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August 19, 2005
Wedge Issues
Posted by Nick
Here's some interesting history of the evolution of the wedge.
Modern wedges are products of a 70-year evolution. They originated in the 1930s, when Gene Sarazen added strips of metal to a high-lofted iron and created bounce in the club's sole. (Before then, players chipped their balls from bunkers and awkward lies).
He was first to benefit from "scooping" balls out of trouble, a more reliable method than risking the perfect contact required to make clean picks on half-buried balls.
Sole bounce is what prevents a wedge's leading edge from digging into the turf. More bounce is good for heavy lies and bunker play, simply put, where it's important to keep the club head moving forward rather than downward through a thicker medium. Reducing bounce increases the premium on ball contact.
In addition to bounce, early wedge-makers explored the advantage of spin.
As the cool kids say, RTWT.
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Nick Schulz is the Editor of Tech Central Station and has worked in media circles and the ideas industry as a writer, editor, television producer and policy analyst. His writings have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Slate, The National Post of Canada, The Baltimore Sun, Investor's Business Daily, The Washington Times, National Review, Reason, Policy Review, and several other publications. He is also, it should be said, a rabid sports fan whose fandom is inversely proportional to his overall athletic ability.
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