Indi Golf Wedges - 2023 Forum Review

[Willie T]

4 hours ago, Dead Solid Bogey said:

For those few of us that have a significant attention deficit issue compounded by a very probable impending huge reduction in husband allowance ( due to certain recent behavioral actions )…….

Who of the testers would BUY Indie wedges if they were replacing their current wedges? Thanks for doing the testing. 

Mark me as a definite yes.  

[BallsLeon]

Sounds like we need an Indi wedges thumbnail for some WITB signatures (me included ).

[RichL85]

18 hours ago, Dead Solid Bogey said:

For those few of us that have a significant attention deficit issue compounded by a very probable impending huge reduction in husband allowance ( due to certain recent behavioral actions )…….

Who of the testers would BUY Indie wedges if they were replacing their current wedges? Thanks for doing the testing. 

I would say that I would buy them now that I have tried them. I can also say that I would be willing to drive the ~5 hours to test them in person in Carlsbad. 

My caveat to these statements would be that I don't think I can say definitively that I would buy them without trying first. I'm pretty sensitive to certain feel/response things so I don't like buying blind on anything. Having said that, would I buy another set of Indi wedges when I need to replace these? Unless something that works better comes along by that time, absolutely would purchase another set of Indi wedges. 

As a typical over thinker, I debated with myself for far too long while writing my review if my short game improvement was due to the wedges or to the fact that I've probably hit more wedge shots in practice over the past 6 weeks than I have in the past 2 years combined. 

[BMart519]

On 9/16/2023 at 12:58 PM, revkev said:

Hit a lot of wedges today.  I’m still having a tendency to catch these closer to the hossel than I’d like. Are any of our testers still experiencing that?  If not and you did at first what adjustments did you make? 

Coincidentally, I hit a few yesterday on 10-30 chips. I felt that in order to sole the club properly and slightly open to engage the bounce, they seemed a bit upright which had me closer to the ball. I've hit a couple in my garage as well, but zero on the course over 10 rounds. I have a habit of the occasional wedge shank in practice as my tendency is come over the top and swing left especially on partial swings where the legs aren't needed as much for power. 

18 hours ago, Dead Solid Bogey said:

For those few of us that have a significant attention deficit issue compounded by a very probable impending huge reduction in husband allowance ( due to certain recent behavioral actions )…….

Who of the testers would BUY Indie wedges if they were replacing their current wedges? Thanks for doing the testing. 

At this point, I would be open to buying another set of Indi's when these are worn out (the distance control is exceptional on full shots) but am always looking for a deal on equipment. With the performance of Cleveland wedges in Most Wanted testing and my previous experience with them, it is likely I would scoop those up as they get discounted the most in Canada and MSRP is less than Indi's when converting from USD. The savings of $60-100 (probably more with shipping and customs) on a set of 2 or 3 wedges depending on set makeup is a decent amount and I saw less spin on the new Indi wedges than my PINGs - both of which were bought used and played for 1-2 seasons. 

[Willie T]

Post testing update - played today at my home course.  
Conditions: 70’s, breezy, fairways firm, greens semi-receptive (applying sand today).  

Round format: 2ball worst ball, playing each shot from the farther away or worse lie.  Talk about thinking about it…

Wedge play: lots of it as I had zero GIR playing this format.  The INDIs did not fail - whether short side sand, punch under trees or up and down from the rough.

Wedge play of the day:  par4 4th, tee shot into ditch, 3rd just short of green, catch the ball off the fairway too well with the 54 and land off the backside of the green.  Thinking maybe I can get away with a dbl.  The 54 delivers a pitch on roll in the cup bogie…my first hole out with the INDIs!  
 

Has me wondering fellow testers, which wedge has become your “go-to” INDI?  For me it has been the 54…

 

Edited September 21, 2023 by Willie T

[RichL85]

On 9/21/2023 at 2:11 PM, Willie T said:

Had me wondering fellow testers, which wedge has become your “go-to” INDI?  For me it has been the 54…

 

I mentioned in my review, but it's definitely been the 50 for me. It's just so solid all over the course that I typically play. To be fair, my 50 has always been my go to wedge unless there is a specific reason to hit anything else. I'll hit a 3/4 50 degree over a full 54 or 58 all day unless I really need the extra height or spin.

