Ping’s Glide 2.0 wedges are the sequel to the company’s original Glide wedges, which were released in 2015 to critical acclaim. With big shoes to fill, the Glide 2.0’s are pushing the boundaries of groove sharpness, and offer several other upgrades over the originals to help improve performance and feel.

The Glide 2.0 wedges are currently available for pre-order: $150 per wedge with a steel shaft, $175 per wedge with a graphite shaft. Here are 6 more things you need to know about them.

1) Sharper Grooves, and More of Them

Ever since the USGA rolled back its rules on grooves at the turn of the decade, eliminating “square grooves,” golf equipment companies have been looking to create higher-spinning wedges through other means. With its Glide 2.0 wedges, Ping has upped the sharpness and number of its grooves to give golfers more spin. The company says the new grooves have “sharper groove edges than any previous Ping wedge.”

Working within the USGA’s groove rules, Ping uses a wheel-cut milling process to create the sharper groove edges, which interact more with the cover of the ball to produce more friction at impact… and thus more spin.

Ping also uses different groove designs based on a wedge’s loft.

• The lower-lofted wedges (46, 50 and 52 degrees) have 20-degree groove sidewalls with a 0.005-inch edge radius to improve full-shot performance.
• The higher-lofted wedges (54, 56, 58 and 60 degrees) have 28-degree sidewalls with a 0.004-inch edge radius to impart more spin on shots around the green.

The company also spaced its grooves closer together so it could add an additional groove to its lower-lofted wedges, and two additional grooves to its higher-lofted wedges. For average golfers and Tour players alike, the results will be more spin and consistency. Golfers should also see a slightly lower launch angle and a more penetrating flight, according to Ping.

“These grooves are better than square grooves,” says Marty Jertson, Senior Club Designer at Ping. “And they’re very close to the [legal] limit.”

2) Hydropearl Finish, 431 Stainless Steel

Ping used to design its wedges with what it called a “blast” finish, but the company discovered that a new “hydropearl” finish works better to fend off water and grass at impact, leading to more consistency.

The new finish has a high degree of “hydrophobicity,” or its ability to repel water. The finish is especially beneficial for golfers when they’re playing from thick grass, wet grass or in the morning dew.

Like the original Glide wedges, Glide 2.0 wedge heads are cast from 431 stainless steel.

3) Bounce Remains an Issue, Ping Clears It Up

The two hottest issues in golf when it comes to wedges are grinds and bounce. Despite all the industry talk about those two words in recent years, Ping data suggests most golfers are still confused about them.

In an effort to clear it up, Ping has decided to advertise the bounce number on its wedges. The company encourages golfers to “use the bounce,” and make sure to get fit into a wedge that has the right bounce for their game and typical playing conditions.

4) All Four Grinds Available

When Ping launched its original Glide wedges, it at first only released its three most popular grinds: Wide Sole (WS), Standard Sole (SS) and Thin Sole (TS). A few months later, it added its specialized Eye Sole (ES) grind. With the launch of the Glide 2.0 wedges, all four grinds are being offered from the start.

The ES (available in 54-08, 56-08, 58-08 and 60-08) is a bunker-specific grind inspired by the company’s Eye 2 wedge that can help golfers find more consistency. Its leading edge is made a bit sharper than Ping’s other wedges, but its sole has more bounce. That encourages the sole to dip below the below the surface of the sand and then glide through, which is particularly helpful on open-face shots from the sand or rough. Its thinner hosel also more easily moves through the sand, especially when the face is positioned opened.

Ping also made updates to the other three grind options in the line.

WS (56-14, 58-14, 60-14): The already wide sole has been widened, but the bounce has been toned back by 1 degree compared to the original “WS” design. The new sole will be especially effective in powdery or fluffy sand, according to Ping.

TS (58-06, 60-06): After much testing with Tour players, a lot of research and many prototypes, Ping’s WRX-inspired half-moon sole design was implemented into the TS grind in the Glide 2.0 wedges. It has much more heel and toe relief than the original TS grind.

SS (46-12, 50-12, 52-12, 54-12, 56-12, 58-10, 60-10): The standard sole, which is the best grind for the majority of golfers, underwent only minor changes to the heel relief and leading edge. Ping says the changes make them glide even a little more easily through the turf and sand than the original models.

5) Ping Encourages You to Grip Down

As seen on the original Glide wedge, the Glide 2.0 come with a grip that’s longer than your typical club grip — it measures about 0.75 inches longer than a typical grip. That’s because the company encourages golfers to grip down on the club more often to improve distance and club face control, and the lengthened grip allows golfers to do so.

6) Shafts, Specs and More

Glide 2.0 wedges come stock with a custom-engineered AWT 2.0 Wedge shaft that is optimized in weight (118 grams), flex and balance for wedge shots, according to Ping. Also available at no upcharge are the KBS Tour, True Temper Dynamic Dynamic Gold, Nippon N. S. Pro Modus 3 105, XP 95, and Project X shafts.

See more photos of the Glide 2.0 wedges in our forums, and join the discussion.