Connect with us

Equipment

Best wedges of 2021: Game improvement

Published

3 years ago

on

With so much time dedicated to finding the right driver or a 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.

In 2021, 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 shots.

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.

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 esthetics, 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 then preference for look.

Just because wedge design hasn’t appeared 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.

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: Game improvement

Callaway Mack Daddy CB

Their story: The Mack Daddy CB wedges feature two sole grinds. In the lower lofts, a full sole provides iron-like turf interaction with moderate bounce. In the mid and higher lofts, a modified W Grind is designed to enhance bounce in order to add forgiveness out of bunkers and thick rough. The modified W Grind is also designed with a low leading edge if you need to open the face.

The Mack Daddy CB wedges also feature the newest JAWS grooves with increased edge sharpness to provide maximum grip and spin from all types of lies.

From the fitters

  • The Mack Daddy CB is a really nice option for players that want a stand-alone wedge but still need more help than something traditional like an MD5. It’s not quite as soft feeling as other wedges in this category but super forgiving on off-center strikes which makes up for that.
  • The Mack Daddy CB is an extremely easy-to-hit wedge but still offers some versatility for times when you need to manipulate it around the greens.
  • It has a nice large face with a wide sole design—if you miss a lot of wedges because you hit them chunky this could be your savior around the green.

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

Cleveland CBX 2

Their story: The Cleveland CBX wedges have a lot of technology to help make the short game easier. First, they have a Hollow-Cavity Design to maximize perimeter weighting for increased forgiveness around the entire face and to enhance the feel of the cavity back design they also have a Gelback TPU Insert which reduces vibration for a pure feel at impact.

The CBX wedges also have Cleveland’s Rotex Face to deliver the company’s sharpest Tour Zip Grooves and most aggressive face milling. This improves spin in all conditions, especially on half shots, and around the green when moisture is present.

From the fitters

  • This is the best cavity back wedge ever! It’s completely game-changing for some of the higher handicap golfers that I work with that struggle with their wedges—and that’s most of them.
  • Grooves all over the face help create extra spin on mis-hits, especially out of deeper rough when it’s more likely to hit one higher on the face towards the toe. Were not talking thousands of RPMs but every little bit helps keep the ball on the green.
  • The size of the clubface, the head weight, sole design, and bounce, have been a great configuration for a lot of high handicap players and beginners. It is a great all-around wedge for full swings and around the green versatility.

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

Mizuno ES21

Their story: To get the most of the Mizuno E21’s performance, engineers relocated mass higher and deeper in the head by using a hollow body construction. The E21 wedge brings together a 1025 Grain Flow forged boron face and hosel with a 431 Stainless steel back to maintain the soft and solid feel Mizuno is known for while also increasing groove durability.

Speaking of grooves the ES21 wedges use the same perpendicular laser-etched micro-grooves as the Mizuno T20’s to channel moisture away faster than conventional parallel ones. They also come in both a narrow and wide sole option, but unlike with irons where a wide sole is generally reserved for game improvement clubs, the wide sole models of the E21 have been configured for maximum versatility while still being “anti-chunk”.

From the fitters

  • By doing what they did with the center of gravity, Mizuno helps the wedge maintain spin when hit outside of just the middle—this is a big help, especially out of the fluffy lies.
  • Looks are deceiving. From the address position, you wouldn’t know this wedge had such a thick top line, so as much as it is a game improvement design, I suggest any player looking for extra consistency to give this a try.
  • Neutral CG placement makes this a closer fit for more golfers than most other wedges. Incredibly versatile sole design works very well for steeper attack angles, but also for more of a neutral delivery style. Easy to lay the face open and create higher effective bounce from the bunkers or gnarly lies around the green.

