If you’re the type of grinder who likes to work on wedges as much in your garage as you do on the course, three wedge companies have websites that allow you to custom build your wedges, saving you a few steps in your home workshop.

Check out the custom wedge options from respected wedge makers Cleveland and Vokey, as well as the new kid on the block, Hopkins Golf.

Cleveland MyCustomWedge 2.0

Cleveland recently announced the launch of its MyCustomWedge 2.0 website. Customers tour the user-friendly interface, selecting from 10 wedge lofts (five for lefties) and two different finishes.

The first step in the Cleveland process is the selection of hand (right or left) and finish (Black Pearl or RTG). The Black Pearl preserves its ebony appearance and is able to accomodate one of Cleveland’s skins (more on that later), while the RTG, a raw look, will rust as time passes. The base price of these wedges, with no upgrades, is $149.

If you want one or more of Cleveland’s four custom grinds — trailing edge, front sole, heel or toe — you must select the RTG finish. Regardless of how many custom grinds you choose, the option costs a flat rate of $30.

At step two, you select two standard logos. One goes on the back corner of the wedge, while the other gets stamped in the center of the wedge back. The corner logo options are:

• CG Tour Action
• Authentic 1988
• Rotex Face (The company’s directionally milled face pattern)

Center back logo possibilities are:

• Custom
• Reg. 588
• 588 RTX

Whether you select a corner logo, a center logo or both, the option adds $15 to the cost of the wedge. For another $15, a third stamping of up to 10 letters of your choosing is available, situated in the center-middle of the wedge.

In step two, you can also choose the paint fill colors for all stamped words and logos, along with the skin option for the Black Pearl finish.

If you want your stampings to stand out against the dark color of the Black Pearl, choose lighter and brighter paint fill colors. If you’re a bit of a maverick and want to add more flair to your wedge back, consider the five skin options:

Above: A custom wedge we designed with Cleveland’s “Burst” skin.

• Argo (Think diamonds, diagonal lines and shades of grey).
• Camo (Reminds me of a Risk game board, except all the countries have started to disintegrate).
• Checkered (A little bit like Argo, but the parallelograms and diamonds have been straightened).
• Burst (Twilight Zone, hypnosis, Han Solo warp speed…you get the idea, right?).
• Cropped Loft (Sorta hipster, sorta Cal cool — your wedge loft spelled out, coming in from behind the toe).

Any one of that quintet will separate your blades from the bunch. Since we would need a thousand words to describe each picture, your best bet is to check the skins yourself and invest the $30 if that’s your thing.

Step three, believe it or not, adds even more options to the brew. At this stage, you choose your shaft (24 options, ranging from $0 to $70). And if you decide you’d like a True Temper Tour Concept wedge shaft, you can choose from 58 different collegiate shaft patterns.

MyCustomWedge also offers 18 varieties of shaft lengths (from +/- 2 inches, as well as uncut), six lie options and even a loft modification (where you can jack the loft of your wedge up or down by 2 degrees). You can also choose from 25 different grip options.

Head spinning yet? I told you it was for grinders! The end of the process has arrived, so after you share your wedge’s look on social media and save it to the Cleveland site gallery, it’s on to the checkout line.

Vokey “Hand Ground”

Vokey’s high-end customization program, Hand Ground, gives golfers to opportunity to have a wedge made by Vokey’s professional wedge grinders — the same guys who make wedges for Titleist’s staff players.

The first stage of Hand Ground is to pick a wedge — golfers can choose four different grinds (E, M, T and V available in 58- and 60-degree models for righties and lefties). They then can further customize the shape of the wedge by selecting to have a “Square Toe,” “Straighter Leading Edge,” “Thinner Top Line,” “Pre-worn Leading Edge,” “Additional Heel Relief,” “Pro-Groove” or all of them.

Above: A Vokey Hand ground with a V Grind, pre-worn leading edge and staircase stampings. 

Next, golfers can choose their stamping and engraving options, along with a style of shaft band and ferrule. They then choose from eight shaft options and 15 grip variations, as well as loft, lie and shaft length specifications.