[tony@CIC]

On 9/17/2023 at 3:59 PM, Dead Solid Bogey said:

For those few of us that have a significant attention deficit issue compounded by a very probable impending huge reduction in husband allowance ( due to certain recent behavioral actions )…….

Who of the testers would BUY Indie wedges if they were replacing their current wedges? Thanks for doing the testing. 

I'm a few weeks into the wedges and getting use to Recoils. I've pulled the 54* out of my bag and put my old SM7 and 8's 52* and 56* (respectively) back in. Distance control is getting better on the FLX 60*, but drop and stop? Not a huge improvement over my glide 3.0 Eye2.  Time will tell. 

[BallsLeon]

On 9/21/2023 at 4:11 PM, Willie T said:

Has me wondering fellow testers, which wedge has become your “go-to” INDI?  For me it has been the 54…

 

Not one of you lucky testers, but my favorite is the 52°. I bought it by itself originally to fill a gap in my bag, and it convinced me to get the 56° and 60°. All three are vying for the title of favorite club in my bag, but when I pull the 52° I’m 100% confident in my approach.

[Dead Solid Bogey]

31 minutes ago, tony@CIC said:

I'm a few weeks into the wedges and getting use to Recoils. I've pulled the 54* out of my bag and put my old SM7 and 8's 52* and 56* (respectively) back in. Distance control is getting better on the FLX 60*, but drop and stop? Not a huge improvement over my glide 3.0 Eye2.  Time will tell. 

Thanks tony@CIC….. I have always played my wedges by feel. Either my hands are going stone cold on me or my 1.5 year old SnakeBites just have nothing left to give. Looking forward to the Edison testing. I will readily admit to being biased towards Texas and Texas products. So if the Texas Riviera, Edison’s perform well in testing, I may give them ago.

I still enjoy your cereal.

 

 

 

 

[GolfSpy SAM]

I've been a little absent from the thread - apologies for my MIA behavior, but I have some updates  

  1. Shot my lowest round ever on Friday, a 78, which included a KILLER up-and-down for birdie with the 56 on a long par-5.  Managed to squeak my 3-wood up to the green-side rough, but had an elevated lie where I needed to land the ball (preferably with some spin, as well) in the collar and let it drift forward.  Landed it exactly where I needed and left myself 3 feet for birdie, which I holed.  On the hole previous, I had 75 yards to the pin (a shot I've been working on a LOT), and used (again) the 56 with a 3/4 swing, and landed it hole-high and it rolled out to about 15' below the hole.  Managed to sink that one, as well, so I started the back nine bogey-birdie-birdie, which ... I've literally never gone birdie-birdie on any two holes, so that was pretty spectacular. 

  2. I've been working a lot on my 100-yard shot, which thanks to an AWESOME Mark Crossfield video, I've switched from trying to hit a full 56 to hitting my 48 (FLX) with my legs directly under my hips (so, making more of a rectangle than a triangle where they'd be under my shoulders - not sure that makes sense in writing, but it makes a ton of sense visually).  I've dropped 3 shots pin-high with this routine, and it's led to significantly better dispersion - something you all might want to try.  Really, really cool. 

  3. My biggest transition is figuring out just how much these things spin.  Coming from some nearly-3-year-old Kirkland wedges (which I still think is the best value in golf, btw), I'd gotten very good (for me) at using them around the green and judging the roll-out.  Well....these Indi's are a completely different beast when it comes to green-side spin, and the first few rounds I was leaving myself 15-20' putts instead of it rolling out to 3-5' like they used to.  I mean, they just BITE, and bite hard.    However, knowing this (and remembering this, especially in this past round), I was able to put several green-side shots inside 5' (see #1 above), which really, really helped keep my score from ballooning.  

