Best Golf Wedges Reviewed For 2021
***If you’re looking for the most recent for 2021 gear, we will be updating this page in the summer after we’ve had a chance to review them!
If you’re in a hurry and just want to know our top choices for 2021, here they are:
Best Overall – Cleveland CBX 2
Best For Beginners and High Handicappers – Cleveland CBX 2
Best For Mid and Low Handicappers – Titleist Vokey SM8
Best For Seniors – Cleveland CBX 2
Best for Women – Cleveland CBX 2
Most Forgiving – Cleveland CBX 2
Most Affordable – Wilson Staff Model
To get more in depth on how these wedges stacked against the competition for a particular category, just click on that articles below:
CATEGORIES
Wedges are some of the most versatile clubs in your bag and they will get you out of some of the biggest messes you create.
When you find yourself in a greenside bunker, you pull out your sand wedge. When you end up with a tree between your ball and the green, you pull out your lob wedge and sky one over the tree. When you end up 10 yards in front of the green with the hole in the back, you run the ball up with your pitching wedge.
Wedges are also fun to hit. You can spin the ball back or flop the ball into a short, soft landing. As you read, you will learn about the best golf wedges on the market and learn which ones fit your game the best.
Best Golf Wedges In 2020 Reviewed
Titleist Vokey SM8
Designed by “wedge legend” Bob Vokey, these are some of the best looking and softest feeling clubs on the market. Many golfers believe, with good reason, that Titleist and Cleveland have really set themselves apart from the competition in the wedge market and the SM8 is a big reason why.
The combination of feel and spin around the green with stability and consistency on full shots really sets this club apart. The progressive center of gravity gives you a great ball flight and high MOI. It is progressive because as the loft of the wedge increases, the center of gravity also rises and moves forward in the club face. This adds both stability and control on approach shots and chips around the green. These wedges manage to have an incredibly stable and solid feel at impact while also providing that soft feel and touch that seasoned golfers desire. When you include the spin milled grooves that provide great friction and backspin, you have some of the best wedges on the market.
Pros
- Some of the best grooves on the market.
- The feel and spin of these wedges are unmatched.
- The design looks great at setup.
- Weighted well for full wedge shots.
- The progressive center of gravity provides optimal performance for approach shots and chips.
- Available in a lot of sole grind and loft options.
- Available in 3 different finishes.
- A stable and consistent wedge with great spin and feel around the green.
Cons
- Built for low handicap players.
- One of the least forgiving wedges.
- The small club head does not suit all golfers.
Cleveland CBX 2
If you are looking for a high performing wedge with industry leading forgiveness, then the Cleveland CBX2 may be exactly what you are looking for. These cavity back wedges bring the feel and performance that Cleveland is known for in their wedges and combine it with the forgiveness and stability of a cavity back club.
Wedges traditionally have blade designs while the vast majority of golfers, regardless of handicap, use cavity back iron sets. It was like players who needed that extra distance and forgiveness in all of their other clubs suddenly learned how to hit a wedge. Cleveland designed a wedge built for forgiveness but with good feel and spin as well. In fact, the combination of feel and forgiveness in these wedges is one of the best that you will ever find. With 3 sole grinds to provide optimal performance at different lofts and a groove system with really high spin rates, these wedges can help a lot of different aspects of your game. The hollow cavity is designed for high MOI and perimeter weighting that gives you one of the biggest sweet spots on the wedge market.
Pros
- Performs as well as most blades but with the forgiveness you find in a cavity back club.
- Great distance and forgiveness on full swing and approach shots without losing forgiveness and feel around the green.
- 3 different sole grinds.
- Designed for forgiveness and ease of use.
- Tour zip grooves give you a really high spin rate and good feel around the green.
- The combination of forgiveness, feel, distance control, and price are as good or better than any other wedge out there.
Cons
- A different look and feel at setup than a traditional blade.
- Golf traditionalists will not like the move towards cavity back blades.
- Less flexibility in shot making around the greens.
Cleveland CBX 2 For Women
Most of the same benefits found in the CBX 2 for men, reviewed above, will apply for these clubs as well. They are built for forgiveness and stability while being one of the most versatile wedge sets on the market. The Rotex face technology is very aggressive with sharp Tour Grip grooves that give you some of the best backspin on the market.
The Cleveland CBX 2 is a cavity back wedge in a market filled with blades, and it really sets itself apart with the forgiveness offered. The hollow cavity construction gives you increased perimeter weighting and a high MOI for more forgiveness and stability. The sweet spot is one of the largest that you will find on the wedge market. While the focus is on forgiveness, the groove system on the face gives you a really high spin rate and incredibly soft feel. The low center of gravity let’s you launch the ball high so that it falls softly onto the green. This is a really good all-around club with top notch forgiveness.
Pros
- Our choice for most forgiving wedge on this list.
- Sharp machine-crafted grooves produce exceptional spin and top notch control.
- Perimeter-weighted for one of the best balanced wedges on the market.
