Equipment

Best wedges of 2021: Traditional

Published

3 years ago

Apr 28, 2021

With so much time dedicated to finding the right driver or set of irons, wedges often become an afterthought for many golfers—to the detriment of their own game. Wedges play a crucial role in helping save shots around the green, and more importantly, their performance is highly correlated to how well they fit you and your playing style.

At GolfWRX, to determine the 2021 best wedges and the categories, we compiled an expert panel of fitters to help you find out which of the 2021 wedges are best for your game.

This year, OEMs have continued to push the engineering envelope of wedge development with most of the focus directed to furthering performance gains through advanced manufacturing methods, weight distribution, and fittings opportunities. These fitting options are important because shots hit with your wedges play a key role in scoring and also saving strokes.

That being said, ultimately the best way to find your personal best wedges is to work with a professional fitter using a launch monitor. The difficult part is a lot of people don’t have easy access to fitters, launch monitors, and club builders—so at GolfWRX, we have done a lot of the work for you.

Join the discussion in the forums.

The methodology is simple: We want to give you the tools and information to go out and find what works best for you by offering recommendations for your individual wedge needs with insight and feedback from the people who work every single day to help golfers get peak performance out of their equipment.

Best wedges of 2021: How we did it

Before starting the process of building our best wedge survey, we reached out to our trusted fitters to discuss how they sort through the cornucopia of wedge options available to golfers, and the consensus was clear. The best fitters in the world see all the available options, analyze their performance traits and fitting potential, and pull from their internal database of knowledge and experience like a supercomputer when they are working with a golfer.

It’s essentially a decision tree derived from experience and boiled down to a starting point of options.

Modern wedges fit into two categories; traditional and game improvement. Both categories offer a lot of options but the wedges in each vary in their approaches to helping the target player. These are the best wedge categories we have developed to help you the reader determine what rankings are most important for you.

Best wedge of 2021: The categories

Best traditional wedge

Traditional wedges generally share similar exterior aesthetics, even though each manufacturer uses different techniques to shift mass and improve spin, along with consistency. Traditional wedges also usually come in a variety of bounce and sole grind options to help golfers pick what will work best for them based on their technique, regular course conditions, and preferred look.

Just because wedge design doesn’t appear to have changed that much in the last 50 years doesn’t mean you won’t see a big benefit to finding the right ones for you.

Best game improvement wedge

Wedge forgiveness is less so tied to overall MOI (a measurement of forgiveness) and more specifically linked to helping golfers with the most difficult and frustrating shots they will face on the course. Whether it be chipping around a green or just escaping a sand trap in one shot, these game improvement wedges and their designs provide the best opportunity to help you save shots where you struggle.

Join the discussion in the forums.

Best wedges of 2021: Meet the fitters

Nick Sherburne: Founder, Club Champion
Clare Cornelius: Fitter, Cool Clubs
Eric Johnson: Fitter, True Spec Golf
Shaun Fagan: Fitter, True Spec Golf
Kirk Oguri: PGA Professional/ Club Specialist, Pete’s Golf
Sue O’Connor: Fitter, Cool Clubs
Scott Felix: Owner, Felix Club Works
Mark Knapp: Club Fitter, Carls Golfland
Ryan Johnson: Club Fitter, Carls Golfland
Eric Hensler: Manager & Fitter, Miles of Golf
Brad Coffield: Fitter Carls Golfland
Nick Waterworth: Fitter, Haggin Oaks Golf Super Shop
Adam White: Co-Founder & Director of Club Fitting, Measured Golf
Scott Anderson: VP of Sales, Fitter, True Spec Golf
Matthew Sim: Director of Operations, Modern Golf
Ian Fraser: CEO & Founder, Tour Experience Golf
Mike Martysiewicz: Director of Club Fitting & Building, Tour Experience Golf
Shawn Zawodni: Fitter, Miles of Golf
Ben Giunta: Owner, The Tour Van

Best wedges 2021: Traditional

best wedges 2021

Titleist Vokey Design SM8

Their story: For the new Vokey SM8 wedges, performance is about creating better short game tools for golfers of all skill levels, shot after shot. It’s about offering state-of-the-art technology alongside tour-proven consistency to give golfers more control than ever before. The biggest overhaul to Vokey wedge design since the introduction of Spin Milled grooves is the “out of head” center of gravity (CoG), with the 58 to 62-degree wedges having tungsten placed in the toe to push CoG more forward and out of the head into a space beyond the face of the club to offer more rotational control.

