Wedge Recommendations

[mbrodeur86]

Sorry for this type of post. I'm kinda in a jam since I have no access to try out wedges and usually go by reviews and stuff. 

 

 

Currently playing the Cleveland CG16's in a 50, 56 and 60 degree lofts combo. Was thinking of upgrading and wanted to know what you guys bag right now? What do you like and not like about wedges? I'm looking for a little more "forged-like" feel or a softer feel. I'm more of a digger type of swing but am working on fixing that. So opinions? Also can't afford new so something newer than what I have. 

 

Another thing, are my lofts right? I am hitting the 50 degree about 125-130, the 56 about 110-115 and the 60 about 70-75 yards.

 

Thanks for all who take the time to answer.

[hckymeyer]

Personally I really like the Scratch 1018 forged wedges.  I've been bagging them for about 2.5 years now.  I tried to switch to the 8620 cast wedge but I just couldn't get used to the shape and went back.  I'm personally not a fan of wedge with a pronounced curve on the leading edge and the 1018's are almost straight.  I went with the DD (digger driver) grind and they are great with turf interaction on my incredibly steep swing. 

 

I really like my current setup and I don't plan to change, but if I was to look at something new I would try out the new TMaG Tour Preferred wedge or the Cally Mack Daddy 2 wedges.

 

If you have really liked the Cleveland wedges though you could always just upgrade to a newer version of those.  I've heard the 588's are nice.

 

As for your gaps that is more of a personal preference.  I would base it off the types of shots you play with them and how they blend into your PW in your irons.  If you are happy then I say go with it.  The 6° gap between the 50 and 56 is bigger than normal, but I'm not one to talk as I go 50, 54, 60.

[Undershooter]

Like hckymeyer I am a fan of Scrach wedges. I went through the 1018s a little too fast and had no problem with how the 8620s looked at address so I went with them since they didn't where out as fast. They are the driver/slider set. The mackdaddy 2s are a great offering and so are the New 588s. I have a 588 lob wedge but it couldnt beat my scratch lob wedge out of the bag. I was also a fan of the Mizuno line and WIlson fg tours. It all depends on the grind you want and what kind of turf you play on. 

[whiskey golf]

I like my SCOR wedges. I used to like Vokeys but I tried them a couple weeks ago and they felt very harsh to me coming from a forged club, somewhat forged based on their process. Some of the other wedges I've hit and liked (based on feel) are Mizuno and Fourteen. I haven't tried Scratch wedges but they look nice.

[Kor.A.Door]

i play the cg16's as well, and love them. as far as gapping them, its personal preference, you just want to make sure you dont have a huge yardage gap between them, you look like you have about 10 yards difference between 50 and 56, as long as you are comfortable with it, for me that would be too much, so i would bend the 50 to 51, and close the gap, but thats me .

[mbrodeur86]

What do u guys think of Hopkins? I've read a lot about Scor and Scratch. I was also debating the Mizuno MP-T11 that was reviewed here. I hate not being able to go somewhere and try them out. There is literally NOTHING close to me other than a 4 1/2 hour drive to golf town. 

[Jmikecpa]

Another vote for Scratch from me. I have the 1018s with DG Spinners and could not be happier. Great look and performance to match.

[Jgolf]

I'll throw in another shout out for scratch. I game their 8620 line in the same lofts that you need and love them. Got them for something like $40 each, switched out to my preferred shaft, and the cost was still well below a major oem... 

[revkev]

I'll cast another vote for SCOR, soft as butter, very versatile, but I haven't hit any scratch wedges so I have no point of comparison. I have hit Cleveland wedges, they are fine but with them you need to concern yourself with varying your bounces so as to handle all the eventualities, that means you don't have all the lofts available for all the shots the way you do with SCORs.

 

Good luck.

[mbrodeur86]

For the 8620's, how long have they been made? I've seen some pretty good deals online for some but I check reviews and they are all posted before the groove rule came into effect. How do I know what year a certain wedge was made? Any specific marks or anything?

[wbealsd]

I'll toss in my vote for SCOR, since I'm basically a bogey golfer, I like the fact they seem to work well in all conditions.  Had my fitter try them out and now he carries the product line, selling a bunch of them this year.

