Wedges are called the scoring clubs in Thailand for a reason. With a shorter shaft, more loft and shorter shot distances, golfers should be able to get the ball closer to the hole. In addition, wedges have more versatility than all other clubs as they can be used from tight lies, sand bunkers, and fluffy lies as well as for a variety of shots from full length pitch shots, to mid length and short chip shots, bump and run, soft sand bunker shots and hard sand shots.
In order to maximize ones scoring efforts, golfers should pay careful attention to the number of wedges they carry, their lofts, and also to the degrees of bounce (angle at which the trailing edge of the club sits lower than the leading edge).
While golfing in Thailand this is important as golfers will encounter varied grasses (Bermuda, Zoysia, Paspalum, and Tifdwarf) as well as both dry and wet conditions depending on the season. With some courses like Blue Canyon, one should use higher loft wedges as the fairways are soft, sand fluffy and rough very severe. At Thai Country Club where fairways are harder and the rough easier to get through, one might want to consider lower loft wedges.
Most golfers on a Thailand golf vacation have 3 wedges, a 47 degree pitching wedge, 52 degree gap wedge, and a 56 degree sand wedge. The 60 degree lob wedge is not effective here in Thailand. Thailand golf courses have thick Bermuda grass rough, Blue Canyon for example, causing the ball to actually sit up too much for a higher lofted club. Therefore, a 54 to 58 degree sand wedge is more appropriate, anyway it can always be opened up if you need to hit a higher lofted flop shot.
What about bounce? Some golfers in Thailand prefer a sand wedge with a lot of bounce, 12 degrees or more, which is useful for very soft sand. However, since the sand firmness varies all around Thailand or if you encounter tight lies such as hard pan, then it difficult to use a club with allot of bounce. Therefore, a sand wedge with something like 6 to 10 degrees of bounce is a better choice as they can be used from all types of lies and opened up if you encounter soft sand or wet turf conditions.
Having a good understanding wedges and knowing the best lofts and lies to carry will enable the golfer in Thailand to have confidence score well. Your wedges will be your “money” clubs on your Thailand golf holiday!
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