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Latest > Golf equipment – 6 Of The Best Wedges For 2018
May 17th, 2018
Golf equipment – 6 Of The Best Wedges For 2018
Find your new spin machines here...
Words: Daniel Owen
It's the start of the season and you're going to need all the help you can get to shoot some decent scores. Some fresh wedges will ensure maximum control around the greens, and lets face it who doesn't like seeing that ball rip back when it lands. Without further ado here are six of the best wedges for 2017...
Cleveland RTX 3
Introduced last year, the Cleveland RTX 3 is one of the best wedges we have hit. Now it’s been updated with a tour–proven Tour Raw finish that will rust with age.
Wedge designs can often look the same because they’re such a traditional bit of equipment, but a lot of hidden technology is tucked away in Cleveland’s new RTX 3 spin machines.
Most wedges have a centre of gravity towards the heel, which is fine for Pros. But most amateur golfers have a tendency to hit the ball towards the toe. So Cleveland had to rethink the design of the wedge to put the centre of gravity in the middle of the face, whilst still looking traditional.
Cleveland have come up with a solution which they call 'Feel Balancing Technology'. A micro–cavity has been put inside the hosel, and the hosel has been shortened, both of which save weight. The nine grams have then been redistributed around the head for a more 'centered' centre of gravity, improving feel and tightening shot dispersion.
Find out more about the Cleveland RTX 3 Wedges here...
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Ping Glide 2.0
Ping have managed to make some serious improvements to the new Glide 2.0. They look gorgeous, but more importantly they're spin wizards which will make your golf balls dance.
Visually they look just about perfect. More compact at address, a thinner top line, they just look sweet tucked up behind the ball. Bubba Watson and Louis Oosthuizen have been using them for a while which will be no surprise when you've got them in hand.
But it's the changes you can't see that make them really tasty. Who doesn't want to be able to stop the ball quicker around the greens? A new groove design has been implemented after Ping's engineers created a new process to cut them into the face.
Find out more about the Ping Glide 2.0 Wedges here...
Callaway Mack Daddy Forged
The new Mack Daddy Forged from Callaway is named after the original Mack Daddy and father of the modern wedge the Mack Daddy OG himself, Roger Cleveland.
The tour–inspired shape reminds us of the really popular X Tour wedges which are still in play by some tour players. Forged of soft 1025c steel, they deliver exceptionally satisfying feel and response on every shot. Less offset, a squarer toe and a straighter leading edge create a clean appearance at address to promote crisp contact and command control.
Mega spin comes from the new Mack Daddy 16–groove configuration that incorporates an added groove at the bottom, close to the leading edge, to promote added stopping power, especially on pitches and chips.
Find out more about the Callaway Mack Daddy Forged Wedges here...
Cobra King PUR Wedges
While Cobra aren't scared to push the design limits with their clubs, they also know when to rein it in. With their latest King PUR wedges they've kept things classic and let the performance do the talking.
Made from raw 304 stainless steel to maximise spin with ultra–precise grooves and dulled finish to reduce glare at address.
They are designed and manufactured using Cobra’s cutting–edge Progressive Milled Grooves, which feature wider grooves and closer gapping on higher lofted wedges, and traditional thinner, deeper grooves on lower lofted wedges. The wider groove design allows higher lofted wedges (56-60°) to spin the ball on half swings.
As well as the new grooves the wedges use Variable Face Roughness (VFR), a face milling technology that maximises roughness, for even more control around the greens.
TaylorMade Milled Grind Wedges
TaylorMade’s new MG wedges have already gone straight into the bag of Jason Day. Designed for the world’s best golfers, Milled Grind also offer something no other manufacturer does at the moment. And they're on sale today!
Rather than being hand ground like every other wedge on the market, the soles on the MG are CNC milled by a machine. This means every single wedge should play identically, as each hand ground wedge can have some imperfections and differences from wedge to wedge. This is something tour players who change wedges much more often can appreciate.
Find out more about the TaylorMade Milled Grind Wedges here...
Titleist Vokey SM6
We couldn’t talk about the best wedges on the market without mentioning Vokey, as they dominate the market on tour and at retail. These have been out a while now, but they are still just so popular.
In the lower lofted SM6 wedges Titleist have lowered the centre of gravity by taking weight away from the top line and moving it lower down to the muscle of the wedge. Now when you strike the ball it should feel more solid, and the ball should travel further. In the 54 and 56 degree wedges they've made no change as the COG is in the centre of the club head where it needs to be. In the high lofted lob wedges weight has been put right at the top of the blade to move the centre of gravity up and in line with where the ball is struck.