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

Ping Glide 3.0

Their story: The Ping Glide 3.0 wedges leverage multi-material construction that combines a 431 stainless steel head with a soft elastomer Custom Tuning Port (CTP) insert. The volume of the CTP allows for a larger insert covering more of the back of the face, resulting in activation of the elastomer at impact in a bid to produce a soft yet solid feel. The cavity design and larger CTP also expand the perimeter weighting to increase the MOI and position the center of gravity higher in order to provide lower-launching, and higher-spinning trajectories for more control.

The Glide 3.0 wedges also feature wheel-cut grooves for a sharper edge radius, which is designed to increase interaction with the ball at impact—resulting in more friction for maximum spin and trajectory control.

From the fitters

  • Even though the Glide is on the “smaller” side when it comes to being a game improvement wedge it maintains all the cavity back benefits while also feeling great.
  • What separates the Glide 3.0 wedges in this category is the loft and grind options that are available, including the ES—Eye sole—design.
  • It really is a players wedge that also happens to offer game improvement benefits, which makes it so versatile.

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

TaylorMade Hi-Toe Bigfoot

Their story: The TaylorMade Hi-Toe Bigfoot wedges offer a thin topline paired with the extra mass behind the hitting area and redistributed away from the flange to raise the center of gravity and increase spin. The hollow ports save unnecessary mass, which allows the wedge’s sole to be made wider without sacrificing the performance gained by the CG location.

Much like the better player-orientated MG2 wedges, the Bigfoot wedges come with a milled sole to eliminates variance created by hand grinding and finishing, and raw faces to keep the wedge spinning to its maximum potential through its lifespan.

From the fitters

  • Thanks in part to the larger effective hitting area, full face grooves & neutral/toe biased CG it works really well for a lot of golfers.
  • The Big Foot wedge almost makes it feel like cheating for the less skilled golfer around the greens. Loft up hit down, and don’t worry about much else.

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

Your Reaction?
  • 111
  • LEGIT14
  • WOW6
  • LOL4
  • IDHT2
  • FLOP3
  • OB1
  • SHANK14

Related Topics:

We share your golf passion. You can follow GolfWRX on Twitter @GolfWRX, Facebook and Instagram.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Equipment

Best irons in golf of 2024: Slower swing speed (Easiest to launch)

Published

8 hours ago

on

Apr 8, 2024

By

In our effort to assemble the 2024 best irons, we have again compiled an expert panel of fitters to help you find out which of the 2024 irons is best for your game.

Ultimately the best way to find your personal best iron set 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.

We are in the era of not just maximizing distance but also minimizing the penalty of common misses for each player — this applies to irons just as much as it does with any other club in the bag. And of course, proper set makeup and gapping is essential. This is why, now more than ever, custom fitting is essential to help you see results on every swing you make.

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 iron set wants and needs with insight and feedback from the people who work every single day to help golfers get peak performance out of their equipment.

Best irons of 2024: The process

The best fitters in the world see all the options available in the marketplace, analyze their performance traits, and pull from that internal database of knowledge and experience like a supercomputer when they are working with a golfer.

It’s essentially a huge decision tree derived from experience and boiled down to a starting point of options—and it has nothing to do with a handicap!

Modern iron sets are designed into player categories that overlap the outdated “what’s your handicap?” model, and at GolfWRX we believe it was important to go beyond handicap and ask specific questions about the most crucial performance elements fitters are looking at.

These are the best iron categories we have developed to help you determine which category is most important for your swing and game.

Best irons of 2024: The categories

  • Overall performance
  • Easiest to launch/Slower swing speed
  • Pure enjoyment
  • Shotmakers
  • Most technology-packed
  • Best blade

2024 Best irons: Easy to launch/Slower swing speed

These are the irons for golfers who need height. With today’s modern golf ball, creating proper flight widows and spin can be difficult for some players — especially those at lower speeds — and this is where technology can really help. All of these irons do everything they can to create shot-stopping trajectories and a steeper angle of descent.

