Opinion & Analysis

The Wedge Guy: Getting more out of whatever wedges you play

Published

6 years ago

May 5, 2020

As you all know, I have been a wedge designer for over 30 years now, but unlike most of the other wedge designers you know of, I have not spent much time at all working with tour players. And to be honest, that is not where my interest has been for all this time. I much prefer to dive deep into the wants and needs, frustrations and disappointments of all of us who do not have anything near the extraordinary skills the tour players exhibit every round.

I think the tour players are in very good hands. In contrast to the very skilled gentlemen working with the game’s best, I have personally analyzed over 50,000 amateur golfer wedge fitting profiles, and have had hundreds of exchanges with golfers of all skill levels at dozens of demo days at private clubs and public courses over the years. Because of this focus, I feel like I have a pretty good handle on those challenges the majority face, and a great deal of my writing here on GolfWRX is to address those frustrations I hear all the time.

In the spirit of full disclosure, you all also probably know that I am a key player in the launch of a new wedge company, Edison Golf, and I firmly believe our Edison Forged wedges can help golfers of any skill level experience a dramatic improvement in distance consistency, spin generation, and shotmaking skill. They were designed specifically to do that, and have been proven to deliver markedly better “numbers” in shot dispersion and spin than the ‘tour design’ wedges that have dominated the category for decades.

But today’s article isn’t a self-promotion piece, but rather to share some ideas that any golfer can implement to improve the performance of whatever wedges are in your bag now (but I still hope you will give the Edison Forged wedges a try).

The wedge shaft is overlooked by the industry. I have my ideas why the overwhelming majority of wedges sold today are fitted with a heavy and stiff steel shaft, but it’s not logical when well over half of all golfers are playing lightweight steel or graphite in much softer flexes than what is found on the wedge racks.

I’ve long preached about the need for any golfer to have a “seamless transition” from their irons to their wedges, and that begins with the shaft. If you are playing a 70-80 gram graphite shaft in your irons, for example, your wedges can weight as much as two full ounces more than your short irons. So, what’s two ounces you ask? That’s a 12-15 percent increase in weight of the club, so you simply cannot make that same swing with a set-match pitching wedge and your off-the-rack gap wedge. I believe the best investment you can make in your current wedges is to have them re-shafted with something that is closer in weight and flex to whatever is in your irons.

Do your specs match your irons? If you are playing irons that have been custom fitted and have a non-standard shaft length lie angle, you should have your wedges altered to those same specifications, with one caveat – I have long believed that your wedges should be 1-2 degrees flatter in lie angle than your irons, as that facilitates the more “squatted” posture and lower hands that are crucial to better pitching and wedge play.

What about your grips? Again, if your wedges have grips that are different from your irons, that presents a disruption of feel through your set. I have long been a proponent of having the same grips throughout your set to make all the clubs feel “friendly” in your hands. The only departure I have from that opinion is that if you like the new reminder rib type grips on your long clubs, you might opt for the regular version of the same grip for your wedges, because you will occasionally hit shots with the face opened or closed, and that rib can feel awkward when you do.

So, there are three things you can do to improve your current wedges if you are not ready to replace them. (But if you are, I certainly hope you will check out what we are doing to wedges at Edison)

Opinion & Analysis

5 Things We Learned: Thursday at the PGA Championship

Published

2 weeks ago

May 15, 2026

Ronald Montesano

Aronimink is not a storied club, but when Donald Ross himself proclaimed it to be as good as he can design and build, one had to take notice. Jay Sigel was the pre-eminent male amateur golfer from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s. He might have called any number of Philadelphia clubs home, but he chose Aronimink. It served him well. Gary Player won a PGA Championship here in 1962, and was followed by the 1993 winner … nobody. Aronimink gave that event away to Inverness, for reasons of which it is certainly not proud. So be it. We had to wait sixty-four years for the PGA to return to Newtown Square, but here we are. Aronimink has been neo-restored by Gil Hanse and team, to return Ross features with an eye toward defense against the dark arts, errrr, high-tech equipment.

Day one saw Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau dig big holes, to the tune of plus-four and plus-six, respectively. Since the first-round lead will be minus-three at worst, many shots will need to be made up for the power couple to reach contention. By nightfall, seven golfers held the day-one lead at three-under par 67. Shots and sticks caught our attention, and we are proud to present Five Things We Learned on Tech Thursday at the 2026 PGA Championship. Thanks to InsideTourGolfer, Today’s Golfer, and GolfWRX for initial equipment research.

