I carry a 54/10 and a 58/8. I seldom use the 58. Does anyone know if playing a wedge, face wide open, significantly increases the loft? If so, is there a rule of thumb? Is 5 minutes of face angle worth 2 degrees loft, for example? I looked all over and most sites speak about changes to the effective bounce. They are vague, however, regarding specific changes in effective loft. I think it would be instructive to know what to expect…all else being equal as possible.
Ralph states in his book “Any 56 deg. sand wedge put into a golf club gauge with the face rolled open 10 degrees will produce a reading of 61 deg.”. The measurement is taken with the gauge square to the face, not to the target, with the face rolled open. If you take the measurement with the face rolled open and the gauge is square to the target (not square to the face), the loft increase is about 2 degrees. Ralph prefers to take the measurement square to the face when determine the effective loft with the face rolled open. This 5 degree increase at 10 degrees open should hold true for a 54 degree wedge as well.
Britt Lindsey
Interesting. 10 degrees (1 and 2/3 minutes) is a very slight adjustment. When I play a flop; I open the face about 5 minutes. (It’s easier for me to visualize minutes) I wonder if there is a point of diminishing return. Thank you for the informative reply. BTW I played my first round, yesterday, with my brand new TE forged irons. Really enjoyed them.