Uncover The Hidden Benefits of Wedge Grind and Why It's Important

Our golf wedges play a vital role in our ability to shoot good scores. We use our wedges from full approach shots to delicate lob shots, making them arguably the most used clubs in our bags.

Golfers have become better educated on the merits of employing a three or four-wedge setup and the differing lofts required to give us an even gapping across wedges. But correctly gapping lofts only tells part of the story to make our wedge games more effective. We must also consider the importance of grind and bounce

Bounce is also something golfers are slightly better educated on, but grind can remain a mystery, especially when there is no uniform grind classification between different wedge manufacturers.

The grind of a wedge relates to material being removed from the sole, heel or toe of the wedge, offering flexibility to play different shots and optimise ball and turf interaction.

In our article, we'll demonstrate the important role of grinds and help you make the right decision when choosing your next wedges.

To do that, we'll take a look at:

• Different Types of Wedge Grinds
• Selecting the Right Wedge Grind
• Custom Wedge Fitting
• Wedge Maintenance

Different Types of Wedge Grinds

When discussing grinds on golf wedges, we focus on manipulating or removing material from the wedge's sole. The manipulation or removal of material is focused on four key areas which are:

• Leading edge
• Trail Edge
• Toe
• Heel

Leading Edge

Removing material from the front or leading edge of the sole can give it a sharper appearance at address. A sharper front edge helps the club face move through thick rough, or lighter sand in bunkers. Less grind on the leading edge is more useful on links-style, more compact ground.

Trail Edge

Altering the grind on the trailing edge can help the sole sit tighter to the ground and help reduce the sole digging into the ground through impact. Reducing grind on the trailing edge can also help golfers who want to open the face on their pitching and chipping shots without adding bounce.

Altering the leading or trailing edge can also make the wedge's sole wider or narrower, which can also feel that the mass is more towards the front of the sole or rear.

Toe

Taking material out of the toe area of a wedge can make the sole lie a little flatter on the ground if you like to play a lot of flop shots.

Heel

Removing material from the heel can also help golfers who like to open the face for flop shots. Having less material in the heel can also make the club lie a little flatter, which can be beneficial in playing a variety of chip shots and bunker shots.

Selecting the Right Wedge Grind

Knowing how different grinds can be applied to different areas of the sole, how do we factor this into choosing the right grind for us? Similar to bounce, a critical component to understanding which type of grind best suits you falls into two categories:

• The angle of attack into the ball
• How you like to set up to play pitch and chip shots

Remember, grind is focused on ball/turf interaction, so if you are steep into the ball and take deep divots, you may be looking at wedges with wider soles and relief around the heel, leading edge and toe, all helping to prevent the club head from digging into the ground.

If you have a shallower angle of attack, less bounce and more aggressive relief around the leading edge will help get the club face under the ball more effectively. But you must also consider the typical shots you employ in your short game. Are you a player who likes to open the face and play a lot of flop shots, or do you like to play shots off your back foot, keeping the ball low with check spin and release?

We can open or hood the club face with chipping and pitching to produce different trajectories and spin profiles. Therefore, manufacturers will offer more grind options in their more lofted wedges to reflect this.

Course conditions

Understanding the typical conditions of the golf courses we play most regularly can play a part in choosing the correct grinds for our wedges. If we play courses that generally feature compact ground where you get a lot of tight lies, you may be looking at wedges with low bounce and grinds that favour nipping the ball off the turf. Softer courses underfoot will require more bounce and more effective grind around the trailing edge, toe and heel to play a wider variety of shots.

We also need to consider the type of sand you face in the bunkers of the courses you play most regularly. If the sand is heavy, you may be better suited to a wider sole and a fuller grind around the trailing edge, preventing the sole from digging into the sand.

If bunkers don't have a lot of sand in them or the sand is light, having relief around the trailing edge is still essential, but also having relief around the heel and the toe which is more effective for opening the face.

Custom Wedge Fitting

Like any other club in the golf bag, the best way to optimise the performance of your wedges is through a custom fitting process. When you go for a custom fitting, you'll get the chance to hit some shots with your own wedges first to build up a data set and give the fitter a visual picture of how you swing the club.

Through the data set, the fitter can see key metrics such as your angle of attack to see if you deliver the club face with a steep or shallow descent into the ball. This is crucial information as the fitter starts to assess which bounce and grind combinations will work best in your wedges.

Regarding the ball and turf interaction, the fitter isn't just assessing what bounce and grind combination works best on full shots. They also consider how effective a combination will be for your short game. This is where the fitter can ask questions about the typical course conditions you play in and what clubs you use the most in pitching and chipping.

Manufacturers like TaylorMade, Callaway, Cleveland and Mizuno all offer different grind settings on their wedges. Through the fitting process and building the overall picture of your short game, selecting the correct grind for each wedge becomes easier.

Being custom-fitted for your wedges helps to optimise the setup you have in the following manner:

• Consistent distance gapping through correct lofting
• Optimal bounce for each wedge
• Optimal grind for each wedge

Getting these three factors right is then assisted by fitting the correct shafts and grips.

Wedge Maintenance

If you practice a lot, your wedges can start to wear quickly, affecting their performance. It goes without saying that the most essential thing you can do to preserve the longevity of your wedges is to keep their grooves clean. Keeping your grooves clean helps impart the optimum spin rates on the ball, helping to keep trajectory and stopping power consistently.

There are plenty of tools and brushes available that can help you keep your grooves clean. Some wedges are designed to go rusty deliberately - that's fine; ensure that the grooves are kept clean for maximum effectiveness. If you use forged wedges, you may see wear spots on the face over time. Wear spots can also impact consistent spin rates on the ball, which can be a telltale sign that the wedge is coming to the end of its life.

Wedges tend to be the most used clubs in our bags. Constant use can start to show inconsistencies in ball flight and distances. If that is the case, it's worth taking your wedges to a professional fitter to check the lofts and lies are all still correct.

Golf Wedges & Custom Golf Club Fitting at Nine by Nine Golf

When we talk about grinding on a wedge, we are referring to material that has been removed from the sole, toe, heel, leading edge or trailing edge. Manipulating grind gives better ball and turf interaction. It can provide flexibility in setting the face up to play particular shots. Selecting the correct grind is as essential as having the right bounce and correct loft on your wedges.

At Nine by Nine Golf, our in-house custom-fitting process helps to optimise your wedge game. We have worked with golfers of all handicap levels to create the correct wedge setup for their games.

We have a range of wedges with different grind options from manufacturers such as TaylorMade, Callaway, Mizuno, and Cleveland available to try in-house during a fitting session. Alternatively, all wedges have customisable options available through our website if you know what you are looking for.