By S. Dee Davis

Another great gap loft selection. The Cleveland 588 RTX definitely rivals the Vokey wedges in precision craftsmanship. These wedges are precision forged from 1025 carbon steel for incredibly soft, solid feel and have a very stiff tour concept shaft and zip grooves. These wedges are better for a player with a slightly steeper angle of attack – with higher bounce angle.

Quick Specs

• Forged Black Pearl Finish
• Loft: 56
• Price: $119
• Bounce: 10.0, 14.0, 16.0

Prices

As an avid golfer and tennis player for most of his life, he enjoys researching the latest in golf and tennis technology as well as analyzing his own game. He has been a writer and reviewer for a dozen years… See more about S. Dee Davis

By S. Dee Davis

The rounded teardrop shaped head is forged from 1025E mild carbon steel nad has a softer heel and toe relief than many wedges on the market. To address the fact that each different wedge is optimized for specific types of shots, whether it be a Gap, Sand or Lob wedge, the MP T4 wedge is designed to further spin and versatility through loft-specific sole geometry. It also has quad-cut grooves and specific loft geometry so you can only get the recommended bounce angle of 9.0 in the 54 degree wedge.

Quick Specs

• Loft: 54
• Bounce: 9.0
• $129

Prices

As an avid golfer and tennis player for most of his life, he enjoys researching the latest in golf and tennis technology as well as analyzing his own game. He has been a writer and reviewer for a dozen years… See more about S. Dee Davis

By S. Dee Davis

The completely updated SM5 has lots of subtle changes from the SM4 design with groove pattern changes depending on the loft of the club. Lower lofts have smaller grooves and higher lofts get larger deeper grooves to help with spin. These wedges consistently rank at the top of the wedge pyramid due to their excellent playability and consistency. I like the new simple design, somewhat classic. If you hit a bad shot with this wedge, you can be sure it’s not the wedges fault. This things are precisely engineered for maximum precision.

Quick Specs

• Tour Chrome, Gold Nickel, or Raw Black finish
• 21 loft/bounce options from 46 to 62
• $130

Prices

As an avid golfer and tennis player for most of his life, he enjoys researching the latest in golf and tennis technology as well as analyzing his own game. He has been a writer and reviewer for a dozen years… See more about S. Dee Davis

By S. Dee Davis

Golf Wedge Buying Guide

Bounce Angle and Course Considerations

When it comes to selecting a wedge one of the most important considerations is the bounce angle and the style of swing you execute wedge shots with. Generally, the steeper your angle of attack when ball striking, the more bounce you want from the wedge. This helps prevent taking too deep of divots and catching the ball fat. It also helps with keeping the club more shallow through the sand.

If your swing angle with wedges is shallow – meaning you take little divot with them then you will want to choose wedges with a low bounce angle to help prevent thinning your wedge shots.

Shallow swing angle = low bounce angle.
Neutral swing = medium bounce angle.
Steep swing deep digger = high bounce angle.

One other very important consideration is course condition. If the course you play is usually very soft and you find yourself hitting a lot of shots fat – take a wedge with more bounce. If the course is routinely too firm and hard then you will want a wedge with lower bounce to keep from hitting shots thin.

As an avid golfer and tennis player for most of his life, he enjoys researching the latest in golf and tennis technology as well as analyzing his own game. He has been a writer and reviewer for a dozen years… See more about S. Dee Davis

More Top 10 Lists

Top 10 Golf Putters

Although some of selecting a putter is about “feel” there is more to it than that. We rate the best putters below on the following criteria: Appearance, “feel”, how well the ball rolls off the putter face, alignment characteristics, weighting balance and price/value. See the putter comparison … [more]

Top 10 Golf Drivers

We tested many of the drivers that are out there in the market today and came up with our top 10 list. There are a couple holdovers from last year. Testing and consideration were given based on distance and accuracy with the same neutral swing speed (110) in a controlled distance … [more]

Top 10 Golf Clubs

Following are some of the factors that we felt are most important in evaluating the top 10 golf club iron selections. Clubs were tested at a testing facility and loosely measured for the below quality points: 1. Comfort at Setup (Instilling Confidence), 2. Solid Feel at Impact, 3. Workable Ball Flight … [more]

