00:00 Having the right wedge setup in your bag is crucial to ensuring that you play better golf.
00:04 Whether that's navigating short tricky sided chip shots or towering full wedge shots into tight pins,
00:11 having the right wedges in your bag will make sure that you play better golf and in turn reduce
00:15 your handicap. Now the manufacturers have released plenty of models this year and so if you're in the
00:19 market for a new wedge it can feel a little daunting but don't worry we're here to help.
00:24 We're at the beautiful North Hans Golf Club where I've split the best wedges from this year into
00:29 three categories that's looks, forgiveness and performance and then finally I'll offer my personal
00:34 favorite on the best wedge for this year. Right let's get into it, starting with the looks.
00:38 Now there hasn't really been anything revolutionary in terms of the looks from the wedges in 2023 but
00:46 there is a lot of variety. Let's start with the PHG Sugar Daddy 2. So this is one of the
00:52 wedges this year that is actually only offered with full face grooves. There are two grind
00:56 options available and it's quite a large head behind the ball considering it's a bladed wedge.
01:01 And then there's the Mizuno T24. I think this wedge looks superb, it's so classic it's a timeless
01:07 look behind the ball as well. It's quite a compact head but these wedges are available in three
01:12 different finishes which I think will please so many people. There's a copper, a raw and the satin
01:17 finish. Now there is a new grind coming at the end of this summer, a V grind based on tour player
01:22 feedback so that'll be really interesting to see how that one looks. Oh god my body hurts.
01:28 Next you have the Beton RD HLX 5.0 wedges. Now these are a beautiful bit of forgemanship,
01:35 crafted from carbon steel. Now these feature CNC milling the whole way across the back of the head
01:40 which look amazing and they are available in two finishes, the satin and the black. They're a wedge
01:47 that looks like a player wedge, a tour player's wedge behind the ball. Quite a small head but one
01:53 that will please the better player. Finally we have the Titleist Vokey SM9. Now this is a classic
02:00 wedge, the Vokey is known as one of the most popular wedges on tour and that's because of its
02:05 look behind the ball. It's quite a compact looking wedge. There's seven grinds available in these
02:10 wedges, the newest one being the T grind that has a lot of heel and toe relief and quite an aggressive
02:16 leading edge that will please some of the better players. And then lastly we've got the Adele SMS
02:21 T grind. Now these wedges are really cool, they look amazing and they come with three interchangeable
02:26 weights in the back, two 2 gram weights and an 8 gram weight which means you can really dial in
02:31 the ball flight. Behind the ball it's got quite a spoon-like finish, it's quite rounded, quite small
02:36 and again probably won't suit the eye of someone looking for a bit more forgiveness but they look
02:40 great for someone who's confident behind the ball. Tell me you got that on camera!
02:49 So if you're someone who struggles with your chipping or you know someone who does struggle
02:58 from their chipping, now's the time to share this video with them. We're going to talk you through
03:02 some of the most forgiving models on offer this year.
03:07 Now some of the ones I've already mentioned do have high bounce options but nothing quite offers
03:12 forgiveness like these cavity back wedges here. Firstly we've got the Callaway CB wedge. Now this
03:19 wedge is new for this summer and features urethane microspheres that have been planted behind the
03:23 face here in this insert to dampen the feel and vibration and produce a really premium wedge-like
03:30 feel. Now it is a large head, there's a thick top line and it really does inspire confidence behind
03:36 the ball whilst playing like a premium wedge. Secondly we have the Cleveland CBX full face 2.
03:43 Now as the name suggests it's got full face grooves on here, they feature zip core grooves
03:48 as well which are found in the likes of the RTS 6 wedge and again it's got an insert behind the
03:54 face here again to dampen vibration, make that wedge feel really premium and sound really good
04:00 as well whilst helping with the longer shots. So lastly you have the Cobra Snakebite X SBX.
04:06 Now this is a teardrop style head that again features full face grooves. Now these grooves
04:13 are said to improve spin rates by up to 50% in damp conditions compared to its predecessor model.
