Bounce is a
property of
golf clubs that specifies how much of the golf club's material extends below the
leading edge of the
clubface.
Comparison of different golf club bounce angles
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Zero bounce Small bounce XXXXXX
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Large bounce
Gene Sarazen came up with the idea of adding material under the
leading edge, and produced the first
sand wedge in
1931. In
1932, He went on to win the
US Open. Naturally,
golfers were curious about Gene's new
invention. Today, very few golfers who score well play without a sand wedge in their bags. The secret to its almost magical
extractory ability comes from the
flange of metal below the clubface. This flange limits how far the clubface will dig into the sand. A
shallow sweeping swing under the ball will thus
blast the ball out of the bunker with enormous
backspin. When a proper stroke is applied to a ball in a
good lie in the
bunker, the clubface never touches the ball. The sand pushes up and forward in response to the sand wedge's
attack angle, and then pushes the ball.