Mizuno JPX923 Hot Metal HL

Their story: With the JPX923 Hot Metal, Mizuno introduced “4355 nickel chromoly,” which is 35 percent stronger than the original Hot Metal material and allows for an eight-percent thinner clubface. Cup face construction works in tandem with a deep center of gravity for high launch with stopping power. Mizuno developed Hot Metal Pro, Hot Metal and Hot Metal HL (High Launch) from 175,000 real golf swings recorded via Mizuno’s Swing DNA system. JPX923 Hot Metal HL is a high launch speed cavity delivering a higher launching option for players with moderate swing speeds or aggressive shaft lean, it’s suitable for mid to high-handicap golfers.

Fitter comments:

  • “We’re talking about… people who need forgiveness, but they don’t spin it enough. They don’t get it in the air. The HL is a little little weaker-lofted, but they have the size and the forgiveness they need. It’s one of the go-tos for us.”
  • “We’ve been getting a lot of guys where it’s like, you know, the way you deliver it, you really need the loft of a, of a blade, but you’re not good enough to hit a blade. So, you know, we need to get some height. Like the slower swing speed player, aging golfer, like they don’t have 130 MPH ball speed with a seven that they can launch it at 15 degrees and still get it in the air. They gotta get that thing off the ground and up to get some distance out of it. And this thing is just, it’s so easy to get up in the air…even if we do bend other things weaker, we can’t get it as high lofted as that thing, and it just goes straight up in the air.”
  • “It’s super forgiving and it feels pretty good that. We sell more HL’s than we do standard Hot Metals. It’s such a popular golf club.”
  • “It’s a spectacular club and really is probably the best club in that high-launch category. If you take the high launch QI, you take the [Callaway Paradym] Ai Smoke HL, [Mizuno JPX923 Hot Metal] HL, that’s the best one.”

For more photos/info, read our launch piece.

Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke HL

Their story: At the core of Callaway’s new Ai Paradym Smoke irons is the Ai Smart Face. With the Ai Smart Face, these irons are designed to promote exceptional distance, tight dispersion into the green, and optimal launch in a modern construction. The new shape consists of longer blade lengths, thinner toplines, and optimized sole widths in a bid to create a forgiving, yet streamlined look at address. In addition, an all-new Dynamic Sole Design features a pre-worn leading edge with variable bounce that cuts through the turf with efficiency.

Fitter comments:

  • “Compared to the standard Ai Smoke, it’s definitely launching a little bit higher. I would say blade length is a little bit longer. So, you know, it’s a little bit more forgiving a little bit easier to hit than that traditional AI Smoke. It’s gonna launch higher than Ai Smoke and spin a little bit more for that player that needs that help.”
  • “Amazing when it comes to getting the ball airborne and retaining spin. Very easy to hit and very stable through impact. Second place to Mizuno, for me.”
  • “The HL version allows for a player to play a strong lofted iron in a lightweight package that helps achieve great distance. This iron is long! The ball speeds are crazy high. This iron is great for a player who flips at it.”
  • “Even though not as light as the others, the HL gets the ball in air faster and slower speed needs that for distance”
  • “Powerful but still helps get the ball to launch at a playable angle. Generates height well with lots of speed across the face.”

For more photos/info, read our launch piece.

TaylorMade Qi HL

Their story: With a blend of minimalistic aesthetics and advanced multi-material technology, TaylorMade’s new Qi irons aim to deliver the optimal combination of distance, accuracy and solid feel in an inviting game-improvement package. At the heart of the Qi iron is individual head optimization, organic face designs, and FLTD CG, all working in unison to help golfers minimize the right miss. With their latest irons, TaylorMade has designed the all-new Qi irons to have significantly less right bias for straighter and more accurate shots.