  4. I'm absolutely loving the ATK grinds on the 52/56/60.  Really allows me to go after it and not have to worry about digging.  Big fan. 

  5. Toe-side hits are VERY forgiving, and thanks to the full-face grooves, I notice absolutely no drop-off in spin. 

  6. I still have a lot of work to do to feel like I'm 100% dialed with these, but the added confidence of being able to get spin on and to be able to fly it closer to the pin and have it STAY close feels pretty spectacular. 

  That's it  I'll have more to come with each successive round - but happy to report these things are the real deal and, for me, the 48/56 are just absolutely money and have become my go-to clubs from inside 120.  

[Shrek74]

10 minutes ago, GolfSpy SAM said:

  2. I've been working a lot on my 100-yard shot, which thanks to an AWESOME Mark Crossfield video, I've switched from trying to hit a full 56 to hitting my 48 (FLX) with my legs directly under my hips (so, making more of a rectangle than a triangle where they'd be under my shoulders - not sure that makes sense in writing, but it makes a ton of sense visually).  I've dropped 3 shots pin-high with this routine, and it's led to significantly better dispersion - something you all might want to try.  Really, really cool. 

Nice job on that 78!! Can add Break 80 to your banner list now.

If you can post that Crossfield video from YT, that would be great. I've gone to a more square stance in my chipping too and I feel like it's done wonders for me. Very few chunks and thins since making this switch. I got some good stuff from the earlier Good-Good instructional videos (before everyone left and it turned to ).

[Willie T]

10 minutes ago, GolfSpy SAM said:

I've been a little absent from the thread - apologies for my MIA behavior, but I have some updates  

  1. Shot my lowest round ever on Friday, a 78, which included a KILLER up-and-down for birdie with the 56 on a long par-5.  Managed to squeak my 3-wood up to the green-side rough, but had an elevated lie where I needed to land the ball (preferably with some spin, as well) in the collar and let it drift forward.  Landed it exactly where I needed and left myself 3 feet for birdie, which I holed.  On the hole previous, I had 75 yards to the pin (a shot I've been working on a LOT), and used (again) the 56 with a 3/4 swing, and landed it hole-high and it rolled out to about 15' below the hole.  Managed to sink that one, as well, so I started the back nine bogey-birdie-birdie, which ... I've literally never gone birdie-birdie on any two holes, so that was pretty spectacular. 

  2. I've been working a lot on my 100-yard shot, which thanks to an AWESOME Mark Crossfield video, I've switched from trying to hit a full 56 to hitting my 48 (FLX) with my legs directly under my hips (so, making more of a rectangle than a triangle where they'd be under my shoulders - not sure that makes sense in writing, but it makes a ton of sense visually).  I've dropped 3 shots pin-high with this routine, and it's led to significantly better dispersion - something you all might want to try.  Really, really cool. 

  3. My biggest transition is figuring out just how much these things spin.  Coming from some nearly-3-year-old Kirkland wedges (which I still think is the best value in golf, btw), I'd gotten very good (for me) at using them around the green and judging the roll-out.  Well....these Indi's are a completely different beast when it comes to green-side spin, and the first few rounds I was leaving myself 15-20' putts instead of it rolling out to 3-5' like they used to.  I mean, they just BITE, and bite hard.    However, knowing this (and remembering this, especially in this past round), I was able to put several green-side shots inside 5' (see #1 above), which really, really helped keep my score from ballooning.  

  4. I'm absolutely loving the ATK grinds on the 52/56/60.  Really allows me to go after it and not have to worry about digging.  Big fan. 

  5. Toe-side hits are VERY forgiving, and thanks to the full-face grooves, I notice absolutely no drop-off in spin. 

  6. I still have a lot of work to do to feel like I'm 100% dialed with these, but the added confidence of being able to get spin on and to be able to fly it closer to the pin and have it STAY close feels pretty spectacular. 

