A sand specific wedge

[Alpha3]

For the average green side bunker player (12 hcp) what would be the best or most forgiving bunker club? The loft, bounce, shape, mfg. ect. Assumption of just normal conditions. Thanks

[harriscli]

I play mostly desert golf with terrible sand, however I have an old 64 degree sm5 Vokey that is about as automatic as possible out of a bunker. It goes in the bag if I’m playing anywhere that has real bunkers.

[Bobb3rdown]

depends on the sand. where i play the course has hard compact sand most of the time. they turn em out twice a year. they arent super deep. but deep enough i use my 62 most of the time. low bounce.

[rufus mangler]

A lot of players like Vokey K grind out of sand.

[Golf64]

Love the K as Rufus stated, also the Ping Glide 3.0 eye, CBX2 are others to look at. TM Big Foot has 15* of bounce and a high toe. Might work too?!

[596]

The make up of the wedge you use totally depends on your swing. No one can suggest what you should buy depending on what they use.

Lots of people open the wedge out of the sand. That takes a specific wedge. I don't, I hit every sand shot with a square face and I'm good out of the sand. I use a slightly closed stance. That takes a different wedge.

[setter02]

Depends on sand and your ability in it as handicap means little to nothing with regards to various aspects of the game. I'd also advocate a short game/bunker lesson as the vast majority of players have little to no clue at all. Most look at me dumbfounded when I tell them to open the face to the sky, let alone get into details of the club design, etc.

[nphillips0613]

Hi Toe is great out of sand. I haven't tried it but look into the Bigfoot hi Toe. 15° of bounce has to make it easier to get out of sand.

[Sean2]

Yes. You will get a lot of different opinions on this topic. I use a 62º CBX2 when short-sided, and. a 58º when not. The bounce is "neutral", i.e., covers a number of conditions.

[PostandGhost]

Alien wedge is the best bunker specific wedge I've seen. Any player can get that thing out.

[Lepatrique]

The best place to start is a high bounce wedge. They tend to be much more forgiving from most bunkers, for most players. Low bounce wedges are great if you're trying to nip a high shot off of a firm lie in fairway, but tend to dig a bit in bunkers. I would recommend finding a couple high bounce wedges and seeing what you like the look/feel of best.

[jmv2752]

The Bigfoot wedge is crazy easy out of the sand. You don't even need to open the face, just square up and let it go. Often, if not a deep faced bunker, I just play it like a chip shot, pops out every time.

[uglande]

Depends on conditions. I like a low bounce, high loft club for firm sand (mostly what I play) and have a Vokey 62 in a M grind (8 bounce) for that. But for versatility I would say take more bounce and keep loft high -- like a 56-58 degree D grind Vokey (12 degrees bounce). That's a great club from bunkers and plenty of bounce for full shots as well.

[CaseyDan]

Even the Hi-Toe Non-big foot is awesome out of the sand. I never fear a sand shot with this club.

[BCULAW]

K Grind was easiest for me out of the sand. I used a little different technique with it, where, instead of splashing the ball out, I would turn the leading edge down a little almost like a chip. Ball came out fluffy and soft. Easy as pie.

[dhen9]

I play low greens fees public courses in Central Ohio so in short I don't get to see a lot, if any decent sand or bunkers. However, when I get invited to play a few local private courses I trust the PM Grind or ES from Ping.

[Alpha3]

Thanks for the equipment ideas. I had really never gave the wide sole high bounce wedges much of a chance. Golf can’t be the priority it once was (till retirement), practice time is down hcp is up. I have 3 SM7s so I will test the 58 K but have no idea what competes well with it. When the weather breaks and the club has demo days I planed on trying out at least 3 58s. I welcome experience and ideas on equipment before I test.

 

[Evilduckhunter]

Vokey K grind or my favorite TM Big Foot.

[bvanlieu]

As others have commented, sand type and bounce will go hand in hand with your style of play. Too many people don't spend an hour at a practice bunker with a few wedges and get a good feel for how the club can move through the sand (assuming decent tecnique: we are not pros but you can get a few good ones in a batch when there is no pressure on ya :P )

I've gotten pretty confident with my PM 60 from most 10y or shorter bunker shots. Miura K grind is easy as well but I like to keep that club pretty so try to avoid bunkers with it :)

 

What I also found was get used to using the bounce, not always opening them up and let the club do the work for you...

 

[isitour]

There are plenty of Bigfoot sightings! Usually seen in a bunker with a small , white, yellow ,pink red,(you get it) ball. After the interaction with the small white yellow, (I know) ball, the only thing left in the bunker is the Bigfoot and the smile on the face of the person holding it!

 

[VNutz]

From what I see of a lot of mid handicaps that don't play much, the biggest issue in the sand is catching it too heavy and not getting through the sand, they dig too much. IMO a higher bounce wedge such as a K, M or D grind will help in preventing digging so much and will help teach the feeling of getting through the ball. But as mentioned, playing conditions play a big factor as well.

[Carl Spackler3]

I have carried and tried vokeys in many grinds lofts and bounces. I have gone back to an old Cleveland 588 in copper for only sand, sandwiched between 54 and 58 vokeys for grass

[marmaduk]

Yup. Lots of correct answers to this question.

If you prefer to open the face and your stance like me I would recommend 58/60 with low bounce. If you like square to target bunker shots I’d go 60 or above with high bounce. If your course has hard wet compact sand like mine bounce gets in the way so low bounce is best. If it’s dry fluffy sand high bounce will help more.

The best answer is that it doesn’t matter. Technique (whatever one you choose) trumps equipment every time

[Fratello]

Could not agree more, same combo I use. You have choices (hard or soft sand) that can happen in the same round.

[ChipNRun]

A wide sole, higher bounce wedge works well if you prefer square-face bunker shots. Just be aware that wide-sole, higher bounce wedge can hang up on the shot if you have too steep a downswing into firmer sand.

Also, when distance becomes a factor be aware of alternatives to traditional SW explosion shot. If you are 50 yards from pin, a firm half swing with a 9i - taking very little sand - will work better than a SW or LW. Practice a few to get feel for longer bunker shots.

Also, let's say you face a bunker shot off of hard packed, damp sand or sand fouled with soil. In this headache, picking the ball off the top with a PW may work better than an explosion. (Note: practice this a little bit)

Since you are seriously reconsidering your sand game, take a bunker shot tuneup lesson when the weather gets warmer. The pro can help you increase the efficiency of your bunker shots. The pro could also advise on best sand wedge for you.

[mcasella]

Callaway PM Grind 58/12. The sole is perfect. It makes bunker shots so easy it’s a joke. Nothing else even comes close.

[Davidv]

For me the 58 degree Callaway Sure Out 2 works like a charm.