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Cutter Golf CTR-1 wedge: Here to help
Let’s start with this—if you don’t struggle using a traditional-style wedge then the CTR-1 from Cutter Golf is probably NOT for you. But if you do truly struggle, this could be a game-changer for your short game.
Greenside shots, especially ones that involve escaping deep rough or sand are some of the most feared shots for the average golfer. It’s one of the biggest differences between amateurs and professionals. With a decent lie, pros give themselves a fairly high potential to hole out, while amateurs are just hoping to escape in less than one attempt.
The “pitch” from Cutter
Thanks to the unique shape and hosel transition, the Cutter wedge has 65 percent less leading-edge contact than a traditional wedge to prevent twisting on shots out of the rough. The additional face height and aggressive perimeter weighting offer a 75 percent larger sweet spot (per the company), and you have a club that should make hitting short game shots a lot easier.
My take
The Cutter wedge doesn’t claim to be traditional, but the principles behind the design all have merit in creating an easy to hit wedge. The high bounce sole with heel-toe relief improves turf interaction while the pushed back from the leading edge hosel gets through long grass easier and lowers the possibility of hitting the dreaded shank. As mentioned off the top, total versatility and shotmaking are not high on this club’s list of priorities, but being easy to hit is!
After going out and testing the wedge in some poor turf conditions I will fully admit, as much I do not prefer the look of it compared to my traditional wedge, it flat out works in getting the ball out of almost any tough spot. Feel is the last part of the puzzle and because of the large thin face it has a higher pitch than what I was used to, but it’s still very pleasant – similar to the acoustics produced by other large game-improvement clubs.
Overall, if you are headed into 2020 with a lot of doubts about your short game or just want to try a wedge that will actually help around the greens the Cutter CTR-1 could be for you.
I’m going to gush in this intro paragraph, to get the emo stuff done early. I’ve not pulled harder for a professional to win, than Cameron Young. I coach golf in New York state, and each spring, my best golfers head to a state championship in Poughkeepsie. I first saw Cameron there as a 9th grade student. I saw him three more times after that. I reconnecected with Coach Haas from Wake Forest, an old interview subject from my days on the Old Gold and Black, the Wake newspaper. He was there to watch Cameron. After four years at Wake Forest, Young won on the Korn Ferry Tour, made it to the big tour, almost won two majors, almost won five other events, and finally got the chalice about 25 minutes from the Wake campus. Congratulations, Cameron. You truly are a glass of the finest. #MotherSoDear
OK, let’s move on to the Tour Rundown. The major championship season closed this week in Wales, with the Women’s Open championship. The PGA Tour bounced through Greensboror, N.C., while the PGA Tour Americas hit TO (aka, Toronto) for a long-winded event. The Korn Ferry lads made a stop in Utah, one of just two events for that tour in August. The many-events, golf season is winding down, as we ease from summer toward fall in the northern hemisphere. Let’s bask in the glory of an August sunrise, and run down a quartet of events from the first weekend of the eighth month.
LET/LPGA @ Women’s Open: Miyu bends, but she doesn’t break
Royal Porthcawl was not a known commodity in the major tournament community. The Welsh links had served as host to men’s senior opens, men’s amateurs, and Curtis and Walker Cups in prior years, but never an Open championship for the women or the men. The last-kept secret in UK golf was revealed once again to the world this week, as the best female golfers took to the sandy stage.
Mao Saigo, Grace Kim, Maja Stark, and Minjee Lee hoped to add a second major title to previous wins this season, but only Lee was able to finish inside the top ten. The 2025 playing of the Women’s Open gave us a new-faces gallery from day one. The Kordas and Thitikulls were nowhere to be found, and it was the Mayashitas, Katsus, and Lim Kims that secured the Cymru spotlight. The first round lead was held at 67 by two golfers. One of them battled to the end, while the other posted 81 on day two, and missed the cut. Sitting one shot behind was Miyu Yamashita.
On day two, Yamashita posted the round of the tournament. Her 65 moved her to the front of the aisle, in just her fourth turn around a women’s Open championship. With the pre-event favorites drifting off pace, followers narrowed into two camps: those on the side of an underdog, and others hoping for a weekend charge from back in the pack. In the end, we had a bit of both.
On Saturday, Yamashita bent with 74 on Saturday, offering rays of hope to her pursuing pack. England’s Charley Hull made a run on Sunday closing within one shot before tailing off to a T2 finish with Minami Katsu. Katsu posted the other 65 of the week, on Saturday, but could not overtake her countrywoman, Yamashita. wunderkind Lottie Woad needed one round in the 60s to find her pace, but could only must close-to’s, ending on 284 and a tie with Minjee for eighth.
On Sunday, Yamashita put away the thoughts of Saturday’s struggles, with three-under 33 on the outward half. She closed in plus-one 37, but still won by two, for a first Major and LPGA title.