Vokey offers the same 2-degree loft adjustment as Cleveland, but raises the bar by extending lie modification to 4 degrees upright or flat. Standard shaft length may be increased by an inch in either direction.

Regardless of the amount of options selected, all Hand Ground wedges cost $350. If you’re looking for a cheaper option, consider Vokey’s WedgeWorks program, which offers several special customizable Vokey models not available in stores such as TVD and 200 Series wedges for a base price of $160.

WedgeWorks options

A basic stamping package (four characters with choice of paint fill) costs $25, while the “Tour Package” (eight characters with choice of paint fill, choice of toe stamp and paint fill color, choice of shaft band) costs $60. If you want the snow package, a stamping pattern popularized by Rickie Fowler that includes stampings adrift like snow flakes on the back flange, that will set you back $60 (like the Tour Package, it also includes toe engraving and shaft band choices).

For those interested in a simpler wedge tune-up, Vokey also offers a WedgeWorks Services section, where more cosmetic details are attended.

Vokey wedges are identifiable by a serial number stamped into the hosel. You need it and the model before proceeding with any of the custom enhancements. In this realm of conditioning and refurbishment, options get quite specific. Swing weight adjustments and laser shaft etching are two services not offered by other companies.

Hopkins Golf

By the time you get around to the new kid in town, Hopkins Golf, you’ll be a wizened, old hand at navigating wedge smithies. Greg Hopkins left Cleveland Golf to start his own wedge company and he left no attention to detail behind.

The Hopkins wedge engine starts off with determination of right or left hand, and male or female. From there, you decide if you want one, two or three wedges (sorry, no volume discounts — all wedges have a base price of $99.99), and then you pick from the six available wedge lofts that range from 50 to 60 degrees in 2-degree increments.

Where Hopkins wedges get interesting are at the grind options stage. Depending on the wedge lofts chosen, you can go in one of three directions. The Standard Full Sole is recommended for golfers who wish to have great flexibility, regardless of playing surface. For those who wish to forge their own path, Hopkins gives them complete reign over the horse, with seven grind options:

Full Sole/Standard (available in all lofts)

• Grind area: The full sole features a moderate sole width and camber, with a slight heel relief.
• Bounce: With a medium effective bounce, this grind provides reliable and consistent contact and playability.
• Player type: This most-forgiving grind is suitable for all players.
• Turf conditions: This grind is recommended for normal turf conditions.
• Special features: This grind is best for full shots, square-faced chips and standard bunkers.

Heel/Toe (available in all lofts)

• Grind area: The heel/toe grind features material removed in the heel, toe and along the trailing edge.
• Bounce: This grind will play with a reduced effective bounce on both square- and open-faced shots as well as toe-down chips from bad lies.
• Player type: This versatile grind is suitable for average-to-better players.
• Turf conditions: This grind is recommended for normal turf conditions.
• Special features: The three-surface relief reduces excessive digging and drag, making it effortless to get in and out of difficult turf and sand. The heel and trailing edge relief provide a low leading edge to ground height, for maximum versatility.

Shelf (available in 50-, 52-, 54- and 56-degree wedges)

• Grind area: The shelf grind features a consistent relieved trailing edge that extends from heel to toe.
• Bounce: The trailing edge relief provides a lower effective bounce for square-faced shots.
• Player type: This grind is suitable for a wide range of players.
• Turf conditions: This grind is recommended for normal-to-firm turf and sand conditions.
• Special features: The shelf grind is perfect for full shots, long-distance sand shots, and chips around the green — especially in firmer conditions.

Arc (available in 52-, 54- and 56- degree wedges)

• Grind area: The arc grind features material removed from the center of the trailing edge as it tapers off towards the heel and toe, creating an arc.
• Bounce: The narrow sole width in the center reduces the effective bounce on square shots. On open-faced shots, the maintained heel sole width provides a moderate bounce.
• Player type: This grind is suitable for average-to-better players.
• Turf conditions: This grind is recommended for normal to firm turf and sand conditions. This grind is also effective in deep rough.
• Special features: The narrow sole width in the center reduces drag and turf interference, while the moderate heel sole width provides consistency and versatility needed for open-faced shots.