First, meet Min Woo Lee

Min Woo Lee, aka Dr. Chipinski, has once again thrust himself into the conversation of Can he, will he, when will he? Lee has so much talent, wins not nearly as often as we believe that he should, and has no major near-misses (much less titles) on his wiki. The young Aussie is getting older and wiser, but is he able to avoid the scarring that holds the older and wiser back from breaking through? Philadelphia offers another opportunity. Min Woo signed for five birdies and two bogeys on day one, and grabbed a share of the opening-day lead at Aronimink. Winners transcend history and the moment, and Lee will need that sort of ascent to lift the Wannamaker on Sunday.

Second, meet Aldrich Potgeiter

The young South African golfer can rip driver with the best of them. Aronimink tips out at nearly 7400 yards, but beyond the fairway bunkers that ensnare only the mortals, Potgeiter can take his chances with wedge from the rough. On Thursday, he spent plenty of time in the spinach. Like Popeye, he used his muscles to gouge and thrash and dig his way out. Six birdies against three bogeys on the card brought AP in a three deep.

Third, meet Martin Kaymer

Not a major event takes place without a where’s he been throwback moment. We know that Martin Kaymer left the PGA and DP World tours for LIV golf, but the two-time (US Open and PGA) major winner has a lifetime exemption into at least one major event, and he seizes the opportunity each May. Kaymer joined the six-seven brigade with four birdies and a solitary bogey on day one. Kaymer was never a long hitter, and the years are kind to no golfer. The German champion will need to uncork every bottle of guile and strategy in his cabinet to remain in contention. For today, though, he occupies a rung on the ladder of Tour Tech.

Fourth, meet Scottie Scheffler

Let’s see, he’s the defending champion at the PGA, and he found his way back to the top tier with five birdies against two bogeys. To be a favorite and then play up to that stature and expectation is quite difficult. Just ask Rory, Bryson, and some of the other pre-tournament heartthrobs. Scheffler’s game is complete, and to knock him off the OWGR #1 pedestal, one needs to defeat him at the majors. Aronimink is the sort of course that fits Scheffler’s game. Better yet, it unfits the game of many of his challengers. Don’t expect Scheffler to go away anytime soon. Come Sunday, he’ll be around.

Fifth, meet Stephan Jaeger

Clocking in for the unheralded players shift are Ryo Hisatsune and Stephan Jaeger. Hisatsune logged seven birdies on day one, but gave most of them back with four bogeys. Still, he’s tied at the top for a time. Jaeger pitched five birdies against two bogeys, including a run of three consecutive, from holes four through six. Odds are that one of the two will hang around through 36 holes. Odds also suggest that both will be gone by Saturday evening. Still, the PGA Championship has historically been the major most likely to be won by an under-known. Both Hisatsune and Jaeger feature on that list, so good luck, lads!

Club Junkie

Club Junkie’s Titleist GTS driver fitting results!

Published

2 weeks ago

May 14, 2026

Brian Knudson

On this episode of the Club Junkie Podcast, I head to the Titleist Performance Institute for a full driver fitting with the new Titleist GTS lineup. We dive into the fitting process, talk about what made the biggest difference in performance, and break down how the different GTS heads and shaft combinations compare on the launch monitor. If you are thinking about a new driver setup for this season, there is a lot to take away from this one.

I also get into Brooks Koepka and the gear setup he brought to the PGA Championship, including the putters that caught my eye during the week. There are some interesting equipment trends showing up at the highest level right now and we break down what stands out.

To wrap things up, I talk about reshafting a few wedges, what I learned during the process, and swapping an adaptor onto a new shaft for another build project in the shop. A gear packed episode from start to finish for anyone who loves golf equipment and club building.

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Club Junkie

Club Junkie WITB, week 16: New Titleist GTS woods!

Published

2 weeks ago

May 14, 2026

Brian Knudson

Excited for this week’s WITB as we get to add the new Titleist GTS woods to the bag! I was fit at Titleist’s TPI facility in Oceanside California a few weeks ago and my new clubs just showed up. I am also adding a cool set of irons that I built last year some wild custom wedges into a new golf bag. Speaking of the bag I have a new Ghost Anyday Black Ops stand bag that I will be using on my Motocaddy Remote M7 electric cart.

Driver: Titleist GTS3 (11 degrees @ 10.25)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 6s

3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour (14.5 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD CQ-7s

5-wood: Titleist GTS (18 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s

9-wood: Titleist GT1 (24 degress)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s

Irons: Bettinardi CB24 (5-PW)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (50-09 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (56-12 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (60-08 LB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Putter: Dan Carraher ZT Proto

Ball: Callaway Chrome Tour

Bag: Ghost Anyday Black Ops Stand Bag