down into the ball for better contact. In between the digger and the sweeper is a golfer who takes more of a dollar- bill divot. That player needs moderate bounce, like 7 to 10 degrees. One last tip: You should frequently check your lob wedge for groove wear. Titleist master wedge designer Bob Vokey says to replace lob wedges every 75 to 100 rounds because they sustain extra wear due to their usage on spin- heavy shots, like flops and bunker blasts. Bottom line: Keep a closer eye on that club than your other wedges.
ing wedge. If you have a strong-lofted pitch- ing wedge (44 degrees or less), five might be better. That said, a pitching wedge, 50-, 54- and 58-degree constitute a sensible makeup that provides plenty of shot options.
face will lessen the amount of bounce. That brings us to bounce. Perhaps the most misunderstood thing in golf equipment is that bounce is connected to the width of the sole. No! A wide-sole club can have very little bounce. Swing type should play a part. There’s the digger-driver who is steep, taking big divots. That player needs wedges with a lot of bounce (10 degrees or more). The sweeper-slider – some- body who clips the ball off the turf – needs wedges with a low bounce (4 to 8 degrees) as that allows the club to get
BLAST FACTOR Keep tabs on the wedge you use in the sand and on high-spin shots. The grooves tend to wear out faster.
Now let’s get to some details. What about shafts? The tendency is to just go with whatever shaft comes with the club, but that’s not always the right call. If Jordan Spieth’s clubs offer any insight, the move would be more than a single shaft. Spieth’s 46-degree Titleist Vokey SM10 has a Project X 6.5 shaft – the same shaft he has in his irons. His 52-, 56- and 60-degree, however, have a softer Project X 6.0 shaft, which adds feel. The theory is, lower-lofted wedges are used more as full-swing clubs that benefit from having the same shafts as the irons, while the sub-flex shafts help on greenside plays. For you, consider matching the shafts of your irons to your 50-degree, as that also will prob- ably be a full-swing club. Next come grinds and bounces. This can get a little complex, but let’s begin with the fact that they are two very different things. We’ll take them one at a time, starting with grind. The simple explanation of wedge grind is that it is the removal of mate- rial (known as “relief”) from the sole of the club to enhance turf interaction and versatility. This allows for more creative shotmaking around the green. The type of grind you need often is dictated by swing style and ground conditions, along with the kinds of greenside shots you like to play. Some grinds offer heel and toe relief, making it easier to open up the clubface. Others feature trailing-edge relief that reduces the effective bounce. Conversely, some grinds provide more bounce in the leading-edge area. Wedge grind and wedge bounce in some ways go hand in hand, so you should understand the effect one has on the other. For example, a grind that makes it easier to open up the clubface will create additional bounce. A grind that promotes more of a square club-
HOT LIST TESTING Best-Performing Wedges
Which wedges are best for you? To help you weigh your options, here are four of our Hot List testers and the wedges that resonated with them and why – in their own words.
GARY ABBOTT, 37 13-Handicap Titleist Vokey Design SM10 “Very efficient in all parts of the short game. Instinctively knows how much sand to take in the bunker. Good spin upon landing. Versatility with the right grind helps brush chips with the right amount of check.”
MATT SINGER, 52 11-Handicap
JOHN VAMPATELLA, 54 11-Handicap
RYAN WOYSKI, 46 14-Handicap
Cleveland RTZ
Callaway Opus
Ping s159
“Feels like you’re cheating out of the sand. I could blast the ball out or make it spin and stop. I was able to hit high spinners and low rollers from just off the green, too. Very versatile.”
“Butter out of the bunker. It cut through the sand effortlessly and was able to generate a bit more spin. I was able to control the height out of the sand as well. Versatile performer around the greens – just bounced off the turf with great comfort.”
“I could stop it on a dime. Incredible out of the bunker. It got right through the sand, on target and stopped every time. Just so easy to control. I got a lot of spin on the full swings.”
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 113
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2025
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