Top 10 Golf Bags

The following are our top 10 Golf Bag choices based on the following criteria: Durability, Price, Stability of Stand, Access and Organization, Extra Pockets for Accessories, Comfort of Harness strap… [more]

Top 10 Golf Balls

The following list of the best top ten golf balls was determined from the authors opinion using the following criteria: Consistency in length off the tee, spin control and the ability to hold greens, “feel” of the ball around greens for chipping and putting, durability, and price/value. Combining…[more]

Top 10 Golf Rangefinders

Following are our choices for the top 10 golf rangefinders for the year after some testing and research. We’ve taken price, quality, and value into account when developing these ratings. Rangefinders were tested based on the following factors… [more]

More Golf Wedges

By S. Dee Davis

These wedges may give you a little more spin with their modified tour grooves. The grips are Lamkin soft tour very nice. The ATV in the name stand for “All Terrain Versatility,” and it becomes apparent after playing with it for a while. The bounce angle changes according to how the head and the face are positioned for further versatility. The ATV Sole lets you play all critical shots with one wedge: chip, pitch, flop, explosion from sand, out of the rough, off a tight – all with one wedge.

Quick Specs

• $119
• Loft: 58
• Bounce: Unspecified
• Finish: tour satin

Prices

As an avid golfer and tennis player for most of his life, he enjoys researching the latest in golf and tennis technology as well as analyzing his own game. He has been a writer and reviewer for a dozen years… See more about S. Dee Davis

More Top 10 Lists

Top 10 Golf Wedges

A club class of its own, the wedges have high lofts, the short shafts, and the heavy clubheads. Out of all the irons wedges take all of these to the extreme. The purpose of a wedge is to aid players in making accurate short-distance “lob” shots, to get the ball onto the green and out of hazards….[more]

By S. Dee Davis

This is a nice solid wedge at a fantastic price of only $59. It has one bounce angle of 10.0 which is going to be good for your average golfer to play sand shots with. It is available in black satin and satin chrom finishes. The black satin will cut down on glare while you are out on the course and setting up. Many see this is as a big benefit over chrome finishes. It will also be good for chipping at that bounce angle.Has a nice stiff S400 steel shaft.

Quick Specs

• $59
• Loft: 56
• Bounce: 10 or 14
• Finish: Matte Satin

Prices

As an avid golfer and tennis player for most of his life, he enjoys researching the latest in golf and tennis technology as well as analyzing his own game. He has been a writer and reviewer for a dozen years… See more about S. Dee Davis

By S. Dee Davis

The CG15 Cleveland wedge has tour zip grooves and is a very finely milled and constructed wedge. The matte black finish prevents glare. The traditional shape of the wedge has laser-milled face texture designed to maximize surface roughness and spin. This is a great high loft wedge for the low handicap to mid handicap golfer.

Quick Specs

• Loft: 60 Degree
• Bounce: 12.0
• Price $99
• Black Pearl Finish

Prices

As an avid golfer and tennis player for most of his life, he enjoys researching the latest in golf and tennis technology as well as analyzing his own game. He has been a writer and reviewer for a dozen years… See more about S. Dee Davis

By S. Dee Davis

If you prefer the chrome satin look and a slightly lower price, this Mizuno wedge will not disappoint. It has the legendary feel of Mizuno’s MP line of wedges. One the great features implemented in this wedge are the quad cut grooves. These enable the maker control the width, depth, draft angle and shoulder radius of each groove with extreme precision. The result is maximum spin control and ball-stopping ability. These new wedges combine Mizuno’s patented Grain Flow Forged® feel with a Tour confirmed head shape and sole for unmatched precision and versatility.

