Sir ur just unbelievable, great teacher, great person, we wish u and ur family all the best

Hey Rob,

Just a quick question in regards to bounce on the wedge. Once you start activating it properly, do you find that you can have too much bounce on your wedge? Or do you want to play with as much as you can. I know I currently play wedges that have medium bounce, I have a 60 degree with 7 degrees bounce, and a 54 degree with 11 bounce. I am thinking of switching up my set to a 58 degree and 52 degree. Do you suggest I add more bounce? less? keep it similar. I would likely use a 58 degree with almost all shots around the green, besides a long bump and run or long bunker shot. Let me know what your thoughts are.

Justin

Hey Rob,

I also should add to my previous post that I am looking to get conforming grooves for my new 58 and 52 degree wedges. I have heard that the slightly lower loft of a 58 degree compared to a 60 degree works better with conforming wedges compared to non-conforming clubs.

Thanks,
Justin

Thanks! That really made my day! Thanks so much!

You're welcome! Thanks for a great question - wedges are my "specialty" and I love teaching & discussing them (probably obvious by my long reply). I really hope it helps & that I answered your question. Sorry again about dropping the ball on that!

Thanks so much! That is very kind of you to say! I'm thankful that I'm helping some people with the game, and there have been so many great questions/discussions on the forum so far!

Your kind words really mean a lot - I appreciate you taking the time to post that! Thanks

You can certainly have too much bounce. Players tend to fall into 1 of 2 categories - sliders or diggers - sliders (very shallow angle of attack, in-to-out path) don't need as much bounce as a digger (steeper angle, down the line or out to in path). Also, sole camber can affect bounce dramatically - a sole that is very wide will have an effective bounce that is actually greater than the actual bounce when you open the face (& will hit a lower shot with an open face). A narrow sole usually will have more bounce (actual) and will hit it higher with an open face. I'm sure that sounds a little confusing, but if you think of a wedge like the Hogan Sure-out or the Alien - those had soles that had huge camber, and were very wide - if you opened the face on hardpan - you would blade the ball everytime because the leading edge was so far above the ground. However, when the face was square they both hit the ball very high, and their "secret" was bounce & sole camber/width. Those wedges would not be a great choice for a "slider" style player, but perfect for a digger.

I like that configuration - I've used 53/58 for the past several years.
I think, in your case, you might want to experiment with some different bounce/cambers/grinds. You mentioned before that you're a +2, right? I think getting the right grind in your hand could make a big difference in your ability to make the wedge "work." I would start by finding the yardage you want to hit a wedge - find the comfort yardages, then put the loft that matches to that. I would see if you can get some demos with the same loft but different bounce/camber and experiment with them - one will feel great, and one will feel & setup awful, you'll know it very quickly. If you like opening the face a lot, a big, wide camber sole would be pretty tough. You might look into getting a special grind - I have 2 that I am very particular about in my wedges, and I'll be happy to post some pics of various grinds & what they do if you're interested. The grinds that I use allow me to open the face & reduce the bounce, but maintain bounce when the face is square, and the max bounce is on the toe on my 53*, and center on my 58*

I haven't heard the 58 is better with conforming on the whole. I see more 58's in the bags these days, but I think that is due to the full-swing yardages more than anything. I thought I would see more high-lofts (62*, 64*), but they really haven't taken hold like I thought they would. There is a learning curve with the new grooves! The conforming grooves are tough at first with any loft - if you went straight from 60 w/non-conforming to 58 w/conforming - you would probably go nuts the first couple rounds because the difference would be magnified. There is less spin, but you find the ways to put spin on the ball - it's different than with the non-conforming, but it can be done.

Keep me posted & let me know what other info you need & what else I can do to help you with your wedges.

Hey Rob,

Wow, the information you are giving out in this thread is just fantastic. Thanks again, and to anyone glancing at this thread seriously listen to what Rob has to say. You dont hear this information too often but what he is describing in here is what the best players in the world actually do. We are really lucky to have someone that knows what he is talking about, and is giving out this info. Free of charge no less. Thanks again Rob, awesome stuff!