Constant refinement is the name of game, and the SM8’s featured Vokey’s six tour-proven sole grinds—F, S, M, K, L, and D—to allow golfers of all skill levels to be expertly fit for their swing types, shot-making preferences, and course conditions. The wedges

From the fitters

When it comes to wedges, Titleist and Vokey set the standard for bounce, grind, and finish options, which is why so many golfers and fitters gravitate towards them. The other thing that I have found is they have done a really good job explaining bounce and grinds to consumers, so even if you can’t go see a fitter you make sure you are picking your best option.
Vokey wedges can fit any golfer that wants a classic-looking wedge that offers performance. For those who love customization, you can go absolutely nuts with the wedge works program.
Pure performance you can trust.

For more photos/info, read our launch piece and check out this forum thread.

Callaway MD5 Jaws

Their story: With the MD5 Jaws wedges, Callaway changed the shape of the grooves to increase spin and total control. The end result is the MD5 Jaws spins over 10 percent more on shots hit around the green compared to the Callaway MD4 and launches lower by one degree.

Beyond the grooves, Callaway and the wedge team re-evaluated the whole shape and profile of the MD5 Jaws, along with the grind options. As the trend of more players swapping their stock pitching wedges for wedges that match the lower end of the bag (up to 45-46 degrees). Callaway designers decided to reshape the lower lofted wedges from 46-56 degrees to have a smaller profile and flow better from the lowest to highest loft in the wedge set. Don’t think this is just for looks either—smaller heads allow for more concentrated mass and with a smaller shape comes better workability.

From the fitters

Callaway stepped way up with the MD5 wedges, and the Jaws groove is only part of the story with these. To me, the biggest thing is how they shaped them to create a really nice transition from a pitching wedge or even 9-iron. These are the best wedges they have ever made.
They look great and spin a lot on partial shots hit inside 60 yards, which for most golfers is a trouble zone.
The MD5 wedges don’t get enough credit for the number of bounce and loft options they offer, but it’s right up there with Titleist and Cleveland. The other thing that is really cool is the Callaway customs program to get extra stamping and cavity dots.

For more photos/info, read our launch piece and check out this forum thread.

Cleveland RTX ZipCore

Their story: The Cleveland RTX ZipCore wedges feature a low-density “ZipCore” in the hosel of the wedge head to shift the center of gravity higher and towards the toe to boost what Cleveland is calling High-Low MOI. What this means is you get less spin rate variance (aka better spin robustness) on shots hit both higher and lower on the face. This also creates greater control over launch, which leads to better distance control.

The wedges also feature UltiZip Grooves which are 11 percent sharper and 7.3 percent deeper than previous generations, while also being 7.4 percent closer together for more groove contact area. The RTX Zipcore wedges are offered in a large variety of grind and bounce options to help golfers find the best fit for their game and playing conditions.

From the fitters

The ZipCore wedges feel great and they really nailed it with the shaping. I realize that when it comes to wedges in this category, there isn’t much that separates one from the next, but it’s the little transitions around the head and the sole that make these my personal favorite.
You get a bunch of grind and bounce options, which is exactly what golfers are looking for with a traditional wedge.
The Tour Rack custom program that is offered by Cleveland is as close to working with your own custom wedge grinder as it gets, and for the discerning player who wants to be dialed in for their playing conditions, it’s hard to beat.

For more photos/info, read our launch piece and check out this forum thread.

TaylorMade MG2

Their story: The TaylorMade MG2 wedges feature ZTP Raw Grooves designed to offer sharper, deeper, and narrower grooves with a sharper radius, which aims to allow players to create more friction between the clubface and the ball for maximum greenside spin. The other standout features of the MG2 wedges are the raw face designed for optimal spin, along with CNC milled sole grinds allowing them to be accurately and consistently replicated wedge after wedge.

Compared to previous generations TaylorMade increased the face thickness of the head from 5.1 mm to 6.5 mm in for a new “Thick-Thin” head design to create a solid, positive feel at impact and optimized center of gravity.

From the fitters

The MG2 wedges have a slightly higher toe that gives them a compact classic look, and you really get the best of both worlds with the raw face/low maintenance chrome and a glare-reducing raw face.
These wedges feel really good and spin a lot.
Although these wedges might not offer all the bounce and grind options as some of the others in the market, they do offer the TW sand and lob wedge grinds, which are beyond versatile.

For more photos/info, read our launch piece and check out this forum thread.

Mizuno T-20

Their story: Just like with the MP-20 iron, engineers brought a more extreme CG (center of gravity) shifting philosophy to the Mizuno T20 wedges to relocate the CG throughout the set and change the sweet spot height. This allowed the engineers to alter the launch and spin precisely for each loft.

Also, for the T20 wedges, Mizuno engineers took a concept from the high-performance tire world and introduced perpendicular laser-etched micro-grooves to channel moisture away faster than conventional parallel ones. This directional “tread” has proven to increase spin on shots especially in conditions with moisture up to 1,200 rpm (on a 60-yard shot). All of these refinements—CG, micro-grooves, and reconfigured scoring lines—add up to one thing: more control and improved shotmaking with your wedges.

