles and generally speaking if you have a steep angle of attack you will benefit from wedges with more bounce than golfer's with a shallow angle of attack. These golfers need a lower bounce on their wedges.
Conditions - Bunkers with soft, fluffy sand require a wedge with increased bounce so the club head will resist digging. Conversely, bunkers featuring hard compacted sand require less bounce because you want the club head to dig, not bounce. In deep rough or lush fairways more bounce will be a benefit while less bounce will help when playing from tight fairways or hardpan. (Most Tour Professionals put higher bounce wedges in their bags when playing in the U.S. Open. This is because of the playing conditions, thick and higher rough during this tournament.
Design elements of a wedge
3. Loft angle - The angle that lifts the ball off the ground. Wedges come in many loft angles, from 45 to 73 degrees. Pitching wedges range from 45 - 50 degrees, Gap wedges from 50 -54 degrees, Sand Wedges 54 - 58 degrees and Lob wedges from 60 - 73 degrees. Higher loft obviously means higher ball flight and shorter distance. The following yardage chart gives the ball-park distance of each wedge.
4. Camber - This is the heel-toe area on the bottom curved portion of the sole, between the leading and trailing edges of the wedge head. More camber means increased rounding of the sole. More rounding means increased bounce than clubs with little camber.
5. Sole Width - The wider the sole the more bounce a wedge will have, while a narrow sole means less bounce. So to recap - the amount of bounce on a wedge is the result of a golf club head's sole width, camber and bounce angle. In general, players should seek wedges that fit their swing path and playing conditions. (See your club professional to get properly fit for your wedges.)
Wedge heads are usually made of a soft carbon steel material as this increases feel and touch. Some players, mainly better players, i.e. tour professionals use wedges that do not have chrome-plating so they rust. These players feel the raw finish gives their wedges a softer feel and increased spin. To achieve increased spin performance on chrome plated wedges manufactures use a sandblasted face which maximizes spin performance.
Finally, understanding grooves. All wedges do not spin the ball equally. Why? Because they feature different types of grooves. Most golf companies wedges feature grooves that are cast into the club head - when the face is polished and sandblasted metal is removed leaving the grooves shallower. Many major manufactures provide their tour players with wedges that have the grooves machined into the face, this insures maximum spin performance. Some companies such as Titleist, Cleveland and Callaway Golf sell wedges to the public that feature milled grooves so be sure to check with your golf professional before you buy.
