I have two. One has an exceedingly wide sole. I like it....sometimes. The other has no extra sole whatsoever. I like it too...sometimes. A.I. gives me the textbook pros and cons of each, but I'd like to hear some real-world people experience with the sole issue. Sand, rough, fairway...People say I have a really steep swing, if that sways the opinions in any way.

I would say the most common wedge combinations out there today are 50, 54, 58 or 52, 56, 60 with the soles getting wider as you go up in loft. I play my 54 for about 90% of all my short game shots and I have a mid bounce on it because I play in a wide variety of conditions (hard and soft).

But if you are steep, full bounce is probably best.

I use a full bounce full grind 50 for full shots and some longer pitches I want to roll. Fine for a steep swing.

A mid bounce 54d grind for most short game shots that I play front of stance back of stance, closed, open , wide open, whatever I need. Also fine for steep or shallower swing.

And a very low bounce t grind 58 for specialty shots and firm/tight lies. The 58T stays in the bag for anything soft or wet or super grainy as it's very unforgiving but can pull off some crazy stuff with it when the situation dictates. I used to use a mid bounce 58 for everything, but since adding the t grind it's 80-90% 54 on the short stuff. This would a horrific choice for steep swing.

As other guy said steeper swing needs more bounce to get you back out of turf. Higher bounce/wider sole also needed for wet/soft, especially if steep.

Sole width and bounce angle are two different things but accomplish similar things- keep you from getting stuck (thick rough , fluffy sand , soft /wet) so if the ball is sitting in some rough and there's grass under the ball where your wedge is gunna swing under it some, higher bounce helps keep your club face and grooves in the ideal spot and wider sole helps the club glide through. Otherwise if you swing a low bounce here the club my dig down into the grass and you'll hit high on the face and cause weaker balls but also inconsistency bc you'll then be swinging harder to get through the grass and catch the ball differently on the face each time.

I have a mid bounce minimal sole 56 I play for 80% of my shots within 80 yards and I'll either use it in a very tall stance like a putting stroke all the way to opening the face up and flopping it. I def get screwed in lies in fluffy rough but I'm more a simplicity guy so I just carry one wedge and try and modify my swing -surely at the detriment to my score.

I think you gotta read your lie and pick your situation- which is why you both love and hate those wedges but perhaps don't know when to use each ? Hope that helps.

Try matching the bounce to the lie, not your swing. High bounce off a tight lie or low bounce in a fluffy rough/bunker lie can both be very risky.

Thanks all. Those descriptions help me to visualize what's happening when the club comes through the ball. I see the differences and understand the situations. It helps!

I can tell you, wide sole, skinny sole, high bounce, low bounce...if you're as skilled with a wedge as I am, you can chunk any of them with equal result.