Quick Specs

• $99
• Loft: 58
• Bounce: 10.0
• Finish: White Satin

Prices

As an avid golfer and tennis player for most of his life, he enjoys researching the latest in golf and tennis technology as well as analyzing his own game. He has been a writer and reviewer for a dozen years… See more about S. Dee Davis

By S. Dee Davis

These wedges from Mizuno feature a more rounded head shape which many players prefer in their wedges. To address the fact that each differnt wedge is optimized for specific types of shots, whether it be a Gap, Sand or Lob wedge, the MP R-12 wedge is designed to further spin and versatility through loft-specific sole geometry. It also has quad-cut grooves and specific loft geometry so you can only get the recommended bounce angle of 9.0 in the 54 degree wedge.

Quick Specs

• Loft: 54
• Bounce: 9.0
• $129

Prices

As an avid golfer and tennis player for most of his life, he enjoys researching the latest in golf and tennis technology as well as analyzing his own game. He has been a writer and reviewer for a dozen years… See more about S. Dee Davis

By S. Dee Davis

Same as above except you have the option of 3 bounce angles 4.0, 7.0, or 10.0. If you have an average swing angle attacking the ball then try the 7.0. Some of the improvements in this model include 3 additional grooves that are more aggressive with the ball. Again you want consistent performance from your wedges and that is what these tight grooved spin-milled clubs from Vokey give you. 60 degrees loft is plenty for most players.

Quick Specs

• Degree Loft: 60
• Price: $129
• Bounce: 4. 7. or 10
• Black Nickel or Oil Can Finish

Prices

As an avid golfer and tennis player for most of his life, he enjoys researching the latest in golf and tennis technology as well as analyzing his own game. He has been a writer and reviewer for a dozen years… See more about S. Dee Davis

By S. Dee Davis

Another intriguing choice in loft – the 54 degree wedge loft might allow some very nice flexibility in your bag. The 54 degree is also available in 8 degree loft and has a forged construction, very high quality. It’s has been designed with a less active shaft tip and a higher kick-point than a traditional wedge shaft. This stiffness profile decreases the launch angle for more control and increased spin from all yardages.

Quick Specs

• Loft:54
• Bounce: 8.0, 12.0, 14.0
• Price: $139
• Finish: Satin

Prices

As an avid golfer and tennis player for most of his life, he enjoys researching the latest in golf and tennis technology as well as analyzing his own game. He has been a writer and reviewer for a dozen years… See more about S. Dee Davis

By S. Dee Davis

The same as the above wedge from Vokey but with a 52 degree loft which gives you the perfect distance for the average golfer to hit 100 yds. Otherwise, called a gap wedge it can cover a wide range of medium distances on average 90 to 110 yds. These wedges have extremely tight tolerance grooves for reliable performance.

Quick Specs

• Oil Can or Black Finish
• Degree Lof: 52
• Price: $129
• Bounce: 8 or 12

Prices

As an avid golfer and tennis player for most of his life, he enjoys researching the latest in golf and tennis technology as well as analyzing his own game. He has been a writer and reviewer for a dozen years… See more about S. Dee Davis

By S. Dee Davis

Another great gap loft selection. The Cleveland 588 definitely rivals the Vokey wedges in precision craftsmanship. These wedges are precision forged from 1025 carbon steel for incredibly soft, solid feel and have a very stiff tour concept shaft and zip grooves. These wedges are better for a player with a slightly steeper angle of attack – with higher bounce angle.

Quick Specs

• Forged Black Pearl Finish
• Loft: 56
• Price: $119
• Bounce: 10.0, 14.0, 16.0

Prices

As an avid golfer and tennis player for most of his life, he enjoys researching the latest in golf and tennis technology as well as analyzing his own game. He has been a writer and reviewer for a dozen years… See more about S. Dee Davis

By S. Dee Davis

This is the wedge #1 ranked Rory McIlroy plays currently. It’s got the new conforming SM4 spin mill technology and that nice matte oil can finish is great to look at when setting up. Some of the improvements include 3 additional grooves that are more aggressive with the ball. The fact that it comes in 46 degrees allows you to get rid of your “ club set” pitching wedge in favor of something more tailored and precise.

Quick Specs

• Oil Can Finish
• Degree Loft: 46
• Price: $129

Prices

As an avid golfer and tennis player for most of his life, he enjoys researching the latest in golf and tennis technology as well as analyzing his own game. He has been a writer and reviewer for a dozen years… See more about S. Dee Davis