Equipment

Best wedges of 2021: Traditional

Published

5 years ago

Apr 28, 2021

With so much time dedicated to finding the right driver or set of irons, wedges often become an afterthought for many golfers—to the detriment of their own game. Wedges play a crucial role in helping save shots around the green, and more importantly, their performance is highly correlated to how well they fit you and your playing style.

At GolfWRX, to determine the 2021 best wedges and the categories, we compiled an expert panel of fitters to help you find out which of the 2021 wedges are best for your game.

This year, OEMs have continued to push the engineering envelope of wedge development with most of the focus directed to furthering performance gains through advanced manufacturing methods, weight distribution, and fittings opportunities. These fitting options are important because shots hit with your wedges play a key role in scoring and also saving strokes.

That being said, ultimately the best way to find your personal best wedges is to work with a professional fitter using a launch monitor. The difficult part is a lot of people don’t have easy access to fitters, launch monitors, and club builders—so at GolfWRX, we have done a lot of the work for you.

Join the discussion in the forums.

The methodology is simple: We want to give you the tools and information to go out and find what works best for you by offering recommendations for your individual wedge needs with insight and feedback from the people who work every single day to help golfers get peak performance out of their equipment.

Best wedges of 2021: How we did it

Before starting the process of building our best wedge survey, we reached out to our trusted fitters to discuss how they sort through the cornucopia of wedge options available to golfers, and the consensus was clear. The best fitters in the world see all the available options, analyze their performance traits and fitting potential, and pull from their internal database of knowledge and experience like a supercomputer when they are working with a golfer.

It’s essentially a decision tree derived from experience and boiled down to a starting point of options.

Modern wedges fit into two categories; traditional and game improvement. Both categories offer a lot of options but the wedges in each vary in their approaches to helping the target player. These are the best wedge categories we have developed to help you the reader determine what rankings are most important for you.

Best wedge of 2021: The categories

Best traditional wedge

Traditional wedges generally share similar exterior aesthetics, even though each manufacturer uses different techniques to shift mass and improve spin, along with consistency. Traditional wedges also usually come in a variety of bounce and sole grind options to help golfers pick what will work best for them based on their technique, regular course conditions, and preferred look.

Just because wedge design doesn’t appear to have changed that much in the last 50 years doesn’t mean you won’t see a big benefit to finding the right ones for you.

Best game improvement wedge

Wedge forgiveness is less so tied to overall MOI (a measurement of forgiveness) and more specifically linked to helping golfers with the most difficult and frustrating shots they will face on the course. Whether it be chipping around a green or just escaping a sand trap in one shot, these game improvement wedges and their designs provide the best opportunity to help you save shots where you struggle.

Join the discussion in the forums.

Best wedges of 2021: Meet the fitters

Nick Sherburne: Founder, Club Champion
Clare Cornelius: Fitter, Cool Clubs
Eric Johnson: Fitter, True Spec Golf
Shaun Fagan: Fitter, True Spec Golf
Kirk Oguri: PGA Professional/ Club Specialist, Pete’s Golf
Sue O’Connor: Fitter, Cool Clubs
Scott Felix: Owner, Felix Club Works
Mark Knapp: Club Fitter, Carls Golfland
Ryan Johnson: Club Fitter, Carls Golfland
Eric Hensler: Manager & Fitter, Miles of Golf
Brad Coffield: Fitter Carls Golfland
Nick Waterworth: Fitter, Haggin Oaks Golf Super Shop
Adam White: Co-Founder & Director of Club Fitting, Measured Golf
Scott Anderson: VP of Sales, Fitter, True Spec Golf
Matthew Sim: Director of Operations, Modern Golf
Ian Fraser: CEO & Founder, Tour Experience Golf
Mike Martysiewicz: Director of Club Fitting & Building, Tour Experience Golf
Shawn Zawodni: Fitter, Miles of Golf
Ben Giunta: Owner, The Tour Van

Best wedges 2021: Traditional

best wedges 2021

Titleist Vokey Design SM8

Their story: For the new Vokey SM8 wedges, performance is about creating better short game tools for golfers of all skill levels, shot after shot. It’s about offering state-of-the-art technology alongside tour-proven consistency to give golfers more control than ever before. The biggest overhaul to Vokey wedge design since the introduction of Spin Milled grooves is the “out of head” center of gravity (CoG), with the 58 to 62-degree wedges having tungsten placed in the toe to push CoG more forward and out of the head into a space beyond the face of the club to offer more rotational control.