[BIG STU]

For me it is always about looks and feel. When I say looks I am talking about eye appeal at address. Feel is how it feels when I hit it and also the weight of the head. Right now I am gaming a mismatched set of wedges. That is something I have always done. I have a Scratch 60 that I got a few weeks ago. I did have to weight it up for me though. I loved the profile and the sole grind. I did have to add quite a bit of lead tape though. I rarely hit flops with a 60 though I use it only for greenside bunkers. I prefer my 56 for flops and I even flop sometimes with my 52.

As far as the Hopkins wedges he may be on to something but personally I have to feel and see it in person to make a detirmination for me. So far I have not seen any in person so I can not make an honest statement for them good or bad

[mega]

I game the Scor wedges and would say they are worth the look. I'm playing with 5* gaps starting with the 41* as my 9 iron...

[mbrodeur86]

It's hard when you don't have access to these wedges and you've basically got to go with people's opinions but it's what I did with the Cleveland's and I don't hate them by any means but I would like something a little softer with maybe a tiny bit more stopping power. Scratch seems to be the popular choice among the guys here. I've been to the website and did a search for "8620" and nothing comes up. I've looked on ebay and stuff and there are some there but not sure how old these clubs are. Any way to tell?

[RoverRick]

It does not matter what we like.  All that matters is what helps your game the most.  Two years ago, I retired the Vokey wedges and went to forged wedges.  During that time I have had Callaways, Scratch, and Mizunos in the bag.  I liked all of them.  I had the Callaway Copper Forged that were the prettiest wedges ever.  However, I noticed that I did not really get the ball as close on some shots as I used to, so on a whim, I put the Vokeys back in the bag.

 

Vokeys are there to stay.  I have pitched in or at least had several lip outs with them over the past month.  I sold my Callys so that the desire to give them another try was not there.

[revkev]

It does not matter what we like.  All that matters is what helps your game the most.  Two years ago, I retired the Vokey wedges and went to forged wedges.  During that time I have had Callaways, Scratch, and Mizunos in the bag.  I liked all of them.  I had the Callaway Copper Forged that were the prettiest wedges ever.  However, I noticed that I did not really get the ball as close on some shots as I used to, so on a whim, I put the Vokeys back in the bag.

 

Vokeys are there to stay.  I have pitched in or at least had several lip outs with them over the past month.  I sold my Callys so that the desire to give them another try was not there.

That last sentence needs to become my new golfing mantra.

[Maverickping]

Maybe take a look at used Miura or Chikara on Ebay, I play Miura and am very happy with them. Another one to look at is Chikara, they are very nice as well.

[wbealsd]

That last sentence needs to become my new golfing mantra.

Ditto...

[Kor.A.Door]

how much money are you looking to spend, and how many wedges are you looking to purchase, that will likely determine which if any of these you will buy. Scratch, Scor starting prices are not cheap, i looked up Scor, for 2 wedges with no additional personalization they were 269. i would assume that Scratch will be similar, Hopkins is 319 for 3 wedges, its like 225'ish for 2. but off the racks, start at about 120 each, if you dont mind last years stuff you can get these for about 89 each, and if you have time to search you can find some for 50 bucks or so, it really depends on what you want to spend.

[mbrodeur86]

I have 3 at the moment. A 50,56 and 60. Want something similar but softer feeling and adds a little more spin. I certainly can't afford new, so even if it's last year's models or even 2012, don't care really. Feel and spin are my 2 main concerns. I use a lot of the 56 and 60.

[dru_]

Coming from the Clevelands, the Hopkins Golf wedges feel like a very natural transition, and they play really well.  During the last year I have gone through an enormous number of wedges looking for something I really 'loved' versus 'liked'.  Like you I came from Cleveland's. CG-15's to be exact.  I play with TMaG Tour Preferred CB's, and after going through a broad selection of wedges I came down to the following:

 

In the mass market category of things I can grab off the shelf?

 

1. Mizuno JPX  ( and this is tough for me to say, because I am not exactly a Mizuno fan )

2. Taylormade Tour Preferred Wedges (non ATV sole)

3. Cleveland RTX-588.  (the regular 588, non RTX feels TERRIBLE)

 

In the custom/quasi custom stuff,

 

1. SCOR (expensive, but they play very well)

2. Hopkins Golf (good feel, can be a little 'clicky')

 

 

So after all my gyrations, testing and swapping in and out, what ended up in the bag for the summer?  the TMaG TP wedges.  Mixed with the TP irons, they provided the most consistent look and feel, and with only minor adjustments, the proper gaps.

 

My only gripe is that I have had issues with the caps on the ferrules breaking loose.  Nothing a light dab of rubber cement can't fix though.