04:19 And while we haven't had the opportunity yet to test it really in wet conditions,
04:23 we're looking forward to seeing how that plays out this winter. Now if I was to pick my absolute
04:28 favourite from the most forgiving wedges it would have to be the Callaway CB. Not only is it brand
04:34 new for this year but the Eurofame Microsphere has just dampened the sound and vibrations
04:38 to make it feel like a player's wedge while the large head and cavity back offer so much
04:43 relief from full shots. Now there is the full face option on the higher lofted wedges for those of
04:49 you that like to open the face up and hit a variety of shots but overall this is definitely the most
04:55 forgiving wedge. Now all of the wedges that came out in 2023 offer superb performance but there are
05:03 a few that stand out in particular. Firstly we're going to talk about the Callaway Jaws Raw wedge.
05:09 Now this is the black plasma finish but these wedges are also offered in a chrome finish as
05:13 well as a full face finish. Now these have tungsten weights situated behind the head
05:18 to improve consistency of ball flight. I did notice that they do fly quite low and penetrative
05:23 which is something as a good player I really enjoy. Now next we've got the Glide 4.0 from Ping.
05:29 This is the brother to the Glide Pro which is a slightly more compact head but I feel like this
05:34 wedge offers the most in overall performance. Now there's a CTP insert situated behind the face here
05:40 which is not very common in players wedges but it does offer improved feel and performance.
05:46 So the face itself has been spin milled and the grooves on the higher lofted wedges actually sit
05:51 a little wider to create more spin than the lower lofted wedges. A really clever formula thought out
05:57 by the Ping technicians. Now the next best performing wedge of 2023 is the Cleveland RTS6
06:03 Zip Core. These wedges look amazing behind the ball. All the grinds available offer toe and heel
06:10 relief for maximum versatility. They're offered in three different bounce options low, mid and high
06:16 and also a number of finishes. This is the chrome finish here and then you've got the likes of the
06:20 TORAC finish here that is a raw face and will rust over time. This is used by the likes of
06:26 Brooks Koepka and has helped him win his recent major championship. Now lastly is the TaylorMade
06:32 MG4. The much anticipated wedge from TaylorMade has just been released this summer and is offered
06:38 in two different finishes. You've got the chrome and you've got the satin black both of which look
06:43 superb. They offer raw faces which again will rust over time and manufacturers claim that this does
06:50 offer more spin although upon our testing we're yet to find that is the case. These wedges feature
06:56 spin tread technology which is a new technology implemented by TaylorMade this year and it's
07:02 basically moisture management and so there are little grooves inset within the other grooves
07:07 to allow water to disperse off the club face increasing contact time of the ball and in
07:12 general creating more spin in wetter conditions. Here's some data that I've captured while inside
07:19 on a GC quad launch monitor. The reason I've done this inside is basically to eliminate all
07:25 variables and make sure we're on a level playing field. Now as you can see the TaylorMade MG4 and
07:31 the Cleveland RTS6 actually did produce a little more spin with a slightly lower launch than the
07:36 other models but there really wasn't much to separate them. Now if I was to pick an overall
07:41 favorite in terms of the performance of the wedges in 2023 I would choose the TaylorMade MG4.
07:48 Not only do I think it looks amazing the CNC milling across the sole here really helps the
07:52 club glide through the turf and I'm really interested to see how the spin tread technology
07:57 works here in England in the wetter conditions this winter. So there you have it I've tested
08:03 all the models from all the brands of 2023 to offer you an insight as to which wedges I think
08:10 are the best in those three categories but it wouldn't be a Golf Monthly Best Of video if I
08:14 didn't pick my overall favorite. Now I'm going to go for the Mizuno T24 wedge. I talked about this
08:21 earlier on in the video but the quad cut grooves really did maximize spin from a variety of lies
08:27 in different conditions and I really liked how compact the head looked behind the ball. I really
08:33 liked how aggressive the leading edge was with this wedge. There's so much heel and toe relief
08:38 as well so you can be really versatile around the greens creating loads of different shots. Now this
08:43 wedge is offered in three different finishes there's a copper, a raw and a satin so there's
08:48 going to be one that you like as well but for me this ticked all the boxes in terms of performance,
08:53 looks and feel. Hopefully you've really enjoyed this video and it's given you a really good
08:57 insight as to what the best wedges of 2023 are. So before we go hit the like button, subscribe
09:03 to Golf Monthly's YouTube channel so you don't miss any videos but that's all from me here at
09:08 the beautiful Northamptons Golf Club. We'll see you next time.
09:13 (upbeat music)
