ClubTest 2024: 8 hot new wedges reviewed so you can find the perfect one
Read full reviews of seven new wedges below.
CLUB PHOTOS: COURTESY; DESIGN: TANYA DESELM
For the latest edition of GOLF magazine’s 2024 ClubTest, we crafted a two-pronged approach to deliver valuable insights into the new crop of drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, wedges and putters so that you can make better informed purchasing decisions. GOLF staffers tested the clubs ourselves to provide feedback and performance thoughts on gear from manufacturers big and small, while we also relied on the help of a swing robot and Golf Laboratories founder Gene Parente.
Below you will find our full reviews and test results for eight new wedges from top manufacturers: Callaway, Cleveland, Mizuno, Ping, TaylorMade and Titleist. See something you like? Click through and buy your new wedge from Fairway Jockey today.
MORE CLUBTEST: 18 NEW DRIVERS REVIEWED | 22 NEW IRONS TESTED | 18 FAIRWAY WOODS REVIEWED | 13 HYBRIDS TESTED
Want to overhaul your bag for 2024? Find a fitting location near you at GOLF’s affiliate company True Spec Golf.
BEST NEW WEDGES OF 2024
Callaway CB Wedges
Callaway CB Wedge
NEED TO KNOW: Everyone could use a little extra forgiveness, and for golfers that really need it in their short game, Callaway has updated and improved on their CB (cavity back) wedge design to offer more feel, more spin, more control and more versatility.
The new Callaway CB wedge doesn’t hide who it is — a cavity back wedge built to deliver performance to golfers that are already playing cavity back irons and want to continue with that design into their highest lofted wedges. But unlike some other cavity back design wedges on the market, the engineers at Callaway wanted to give these golfers the versatility to hit different shots, so a more cambered sole with heel and toe relief along with a pre-worn leading edge is built into the wider sole design.
READ THE FULL REVIEW OF CALLAWAY’S CB WEDGES
Cleveland CBX 4 ZipCore Wedge
Cleveland CBX 4 ZipCore Wedge
NEED TO KNOW: Cleveland’s latest CBX 4 ZipCore wedge (available Jan. 24) is a reminder that options exist in the wedge space for golfers who don’t consistently find the center of the face from inside 130 yards. Blade offerings, such as RTX ZipCore, remain a strong offering for those who know how to wield a wedge.
The cavity-back design of CBX 4 is perimeter-weighted with mass positioned along the outer boundary to mitigate distance loss on mishits. Utilizing the same ZipCore technology found on RTX, Cleveland’s wedge team was able to replace heavy steel in the hosel and heel section of the head with a lightweight, vibration-dampening material that netted significant discretionary mass.
Depending on the loft, Cleveland added a highly specialized HydraZip face technology to improve wet and dry performance. On the groove front, CBX 4 employs Cleveland’s UltiZip face technology — a sequence of sharp, deep and tight grooves designed to ramp up spin control and consistency in a meaningful way.
READ THE FULL REVIEW OF CLEVELAND’S CBX 4 ZIPCORE WEDGES
Cleveland RTX Full-Face 2, Smart Sole Full-Face Wedges
Cleveland RTX Full-Face 2 Wedge
NEED TO KNOW: The newest addition to the Cleveland family of wedges is RTX Full-Face 2, a line of wedges designed to offer premium control, and extra confidence by extending the grooves to the toe of the wedge and covering the entire face.
The new RTX Full-Face 2 wedges feature ZipCore which replaces heavy steel from inside the head with a low-density core to remove unnecessary weight from the hosel and the heel area and helps to also deliver a higher MOI for greater forgiveness.
Each wedge in the Smart Sole Full-Face line is specifically designed for the most common shots a golfer is going to face during a round of golf and the extra-wide, three-tiered sole helps to prevent chucked shots and smooth turf interaction from anywhere on the course.
READ THE FULL REVIEW OF CLEVELAND’S FULL-FACE WEDGES
Mizuno T24 Wedges
Mizuno T24 Wedge
NEED TO KNOW: The Mizuno T24 features a more compact wedge profile that was created by reducing the width of the top line and shortening the blade length. This shorter blade length freed up more mass to be positioned higher in the head to help control spin and trajectory.
With the trend of more players replacing their pitching wedges with specialty wedges that flow into their gap, sand and lob wedges, the T24s offer a progressive leading edge and hosel transition to help frame the ball.
In addition, the T24 grooves have a new more conical shape around the radius to increase sharpness to go along with Mizuno’s continued use of the hydro flow micro-grooves to help channel moisture away faster for better spin.
READ THE FULL REVIEW OF MIZUNO’S T24 WEDGES
Ping S159 Wedges
Ping S159 Wedge
NEED TO KNOW: Inspired with input from Ping’s stable of Tour players, each S159 head is cast from 8620 carbon steel and features a straighter leading edge to fit modern players’ preferences. The head also helps with alignment on full shots.
The key to the S159’s spin performance is a set of wheel-cut precision-milled grooves that transition through the lofts to maximize control. The 54- to 62-degree lofts have more tightly spaced MicroMax grooves, while the 46- to 52-degree lofts are engineered for greater control on full swing shots at higher speeds.
To help you find the right S159 wedges for your game, Ping also is launching a WebFit Wedge app to give golfers a quick and easy way to help find the wedges for their needs.
TaylorMade MG4 Wedges
TaylorMade MG4 Wedge
NEED TO KNOW: There’s no questioning where TaylorMade’s MG4 falls on the feel spectrum — it’s designed to be soft. And with a solid-construction wedge, the only way to change feel is to alter what’s behind the ball.
To add consistent spin to MG4, TaylorMade went through 12 iterations before landing on its Spin Tread technology. A raw face and strategically designed grooves are paired with a new laser etching treatment that can be felt by simply running your finger along the face.
Subtle improvements were made to the profiling of the 56- and 60-degree wedges, but the lower lofts continue to look almost identical to MG3. Through Tour feedback, TaylorMade increased the leading edge radius down in the “belly” for face manipulation purposes. A straighter leading edge was also added to allow it to “lay better into the ground.”
READ THE FULL REVIEW OF TAYLORMADE’S MG4 WEDGES
Titleist Vokey SM10 Wedges
Titleist Vokey SM10 Wedge
NEED TO KNOW: Tour feedback continues to drive Vokey’s product creation, and one of the more subtle improvements in the SM10s is a minor shift in center of gravity (.5mm) on the 46- through 52-degree wedges to remove a draw bias that some pros noticed on the lower lofts.
Vokey continues to put a high value on spin with a TX9 groove that’s individually cut based on loft and finish. The Spin Milled cutting process, introduced last year with SM9, tightens tolerances by using a cutter to create the entire scoreline instead of a partial scoreline.
A wide variety of custom options will also be available through Vokey’s WedgeWorks program, which makes it possible to choose from six toe engravings, WedgeWorks Flight Lines, stamping options (10-character Straight/Freestyle stamping; 15 characters around the toe, and two lines of 10 characters each) and custom paint fill.
READ THE FULL REVIEW OF TITLEIST’S VOKEY SM10 WEDGES
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