I came across a Grant Horvat instructional video recently and it clicked with me because it took chipping beyond the usual checklist of setup, club selection and hand position. Horvat drilled into bounce — the most misunderstood feature of a wedge.
Amateurs often think bounce is only for bunkers or special shots. In reality, it’s what makes wedges forgiving around the green. If you learn to use it the right way, even a poor chip can still produce a playable result.
Setup still matters
Before you can take advantage of bounce, you have to get the basics right.
- Weight forward — around 70 percent on your lead foot keeps the low point consistent. Set your weight there and then keep it throughout the swing.
- Narrow stance — feet close together help simplify the motion.
- Ball centered — not jammed back, not too far forward.
These checkpoints set you up to use the wedge’s sole, not just the sharp leading edge.
What happens if you don’t use bounce
Most amateurs instinctively press their hands forward, push the ball so it’s in line with the back foot and dig the leading edge into the turf. That’s when the big misses, like a bladed shot across the green or a chunk, start to show up.
When the leading edge is the only part of the wedge interacting with the turf, your margin for error shrinks.
How to actually use bounce
When you let the sole of the wedge interact with the turf, the club “slides” instead of “digs.” That’s bounce doing its job. You’ll feel the club brush the ground rather than stab into it. Horvat demonstrates this in the video by intentionally hitting behind the ball and still producing a playable result.
This happens because the bounce glides instead of sticks the way the leading edge would.
The key to making sure the bounce is used properly is to have your hands just slightly forward, not exaggerated. This exposes the bounce without de-lofting the club too much. Many amateurs push the hands well forward of the ball at setup and it makes it difficult to use the bounce.
Step 4: Why bounce is forgiving
Think of bounce as your built-in insurance policy. It widens the effective striking area so that even if you contact the ground a fraction early or late, the club still has a chance to slide and deliver the ball onto the green.
Without it, your chip shots demand perfect precision. It’s the buffer that could be the difference between saving par and throwing away strokes.
Final thoughts
If you struggle with chunks and thins, the fix might not be hours of working on technique. It might be learning to let your wedge do the work. Bounce is the forgiving part of the club. Experiment with it, feel how it brushes instead of digs, and you’ll quickly understand why pros lean on it and why amateurs can’t afford to ignore it.
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