How Ryan Fox, Shane Lowry and Nico Echavarria choose their wedge setups

When championship situations get baked in and hard, the reflexive reaction among amateur players is to immediately strip every wedge in the bag of bounce. And yes, there was a bit of a thing going on at Royal Birkdale last week where players were stacking up low-bounce wedge grinds “just in case”.

Seems logically correct. Tight lies require the leading edge to be lower to prevent the sole from sliding into the middle of the golf ball. But on tour, the reaction from the track becomes much more personal. Firm fairways and tight turf prompt a large influx of low-bounce wedge options across the field, but a player’s delivery geometry, swing path, and wrist release play a much larger role in grind selection than grind firmness alone.

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Wedge grinds never work alone. The static bounce imprinted on the sole is simply a representation of how the club rests on a flat surface. Dynamic bounce is determined by how the player introduces the clubhead into the turf at impact. The steep attack angle due to the forward slope of the shaft turns a high-bounce wedge into a digging tool, while the shallow delivery due to the height of the shaft handle tends to skip even mid-bounce soles if not matched to a player’s specific lie angle requirements. Examining the wedge setups of Ryan Fox, Shane Lowry, and Nico Echavarria shows how three distinctly different physical deliveries dictate three very different equipment solutions when playing in solid conditions on tour.

There’s a lot to learn here.

Ryan Fox: High bounce retention for steep grass

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Ryan Fox wedge specs:

• 50° MID grind: True Temper Dynamic Gold X100, lie angle 63°, standard length

• 56° MID grind: True Temper Dynamic Gold S400, lie angle 63.5°, standard length

• 60° MID grind: True Temper Dynamic Gold S400, lie angle 63.5°, standard length

Ryan Fox is the epitome of a ball-striker who defies standard wisdom about baked courses. Fox is a hard-hitting player who slams the clubhead into the grass at impact. Rather than sweeping the ball cleanly, he compresses it with a forward lean of the shaft and a steep angle of attack, taking a clear divot regardless of how stiff the subbase is.

For a player with a delivery profile like Fox’s, falling into a low bounce grind in hard conditions creates a catastrophic scenario. When a steep attack angle is combined with a sharp leading edge and minimal sole shape, the clubhead drives directly into the ground with no resistance, leading to harsh contact and inconsistent distance control. Fox maintains the necessary ground clearance by maintaining a mid-bounce profile throughout its 50°, 56°, and 60° wedge setup. The bounce of the sole acts as a safety valve, allowing the clubhead to pass the ball, press against the hard grass, and launch cleanly to the target line without stalling on the ground.

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Additionally, Fox frequently uses a lob wedge to play low-flying shots off his back foot. Bringing the ball back into your stance increases dynamic shaft lean, effectively reducing bounce off the clubhead at impact. Fox manipulates his delivery to hit the ball off-loft and flat, so a static mid-bounce is required to get the leading edge high enough to prevent digging. His shaft configuration also reflects this mechanical split. A stiffer Dynamic Gold X100 is used at 50° for iron transition and tighter distance dispersion, followed by a Dynamic Gold S400 shaft at 56° and 60° to provide a slightly softer tip feel and controlled spin on partial greenside shots.

Shane Lowry: Upright angle, dynamic touch, sole transition

Shane Lowry wedge specs:

• 50° MID grind (bent to 51°): KBS Tour X, Length +.25”, Upright 2.5°

• 56° MID grind (bent to 57°): KBS Tour X, Length +.25”, Upright 2.5°

• 60° LOW grind (bent to 61°): KBS Tour X, Length +.25”, Upright 2.5°

Shane Lowry has one of the most distinctive wedge setups on tour, defined by an upright lie angle and precise loft adjustment. Standing at a relatively standard height, Lowry’s lie angle configuration is 2.5 degrees upright on all three wedges, which is noticeably upright when compared to the tour average. This specification stems from both visual preference at address and structural swing mechanics issues, as Lowry stands up the shaft during the backswing and swings the clubhead in an upright toe-down direction.

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Each Raleigh loft is adjusted by just under 1 degree (50°-51°, 56°-57°, 60°-61°). Bending the wedge less will increase the static bounce by 1 degree while also adding a subtle offset that changes the appearance of the leading edge. For his gap and sand wedges, this modification maintains a controlled full-swing gap and increases spin on rough and fairway lies alike.

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At the beginning of the season, Lowry transitioned from a full-face lob wedge profile to a 60° low-bounce grind (bent to 61°). Lowry is an elite short game artist, relying heavily on wrist control, opening the face, and skimming the shallow grass around the greens. Wedges with wide sole shapes and high static bounce are at a disadvantage on hard surfaces, as Lowry naturally adds dynamic bounce at impact by releasing his hands and opening the face. Excessive bounce causes the trailing edge to hit the hard ground first, causing the leading edge to fly upward toward the center of the ball. The low bounce grind allows the leading edge to stay close to the dirt when opening the face, allowing you to trust his hands to provide the dynamically needed bounce when striking.

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Nico Echavarria: Flat alignment and open-face geometry

Nico Echavarria wedge specs:

• 50° MID grind: True Temper Dynamic Gold S400, standard length, 1° flat

• 54° MID grind: True Temper Dynamic Gold S400, standard length, 1° flat

• 58° Rogue Grind: True Temper Dynamic Gold S400, standard length, 1° flat

The Nico Echavarria uses a classic wedge gap setup (50°, 54°, and 58°) with a standard length, uniform True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 shaft, adjusted 1 degree flat throughout. The 1 degree flat lie angle matches a shallow inside-to-square swing delivery, prevents early heel hooking even in tight grass, and maintains accurate starting line direction even on full wedge shots.

Echavarria’s grind selection emphasizes a traditional tour setup philosophy. He maintains mid-bounce options with a 50° gap wedge and a 54° sand wedge for versatility, consistency in interaction with the turf, and consistency on full shots from fairways and bunkers. However, with his primary greenside scoring club, a 58° lob wedge, he opted for a low-bounce grind.

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The logic behind Echavarria’s low-bounce lob wedge focuses on face orientation. Echavarria often plays from a very open-face angle on short game shots around the greens. Opening the clubface rotates the trailing edge downward, artificially increasing the club’s effective bounce. If a player starts with a high static bounce with a lob wedge and then opens the face on hard grass, he will not be able to play an effective bounce and the leading edge will be raised too high off the ground. Choosing a low-bounce base grind allows Echavarria to open the blade aggressively when needed, even on hard ground, adding enough dynamic bounce to glide under the ball without risking grazing or blading the shot.

Tour Truck Essentials: Technical Principles of Farm Turf Wedge Fitting

• Attack angle and ball position: Steeper diggers who deloft the club require higher static bounce to prevent digging, even on burnt grass.

• Hand release and open face: For players who open the face or release the clubhead early, it becomes essential to add dynamic bounce at impact and lower static bounce to keep the leading edge low to the turf.

• Lie angle accuracy: Upright deliveries require you to meet upright lie specifications to protect starting line control, while flat deliveries prevent heel snags on tight lies.

• Shaft progression: Flex and weight changes (like the Fox’s drop from X100 to S400 at lower lofts) allow players to fine-tune the amount of spin and feel between full approach shots and touch green side shots.

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