Every golf club in your bag has bounce, some more than others. Here is an explanation of golf club bounce as defined by pgaprofessional.com.

Bounce: “(“bounce sole, bounce angle”) the angle of the club’s sole in relation to level/horizontal, or the amount that the leading edge of the club is higher than the part of the club’s sole that is lower most (usually used in reference to irons, wedges in particular, and measured in degrees) Example: Many sand wedges have a large flange and significant bounce.”

Confused, let`s just say that the bottom of the sand wedge has added material which makes the club more rounded. This rounded material adds weight to the club and prevents the club from digging into the turf or sand. For reference sake, most sand wedges have around 10 degrees of bounce and a D5 swing weight and your pitching wedge has 7 degrees of golf club bounce and a D1 swing weight.

We will review how you can use this bounce to your favor and stay away from it`s pitfalls.

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Golf Club Bounce:

1. Help–Prevents The Sand Wedge From Digging Into The Sand

The wedge, with the extra bounce, was developed to have a golf club that did not dig into the sand. Obviously, in the sand, you do not want to use a club that digs and gets stuck in the sand. The sand wedge will bounce through the sand and splash the golf ball up onto the green. By the way, you are adding more bounce to the club the more you open the sand wedge club face. So here, the bounce is your friend.

2. Help–Adds Weight To The Bottom Of The Club

Remember, by making the bottom of the golf club rounded and adding material, we have increased the swing weight of the wedge from the normal D1 swing weight to a swing weight of D5. By the way, as you probably have guessed, D5 is heavier than D1. So what this means is that you have a golf club that is heavier that is ideal for hitting out of heavy rough and, of course, sand. Especially, when chipping from heavy rough around the green, the sand wedge is very useful. The bottom line is, use the extra weight to your advantage.

3. Hurt–Golf Club Bounce Will Promote Skulls On A Firm Surface

Now, here is what you need to be aware of. You know that nice bounce that helped you on those bunker and heavy rough shots. Well, it can work against you in very firm sand and shots off of other firm lies. That bounce at the bottom of the sand wedge will not let the golf club dig on firm lies. Even worse, it will promote skulls that can be your worst nightmare. So, be aware of your lie conditions and stay away from the sand wedge on any lie that is not bounce friendly!

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There it is, golf club bounce. Is it your friend or enemy? Be aware, that there is a reason why your sand wedge works so well out of the bunker and learn when the bounce is going to work against you.

I hope this information on golf club bounce helped. Look for more articles on golf game improvement and golf product reviews in the near future.

Camcorders are very useful golf swing aids – if used together with suitable golf swing software, they are an unbeatable combination to improve your golf swing.

What does golf swing software do?

Different golf swing software differ in their capabilities. In general, they provide several tools to help you analyze your swing after you capture it with your camcorder. The most basic of these are usually the drawing and comparison tools, helping you to study your golf swing techniques in depth.

Using golf swing software with your golf instructor

An increasing number of golf instructors are starting to use these software in their teaching. They capture their own swings on video, analyze their golf swing mechanics using the software, and use it to demonstrate important points. Some instructors also capture their students’ golf swings for analysis, pointing out critical mistakes.

As an example, he may analyze your swing plane – showing deviations from the correct one-plane swing or two-plane swing. Your stance during the swing may also be analyzed, as well as the direction your club head faces at impact. More advanced software also lets him analyze your swing speed at various points in the backswing, impact and followthrough. He may also be able to do a side-by-side comparison between your swing and that of another golf pro, showing you what is right and wrong in your swing.

The best software to buy is the same one your instructor uses. Ask him to show you how to use the software, so that you can continue to analyze your own swing after his lessons end.

Using golf swing software on your own

Learning to use golf swing software on your own is a bit difficult. It is best to start with a software which is cheap and simple. For beginners, another problem is that you may not know what is wrong with your swing.

However, these software can be useful for low-handicap amateurs. They have a good idea of correct golf swing mechanics, and can analyze their golf swing techniques to find out what is wrong. An experienced golfer can study his technique in depth to build a picture of what he is trying to achieve. The software helps him to see where he falls short of perfection.

Beginners and high-handicappers should spend their time and money on golf swing lessons instead of software.

Free substitute for golf swing software

Not everyone can afford to buy golf swing software. On the other hand, some golfers buy them but find them too difficult to use. Here is a free substitute using the free editing software which comes with your camcorder, your computer and printer, and some tracing paper:

• Play the video of your swing in slow motion.
• Capture the still images of all the important points in your golf swing technique.
• Open the still images in Microsoft Paint (comes free with your computer) and edit out the background. Just select the biggest brush and paint the entire background white. You do not need to do this step, but it makes your analysis easier later on.
• Print out each image.
• Choose one of these images as your baseline, and trace out the movement of your club from all the other images.
• Super-impose the tracing on your baseline, and Voila! You have a simple-to-analyze picture of your golf swing.

Golf swing software is most useful in the hands of more experienced golfers. Used together with your camcorder, they are one of the most useful tools to improve your golf swing.