In this article, we’ll get you up to speed on the best wedges for high handicappers and beginners. We aim to assist you in making an informed selection on your next wedge investment.
As a beginner or high-handicapper, you need to be aware that wedges are undoubtedly the most versatile club in your bag. You can turn to them to pitch, chip, make full swings off the fairway, and even get out of the sand or rough. With all these functionalities, it comes as a surprise that they don’t get as much attention whenever you purchase new clubs.
Most of the time, golfers turn their sights on irons, drivers, and putters. Wedges tend to garner the least amount of attention even though you use them way more often in a game.
At a Glance: Best Wedges for High Handicappers and Beginners
Cleveland CBX 2 Wedge
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Pros:
- Provides extra forgiveness, which helps you achieve full shots closer to the hole
- Has a spinny face that allows shorter chip shots to check up faster
Cons:
- More skilled players may find that this wedge lacks versatility
- Has limited finish options
Wilson Harmonized Wedge
Overall Rating: 3/5
Pros:
- a good choice for high-handicappers who are looking for forgiving and easy-to-hit shots around the green
- can be had for a very affordable price
- eliminates the need to choose between wedge or grinds
Cons:
- Offers not that many loft angle options
Titleist Vokey SM7 Wedge
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Pros:
- makes it easier to stop the ball on the green
- offers a high degree of shot versatility
- features spin milled grooves
- available in numerous lofts and grind options
Cons:
- doesn’t provide the same forgiveness as other wedges
Callaway Jaws MD5 Wedge
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Pros:
- a wedge that effortlessly stands out thanks to its unique design and the excellent materials used that make it highly durable
- you’ll find it easy to get comfortable with this wedge as it adapts to your individual style
- has a range of customizable options available (two sole grinds and three finishes), making it easy for you to customize this wedge according to your preferences
Cons:
- some will prefer a longer, straighter leading edge that’s easier to align
- a premium wedge that also comes at a premium price that’s higher than most wedges
Pinemeadow PGX Wedge
Overall Rating: 3/5
Pros:
- has available options to purchase at 64 or 68 degrees while most wedges peak at about 60-degree loft
- offers the best value you’ll find when searching for a new golf wedge
- comes at such a great price point that you’ll be able to buy a whole set of wedges for the price of one premium wedge
Cons:
- isn’t as forgiving as the other wedge options in the market
- the club’s finish comes off quite easily, which can have an impact on the longevity of your wedges
- if you’re looking for a light wedge for your bag, this isn’t it
Review Summary: Best Wedges for High Handicappers and Beginners
Cleveland CBX 2 Wedge
The cavity-back design of the CBX 2 is more forgiving than the blade wedges that are commonly encountered today. Forgiveness is the magic word for high handicappers and beginners, and it’s even more vital in a wedge so you can easily get into the green to putt for several pars.
With the CBX’s cavity back and hefty sole, it’s considerably easier to get out of the bunkers, minimize chunked chips around the green, and boost the success rate of your approach shots on the greens.
Similar to irons, the cavity back allows for greater perimeter weighting, which is exceptional for a premium wedge. Due to the extra weight behind the ball, even on mishits, you’ll still gain distance and spin on off-center strikes, thanks to the perimeter weighting.
We love the 56° Cleveland CBX wedge, in particular. It’s effortless to hit due to the 12-degree bounce placed by the manufacturer and a nice thick sole to glide through the turf, which allows you to get the ball into the air effortlessly.
The CBX 2 premium wedges also serve as a game improvement club by incorporating all elements of forgiveness within their club head. If you think about it, Cleveland wedges are always a safe pick, but this is easily one of the best wedges on the market for high handicappers and beginners aiming to improve.
Wilson Harmonized Wedge
In our opinion, Wilson is a fairly underrated yet superb golf club manufacturer. Undoubtedly, they’ve created a winner with this wedge series, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better value than the Harmonized range at its price point.
The 56-degree option has an ideal bounce of 12°, which promotes forgiveness and allows you to hit clean wedge shots consistently. Again, it will be pretty tricky for you to find a better bang for your buck at this price.
The club’s leading-edge is intended to get under the ball and minimize excessive digging. You’ll find that the ball flies high and drops with spin to stick on the greens, and the feel off the face is highly responsive.
However, there is one caveat you need to keep an eye on. As a new player or high handicapper, we recommend that you steer clear of the 64° wedge. They’re not advisable to use if you’re only beginning to learn how to use wedges. Even for seasoned players, these are incredibly tough to hit consistently, and while Wilson makes one, I would opt for other clubs instead.
Clearly, these are the finest wedges to start with if you’re a beginner. Getting consistent gapping between your wedges will help you hit optimum distances from 120 yards down to 70 yards with consistency. The confidence you’ll gain from not having to hit half-shots onto the greens will cause your perspective of the game to change.
Titleist Vokey SM7 Wedge
When golfers refer to Vokey golf wedges, they wrongly assume they’re only meant for lower handicap players.
It’s well-known that Titleist manufactures some of the best wedges in the game and are even used weekly on the PGA Tour. However, you should be aware that Vokey wedges also pack features beneficial for beginners and high handicappers.
The most significant aspect of the short game that you’d know better than to overlook is feel. Having great feel allows you to control the length of your golf shots, how they spin, and how they fly.
The Vokey SM7 offers some of the best feel in the game. Regardless of your handicap, you’ll need to learn how to control the ball effectively. This wedge provides you with timely feedback to do so. It also has spin-milled grooves on the face that significantly impact your level of consistency, spin, and control.
Once you learn how to strike the ball with the SM7 in your hand, you’ll manage to stop the ball precisely where you want it to stop.