PGA Tour @ Wyndham: Young gathers first title near home
Cameron Young grew up along the Hudson river, above metro New York, but he also calls Winston-Salem home. He spent four years as a student and athlete at Wake Forest University, then embarked on tour. This week in Greensboro, after a bit of a break, Young opened with 63-62, and revved the engine of Is this the week once more. Runner-up finishes at the Open, the PGA, and a handful of PGA Tour events had followers wonder when the day would come.
On Saturday, Young continued his torrid pace with 65, giving him a five-shot advantage over his closest pursuer. Sunday saw the Scarborough native open with bogey, then reel off five consecutive birdies to remind folks that his time had, at last, arrived. Pars to the 16th, before two harmless bogeys coming home, made Young the 1000th winner of an official PGA Tour event (dating back to before there was a PGA Tour) throughout history. What’s next? I have a suspicion, but I’m not letting on. Mac Meissner closed with 66 to finish solo 2nd, while Mark Hubbard and Alex Noren tied for third.
Korn Ferry Tour @ Utah Championship: Are you Suri it’s Julian?
Who knows exactly when the flower will bloom? Julian Suri played a solid careet at Duke University, then paid his dues on the world’s minor tours for three years. He won twice on two tours in Europe, in 2017. Since then, the grind has continued for the journeyman from New York city. At age 34, Suri broke through in Beehive state, outlasting another grinder (Spencer Levin) and four others, by two shots.
Taylor Montgomery began the week with 62, then posted 64, then 68, and finally, 70. That final round was his undoing. He finished in that second-place tie, two back of the leader. Trace Crowe, Barend Botha, and Kensei Hirata made up the last of the almost quintet. As for Suri, his Sunday play was sublime. His nines were 32 and 31, with his only radar blip a bogey at ten. He closed in style with one final birdie, to double his winning margin. Hogan bloomed late…might Suri?
PGA Tour Americas @ Osprey Valley Open presented by Votorantim Cimentos – CBM Aggregates
Some tournament names run longer than others. This week in Toronto, at the Heathlands course at TPC Toronto, we might have seen the longest tournament title in recorded history. The OVOPBVCCBMA was a splendid affair. It saw three rounds of 62 on Thursday, but of those early risers, only Drew Goodman would stick around until the end. 64 was the low tally on day two, and two of those legionnaires managed to finish inside the top three at week’s end. Saturday brought a 63 from Patrick Newcomb, and he would follow with 64 on Sunday, to finish solo fourth.
Who, then, ended up winning the acronym of the year? It turns out that Carson Bacha had the right stuff in TeeOhhh. Bacha and Jay Card III posted 63 and 64, respectively, on day four, to tie for medalist honors at 23-under 261. Nathan Franks was one shot adrift, despite also closing with 63. If you didn’t go low on Sunday, it was about the check, not the championship.
Bacha and JC3 returned to the 18th hole twice in overtime. Card nearly chipped in from the thick stuff for birdie, while Bacha peeked and shoved a ten-feet attempt at the win. On the second go-round, Card was long with his approach, into the native grasses once more. He was unable to escape, and a routine par from the fairway was enough to earn the former Auburn golfers a first KFT title.
Card III and Bacha both miss their birdie tries on the first playoff hole.
We’ll play 18 again @OspreyOpen. pic.twitter.com/vNpHTdkHDg
— PGA TOUR Americas (@PGATOURAmericas) August 3, 2025
GolfWRX is live this week from the final event of the PGA Tour’s regular season, the Wyndham Championship.
Photos are flowing into the forums from Sedgefield Country Club, where we already have a GolfWRX spirit animal Adam Schenk WITB and plenty of putters for your viewing pleasure.
Check out links to all our photos below, which we’ll continue to update as more arrive.
General Albums
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #1
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #2
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #3
WITB Albums
- Chandler Phillips – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Davis Riley – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Scotty Kennon – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Austin Duncan – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Will Chandler – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Kevin Roy – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Ben Griffin – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Peter Malnati – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Ryan Gerard – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Adam Schenk – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Kurt Kitayama – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Camilo Villegas – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Matti Schmid – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
Pullout Albums
- Denny McCarthy’s custom Cameron putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Swag Golf putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Karl Vilips TM MG5 wedges – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- New Bettinardi putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Matt Fitzpatrick’s custom Bettinardi putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Cameron putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
See what GolfWRXers are saying and join the discussion in the forums.