Constant refinement is the name of game, and the SM8’s featured Vokey’s six tour-proven sole grinds—F, S, M, K, L, and D—to allow golfers of all skill levels to be expertly fit for their swing types, shot-making preferences, and course conditions. The wedges

From the fitters

When it comes to wedges, Titleist and Vokey set the standard for bounce, grind, and finish options, which is why so many golfers and fitters gravitate towards them. The other thing that I have found is they have done a really good job explaining bounce and grinds to consumers, so even if you can’t go see a fitter you make sure you are picking your best option.
Vokey wedges can fit any golfer that wants a classic-looking wedge that offers performance. For those who love customization, you can go absolutely nuts with the wedge works program.
Pure performance you can trust.

For more photos/info, read our launch piece and check out this forum thread.

Callaway MD5 Jaws

Their story: With the MD5 Jaws wedges, Callaway changed the shape of the grooves to increase spin and total control. The end result is the MD5 Jaws spins over 10 percent more on shots hit around the green compared to the Callaway MD4 and launches lower by one degree.

Beyond the grooves, Callaway and the wedge team re-evaluated the whole shape and profile of the MD5 Jaws, along with the grind options. As the trend of more players swapping their stock pitching wedges for wedges that match the lower end of the bag (up to 45-46 degrees). Callaway designers decided to reshape the lower lofted wedges from 46-56 degrees to have a smaller profile and flow better from the lowest to highest loft in the wedge set. Don’t think this is just for looks either—smaller heads allow for more concentrated mass and with a smaller shape comes better workability.

From the fitters

Callaway stepped way up with the MD5 wedges, and the Jaws groove is only part of the story with these. To me, the biggest thing is how they shaped them to create a really nice transition from a pitching wedge or even 9-iron. These are the best wedges they have ever made.
They look great and spin a lot on partial shots hit inside 60 yards, which for most golfers is a trouble zone.
The MD5 wedges don’t get enough credit for the number of bounce and loft options they offer, but it’s right up there with Titleist and Cleveland. The other thing that is really cool is the Callaway customs program to get extra stamping and cavity dots.

For more photos/info, read our launch piece and check out this forum thread.

Cleveland RTX ZipCore

Their story: The Cleveland RTX ZipCore wedges feature a low-density “ZipCore” in the hosel of the wedge head to shift the center of gravity higher and towards the toe to boost what Cleveland is calling High-Low MOI. What this means is you get less spin rate variance (aka better spin robustness) on shots hit both higher and lower on the face. This also creates greater control over launch, which leads to better distance control.

The wedges also feature UltiZip Grooves which are 11 percent sharper and 7.3 percent deeper than previous generations, while also being 7.4 percent closer together for more groove contact area. The RTX Zipcore wedges are offered in a large variety of grind and bounce options to help golfers find the best fit for their game and playing conditions.

From the fitters

The ZipCore wedges feel great and they really nailed it with the shaping. I realize that when it comes to wedges in this category, there isn’t much that separates one from the next, but it’s the little transitions around the head and the sole that make these my personal favorite.
You get a bunch of grind and bounce options, which is exactly what golfers are looking for with a traditional wedge.
The Tour Rack custom program that is offered by Cleveland is as close to working with your own custom wedge grinder as it gets, and for the discerning player who wants to be dialed in for their playing conditions, it’s hard to beat.

For more photos/info, read our launch piece and check out this forum thread.

