Hot List
Hot List 2025: Best wedges for greenside shots
J.D. Cuban
The best wedges seem to have the capacity to make us feel better. Assuming we take advantage of their performance characteristics, good wedges can take us from crushing disappointment to steadying relief with one swing. That’s particularly true when it comes to the imminent disasters a wedge can resolve on pitches and chips from tough spots around the green.
During Hot List equipment testing, our panel of 32 players evaluates wedges in a series of areas, and a large part of a wedge’s score in the Performance criterion comes from its rating for greenside shots. This score reflects the player’s assessment for all shots around the green other than bunker shots. Essentially, we’re asking our players to hit the short-game shots they typically face and then assess the results based on comfort, confidence and consistency. We ask them to think about how easy it is to execute pitches, chips and flop shots from various lies and distances.
What we often find is that while you’re asking the same lofts to execute different kinds of shots, the wedges that perform best are the ones that provide an array of sole grinds and bounce options to better line up with each golfer’s swing type and preferences. Players also are asked to evaluate the spin produced by each wedge in greenside situations and whether they can easily and consistently control those shots. Our vector scale runs from "1" for "Poor" to "5" for "Excellent."
The range of handicaps in our Hot List player panel extends from players with plus-handicaps to those whose short games often prevent them from breaking 90. The wedges that resonate across that wide a range clearly have the capacity—and the breadth of sole grinds and bounce options—to meet most players' needs.
Each of the wedges listed below yielded an average Performance score of 4.25 or higher for greenside shots. (Models are listed in alphabetical order.)
Bettinardi
HLX 6.0
$200
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Golf Galaxy
GD SCORE
GD HOT LIST SCORE
Hot List Silver
$200
A helix milling tool cuts through material much more easily, ensuring a softer feel while creating deeper surface friction to enhance spin.
The C grind is for square-faced shots, and the RJ grind (named after company founder Robert J. Bettinardi) features more bounce and heel and toe relief for players looking to manipulate the wedge on shorter shots.
The ladder milling technique on the higher portion of the back flange removes less material, raising the center of gravity for a lower, more controlled flight.
The hosel was lengthened by one-eighth of an inch to move the center of gravity closer to face center.
Speed is not always front of mind with a wedge, but by reducing the weight of the club by two grams, a slightly faster swing is possible.
On the 48- through 54-degree lofts the radius on the leading edge was reduced compared to last year’s HLX 5.0 to reduce digging on full swings.
Top 5 in Sound/Feel, low-handicaps.
11 options (48-60 degrees), 2 grinds, 2 finishes
Callaway
Opus/Opus Platinum
$180/$230
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Golf Galaxy
GD SCORE
GD HOT LIST SCORE
Hot List Gold
$180/$230
Tighter-spaced grooves mean more groove edges on the ball for increased spin but with a lower, more controllable launch.
The offset groove-in-groove design creates spin when opening the face.
A new face blast provides extra bite on partial shots, especially out of the rough or wet grass when you need surface roughness and friction to prevent the ball from sliding up the face.
The tour-inspired shape is more rounded with a softer leading edge that players prefer when they open it up around the green.
Four grind offerings include the lower-bounce T-Grind for firmer turf conditions.
The Platinum model has a 18-gram tungsten weight in the topline to pull the center of gravity up higher to create a lower launch.
Top 5 in Performance, middle- and high-handicaps.
Opus: 17 options (48-60 degrees), 4 sole grinds, 2 finishes. Opus Platinum: 8 options (54-60 degrees), 2 grinds, 2 finishes
Cleveland
RTZ
$170
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Golf Galaxy
GD SCORE
GD HOT LIST SCORE
Hot List Gold
$170
Cleveland uses a proprietary steel alloy that features a tighter grain structure for a softer feel. It also saves six grams.
In its raw state, the alloy has the benefit of not rusting over time as other steel alloys tend to do, preserving the look and performance of the grooves.
The ZipCore material in the hosel saves weight, some of which is moved low and toward the toe where golfers tend to it hit. The rest of the saved weight is used to make the hosel longer and wider to increase forgiveness.
A refined face-milling process for the lower lofts enhances carry-distance consistency.
The leading edge on lower-bounce models is sharper and more rounded on higher-bounce options. This improves turf interaction based on the type of shots and the attack angles typically played with those bounces.
Its three finishes include Tour Satin, Black Satin and a raw "Tour Rack" option ($190, shown)
A new groove design features sharper, tighter-spaced grooves to maximize contact and channel debris for more spin, particularly on shots hit from the rough.