Kurt Kitayama just won his 2nd PGA Tour event at the 3M Open. Kurt is a Bridgestone staffer but with just the ball and bag. Here are the rest of the clubs he used to secure a win at the 2025 3M Open.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (11 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD VF 7 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour (14.5 degrees, A3 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 TX
7-wood: Titleist GT1 (21 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 9 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P7CB (4), TaylorMade P7MB (5-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-12F, 56-14F), Vokey Design WedgeWorks (60-K*)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Newport 2 Tour Prototype
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy 1.0PT
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Bridgestone Tour B XS (with Mindset)
‘Why would anybody want to change that swing?’ – Brandel Chamblee says PGA Tour star was wrong to change his swing
‘The stupidest freaking thing I’ve ever heard’ – Billy Horschel slams Open idea suggested by Padraig Harrington
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Golfer proudly posts photo of ball mark on iron, receives immediate roasting
WITB Time Machine: Matthew Wolff’s winning WITB, 2019 3M Open
Oakmont Country Club bans Wyndham Clark over locker incident; Reveals specific conditions to earn reinstatement
Adam Scott puts Callaway blades in the bag at Wyndham Championship
Report: LIV star fires caddie and coach in shock shake up
Rickie Fowler makes equipment change to ‘something that’s a little easier on the body’
The championship formula: How 3 key stats separate winners from the field
Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...
M.Coz
Mar 27, 2020 at 2:42 am
Sometimes I don’t know about some of the posters here. How many times do we have to put up haters here who really don’t know the game or it’s history of both the game and its equipment. Do I need to remind of the first steel headed drivers, much revolt or even more the first big headed drivers how they looked like a (use many descriptions here) on a stick. Or the first rescue/hybrids that some thought the head would make a better handle of a crutch if turned upside down. Or how about the first Ping K-1 irons were considered an abomination compared to the typical blades with their offset and no chrome finish. Of course those Eye 2 wedges were thought to be large and ridiculous. Then they came out with their big wooden head drivers with its goofy shape that was so strange. Oh and then Jerry Pate winning a major with (god forbid!!) a colored ball!! GET OVER it. If you have nothing to contribute move on.
Sheesh!
Mar 31, 2020 at 5:13 pm
M.Coz drops the mic! Love it
Petalocos
Mar 23, 2020 at 11:09 pm
I’m an 8 index and have experimented with the CTR-1. While I don’t see it necessarily replacing my current (TaylorMade) wedge, it certainly performs around the green as well as my current wedge. Therefore, I would recommend it to anyone who likes the CTR-1 aesthetic (looks like a driver face) and/or is struggling with improving their short game.
Danny M.
Mar 20, 2020 at 9:16 am
How about golfers just LEARN to hit a bunker shot, work hard at figuring out how to escape deep rough, and dedicate some time practicing around the green.
This junk is just a band-aid used to cover up laziness.
andy c
Mar 20, 2020 at 11:08 am
haha, yeah because everyone has time and money to go to the short game practice range that doesn’t exist and spend 2 hours a day honing our skills. Can’t tell if you are trolling or not but most golfers I know work for a living and time spent on the course is for fun. Call out a blue collar guy like me for being lazy over how a club looks, and you’d find out how it looks in your in shin.
Joe
Mar 23, 2020 at 1:11 am
If you have time to play you have time to practice.
This wedge is one of those 1 – 2 months gimmicks, and then disappears. Through the years I (everyone) have seen many.
Big Danny M Fan!
Mar 23, 2020 at 12:52 pm
Wow! The great Danny M. has spoken! I’m sure Danny M. has tried the “junk” and most likely a +2 and knows what he’s talking about because he doesn’t sound like a “know it all” and a douche….nope, not at all.
D. Fosbury
Mar 20, 2020 at 2:51 am
Life is full of this… “but it looks funny”.
If it works, it works. This article seems a little short on that, but don’t judge solely on looks. Sometimes, we find out that we’re doing it all wrong because someone is crazy enough to make a point.
Guia
Mar 19, 2020 at 7:37 pm
It is said that “there is one born every minute”. So they are guaranteed to sell at least “one”.
Tim
Mar 19, 2020 at 5:22 pm
Many of us can get under a ball in long grass its the tight lie we fear. Where tempo and touch are critical. This is why I and many others use an 8 iron or hybrid from off the green.
Charlie Waffles
Mar 19, 2020 at 5:07 pm
You’re kidding I hope…..
GoCougs!
Mar 19, 2020 at 3:17 pm
I’ve seen the wedge and although the looks are strange. The person using it was making some serious shots and was deadly accurate on his chips from 30 yards out. Just my 2 cents…
Rich Douglas
Mar 19, 2020 at 12:08 pm
And when you get done with your round, you can take it home and serve up a nice piece of pie.
SV
Mar 19, 2020 at 11:00 am
It looks like the mutant offspring of the Cleveland VAS irons.
Rich Douglas
Mar 19, 2020 at 12:07 pm
Oh, I so disagree. The VAS was a good iron in its day. Take a look; you’ll see a lot of design features–anti-vibration badge, large bounce, long heel-to-toe, lots of offset–that you see in many GI irons today. They’re just blended into the design and not as obvious as they were in the VAS.
Shallowface
Mar 19, 2020 at 10:01 am
Considering how many of us struggle around the greens with the myriad of conventional wedges, any attempts at innovation for this section of the bag are most welcome. Many of us would benefit from having a good look at (horror of horrors!) chippers. I’m looking at trying a wedge with a more upright lie angle to see if that helps.