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SURVIVAL OF THE FITTERS

The Golf Digest Hot List is the golf industry’s leading annual equipment review—and the people behind it some of the hardest-working, most passionate professionals in the game. Presented by Golf Galaxy.

Wedges

Bob Vokey, the veteran Titleist wedge designer, likes to say of the search for the best wedges, “You don’t find the grind; the grind finds you.” He’s talking about the variety of sole designs that help you best execute short game shots, but the sentiment applies to all aspects of this category. Getting your wedges right might be the most important contributor to improved scoring. The grind that Vokey speaks of is that shaping of the sole, its areas of relief and bounce angles and other curves. Years ago, wedges may have had one or two possible grinds. Today, it’s not unusual to see three, four or five grinds in any of the leading wedge lineups. That kind of variety isn’t gluttony. It’s a way to provide players the means to efficient contact, and better contact equals better control of trajectory, distance and spin. If you’re going to get the most out of the best wedges, explore the options in this category beyond the simple arithmetic of proper loft spacing. Your best wedges are somewhere on these pages. Let them find you.