Top 5 in Performance, middle- and high-handicaps.
20 options (46-64 degrees), 4 sole grinds, 3 finishes
Ping
s159
$197
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Golf Galaxy
GD SCORE
GD HOT LIST SCORE
Hot List Gold
$197
Ping’s most extensive and versatile wedge offering features 25 loft/grind options based on feedback from the company’s tour-pro staff.
Grooves on the 54- to 62-degree lofts are tightly spaced for improved spin but less so on the 46- to 52-degree lofts for maximum ball-flight control on full swings.
The “Starblast” face blast adds surface roughness for additional friction.
Ping added two grinds to the s159 line that weren’t part of the Glide 4.0 family. The H (half moon) works well in soft conditions or for players with a steep angle of attack. The B is a low-bounce, wide-sole wedge that is effective in firm conditions. The E grind, based on the iconic Eye2 wedge, is great from bunkers and remains in the lineup.
With options comes the potential for confusion. What grind do I need? What should my loft gaps be? Ping understands this concern and has developed its WebFit wedge app to offer golfers a quick and easy process to narrow their choices.
Top 5 in Performance, low- and middle-handicaps.
25 options (46-62 degrees), 6 sole grinds, 2 finishes
PXG
Sugar Daddy III
$300
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Golf Galaxy
GD SCORE
GD HOT LIST SCORE
Hot List Silver
$300
The heads are milled to the final shape for precise sole grinds, bounce angles and shape consistency.
Wider grooves channel debris and allow the cover of the ball to engage with the grooves better, enhancing spin and trajectory control. Tighter groove spacing allows one more groove (16 compared to 15 on the Sugar Daddy II) for slightly more edge grab.
PXG removed eight grams from the middle of the clubhead and shifted it to the top and bottom to enhance forgiveness.
PXG used variable-depth ports in the sole of the higher lofts to move weight upward to help maintain trajectory control. Less weight is shifted upward on the lower lofts where full shots are more prevalent and a flatter trajectory isn’t as important.
The BP Grind (named after company founder and CEO Bob Parsons) features a generous 12 degrees of bounce, a blunt leading edge and a wider sole with minimal taper in the heel and toe areas. These traits make for a very playable, forgiving wedge for a variety of shots.
Top 5 in Sound/Feel, high-handicaps.
6 options (50-60 degrees), 3 grinds, 2 finish
TaylorMade
Milled Grind 4
$180
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Golf Galaxy
GD SCORE
GD HOT LIST SCORE
Hot List Gold
$180
The fourth generation of TaylorMade’s Milled Grind wedges continues the consistency benefits of the machined-sole shaping of its predecessors with three new options at the higher lofts for seven total.
The grooves are supported by laser-etched diagonals on the flat area between each scoreline to increase spin on partial shots and prevent spin loss in wet conditions.
By increasing the thickness of the flange in an area more in line with the center of the face, TaylorMade was able to improve the sound.
The stock shaft—True Temper’s Dynamic Gold Tour Issue—is 115 grams or about 15 grams lighter than a standard steel shaft.
Fifteen paint fills, personalized lettering and logos, and additional finishes are available through TaylorMade’s custom-wedge program.
Top 5 in Performance, low- and high-handicaps.
23 options (46-60 degrees), 7 grinds, 1 finish
Titleist
Vokey Design SM10
$190
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Golf Galaxy
GD SCORE
GD HOT LIST SCORE
Hot List Gold
$190
To promote a slightly lower, more controllable ball flight, the SM10 line features shorter hosel lengths and a smaller-head profile to create a progressive center of gravity in the 46- through 52-degree lofts.
Tour-player feedback resulted in shifting the center of gravity on those lofts slightly closer to the center of the face for a solid feel and to reduce a draw bias.
By using longer hosel lengths and thicker toplines in the higher lofts (54 degrees and up), Vokey was able to shift the center of gravity up (for a lower trajectory) and slightly forward, which enables the face to square more easily.
Straighter leading edges on the pitching and gap wedges and more rounded leading edges on the sand and lob wedges provide the right amount of flexibility players need to execute a variety of shots.
A “spin-milled” cutting process uses a cutter that creates the entire scoreline instead of a partial scoreline. The result is tighter manufacturing tolerances for a more consistent scoreline-edge radius, allowing the grooves to be sharper and closer.
Micro-grooves cut between the grooves add spin on partial shots.
Top 5 in Performance, all handicaps.
27 options (46-62 degrees), 6 grinds, 3 finishes.