From the fitters

For the traditional wedge consumer who wants a forged head, it’s basically Mizuno or Ping Glide (Forged) wedges, and Mizuno offers a lot more when it comes to options including finishes. Also, whereas other companies charge extra for a raw finish, Mizuno offers it at no additional cost.
What gets overlooked is Mizuno wedges offer a lot of technology when it comes to their grooves to help retain spin in wet conditions.
I really like that they build their wedge matrix around having an option for every single loft. It’s no secret that it involves simply bending wedges to spec and using a badge, but for golfers who don’t want to have to remember what their wedges are tweaked to, it’s quite smart.

For more photos/info, read our launch piece and check out this forum thread.

Join the discussion in the forums.

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Product Reviews

Fujikura 2024 Ventus Black, Ventus Red review – Club Junkie Reviews

Published

43 mins ago

Jul 22, 2024

Brian Knudson

About the 2024 Ventus: Fujikura has big shoes to fill with the 2024 Ventus shaft lineup as the previous shafts were deemed iconic by most. VeloCore Plus is the technology that will set the new Ventus lineup apart and we saw its debut earlier this year in the 2024 Ventus Blue shaft.

Now it is Ventus Black and Ventus Red’s turn with VeloCore Plus to round out the lineup. VeloCore Plus is the shafts bias core that is made up of different layers, and types, of carbon fiber sheets. This core is built around stability of the club head to ensure it can help deliver center contact more often while adding ball speed. The 2024 Ventus line is now complete with Red for mid/high launch, Blue for players seeking mid-launch, and Black for low launch.

Look & Feel

Out of the box, the Ventus Black and Red match their Blue sibling with a new matte finish to their paint. Black has a simple matte black finish that almost looks charcoal grey in the sunlight. Red is a little more of a drastic change with a deeper hue. I would consider the new Ventus Red’s paint a maroon color that has some nice depth with the matte finish. Out in the sunlight, both shafts look great and don’t transmit any glare from the sun. The classic Ventus graphics are present up near the grip and the Ventus text is now a silver outline near the center. While everything seems new with the 2024 Ventus line, they are easily identified as Ventus shafts.

Feel is such a subjective thing to describe, but both of the new Ventus shafts have good feel to them. For me, the new Black and Red shafts have a slightly stouter feel to them through the swing. The Ventus Black is definitely a stiff profile that is designed for players with speed that takes a little more power to load. The great thing about Ventus Black is that you can get the low spin and launch you need without having a harsh feel and lots of vibration. At impact, you get a little less “kick” as your hands get to impact than the previous Ventus Black. Black will also feel a touch harder to turn over, taking away that feeling of losing it left.

Ventus Red has a softer and more active feel to it than Ventus Black. The handle section feels very stiff and stable while the mid and tip sections allow you to feel the flex of that shaft throughout the swing. As you start your downswing, you can feel Red flex lower down the shaft compared to Black. The softer tip section makes the shaft feel like it really is releasing energy at the point of impact and Red is a little easier to square up and hit a draw with.

Performance

I think we can all agree that the Ventus shafts released in 2018 performed exceptionally well. This new 2024 lineup leans on VelCore Plus to do even better. Ventus Black sticks to its roots as a low launch and low spin shaft. It keeps spin down no matter where you hit it on the face of the club. Typically a low heel shot ramps up the spin number but Ventus Black kept that, and other shots, spin down. Looking at launch monitor numbers, I never had a shot hit 3,000 rpm of spin, while there were a few under 2,000. Launch was also lower than Red both on the monitor as well as just looking at the window of the shot. A flat penetrating flight is what Ventus Black produced shot after shot. The starting line of my shots with Ventus Black were also a little more right of Red. Stability is key with the Black and swinging hard won’t cause the shaft to get loose and create an offline shot.

Ventus Red will offer a higher flight but without adding too much spin. I noticed almost 1.5 degrees more launch but with only around 350rpm more spin. I know people get scared of higher launching shafts, but the new Ventus Red can add some height without adding spin and losing control. While the flight isn’t as penetrating as Ventus Black, Red has not ballooned on me or shown any rise into the wind. The shaft is easier to square up and hit a draw with, but even as a drawer of the ball, I haven’t feared going left with it. For me, Red wasn’t high spinning either with shots averaging just under 2,400rpm for good and poorly struck shots. Shots that didn’t hit the center of the face stayed online well and had less curvature on them than I would have expected.

Final Thought

Fujikura had a tough job to replace the original Ventus, and I think they have done well to make an updated shaft that still shares the core Ventus DNA. You have the same three flight and spin options with a slightly tighter and stiffer feel to them. Performance is top-notch, and I don’t think anyone will be disappointed with the new shafts.