Fitter comments: 

  • “That’s a big ass iron. But you also have a much better look than the [Stealth] HD last year. That [iron] was really shallow in the face that got the ball up great. But it just didn’t look the way some people wanted, right? They didn’t want a small face. So it’s a really good option for people.”
  • “You’re seeing some of these companies…I think they’re seeing that sometimes…a little bit of loft can be, be good, you know, but they’re combing it with heads now that are super tight off the face. You get some of those guys catching it all on the face, the thing still getting up in the air, still producing ball speed.”
  • “I would say the Qi HL, it’s like kind of top charts when it comes to…if someone’s hitting it, that thing wants to go. And I think they definitely did a good job…with the redesign of it compared to Stealth HD.”
  • “The previous generation was a little bit off-putting, you know, some, most people don’t wanna play kind of, you know, a hybrid-iron. It’s a little bit easier to hit a little bit better package…compared to the HD, the packaging is 1,000,000 bucks.”
  • “I mean…[Stealth] HD worked really good but it was very hard to…get someone to accept that they had to use it. Now at the [Qi10] HL you put that in someone’s hands, it looks good. It feels good. And they feel like, ‘I’m using a, a golfer golf club,’ you know. It’s a real battle sometimes with people…our job is performance, but they also want something that’s gonna look good in their bag.”
  • “The fact that it looks like a regular golf club is helpful. I think in that modern-day iron, it’s just lofts are getting so strong, and the ball is spinning so little off of these things that if you don’t naturally hit it super high, irons like that are just perfect for guys, they’re able to hold greens, stop it quicker. For a lot of guys, that height means more distance. So they’re actually hitting it farther with more loft and, and be able to hold a green better. And guys that maybe had a five hybrid are now getting a five iron back in their bag and it’s great.”

For more photos/info, read our launch piece.

Ping G430 HL

Their story: Billed as Ping’s “longest iron ever”, the G430 irons combine a lower CG with stronger, custom- engineered lofts and a thinner face that delivers up to 2 more mph of ball speed, per the company. At the heart of the new addition is the PurFlex cavity badge, an innovation which features seven flex zones that allow more free bending in design to increase ball speed across the face. In combination with a lower CG, the badge aims to contribute to the solid feel and pleasing impact sound. The stronger lofts across the set resulted in the addition of a 41 degree PW to ensure proper gapping options and allowed for standard lofts in the traditional scoring wedges (45.5, 50, 54 and 58 degrees).

From the fitters:

  • “With that Alta Quick shaft, I mean, it’s just, it’s super easy to kick that thing up in the air. And what I really like about it is they don’t put flex on the shaft. We’ve had, you know, I mean, you explain to the customer like, hey, you know, you might, you know, you’re gonna need that 35-gram Alta Quick. It’s not gonna say, you know, ladies flex or whatever and no one knows.”
  • “It’s super easy to hit, super easy to launch, especially for someone who needs…that help and forgiveness.”
  • “What I like about what Ping does, they don’t just like, shove a lighter-weight shaft in the same club head. They put a lighter grip on it, they put a lighter shaft in it. So like they kind of do it the right way. It’s just an overall lighter package version of the best game improvement iron out there. So it’s you get all the forgiveness and everything else that you get with G430, but now in a total balanced package for a slower swing speed player, it’s, it’s great.”
  • “What I like about it too is with the Alta Quick 35 [shaft]. It’s essentially like a ladies golf club that doesn’t say ladies on it. So like you get that guy that swings super slow or you get like that junior boy or something like that that just, you know, I’m not, you know, especially like the kids like, I mean, he’s not playing a club that says ladies on it or it’s purple or something you can get than this and it looks just like his dad’s G430s, but it just gets up in the air and goes and it’s awesome.”
  • “The best iron in the game improvement category. High launch and packed with forgiveness on those off-center hits. It’s one of the easiest irons to hit. The HL version allows players who need a lighter package and need help with higher launch are able to achieve that with this iron.”

For more photos/info, read our launch piece.

