Did Gene Sarazen Invent the Sand Wedge?

Did Gene Sarazen Invent the Sand Wedge?

Well, that depends on your definition of a sand wedge. Some might tell you the first sand wedge was invented in 1929—the Walter Hagen Concave Sand Wedge. However, I would argue that to truly qualify as the first sand wedge, a club must meet one key criterion: “it must have a sole with bounce.” This means the trailing edge of the sole is lower than the leading edge, allowing the club to glide through the sand rather than dig in.

By this definition, the Hagen Concave Sand Wedge doesn’t quite make the cut. Although it has a flanged sole, it lacks the bounce—its sole is designed to dig into the ground, not glide. So while it looks a lot like a sand wedge in many ways, it isn’t.

So, what made Gene Sarazen’s sand wedge so revolutionary?

As the story goes, Sarazen had his “Aha!” moment while flying with Howard Hughes. Watching the wings of the plane glide smoothly through the air, Sarazen wondered if the same concept could be applied to a lofted club—a niblick, specifically. After some experimentation, with reports suggesting trials at Palma Ceia Golf Club in Tampa, Florida, Sarazen found the perfect combination of loft and bounce. By early 1932, the modern sand wedge was born.

What was Sarazen’s secret formula for bunker success?

Length 35 inches

Lie Angle 63 degrees

Loft 58.5 degrees

Bounce Angle 13.5 degrees

By the way, if you struggle with bunker shots, you might want to take a page from Sarazen’s playbook and experiment with more bounce. If your sand wedge has less than 10 degrees of bounce (and chances are, it does), consider trying one with more. Trust me—you’ll thank me later.

So, did Gene Sarazen invent the sand wedge? Technically, no—based on the criteria of bounce, he didn’t “invent” it. But he certainly popularized it.

So who did invent the sand wedge? The true inventor may have been Alex or Archibald Carrick of Musselburgh, or perhaps a long-forgotten blacksmith in Scotland. The first golf clubs with bounce rather than digging soles were likely the early metal-headed clubs—known as track or rut irons. In my 20 years of collecting pre-1900 clubs, I’ve never encountered a track or rut iron without significant bounce. My personal favorite is an 1870s Carrick Rut Iron, which resides in the Golffice Museum and has around 25 degrees of bounce! (See Image Above)

Now that we’ve established Sarazen didn’t invent the sand wedge, let’s dive into the story of his magical club with rediscovered bounce.

In the 1932 Open Championship, Sarazen knew he had a secret weapon, but he also knew that just the year before, the R&A had banned the Walter Hagen Concave Sand Wedge for its unusual face design. Fearing the ruling bodies would prohibit his new club, Sarazen kept it hidden—upside down in his bag. Only two people on the course knew of his secret, Gene Sarazen and his caddy Skip Daniels.

In the end Sarazen claimed the 1932 Open however, his secret weapon was exposed. It’s possible, even probable, that Walter Hagen was the first to uncover Sarazen’s innovation. How? It’s likely that Hagen, (ever the opportunist) got Sarazen’s caddy, Skip Daniels, to spill the beans. After all, Daniels had been Hagen’s favorite caddy. Hagen on the boat ride over to play in the Open told Sarazen to hire Daniels. Hagen told Sarazen, “you can’t win the British Open without a good caddy.” (Hagen had used Daniels to win the 1928 Open).

Sarazen’s secret weapon didn’t leave Scotland without a few knock-offs. Hagen, immediately saw the advantage of the new wedge, hired Cochranes of Carnoustie to craft copies for him, though his had hickory shafts while Sarazen’s featured steel. Another version was made by Tom Stewart, the renowned iron maker, this model (see images above) too utilized hickory shafts. In less than a year Sarazen’s Sand Wedge would take the world by storm and the modern day sand wedge was born.

The Gene Sarazen Grip

Did you know that Gene Sarazen had a very unique golf grip? Gene Sarazen’s grip was an interlock with a tucked thumb. Or maybe you could visualize it better as a 10 finger grip with and interlock.

If you suffer from pain in your left thumb, or have arthritis in your hands, this grip can help you play golf with with a little less pain.

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Until next time…

Yours in Golf History,

Connor T. Lewis