Are you purchasing your first golf wedge or upgrading your existing golf wedge?
Today we are going to look at the top five best golf wedges on the market.
We’ll also cover all of the different wedge options and why they are important.
Golf wedge sets come in all different shapes, sizes and brands – it can be overwhelming when you’re trying to decide on the perfect wedge to buy.
Custom wedges can have different degrees of loft… they can also be milled grind and even have custom soles.
Why is this important? Picture this…
You bomb your drive straight down the fairway which puts you in perfect position for your approach shot to the green.
Next, you climb into your cart and eagerly drive up the fairway to view where your beautiful shot came to rest.
Once you get there, you notice you have left yourself with the dreaded 100 yard shot.
You contemplate what club to grab… should I use a pitching wedge, sand wedge, or a 60 degree lob wedge?
This is why knowing your golf wedge distances is so important if you want to improve your short game.
Here are some things to take into consideration when you’re researching golf wedges.
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The Best Golf Wedges Explained
Loft Gapping
In order to make sure you cover the distances between your clubs evenly, it is important to have an even gap between the lofts of the wedges you carry in your bag.
The best way to start do this is to find out the loft of your pitching wedge in your full set of irons.
Typically, this will be around 46 degrees of loft.
From here, you can decide how many scoring wedges you want to carry in your bag.
Most tour pros will carry between three and four wedges.
Recommendation from most tour fitters is no more than six degrees of difference in loft between clubs.
Try and make sure the lofts gaps are equal and take caution with using a lob wedge.
The degree of difficulty is much higher and should only be used when absolutely necessary.
Bounce
Bounce on a golf wedge refers to the distance between the leading edge and the bottom of the sole.
Low bounce wedges are more suited to hard fairways and tight-lie shots while high bounce wedges are better for soft ground and sand conditions.
When shopping for a wedge, take into account where you live and what type of course conditions you typically play in.
Grass types can also play a role in wedge selection.
If you’re not familiar with the different types of grass used on golf courses, this article explains them really well.
Bermuda, Zoysia and the rest of the warm season grasses will play much different than the Bent and Perennial Rye grasses in the cooler climates.
If you are unsure, there is typically a mid-bounce option that can give you some forgiveness wherever you play.
Sole grind
Certain custom wedges will come with an option for heel relief (a small area of the heel ground away), which means you can open the face of the wedge without the leading edge rising too much off the ground.
This makes the custom wedge more versatile and will help with the finesse shots around the green.
This type of specialized wedge could help improve your short game.
Finish
Finish basically means the way a wedge looks.
Wedges come in many different finishes that are mainly cosmetic, but darker finishes tend to reduce glare from the sun while raw finishes are designed to rust over time.
Some manufacturers claim that this “rusting” affect will increase spin production over time.
You can now get custom wedge sets in jet black, brushed nickel and raw finish.
They can also stamp them with your favorite logo or even your initials.
The Top Five Golf Wedges Review
Titliest Vokey SM8
Introducing the SM8
Tech:
Great wedge play comes from distance control, shot versatility and spin.
Bob Vokey and team have designed the SM8 wedges to improve in all three areas.
The center of gravity (CG) has been pushed forward, which produces higher MOI.
This means improved feel and a club face that simply wants to square at impact.
The SM8 comes in six different grinds (F,M,S,D,K,L) to suit every type of swing and condition.
Price:
High
Opinion:
Titliest has long been the leader in the market for wedges.
Just saying the name, Bob Vokey, invokes the thought of wedges.
Although the Titliest Vokey comes in a variety of different soles and grinds, it is designed for the low handicap player.
It comes with a high price tag, but delivers high performance.
Discover the Titliest Vokey SM8 HERE
Cleveland RTX Zipcore
Introducing the RTX Zipcore
Tech:
The RTX is Cleveland’s tour-driven wedge family, designed for better players seeking feel, versatility and spin control in a traditional look.
The brand claims its new RTX ZipCore wedge improves performance in all these areas to help golfers score better.
By replacing heavy steel with a lightweight core, ZipCore repositions mass for kid-in-a candy-shop levels of design freedom.
The result is more consistency across the board.
Spin, distance, feel, control—better, better, BETTER. You just leveled up, friend.
With 3 versatile sole grinds—developed on tour by the game’s best—RTX ZipCore delivers all the finesse you’ll need to execute your greatest greenside feats.
Price:
Mid to High
Opinion:
When you think of Cleveland Golf, you think of wedges.
The RTX Zipcore blends a tour experience, with some of the forgiveness of a cavity back wedge (a-la the Cleveland CBX).
This wedge is designed for the low to mid handicap golfer who wants top level performance at an affordable price.
This is one of the top four wedges on the market today for both men and women.
Callaway Jaws MD5
Introducing the Jaws Mack Daddy 5
Tech:
Shaped by Roger Cleveland, these premium heads exude quality and superiority from every angle, while also delivering a soft and satisfying feel no other wedge can match.
They come in two high-end finish options – platinum chrome & tour grey.
Head shaping progresses from traditional shaped lob and sand wedges to a compact player preferred design in the gap and pitching wedges for a seamless transition into an iron set.
Price:
Mid to High
Opinion:
Callaway has been making great wedges now for many years.
Phil Mickelson rocks Callaway wedges and he is considered by many as the greatest wedge player of all time.
The Jaws MD5 is right up there with the best wedges for the more advanced player.
TaylorMade Milled Grind
Introducing the TaylorMade Milled Grind 2
Tech:
The all-new Milled Grind 2 wedges combine precision-milling with Raw Face Technology designed for increased spin, precision and feel.
While the face rusts over time, the rest of the head will maintain its original finish.
The ZTP RAW Groove Design is engineered for more greenside spin, with sharper, narrower, and deeper grooves in the face, as well as laser etching.
The milling process maximizes consistency, maintaining tolerance levels difficult for a human to repeat.
The result is a precisely crafted grind on each and every wedge that produces optimal turf interaction and consistent performance.
Price:
Mid to High
Opinion:
TaylorMade continues to expand it’s place as the number one manufacturer in golf.
Typically known for it’s drivers, TaylorMade is now staking it’s claim to wedges.
The Milled Grind 2 wedges are a great choice for golfers of all skill levels.
Although the price is on the higher end, the performance is there to back it up.
Discover the Milled Grind 2 HERE
Cleveland CBX2 Wedge
Introducing the CBX2
Tech:
Chunk, flub, duff, miff—there’s a lot of ways to say it, but only one wedge to fix it.
The Cleveland CBX 2 has more spin, plenty of versatility, and a whole lot of forgiveness.
It’s a cavity back wedge for cavity back golfers, and it’s your ticket to better short game shots every time you hit the links.
A lighter hosel, a tapered flange, a wider toe, and a totally new Hollow-Cavity design.
It’s a holistic approach that moves the center of gravity, placing it right where you hit the ball.
That means straighter shots that go farther and feel better.
Price:
Low to Mid
Opinion:
Cleveland Golf makes the list again – the CBX2 is the every man’s wedge.
A more forgiving style mixed with precision and accuracy.
If you are a mid to high handicap player, the CBX2 is the perfect wedge.
It has the lowest price point of any wedge in the Top 5 and provides excellent performance around the green.
The CBX2 is definitely the best value wedge on the market today.
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