Buying a new wedge can be a confusing process. What bounce fits me best? What loft should I use? What the heck is grind?

Understanding the anatomy of a wedge and how all of its components help your game can make the process less confusing and ultimately help you improve your short game. So, where do you start?

“When we get into a scenario where a consumer says, ‘Hey, how do I pick the right wedges, we always tell them to go get fit first,” Vokey Tour rep Aaron Dill said. “If you don’t have the opportunity to get fit, use the online fitting tools at Vokey.com. But, if you’re just in the shop and you’re wondering what do you get for yourself, you want to ask yourself some questions.

“What are my course conditions like? Are they typically soft or firm? What kind of bunkers am I playing in, what are some of my strengths and weaknesses?”

Dill says once you can analyze what your needs are, you can then start to build a matrix of wedges that is unique to you.

Starting with a pitching wedge, which are typically in 46 or 48 degree lofts, Dill says you should look first to what irons you’re playing. Typically, iron sets will come with a pitching wedge, but if you’re looking for a new one, it’s a good idea to match your set.

“Once we move into the gap wedges, so 50 and 52 degrees, you’ve got a couple options,” Dill said. “Do I have big divots? Do I typically miss heavy? Are my conditions soft? Those are indicators of what bounce you might want to be in.”

BOUNCE

The bounce of a wedge is going to help with turf interaction and the amount of bounce you need will be dictated on your swing and course conditions. The bounce is the angle between the leading edge and the lowed point of the sole.

The higher the bounce, the more the leading edge will sit off the turf. If you play in softer conditions, have a steep angle of attack on the down swing or take deep divots, you might want to consider more bounce in a wedge.

A low bounce wedge would work better for a player with a shallow down swing and small or no divots, playing in firm conditions and someone looking to open the face up around the greens.

Having the wrong bounce can cause mishits or make it more difficult to hit the kind of shots you’re trying to hit.

“We’re trying to do a couple things (with bounce). We’re obviously trying to make the turf interaction feel right,” Dill said. “But we’re trying to get the ball flight right through the right windows and we’re also trying to minimize mistakes and make mistakes better. So, even at the highest levels of golf, these are important things that we’re focused on.”

Once you work into 54 or 56 degree wedges, you then have to ask yourself if it’s a fairway club or a greenside club, or both. PGA Tour player Justin Thomas uses a 56 degree wedge with 14 degrees of bounce, according to Dill.

Thomas bends the loft to 57 degrees and uses a higher bounce because he uses it as a fairway tool with a steeper swing and more shaft lean. He wants to add some bounce on full shots and he also wants to know that when he’s around the greens in grainy Bermuda grass, that the bounce isn’t going to get stuck.

The measuring stick for lob wedges is similar and the degree of bounce you’ll need will depend on what you want to do with the club and how versatile that club needs to be.

GRIND

When you get into grinds, each manufacturer has different options and names for their grind. Despite having different names, they all are aiming to do the same thing with the wedge and for the player using them.

Grind is essentially the amount of material that is removed from the sole of the club. Depending on the amount removed, it can help create more versatility or provide different ways to use the club.

Grind and bounce work together to help with turf interaction and help get the club through the ball properly. Depending on the name of the grind from each manufacturer, the grind can help keep the leading edge low, help create more forgiveness out of a bunkers or reduce digging among other things.

Understanding your swing and course conditions will help you pick the right option with a wedge, but with so many options out there, it’s always a great idea to get fit so you know you are maximizing your potential no matter how you use your wedges.