If you want to build a deadly short game, learning to use the bounce properly is one of the best skills you can develop. Yet many amateurs overlook this important feature, often because they are afraid to open their clubface around the green or simply don’t know how to use it properly.
As Joe Hallett, a GOLF Top 100 teacher, explains in this videoUsing bounce becomes easier when you understand two simple keys: how the club is designed and how to adjust the face for the lie.
Master these two keys and you’ll increase forgiveness, increase your confidence, and improve the quality of your contact with every shot on the green.
1. Keep the shaft and club head aligned
To use bounce effectively, you must first understand how your wedges are designed to work. According to Hallett, most wedges are designed so that rebound is visible when the shaft and club head are aligned. This allows the bottom of the club to slide through the turf and prevents the leading edge from digging in.
“The bounce isn’t just about hitting the ball high or hitting a flop shot, it’s about making every shot easier for you,” says Hallat.
However, when the hands move forward and the club shaft leans forward, the leading edge is exposed. Making it almost impossible to use the bounce as intended.
“When I lean the club [shaft] come on, the jump is gone,” says Hallett.
This only increases your chances of getting the edge and stopping your shot. So how do you get that resilience back? The solution is simple: make sure the shaft of your club is aligned with the club head.
2. Open the face on uphill lies
Keeping the club shaft and club head aligned will almost always ensure good use of spring force, but Hallett notes one important caveat: your lie.
When chipping on a slope the leading edge naturally becomes more visible, just as what happens when you lean the shaft forward.
“How do you get the recovery back? You open the face,” says Hallett, “now the club will work as it should.”
Always assume that your lie is uphill
Remembering to open the clubface when you’re uphill sounds simple enough. The problem is that most amateurs don’t realize how often they are actually chipping on a ramp. Hallett explains that around the greens, truly flat lies are rare, even if it looks flat to the eye.
“99% of the chip shots you make are on an uphill lie,” he says.
That’s by design. Greens are built to drain, meaning the ground around them subtly slopes away from the putting surface. Sometimes the slope is clearly visible, but usually it’s just enough to trick your eyes into thinking it’s flat.
“Even if it seems like a pretty simple lie, guess what happens?” Hallett says, “The ground is up a little bit. So you have to open the face.”
“As soon as you open this face, you have this thing on the bottom [the bounce] allowing the ground to become your friend instead of your enemy,” he continues.
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