The only disadvantage for the high handicapper is that the SM7 is not that forgiving. You’ll be forced to learn to manage your shots even more and probably spend more time practicing your short game.
However, it’ll be worth it as this will make you a better golfer in the long run.
Callaway Jaws MD5 Wedge
The Mack Daddy 5 wedge is made of 8620 mild carbon steel and has a tour grey or platinum chrome finish, making it a dazzling short game club.
Callaway’s wedge designer, Roger Cleveland, has outdone himself with the smooth sole, sharp grooves, and high spin of the JAWS MD5 wedges, available with the True Temper Tour Issue 115 stock steel shaft.
The Callaway wedge has five distinct grind choices. There’s a C-grind, a low bounce W-grind, an S-grind, an X-grind, and a W-grind available. Depending on how you like the turf interaction, they provide a specific divot type with various loft choices available.
You’ll be quite impressed by how the JAWS grooves grab the golf ball from all types of lies once you get to use the Mack Daddy 5 wedges on the range and course.
The new JAWS groove system will allow you to shine, from sand to rough to the fairway, providing plenty of hop and stop on the green.
The Mack Daddy 5 is an excellent club for any level of golfer, especially high handicappers, with plenty of customizable options, making it the type of wedge that’ll reflect how you like to play the game.
Pinemeadow PGX Wedge
If you’re searching for the ideal wedge to add to your backpack but don’t want to spend a lot, the Pinemeadow PGX is a great option. It’s certainly one of the most affordable wedges on the market, yet it is a terrific choice for high handicappers.
The PGX Pinemeadow’s feel and spin capabilities will not be as good as some of the more expensive high-end wedges, but it’s more than enough to get the job done.
These are large-faced wedges with a clean leading edge. The PGX wedge is ideal for those who want to hit clean, crisp shots with versatile bounce and grind.
This club comes with a basic steel shaft and a standard-size grip. Given the low price, you can easily have it regripped to match your specifications.
The Pinemeadow PGX is available in 52, 56, and 60-degree loft configurations. You can put three of these high handicap wedges in your bag for less than the price of one premium wedge.
Short Guide on the Best Wedges for High Handicappers
What Wedges Should I Use as a High Handicapper?
High handicappers frequently struggle to find the green in regulation. However, this isn’t something you should be too worried about since your game is expected to improve over time. But, you’ll need the correct tools to make that happen. Finding the green can be tricky, even for seasoned golfers.
Whether it’s difficulties off the tee or struggles with approach shots, you’re not likely to find the green on the first few tries, but don’t give up. Keep in mind, if you’re going to work with the right clubs, you’ll be surprised at how much your game will improve.
That is why it’s critical to have a diverse selection of wedges on hand. Having various wedges, understanding how they work, and their distinct capabilities can propel your golf game to the next level.
There are different elements to consider when selecting your wedges, and it’s vital that you understand a few specifics, such as loft and bounce.
Don’t be put off by the use of technical terminologies. Once you get the hang of it, the concepts of loft and bounce in a wedge are actually rather simple.
What is the Importance of Bounce and Loft in a Wedge?
The higher the loft of the clubface, the more height you’ll get on your shots.
This greater elevation usually comes at the cost of distance. So with a full swing, each of your wedges will go to different yardages.
For this reason, it’s ideal to have a good selection of wedges in your bag. A good rule to keep in mind is that every 4° of loft adds about ten to fifteen yards of distance.
On top of remembering, learning to adjust for it will help you get your game on point in no time.
Varying the length and effort of your swing to control distance is less reliable than having clubs with varying degrees of loft. Following current trends in the game, most standard pitching wedges that come with irons have a loft of roughly 44°.
When you consider that the average sand wedge has roughly 56° of loft, you can see a significant gap to bridge when it comes to distance.
Having a wedge to cover that void will allow you greater distance control in your game. The range of shots you can play closer to the greens is also determined by loft. That’s why it pays to have at least three loft variations among your wedges,
Also, pay close attention to the bounce of your golf wedges and tailor it to fit your style of play and the manner in which you swing your golf club.
Why Should You Prioritize Forgiving Wedges as a High Handicapper?
As a high handicapper, having wedges that are easy to use or “forgiving,” as we like to call them, is essential.
While the perfect combination of loft and bounce for your clubs is usually a matter of personal preference, we believe that choosing a model that’s forgiving is a must for all high handicappers.
Much of this is due to the design, and in particular, the shape of the wedge.
As we all know, certain clubs are designed to be easier to use than others.
We’ve steered clear of wedges that feature a more traditional, blade-shaped design. In their place, we’ve come to favor wedges with a cavity back and a leading-edge that’s slightly thicker.
Remember that on this list, we only chose the best wedges for high handicappers.
As a result, all of our club selections are easy to use and offer extra forgiveness whenever you encounter trouble by committing that occasional mishit.
Conclusion
Whenever you’re adding new wedges to your golf bag, you’re taking an important step toward lowering your handicap as a player. One of the surefire ways to lower your scores is to familiarize yourself with the scoring clubs in your golf bag.
We strongly feel that our top picks will provide you with the confidence you need in your golf game to enjoy chipping, pitching, and sand shots.
Regardless of the wedge you decide to go with, read our buying guide to ensure you purchase the proper one. Remember, before purchasing any wedge, determine which loft your bag may be lacking and the type of bounce that best suits your swing style.
So there you have it, our list of the best wedges for high handicappers; five clubs that will undoubtedly help you improve and take your short game up by a notch.
See related: Top 5 Picks for the Best Golf Lob Wedges 2021