  That's it  I'll have more to come with each successive round - but happy to report these things are the real deal and, for me, the 48/56 are just absolutely money and have become my go-to clubs from inside 120.  

Awesome update @GolfSpy SAM!  Will need to check out Crossfield’s video as I want to get more confident with the 50 at longer distances. 

[GolfSpy SAM]

5 minutes ago, Shrek74 said:

Nice job on that 78!! Can add Break 80 to your banner list now.

If you can post that Crossfield video from YT, that would be great. I've gone to a more square stance in my chipping too and I feel like it's done wonders for me. Very few chunks and thins since making this switch. I got some good stuff from the earlier Good-Good instructional videos (before everyone left and it turned to ).

4 minutes ago, Willie T said:

Awesome update @GolfSpy SAM!  Will need to check out Crossfield’s video as I want to get more confident with the 50 at longer distances. 

I'm a REALLY big fan of his - and his teaching style.  It really just "clicks" for me, the way he presents it. 

[RichL85]

23 hours ago, GolfSpy SAM said:

I've been a little absent from the thread - apologies for my MIA behavior, but I have some updates  

  1. Shot my lowest round ever on Friday, a 78, which included a KILLER up-and-down for birdie with the 56 on a long par-5.  Managed to squeak my 3-wood up to the green-side rough, but had an elevated lie where I needed to land the ball (preferably with some spin, as well) in the collar and let it drift forward.  Landed it exactly where I needed and left myself 3 feet for birdie, which I holed.  On the hole previous, I had 75 yards to the pin (a shot I've been working on a LOT), and used (again) the 56 with a 3/4 swing, and landed it hole-high and it rolled out to about 15' below the hole.  Managed to sink that one, as well, so I started the back nine bogey-birdie-birdie, which ... I've literally never gone birdie-birdie on any two holes, so that was pretty spectacular. 

  2. I've been working a lot on my 100-yard shot, which thanks to an AWESOME Mark Crossfield video, I've switched from trying to hit a full 56 to hitting my 48 (FLX) with my legs directly under my hips (so, making more of a rectangle than a triangle where they'd be under my shoulders - not sure that makes sense in writing, but it makes a ton of sense visually).  I've dropped 3 shots pin-high with this routine, and it's led to significantly better dispersion - something you all might want to try.  Really, really cool. 

  3. My biggest transition is figuring out just how much these things spin.  Coming from some nearly-3-year-old Kirkland wedges (which I still think is the best value in golf, btw), I'd gotten very good (for me) at using them around the green and judging the roll-out.  Well....these Indi's are a completely different beast when it comes to green-side spin, and the first few rounds I was leaving myself 15-20' putts instead of it rolling out to 3-5' like they used to.  I mean, they just BITE, and bite hard.    However, knowing this (and remembering this, especially in this past round), I was able to put several green-side shots inside 5' (see #1 above), which really, really helped keep my score from ballooning.  

  4. I'm absolutely loving the ATK grinds on the 52/56/60.  Really allows me to go after it and not have to worry about digging.  Big fan. 

  5. Toe-side hits are VERY forgiving, and thanks to the full-face grooves, I notice absolutely no drop-off in spin. 

  6. I still have a lot of work to do to feel like I'm 100% dialed with these, but the added confidence of being able to get spin on and to be able to fly it closer to the pin and have it STAY close feels pretty spectacular. 

  That's it  I'll have more to come with each successive round - but happy to report these things are the real deal and, for me, the 48/56 are just absolutely money and have become my go-to clubs from inside 120.  

Only 78? Step It up man! Completely kidding and congratulations on the new low. Like you, I feel like I'm still adjusting to the clubs, but the numbers don't lie that I am having more success with them than my previous wedges. 

[Nunfa0]

Great update @GolfSpy SAM, for me there are two of these clubs that are starting to stand out.