Heel (available in 56-, 58- and 60- degree wedges)

• Grind area: The heel grind features a generous grind in the heel portion of the wedge sole.
• Bounce: With a medium effective bounce, this grind provides forgiveness and consistency on square-faced shots.
• Player type: A tour favorite, this grind is suitable for a wide range of players.
• Turf conditions: This grind is recommended for normal turf conditions.
• Special features: A low-leading edge-to-ground factor allows for versatility on a variety of open-faced shots. The heel relief also prevents the heel from bouncing or skipping and the face from closing in tight lies and sand conditions.

Channel (available in 56-, 58- and 60- degree wedges)

• Grind area: The channel grind features material skillfully removed from the mid-section of the sole with a taper off towards the heel and toe.
• Bounce: The mid-sole relief provides a reduced effective bounce on square-faced shots.
• Player type: This grind is suitable for a wide range of players.
• Turf conditions: This grind is recommended for normal-to-firm turf conditions. It’s also effective in soft sand and deep rough.
• Special features: The effective bounce increases on open-faced shots, to resist digging as the channel compacts sand and grass — making it highly effective out of both firm or soft sand bunkers and deep rough.

Wide Grind (available in 60-degree wedges)

• Grind area: The wide grind features a wide sole width from heel to toe.
• Bounce: The wide sole and low camber provide a moderate effective bounce.
• Player type: This grind is suitable for a wide range of players.
• Turf conditions: This grind is recommended for normal-to-soft turf conditions.
• Special features: The wide grind is designed to produce a slightly higher ball flight for tight pins, small greens and buried lies in the sand. With a soft relief in the heel section and wide sole width, this grind is extremely forgiving out of the sand and high rough.

Not that the “Select Own Grinds” option is anything to downplay, but it’s the third choice that provides great intrigue. Hopkins gets personal, at least with your standard playing region. The site divides the U.S. into 10 different regions, and defines each in terms of grass type and ground conditions. Using that information, the site recommends grinds that will play best in each region.

Where the Pacific Northwest (Region 1) might feature a blend of tall fescue and rye grasses, paired with persistent wet weather and soft ground conditions, the Mid-Belt of North Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee (Region 7), offers a different challenge: inconsistent ground conditions coupled with a mixture of zoysia and bermuda grasses. For the northerner who travels south for the first time and faces the dilemma that is bermuda grass, wedge working takes on a new definition and test.

With the nuts and bolts nearly done, it’s time to pause and consider the decorative element — colors, engraving and stamping. Hopkins has found a way to provide a library of letters and symbols (the sky’s the limit) for the customer’s selection, along with five unique places (left, right and beneath Hopkins Golf, as well as the top and bottom of the wedge) for distinction. Personalizing stamping, either in the trendy random snowfall or precisely situated spots, is also available, also with particular character limits. All personalization carries an up-charge, albeit not an extravagant one.

Hopkins matches the other companies for alternatives in the grip, shaft and ferrule categories. Additionally, wedges may be bumped 2 degrees either way for loft, 3 degrees in each direction for lie and 2 inches in separate bearings for shaft length.

Hopkins is seeking a niche in the professional tour market by targeting the Champions Tour. It proclaims on its site that Hopkins wedges are the “fastest growing wedge on the Champions tour.” Smart move, since it worked for Adams golf (hybrids on the LPGA and Champions tours) and Volvik (golf balls on the Symetra and LPGA tours.)

Conclusions

Cleveland, Vokey and Hopkins all offer excellent packages for wedge detail and they should. They represent the top of the industry and work at wedges without distraction. The ability to go off-menu and purchase options a la carte is the most desirable component of any wedge enhancement package, seconded by reliable work and a hassle-free guarantee from the company. Confidence in your clubs runs the gamut from appearance to feel to performance. Once you have the look and the feel down, it’s easier to put in the practice time to develop the performance.

It’s nice to pimp your ride from time to time, so why not treat yourself by adding some swag to your wedges? Between you, me and Dave Pelz, they are THE most important clubs in your bag. After punching out or laying up, getting the ball up and down from the short grass, long grass or sand can mean skins, presses or your club championship. Look classy doing it, but do it!