- Three different sole grind options give golfers plenty of choices for finding the perfect wedge for their game
- Great feel from any distance.
- A very good all-around wedge.
- Great shape and design to inspire confidence at setup.
- Good value.
- Will suit the vast majority of golfers.
Cons
- Does not look quite as good as a true bladed wedge.
- Less flexibility and feel.
- Will not appeal as much to low handicap players.
Callaway JAWS MD 5
Callaway advertises the JAWS MD 5 as having “the most aggressive grooves in golf.” That is quite a statement, and while we can neither confirm or deny its truth, we can say that the backspin you can create with these wedges is incredible.
They cut through any lie or terrain with a leading edge that helps you to make solid contact consistently. The groove-in-groove technology coupled with milled ridges in between the groove give you a consistently high back spin rate and great feel around the green. On top of that, these are really good full shot wedges with progressive face technology that weights and designs each club face to provide optimal results for each loft. They excel at providing extra spin on bump and runs, open face bunker and rough play, and spinning the ball back towards the hole when needed. On top of everything else, they look almost as good as they perform.
Pros
- The feel and spin provided by these clubs set them apart.
- The spin rates are some of the highest in any wedge.
- A lot of combinations of sole grinds and lofts from which to choose.
- A very precise and tight design that looks great at setup.
- JAW groove design combines with the groove-in-groove technology to produce top notch friction and back spin on full shots and chips alike.
- The blue circles on the back of the club are both aesthetically pleasing and can help with alignment.
- The spin and distance comes effortlessly.
- Good for full wedge shots and chips/pitches alike.
- The larger face gives you a fraction of a second of extra contact between ball and face which helps with both control and spin.
Cons
- Not as forgiving as some of the other wedges on this list.
- The leading edge could be longer and straighter.
- Some difficulties with alignment.
Wilson Staff Model
The soft forged carbon steel head and high density grooves make this one of the softest feeling clubs on the market. The amount of feel and backspin provided by this club is incredible for the cost.
The higher density grooves provide a lot of friction as the ball interacts with those additional grooves. The extra backspin provides extra control and stopping power on the green. The grooves are also precision milled for consistent shape and spin no matter the shot. They are also very easy to hit and perform well on most shots. They have a high toe for increased surface area on open face shots and more forgiveness on half shots. They are one of the least expensive clubs on the list but they look and perform at a much higher level.
Pros
- A very good value and one of the least expensive options on the list.
- High end looks, features, and performance for a low price.
- Looks great at setup.
- Feels natural and stable in your hands.
- The high toe gives you an increased hitting surface and more forgiveness.
- The precision milling adds consistency both to the shape and spin of the shot.
- A very accurate club.
- It is a good full shot club but a better chip/lob/half shot club.
- The soft forged carbon steel gives you a really soft feel.
Cons
- Not customizable.
- Not as good with full swing shots.
- Not as forgiving as some models.
Ping Glide 3.0
The Ping Glide 3.0 is a really good wedge for mid handicappers with great spin and feel but also a couple of forgiveness type features. The focus of this club is on creating optimal backspin. The grooves are deep and sharp with an extra half groove at the bottom for when you do not get under the ball quite enough.
They are called “wheel cut” grooves and they are slightly deeper and sharper to create really high spin rates. The stainless steel head combined with a large elastomer insert gives you incredible feel with a touch of forgiveness as well. The clubhead is a little offset which looks great at setup and improves your alignment and sight lines as well. There are multiple grind and loft options for versatility and one specific sand wedge grind that is great out of the bunker.
Pros
- The wheel-cut grooves are deeper and sharper for more friction and additional backspin.
- The grooves are precision milled for great consistency.
- Elastomer insert not only gives you improved feel but it also adds to the perimeter weighting providing additional forgiveness.
- A classic blade design that looks really good at setup.
- Multiple grind and loft options.
- A larger face surface area for more forgiveness and extra backspin.
- An additional half groove on the bottom if you do not get down on the ball enough.
- Great full shot wedge.
Cons
- Not as many game improvement options as other wedges on this list.
- Not as much bounce as many golfers want.
Cobra King MIM
The Cobra King MIM is the first club in golf to feature a fully metal-injection-molded (MIM) stainless steel construction. This provides incredible consistency in both performance and design while also producing a great looking club.
This club is all about backspin and feel around the green and it performs very well. They are super soft around the green and will stop on a dime. The clubhead shape leads to great turf interaction on full shots and chips. The CNC milled face gives you really good, tour level spin around the green. The consistency, spin rate, and soft feel combine to make this one of our favorite wedges for mid-handicappers.
Pros
- The MIM construction takes away all variables leaving you with one of the most consistent wedges out there.
- We love brand new technology, and the MIM is very promising.
- Tour level grooves and backspin.
- Interacts with the turf very well both with full shots and chips.
- Great variety of lofts and grinds.
- A very clean and great looking blade design.
- Good value for the money.
- Very soft feel around the green.
- May be the best “half swing” wedge on the list.