The 52 is fantastic for full shots between 100 to 110 yards. I played a match play round on Sunday and I was all square on the 17th. My opponent had just flown the raised green with his 3rd as I was about to play my second out of the rough. It was a shot that I have "fluffed" before but the Indi sliced beautifully through the grass, the ball flew straight and true and ended pin high, 8 feet from the hole. I won the hole and the match because of it.

The 56 is my go-to around the greens and in bunkers. In fact, I made two up and down pars from bunkers in a row on Monday. It has been so good I have left the 60 out of the bag.

[billpierce]

After reading sounds like I need to take a deeper look.  And I was just about to pull trigger on takomo skyforger lol

[GolfSpy SAM]

2 hours ago, billpierce said:

After reading sounds like I need to take a deeper look.  And I was just about to pull trigger on takomo skyforger lol

I get it, right? I've heard mixed things on the Skyforger wedges - look at address being the main cause for concern (very rounded front edge).  If that suits your eye, however, I've heard literally nothing bad about Takomo's other clubs, so might be worth a flyer. 

I'll say that the Indi wedges have, so far, completely over-performed (with the exception of spinning considerably more than I'm anticipating, but that's literally what they're designed to do, so that's user error more than club error ).  I'll be super curious to see the Edison wedge results, as well, as those have a similar design theory (more mass above center line to raise MOI and lower flight, raise spin, etc.), but a different sole.  

It's so great that there are THIS many options for DTC consumers - seriously a great time to be a golfer (especially a golfer on a budget).

[BMart519]

On 9/21/2023 at 3:11 PM, Willie T said:

Has me wondering fellow testers, which wedge has become your “go-to” INDI?  For me it has been the 54…

 

56 is go to for all greenside chips except from sand. 52 gets a lot of action on 105 yard full swing shots all the way down to 60 yards when I used a 3/4 swing on the 56. 60 is currently a specialty club from sand or 30-40 yard shots I need to hit as high as possible either over a sand trap or from below the green. 

[billpierce]

Edison also is exciting. From the data so far it seems Indi is outperforming.  I just quoted four wedges - 515 with discount for a military dude!  Trying to measure my wife's reaction to that bill :); I may wait for some Edison feedback. I do know I want to upgrade from my Mizuno wedges as I feel I am leaving a stroke or two out there every round.

[BallsLeon]

Well the Best Golf Wedges of 2023 article dropped this morning, and unfortunately not great news for Indi. However, looking at the head-to-head data with the TM MG4, it's really not that far off.  What are your guys thoughts?

[billpierce]

Those are horrible numbers when reading these reviews they really do not match at all. 

[RichL85]

On 9/28/2023 at 11:57 AM, BallsLeon said:

Well the Best Golf Wedges of 2023 article dropped this morning, and unfortunately not great news for Indi. However, looking at the head-to-head data with the TM MG4, it's really not that far off.  What are your guys thoughts?

My thoughts are... I'm not really sure. I know there was a definite adjustment period getting used to the Indi wedges for me. It took a number of solid practice sessions to get even remotely close to dialing in different yardages with the partial shots. I have a feeling that something like that would negatively affect the grades in Most Wanted testing where they are switching between clubs frequently and trying to eliminate this adaptation to accurately grade the club itself, not the ability of the player to adjust. I was occasionally seeing some wide ranges in terms of spin and launch on the course, so from a consistency grading standpoint, that could be tough to overcome. I haven't seen rain in my area in a few months, so I can't say anything to performance in wet conditions, but the difference in groove choice I would imagine could play a role there as well. Even the numbers you pulled look like they are comparing the 50 yard shot, and in that situation, the two look close, but the overall grade takes into account multiple scenarios and places different weights on different categories, so that is really just a snapshot of the overall data. It's only a small fragment of the overall picture, so sometimes it's better not to get bogged down with numbers. In my line of work, overall, time based trends are more important for diagnosing issues than what I see at one point in time. 

Sorry it's not exactly a scientific answer, and most of the time I'm left with more questions than answers when I look at data numbers collected by someone else, so I'm really not the best person to analyze this.