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Equipment

GolfWRX members impressed by new Wilson Fit AI

Published

2 hours ago

Jul 22, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

Last month, GolfWRX’s Brian Knudson and four of our forum members visited Pinehurst to test Wilson Golf’s newest products. We touched on this earlier in the week, and we’ll have more on this later, but members came away extremely impressed with Wilson’s product offerings. It’s clear that Wilson is highly motivated to re-establish themselves in the golf space. Following the trip, Scott, known in the GolfWRX forum as Shilgy stated, “We all definitely need to add Wilson golf to our must-play equipment. You’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t at least try them out and with the new AI fitting tool every fitter out there can be a Wilson expert fitter.”

So let’s talk about Wilson Fit AI. Wilson introduced its AI fitting tool at the end of last year. It uses Blast Motion’s Bluetooth-enabled sensor, which is fitted into a grip, and it captures approximately 12,000 data points per swing. That data is then run through Wilson’s black box algorithm to deliver custom-fit iron recommendations after evaluating elements such as swing plane, wrist hinge, shaft, lost, club face closure, and overall swing tempo.

“Club fitters using a Wilson iron with a Blast Motion sensor embedded into the grip will be able to provide real-time feedback for every aspect of the player’s swing including shaft loading, swing tempo, face closing rates, and more. It will only take a few swings to understand a golfer’s swing profile allowing us to recommend the perfect set of Wilson customized irons, along with the ideal head model, shaft type and grip for each golf club.” – Bob Thurman, Global VP, Wilson R&D & GM, Global Golf at Wilson

After visiting with Bob Thurman, Wilson Golf’s Global VP of R&D, the team was introduced to Ed Garland. Ed plays an integral part in the brain trust behind Wilson Fit AI and is Wilson’s Master Fitter. He fits all of the company’s tour players and high-profile guests or ambassadors, and he was the man Wilson tabbed to lead the fittings for our members. Ed told us that in as little as three swings, you can find the right fit. The right head. The right shaft. The right grip. While it’s not the first time we’ve heard about fitters only using three swings, that claim, for some, might be hard to believe.

Shilgy: “The new Ai fitting tool is legit. First answer a few questions and then there is a fitting iron that measures everything. It’s almost scary how easy, and accurate, it is. Started me with a shaft that was too light but based on contact it changed to 115g DG. About as expected. I was fit into the CB with the Dynapower forged as the 5 and 6 iron.”

Olson12: “You start by building a profile. It asks about your skill level, goals in golf, grip size, wrist-to-floor measurements, height, and a few other pieces I’ve forgotten about. Once you have that, the fitting is with a stock 7-iron with a softish flex shaft. Ed walked me through the tech along with the do’s and don’ts for the fitting. The sensor is similar to hitting a club with an Arccos sensor on the butt. However, instead of screwing into the grip, this sensor is an extension of the grip and aligns with the clubface. It measures your G-force, Axis, Tempo, and many other things I don’t fully understand.

“After warming up, Ed had me hit a handful of shots. It took maybe five or six shots, and we decided it was enough. Of the six shots, I hit four pretty well, one perfectly, and one really bad one. The app spits out recommendations based on all the data it collected and gives you both a steel and graphite option. On the graphite side, it went straight to the Steelfiber 110s, so that was the first one we tried. Ed built up a 7-iron in the Wilson Staff CB with the Steelfiber 110s, and we were off to the races.”

TLUBulldogGolf: “It was really interesting to see all of the data the AI fitting tool was analyzing based on just a few swings in order to put together recommendations for starting points for a fitting. I have not seen a tool doing more detailed analysis and narrowing down potential options quicker. The gearheads will get a kick out of the detailed metrics it offers if they want to dive deeper and the narrowed list of options will remove the guesswork for those that aren’t really sure what they need.”

Final Thoughts

Wilson Golf is creating competitive products and has developed a state-of-the-art fitting tool to dial golfers in. Like true GolfWRXers, our members are still hard at work testing the clubs they were fit into as some had to be shipped directly to the participants following the trip. However, with the help of Wilson Fit AI, a number of the clubs have already made it into the bag for some of our members.

We still have plenty more on the way from our trip with Wilson Golf. Be sure to follow more product testing updates in the forum thread here.

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Equipment

Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (7/22/24): Miura Limited Run MGP-NM2 putter

Published

3 hours ago

Jul 22, 2024

Gianni Magliocco

At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a Miura Limited Run MGP-NM2 putter.

From the seller: (@NoahthePlaya): “Miura Limited Run MGP-NM2 -35 in -New Frequency Filtered Shaft -Super Stroke Grip. $600“

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Miura Limited Run MGP-NM2 putter

This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules