Submitted by Bill Phillips on Tue, 11/17/2009 - 18:56
When I ask which wedge works best for tight lies, I don’t mean which brand or model, but what wedge design characteristic maximizes playability from a tight lie. The bounce angle of the wedge is very important when choosing which wedge to hit.
If you have a nice, fluffy lie in a bunker or in rough, you would want to use a sand wedge with a high bounce angle, so that the club is less likely to dig into the sand or grass. It will skim the surface and bounce out.
From a hard fairway surface or hardpan in the rough you would not want to use a sand wedge type of club, because it will bounce off the surface, making you much more likely to skull the shot. A different type of wedge like a 60° lob wedge with about 6° of loft is designed for a tight lie.
So, it’s important to have a variety of wedges in your bag, not just a variety of lofts for hitting different distances, but even a variety of bounce angles suited to different types of lies.
I’ve always struggled a lot out of the sand. My home course doesn’t have too many bunkers, and so I don’t get too much practice out of the bunkers. Also, the sand from course to course seems to differ quite a bit, and makes it difficult to have a consistent sand game. However, there are plenty of tight lies I’ve practiced on. If you hit it over the cart path on either side of the fairway, you’re in the mostly treeless desert where there is a lot of hardpan type of lies.
You can go to Golfsmith to find out more about what type of wedges might work best for you.