Titleist T350

Their story: The new T350 irons are still built for maximum distance and forgiveness, but they were redesigned with a hollow-body construction that’s inspired by the T200. Like the T200, the T350 also uses Max Impact Technology behind the face to maximize speed and forgiveness, and dual-tungsten weights in the back cavity. The T350 irons are noticeably larger, and with thicker toplines, than the T200 irons for golfers who need the additional surface area and stability.

Fitter comments: 

  • “The T350 is super good. They definitely cleaned it up, cleaned up that topline a little bit and made it…a little bit more compact, a little bit smaller for sure.”
  • “You know, I think is one of those irons that maybe sometimes can get overlooked. I don’t know…some guys, they think ‘Titleist,’ they can’t hit it. If someone’s in this category, it’s always a club you’re gonna have.”
  • “So like this is the first one in that model that’s had like a forged face and, and, and, and I think that just improved the feel of it. Topline to me looks a little bit cleaner and, they do a nice job of hiding the offset doesn’t look quite obnoxious when you look down at it. I don’t know if it’s like the chrome that they put or whatever, but it looks a lot cleaner at address. The iron’s always been super easy to get up in here.”
  • “That type of customer, I know they all want to do is just hit it nice and far. But we’re seeing so many guys come in that just need help getting it airborne in that moderate kind of clubhead speed category. And this thing is probably, if not the easiest, one of the easiest irons in this category to launch. And I think that’s what makes it so great.”
  • “High launch is a key component to this iron. Clean look, with reduced offset and a better look for a players game improvement iron. Players are surprised that this is a game improvement iron based on the looks and package size.”

For more photos/info, read our launch piece.

Best irons of 2024: Meet the fitters

RELATED: Best driver 2024

Your Reaction?
  • 33
  • LEGIT5
  • WOW1
  • LOL1
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP1
  • OB0
  • SHANK12

Continue Reading

Equipment

Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/8/24): TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver

Published

10 hours ago

on

Apr 8, 2024

By

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 TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver.

From the seller: (@cg2g): “BRNR Mini Driver 13.5* with HZRDUS Gen 4 Black 70g X-Flex, Club has hit 5 balls on simulator, save some money on ordering new. $385 Shipped CONUS.”

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver

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

Your Reaction?
  • 2
  • LEGIT0
  • WOW0
  • LOL0
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP0
  • OB0
  • SHANK0

Continue Reading

Whats in the Bag

Denny McCarthy WITB 2024 (April)

Published

1 day ago

on

Apr 7, 2024

By

  • Denny McCarthy what’s in the bag accurate as of the Valero Texas Open.

Driver: Titleist TSR3 (10 degrees, C1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 TX

3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 7 X

5-wood: Titleist TS2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 X

Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist 620 CB (5-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-08M), WedgeWorks Proto (60-L)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100 (48), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Scotty Cameron GoLo N5
Grip: Scotty Cameron

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

Check out more in-hand photos of Denny McCarthy’s WITB here.

Your Reaction?
  • 17
  • LEGIT0
  • WOW0
  • LOL1
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP0
  • OB1
  • SHANK1

Continue Reading

WITB

Whats in the Bag1 day ago

Denny McCarthy WITB 2024 (April)

Denny McCarthy what’s in the bag accurate as of the Valero Texas Open. Driver: Titleist TSR3 (10 degrees, C1 SureFit...
Whats in the Bag1 day ago

Akshay Bhatia’s winning WITB: 2024 Valero Texas Open

Driver: Callaway Rogue ST Max LS (9 degrees @7.2, 2 grams lead tape heel, 4 grams toe) Buy here. Shaft:...
Whats in the Bag3 days ago

Michael S. Kim WITB 2024 (April)

Michael S. Kim what’s in the bag accurate as of the Valero Texas Open. Driver: Titleist TSR3 (10 degrees, B1...
Whats in the Bag4 days ago

Kevin Chappell WITB 2024 (April)

Kevin Chappell what’s in the bag accurate as of the Valero Texas Open. More photos from the event here. Driver:...

Facebook

Trending