The Sand Wedge Golf Clubs

One of the main reasons that top professionals are so confident about playing from a bunker is that they understand how to take advantage of the design of the sand wedge in order to make the shot easier.

The anatomy of a sand wedge

Take a close look at the base of a sand wedge and you will notice that, unlike the rest of the irons, it has a wide sole. You will also see that the back of the club is set slightly lower than the leading edge of the club face.

This feature is called the bounce and enables the wide part of the sole, rather than the thin leading edge, to make contact with the sand. The club head is, therefore, literally able to bounce through the sand taking a thin, shallow divot.

The bounce angle becomes even more noticeable if the clubface is opened up. A skilful golfer will vary the angle of the club face to create shots of different heights and trajectories.

A bunker is considered a hazard and, therefore, the club head must never touch the sand at address. If the club face touches the sand prior to a swing, the player will incur a two shot penalty. Also, unless there is a local neither rule to the contrary, players are nor permitted to remove stones or other loose impediments.

The Golden Rule – No Ball/Club Contact

The sand wedge is a unique club not only because it is designed for a specific purpose but also because it should never actually touch the ball. You may have heard television commentators refer to a greenside bunker shot as an explosion shot.

The reason for this is that the objective is not to strike the ball with the club face but to propel it out of the bunker on a thin cushion of sand. In effect, the player creates a mini explosion by hitting approximately one inch behind the ball.

The theory is simple, if the golfer can remove the sand from the bunker, they will remove the ball, too.