For the sake of more interesting conversation I would love to hear how you create different shots with the technique you are describing. By keeping the effective loft the same by using the bounce how would you go about hitting a low checking pitch? Would you just switch to your 53 degree wedge or make adjustments to setup with 58?

Another thought I had is using the bounce technique described, at what distance do you switch to a more standard trapping swing with forward shaft lean? Would you be able to use a bounce technique all the way upto a full swing with your wedges? How much different would the ball react between the two techniques?

Hopefully thats not too many questions but I just love to learn about this stuff. Wish I didnt live 2000 miles away in the snow and cold right now, I would totally come hit you up for some lessons. One can only dream I guess

Thank you! I appreciate the compliments - it's my pleasure to try & help!
[QUOTEFor the sake of more interesting conversation I would love to hear how you create different shots with the technique you are describing. By keeping the effective loft the same by using the bounce how would you go about hitting a low checking pitch? Would you just switch to your 53 degree wedge or make adjustments to setup with 58?QUOTE]
Awesome question! To me that's the really fun thing about the short game, creating different shots & making that little white ball do different things! The low spinner is probably the hardest shot to pull off for most people. The tour players all have it, and to me it is the sexiest shot in golf! I've found two ways to hit it, and I'll do my best to describe them.

First off, I always use my 58* around the green, unless I have to run the ball more than 75% of the way, then I'll use 53*, otherwise, it's 58 & I'll adjust on that. I'm not saying that's the only way, or the best way for everyone, but it is for me - it keeps it simple so I'm not worrying about which club to use. I tried using different clubs for a few years, and I found myself 2nd guessing, and spending way too much time trying to decide what club to use.

The easiest way to create a shorter, spinning shot using the bounce is to move the ball a little further back in your stance (I like it under the logo on your shirt for standard shots), for the lower one, more towards the middle, and feel like your sternum is covering the ball at address. In the backswing, you'll get the sensation that the face is "looking" at the ball - don't let it open too much, the club will shallow out a little on the downswing, and then keep the handle moving through impact. If you stop the handle from moving, you'll stick the club in the ground, so keep the handle moving around the body. My main thought on this shot is to keep the left shoulder low & moving left the worst thing that can happen is to fall back & let the left shoulder move up into impact! This shot will come out low with a good amount of spin.

The second way, and this is a little harder to describe (and a little harder to pull off at first), however this creates some serious spin, and a low ball flight. Play the ball forward in your stance (under the logo on shirt or left ear for a rh golfer), and put all your weight on your left heel. Dial the face open so it looks about 45* open, then take your normal grip (not matching the face - don't just roll your arms to open the face, set it, then grip matching your body, which should be square to slightly closed). When you swing back, feel as though the back of the club is pointing to the ground (extremely open, and really activating the bounce). At impact, you are going to rotate the forearms very quickly, there will be some set in your wrists, and you want to maintain the set in your right wrist through impact. You want the handle to be moving low & left through impact (try putting the butt of the club in your back pocket). It might take you a few swings to get the sensation & the speed of the arms, but the payoff is worth it. Because the face is drastically open, you have a lot of room to release it hard with the forearms without the face ever being closed. You want to attack the ball from a very shallow angle, and once again, keep that left shoulder low & left through impact. When you finish, the face of the club should still be skyward, not facing left. Give it a try & see if you can get that really low, high spin pitch shot. Once you get it, you will love playing this shot!

I use this technique for longer swings as well, although it won't fly as far. I will switch to a full-swing motion at about 70 yards with my 58* when I need to fly it further. I switch to full swing motion at around 90 yards with my 53*. However, I'll use this bounce technique with a 9-iron from around 115-120 if I want a lower ball flight/lower spin shot - this is great for a shot into some wind with a flag that has a little room in front of it, or a slight hill in front. I typically hit my 9-iron 145 yards, so it's taking a good 25 yards off, but it comes out low, and will hit and roll out only a few feet. It's very consistent, and much easier to pull of then hitting something hard in that situation. I think you if you try this technique with your 9-iron & pw, you will fall in love with it - it's a very soft shot with a lot of control!