Cons
- New technology is always expensive and usually very quickly improved upon.
- The sound at impact is a little hollow and can affect feel.
- Ball flight on full shots are not what you can find in some other clubs.
Mizuno T-20
If you have ever played the word association game, then you know you say one word and the other person immediately says the word they associate with what you said. When you play that game with the word “Mizuno” the natural response is “feel.” The grain flow forged process is really just that good.
The Mizuno T-20 wedges take that feel that Mizuno is known for and put it into their wedges while at the same time adding high end friction for incredible backspin. In fact, Mizuno created the face of their driver by studying the friction produced by tire treads on a road and came up with a face architecture and groove design that maximizes performance for each loft. For instance, the sand wedge has a groove design that maximizes the clubs ability to perform out of the sand. The grooves are CNC milled to ensure consistency, and the combination of backspin, feel, and consistency really sets these clubs apart.
Pros
- The incredible grain flow forged feel of a Mizuno iron.
- The groove design maximizes backspin performance for each loft.
- A great sand wedge that produces some of the best results on the market.
- Looks great at setup.
- They are easy clubs to swing and easy to make good contact with.
- Players wedges with just enough forgiveness to suit many mid handicappers.
- Progressive face architecture and groove design optimize performance for each loft.
Cons
- Lacking forgiveness that many players need.
- Made for really good mid handicappers or low handicappers.
TaylorMade MG2
The TaylorMade MG2 wedges are some of the most interesting wedges on the list. The raw face design looks like someone just stopped taking care of the club and let the face rust, but that is just what the club is supposed to look like.
There is, quite literally, no finish on the face of the club. Some players actually say that the older it gets the more backspin it produces because rust adds to the friction. We cannot comment on that idea, but we do know that these clubs give you a lot of backspin along with some decent forgiveness. The high toe design also gives the club a different looking shape while increasing backspin and forgiveness at the same time. TaylorMade makes really clubs and this is just another one in the line of high end wedges.
Pros
- The raw face produces some of the most backspin on the market.
- Top notch turf interaction at every loft.
- A really good sand wedge.
- Really good distance control on full shot wedges.
- Check up really well on chips and stick softly on high shots.
- The leading edge of these clubs promote solid contact.
- High toe design gives you more ball/club interaction on each shot and increased forgiveness.
- A very appealing club when you have to open up the face.
Cons
- One of the more expensive options.
- Not as much forgiveness as some other wedges.
How To Choose The Best Wedges
To choose the best wedges for your game, you must decide what you need the most out of your wedge. Do you need extra backspin, more stability, or the soft feel that so many golfers look for out on the course. Once you figure out your biggest need in a wedge, simply read back through the above information and choose the one with the features that most closely align to what you are looking for.
Which Wedges Should I Carry?
In the past, this was an easy question to answer. You carry a PW and a SW and then you feel the rest of your bag with irons, woods and a putter. The wedges were always a bit of an afterthought. Harvey Penick revealed in his famous Little Red Book, that fellow Texan Ben Hogan declared that the three most vital clubs were the “driver, putter, and wedge, in that order.” While we may or may not disagree with that statement, it is clear that most golfers like to carry more than just 2 wedges in their bag.
The truth is, the vast majority of golfers can do everything that they need to do on a golf course without adding wedges to their bags, but the better you get the more you should carry. The best way to figure out when the right time to add a new club is when you are on the golf course and, at least fairly consistently, realize you are missing the club you need for the shot you are about to take. When it is time to add the new wedge, we suggest a lob wedge for its versatility and because of how fun it is to hit.
Features To Look For In Wedges
Forgiveness. In the past forgiveness has been an afterthought for wedges. In today’s game, forgiveness is the very thing that made the CBX 2 wedges no. 1 on our list. Forgiveness is when you get good results with a subpar ball strike.
Feel. Feel is hard to describe but easy to recognize on the course. It is a combination of the sound that your club makes with a direct strike and the feel and feedback you get right after hearing that strike. A soft feel gives you confidence and helps you improve your game.
Cost. Sometimes you get what you pay for, and sometimes you do not. There are some really good value clubs on the wedge market, but the clubs with the most and best features are usually also the most expensive.
Spin. One of the most important things for a wedge is to provide back spin. It is this spin that allows a chip to check up and an approach shot to be pulled back like it’s on a string. Face technology and groove patterns create spin and some wedges create more than others.
Cavity Back or Blade. In the past you could pretty much only find a wedge with a blade design. Today more and more companies are creating cavity back blades to help with stability and forgiveness while groove technology provides extra spin.
Conclusion
The big names in the wedge industry, Cleveland and Titleist, have done it again. The Vokey SM8 is a great club for mid and low handicappers and the Cleveland CBX 2 gives beginners and high handicappers the forgiveness they need with the spin and feel that they want. Do not, however, sleep on the Callaway JAWS MD 5 with its great looks, spin, and performance it is a great option as well. Really now, more than any other time in golf, there are wedges for every player of every skill level.