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To some players, the bunker is the death sentence of golf. I’ve seen many a time, someone hits a magnificent second shot on a par five, but just lands it short into a bunker, and the whole game is done for. A lot of people truly struggle with hitting their balls out of the sand, and if you feel that way you’re not alone!
Technique is crucial in getting the ball out of the sand, but so is the ideal sand wedge. These clubs are designed to help players get the ball out in one shot and doing so with ease. There are a few crucial components in the best sand wedges which you should look for to optimize your bunker play. We’ll be covering these in the next few sections.
Let’s be frank: anyone who plays golf needs to have a sand wedge. There is absolutely no chance that you’re going to always hit it on fairways and greens because that just isn’t how the game works. Professional golfers often feel like their sand wedge are one of the most important clubs in their bags, also because they can utilize the sand wedge in and out of the bunker.
It won’t matter if you’re a beginner, a club player, or competing at an elite level. A sand wedge is vital to let you have an enjoyable round of golf.
Sand wedges are typically high lofted to hep you get the ball in the air. And don’t let the name fool you. This club is great for higher, shorter shots coming into the greens under a hundred meters.
Furthermore, flop shots and spinny or skiddy shots can all be achieved with the sand wedge outside the sand.
And obviously, you’ll need the sand wedge when you’re hitting out of greenside bunkers. There will be times where you’ll need to use a different club for a sand shot due to other factors such as distance, but generally speaking we tend to use sand wedges out of the bunkers.
There are a few key factors that set sand wedges apart from other clubs in your bag. These key features will help you hit the ball out of the sand easily as well as put spin on the ball to control the roll out. The following are the features discussed in more detail.
The bounce in a sand wedge is located at the bottom or sole of the club. If you look at the sole of different wedges, you’ll notice varying curves. This is the bounce of the club.
It’s sole purpose is to help the player get the ball and club ‘bouncing’ off of the surface and into the air. Most wedges, including wedges other than sand wedges, will also have a bounce.
The bounce of a club is measured in degrees, ranging from as low as 2 to as high as 18.
The higher the bounce, you’ll see a larger space between the leading edge of the club, which means it’ll be easier for you to get the ball in the air.
Typically for sand wedges and bunker play, you’ll want a wedge with a higher bounce simply due to the fact that a lot of people struggle getting the ball up into the air out of the sand.
The loft of a club may seem more familiar to a lot of players compared to the bounce. For those who don’t know, the loft is the degrees at which the clubface sits when placed square on the ground.
Ideal sand wedges are typically higher in loft, such as 56 degree. There are players who also use lob wedges out of the bunker which sit at about 58 or 60 degrees.
Having a higher loft will also aid getting your ball up into the air upon hitting the sand.
Just like every other club you have in your bag, sand wedges will come in various shapes, sizes and colors. Some wedges will be slightly rounded, and others will be more blade-like. There is no actual guideline as to which shape is better, it’s more about which one fits your eye most.
Most wedges will come in a silver color, but there will be other options such as black or matte silver. Keep in mind that colored wedges do tend to fade sometimes, but color choice is completely up to the user.
Grooves are a vital part of any wedge, especially sand wedges. Having good and pronounced grooves on your wedges will enable your ball to spin when you hit it out of the sand.
Most wedges nowadays will have grooves on the face, just ensure that you are aware of how much you wear them out. Grooves do wear out due to excessive use, so you’ll probably need to replace them every once in a while if you use them a lot.
Wedges are such important part of the game that it might be difficult to choose the best one. A lot of the major brand companies have created various sand wedges with different feels and touches, most of which leaves to player to decide which is the best one for them. Here we have a list of recommended sand wedges that are sure to drop some strokes on the scorecard.
The Titleist SM7 is the most recent wedge produced from Titleist and is a great option for experienced and competitive players. If you know what you want in your bag, specifications and all, the SM7 is a great contender.
These wedges come in a variety of different lofts, grinds, and bounces, letting you decide what kind of club you want in your bag. The milled face and TX4 grooves with micro millings are great for putting spin on the ball on both turf and out of sand.
The improvement of this club from it’s predecessor the SM6 is that Titleist has raised the CG near to the point of impact which will allow a more solid contact and improved feel. This wedge also comes in two different colors which suits the eye, the classic silver steel or black on black.
The Callaway Mack Daddy 4 is a club for anyone – it all depends on the grind. Renowned for its spin capabilities, the MD4 has come out with a new additional grind to suit a larger part of the market.
If you’re an experienced player, you’ll want the newest grind, the X. Less forgiving than the other types, but much more versatile from different kinds of possible shots. If you want to be able to work the ball but also have forgiveness, the C grind is best. And if you’re a beginner or just struggle with short game, that’s fine too! The W grind has the widest sole out of al the wedges and is extremely forgiving.
All the wedges have 4 holes in the back of the club to reduce excess weight and raise the CG for better impact. These wedges also come in multiple colors including chrome and matte chrome with red accents.
The RTX-3 is the third generation of Cleveland’s infamous RTX wedge model. Although from the same family, there are quite a number of differences in the new wedge.
First off, this third-generation wedge has deeper and narrower grooves than before, giving extra spin on the ball than previous. Another difference is the angle at which the milled lines are designed. Lower lofted clubs will have straight mill lines while the higher lofted wedges will have mills at an angle to provide optimum contact when the clubface is open.
The bounce on the club remains the same: 1, 2, or 3 dots. The grind however is very different. Smaller sized at the base, this grind lets players lose less speed upon impact of the ball and lets the clubhead go through the turf with ease letting you hit it out of the tightest lies.
Cleveland has also inputted new technology to their CG placement called ‘Feel Balancing Technology’ which allows the CG to move much closer to the center of the face. The result? Consistency.
The Mizuno S18 is the wedge for the year of 2018. One of the rarer forged wedges, this wedge is made of forged Boron steel which both strengthens the grooves and gives a nice forged feel to impact.
This new generation of wedge has additional weight at the top of the wedge, allowing more forgiveness when hitting out of the rough , especially for longer distances. The S18 comes with a heel and toe grind which allows players to manipulate the club face while keeping the optimum bounce.
These wedges come in either a Chrome or Black finish and is highly recommended for lower handicapped-players.
There are a lot of different wedges with a lot of different specifications which may confuse you a little bit. It’s important to experiment and find out the kinds of shots you want to hit to figure out which kind of sand wedge you need.
Our recommendation as the best sand wedge would be the Callaway Mack Daddy 4, as it is the most versatile club with access to many different kinds of players.
So once you’ve got the right sand wedge in your bag, there won’t be a single flop shot, rough shot, or bunker shot that you’ll be afraid to hit ever again.