Hi, very interesting thread ... I'm unsure wether this is the place to post this but I feel like I can trust your opinion. Feel free to disregard if its not in the spirit of the thread. I recently went on vacation and had to play with rentals ( titleist 755 irons). I had the round of my life !!! Considering I hadn't been able to play in 6 months due to being a hockey player. So my question is which of the newer clubs would be similar to those ? I'm open to any make you think might work. My initial thoughts are the AP2's or the taylormade MC's. Any suggestion would be appreciated thanks.
Benny

Benny, no hijack of the thread at - I'm open to any & all questions! Ask me anything. Congrats on the career round!

First, did you happen to notice the shafts that were in the rental clubs? The shafts are the "engine" of the club - the proper shaft can make all the difference in a club. If you remember the make & flex of the shaft, that could be a big help to getting the most out of a new set for you.

As far as the heads go, the Tmade MC's are very similar - I would believe the AP2's are basically a newer model of the 755's (I'm sponsored by Tmade, so I don't know a lot about the newer Titleist stuff, or other brands - I play the MC's & they are a great club!). However, any perimeter weighted, forged clubhead would be pretty similar to the 755's.

I would highly recommend getting fit for your new irons - if you haven't been fit before, it is a very cool experience, and it will make a difference in the performance of your clubs! It's worth the $$!

BTW, where do you play hockey? Do you play professionally? Hockey players typically have some very good golf fundamentals, however, because of that background, getting fit is even more important!

Let me know if I can help you with finding a good fitter in your area, or if I can answer any other questions for you!
thanks

Thanks for the answer. I currently play in binghamton NY (the ottawa senators AHL affiliate ) and because I played a few games with ottawa reebok gave me some money to spend on their merchandise which includes taylor made clubs ... I remember the shafts being stiff flex but I don't remember the make. I heard taylor made let's you split the sets between 2 of 3 models they have... I was thinking of getting the mb's for pw-7 and mc's for 6-3 any thoughts on that?

Also is it possible to get fitted for clubs but buying them somewhere else? And yes any advice on a good taylormade fitting place would be appreciated.

Keep up the good work I'm sure ill try and take advantage of your knowledge of the golf swing in the near future

Hi Rob,

I'm a CPGA pro myself. Have you had a chance to play any golf in Canada??

You can get fit most places then purchase elsewhere - I do it all the time for people who have friends/family in the industry. If you're close to NYC, there is a Taylormade Performance Lab (same system I use)there - that would be the best if you can get there. You can split the sets, and I've had a few players do the MB/MC combo, however, I decided against it for myself because the MB's are slightly smaller than the MC's & I felt that if I was between a 6 & 7 iron, I wasn't just choosing between clubs, but between sets of clubs. I'm indecisive enough on the course & just didn't want to have that much variance in my set. The MC's feel really good & you can control the flight really well, so it was a pretty easy decision for me. I have seen a couple tour players experimenting with MB's up to the 4 iron then going MC's in the 3 & 4, I've even seen a few good players going CB's on the long irons.

Very cool that you're playing hockey professionally - we go to several Thrashers games & although the ownership is destined to destroy any chance of winning, I still love & support the team. If you ever get to Atlanta, let me know!

Keep me posted with your game & if I can do anything to help, please let me know!

Hey doc,
Thanks again ill look for a fitting center around here. I'm about 3hrs from NYC so I'm hoping to find something closer. Quick question my natural shot shape with my irons is a slight draw and a bit of a fade with my driver but my misses are the same. Both with my driver and irons my misses are a low pull that draws. I feel like I get too active with my lower body and it feels like I shift my weight to quick and almost sway forward too quick and I just come over the top and with the face closed. I still get the distance right with my irons and far enough with my driver but I'm just wondering if you know any drills or tips to correct that. Those swings also feel a little handsy almost like I'm trying to save it