Hot List Extra: Our best short-game players' favorite wedges
J.D. Cuban
On the surface, it seems like wedges are all variations on the same theme, that the differences aren’t necessarily immediately obvious. But if you’re looking for differences in such a precise and microscopically nuanced category, it seems a good place to start would be looking at what players who have a good short game have to say.
Enter the Hot List and our panel of 32 players meant to represent the vast majority of player types, displaying the array of skill sets you find across the universe of golfers. Just as we think players who struggle to get the ball on the green might help direct us to the easiest launching irons or why better players might tell us a lot about the fastest players distance irons, we think those players with excellent short games might be an ideal resource for the wedges that make a difference.
The wedge category is easily the most labor-intensive we test during the Hot List Summit every year. Our players put 24 top wedges through a full wedge-game obstacle course that includes full swings, pitch and chip shots, flop shots and bunker play. After our players have rated the entire collection of wedges, they are asked to rank their top five wedges in order from first place to fifth place. What follows are the wedges that our best wedge players elevated to their singular favorites.
Robert Shaw, plus-2 handicap: “Where this club shines is around the green. You can open it up. You can hit it square, and you're always going to get the amount of spin that you want out of a shot. I never really hit a shot that I felt the club was doing anything wrong.”
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Gary Abbott, 13-handicap: “On the full and partial shots, the single word is ‘precision.’ It was aggressive through the turf, and the ball flight got to its window and when it landed it zipped right across the green, and I'm not a zip across kind of guy. So much butteriness with good spin."
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Shane Popham, 12-handicap: “They should call this King of Spin. It was just holding everything, and I was seeing how close I can land it to pin and still have it stop. So much spin it was like a hot rod doing donuts.”
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Daniel Lupo, 11-handicap: “I found distance was very good with a very controllable ball flight. Initial launch was high, but with a relatively soft landing, and very spinny, too.”
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Paul Ianniello, 6-handicap: “Balanced, powerful. Turf interaction was exceptional, especially on full shots. I felt it just glided through the grass, Spin was plentiful greenside. Had a lot of juice on it.”
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Alejandra Bedoya, 6-handicap: “I think the name really does justice to the club. It was very easy to be aggressive with it with full swings. Very predictable out of the bunker, easy to get the club to do whatever I wanted it to do.”
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Skylar Frankiewicz, 7-handicap: “Really balanced weight even though it's a high toe. It really lets you swing through the ball without any kind of issues with catching grass or chunking or thinning. You can control it any which way you want, like a remote control car.”
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Ryan Woyski, 12-handicap: “Every shot did exactly what I wanted it to do. I feel like this wedge would get me added as a fourth man in a scramble.”
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Jamie Struck, 7-handicap: “It's a relatively soft feel with just a gentle thud at impact, resulting in high-floating, spinning shots that are on line every time. It transmits all its energy to the ball, getting through the greenside turf and sand with little resistance.”