Wedge Fitting: Grind, Bounce and the Ground You Actually Play
Wedge fitting is a soil question before it is an equipment question. The right bounce on soft June Bermuda is the wrong bounce on the same fairway in September, and the sand in a bunker at one Houston club behaves nothing like the sand at another.
We Start by Asking Where You Play
Not for small talk. The courses on the west side of Houston differ enough in turf firmness and sand character that the correct bounce genuinely changes between them. A player who plays one course ninety per cent of the time gets fitted for that course.
If you split your golf between a firm municipal track and a soft, well-watered private club, the answer is usually a middle bounce with a versatile grind rather than a specialist in either direction.
Bounce Is a Steepness Question Too
How you deliver the club matters as much as the ground. A steep, digging delivery needs more bounce to stop the leading edge burying. A shallow, sweeping delivery with high bounce will skid the sole into the equator of the ball and produce thin shots that fly the green.
We take that measurement rather than eyeballing it, using tape on the sole and a survey of divot depth and direction from full and partial swings.
Loft Gaps at the Bottom of the Bag
Modern iron sets have been strengthening for years, and a pitching wedge that measures 43 degrees leaves an awkward hole before a 56. Four wedges spaced evenly usually beats three spaced by habit.
We build the spacing from measured carries rather than from loft arithmetic, because the yardage steps at the bottom of the bag compress in a way the loft numbers do not predict.
Partial Swings Get Measured
Most wedge shots are not full swings. The last part of the session builds a carry table for each wedge at three lengths of backswing, so you leave with real numbers for the shots you actually face rather than one figure for a full swing you rarely make.
Shafts and Weight at the Bottom
Wedges generally want to be heavier than the set iron, not lighter, and often want a different profile. A wedge that matches the eight iron exactly tends to feel whippy on the short controlled swings where feel matters most.
What Ends Up on Your Sheet
- Loft, bounce and grind designation per wedge
- Any sole relief work performed on our bench
- Shaft model, weight and exact trim per wedge
- Playing length, swingweight and grip build-up
- Carry table at three backswing lengths
- The as-built column, filled in after cure