[BallsLeon]

42 minutes ago, RichL85 said:

Sorry it's not exactly a scientific answer, and most of the time I'm left with more questions than answers when I look at data numbers collected by someone else, so I'm really not the best person to analyze this.

No worries at all! No wrong answers here, just wanted your guys thoughts if you had any. My short game has seriously improved since getting a set from Indi, but I was coming from a boxed Wilson set. 

[Willie T]

On 9/28/2023 at 2:57 PM, BallsLeon said:

Well the Best Golf Wedges of 2023 article dropped this morning, and unfortunately not great news for Indi. However, looking at the head-to-head data with the TM MG4, it's really not that far off.  What are your guys thoughts?

I was somewhat surprised that the INDIs tested so poorly against the test pool.  Prior to the test I was a diehard CBX user and found the INDIs more than equal to the CBX wedges.  As I continue to play them, I find them more and more predictable.  Will remain to be seen how they fare over time.

Sidebar: played today at another local course, one that usually gives me fits on holding the green with wedges.  Glad to say, the INDIs held their own and the greens. Quite a few drop and stop shots around the green and one sweet 50* from a fairway bunker from 73yds to about 6’ for one putt birdie.  
 

 

[GolfSpy_APH]

Own opinion, but the Most Wanted Testing is more for the unfit off the shelf buyer. Indi prides itself with fitting and getting their wedges in the hands of golfers that suit them. When comparing off the rack it can be tough and differences can be significant. 

A poorly performing most wanted club fit properly will perform better than a unfit better performing misted club in my opinion.

The results are also weighted more towards accuracy and dispersion so performing poorly there proved costly.

[Preeway]

7 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

The results are also weighted more towards accuracy and dispersion so performing poorly there proved costly.

Couldn’t agree more. When it comes to wedges it’s all about accuracy. 

[Bernie Kunza]

3 hours ago, Preeway said:

Couldn’t agree more. When it comes to wedges it’s all about accuracy. 

I have a snake eyes 52 degree I can hit it pretty good but not sure where it’s going. I’m a under 10 rounds a year golfer and I’d love to be able to control that wedge.

[GolfSpy SAM]

So, Friday was my first round after the "Most Wanted" article dropped, and all I can say is the near-chip-in (like, ugly lip-out) that led to par, the chip-in on a par-3 for birdie, and the several 100-yard-and-in shots I put within 10-20 feet were evidence enough for me to know that if a wedge isn't properly fitted to you, it may not be as easy as pulling from stock and having it be amazing.  Now, to be fair, I've not played the MG4's, or any of the other wedges (with the exception of the prior version of the K-Sig wedges), but I can easily imagine that buying stock without knowing your specs (which I most definitely did not before my fitting at Indi) would make it near-impossible to accurately get something that felt "dialed" from stock.  

I also wonder, and this is pure conjecture, if the larger-head and full-face grooves of the Indi were off-putting compared to a "smaller" profile of the standard wedges.  

Anyway, I'm a HUGE fan of mine, and won't be swapping them out anytime soon

 

[Nunfa0]

4 hours ago, GolfSpy SAM said:

 

I also wonder, and this is pure conjecture, if the larger-head and full-face grooves of the Indi were off-putting compared to a "smaller" profile of the standard wedges.  

Anyway, I'm a HUGE fan of mine, and won't be swapping them out anytime soon

 

I wonder if the slightly closed face we were seeing and the adjustment we had to make for it added to the lack of accuracy in the testing?

Oh and I totally agree with your bottom statement, as the weather gets warmer and the ground gets firmer these just get better and better!!

[Willie T]

On 9/29/2023 at 9:48 AM, billpierce said:

Those are horrible numbers when reading these reviews they really do not match at all. 

I can see where someone would see this, however when compared to the wedge, the Cleveland CBX, I have used almost exclusively in the past few years the data the testing pool generated confirms what I have seen.  

https://mygolfspy.com/head-to-head/

 

 

 

Edited October 3, 2023 by Willie T