TaylorMade MG2

Their story: The TaylorMade MG2 wedges feature ZTP Raw Grooves designed to offer sharper, deeper, and narrower grooves with a sharper radius, which aims to allow players to create more friction between the clubface and the ball for maximum greenside spin. The other standout features of the MG2 wedges are the raw face designed for optimal spin, along with CNC milled sole grinds allowing them to be accurately and consistently replicated wedge after wedge.

Compared to previous generations TaylorMade increased the face thickness of the head from 5.1 mm to 6.5 mm in for a new “Thick-Thin” head design to create a solid, positive feel at impact and optimized center of gravity.

From the fitters

The MG2 wedges have a slightly higher toe that gives them a compact classic look, and you really get the best of both worlds with the raw face/low maintenance chrome and a glare-reducing raw face.
These wedges feel really good and spin a lot.
Although these wedges might not offer all the bounce and grind options as some of the others in the market, they do offer the TW sand and lob wedge grinds, which are beyond versatile.

For more photos/info, read our launch piece and check out this forum thread.

Mizuno T-20

Their story: Just like with the MP-20 iron, engineers brought a more extreme CG (center of gravity) shifting philosophy to the Mizuno T20 wedges to relocate the CG throughout the set and change the sweet spot height. This allowed the engineers to alter the launch and spin precisely for each loft.

Also, for the T20 wedges, Mizuno engineers took a concept from the high-performance tire world and introduced perpendicular laser-etched micro-grooves to channel moisture away faster than conventional parallel ones. This directional “tread” has proven to increase spin on shots especially in conditions with moisture up to 1,200 rpm (on a 60-yard shot). All of these refinements—CG, micro-grooves, and reconfigured scoring lines—add up to one thing: more control and improved shotmaking with your wedges.

From the fitters

For the traditional wedge consumer who wants a forged head, it’s basically Mizuno or Ping Glide (Forged) wedges, and Mizuno offers a lot more when it comes to options including finishes. Also, whereas other companies charge extra for a raw finish, Mizuno offers it at no additional cost.
What gets overlooked is Mizuno wedges offer a lot of technology when it comes to their grooves to help retain spin in wet conditions.
I really like that they build their wedge matrix around having an option for every single loft. It’s no secret that it involves simply bending wedges to spec and using a badge, but for golfers who don’t want to have to remember what their wedges are tweaked to, it’s quite smart.

For more photos/info, read our launch piece and check out this forum thread.

Join the discussion in the forums.

Equipment

Tour Edge unveils all-new Exotics mini driver

Published

2 days ago

May 12, 2026

Gianni Magliocco

Tour Edge Golf has today introduced the all-new Exotics mini driver, engineered to deliver a powerful combination of speed, control, and versatility in the long game.

The Exotics Mini combines a titanium face with a stainless-steel body in design to balance ball speed with stability and control, creating a versatile option at the top end of the bag.

At the core of the design is Tour Edge’s proprietary Combo Brazing technology, a high-precision thermal bonding process that seamlessly fuses a titanium cup face to a stainless-steel body into a single, continuous structure. By eliminating energy loss found in traditional multi-piece constructions, Combo Brazing is designed to deliver faster face response, more efficient energy transfer, and a uniquely powerful yet controlled feel.

The multi-material construction also allows mass to be positioned lower and deeper in the head in a bid to increase stability, while the thin titanium face is engineered to maintain ball speed across a wider impact area.

“While the initial goal was to enhance control and versatility in the long game, Combo Brazing ultimately drove measurable gains in ball speed and distance within the mini driver category. In robot testing, we’ve documented higher ball speeds, higher launch, reduced spin, and increased carry and total distance compared to leading models.” – Vice President of R&D Matt Neeley

In addition to distance performance, the Exotics mini emphasizes forgiveness through a heavier stainless-steel body that shifts mass toward the perimeter. This configuration increases MOI relative to traditional all-titanium mini drivers, helping preserve ball speed and directional stability on off-center strikes. Paired with Pyramid Face Technology from the Exotics metalwood line, the design is intended to support consistent speed across the face.

To further enhance MOI, a lightweight carbon fiber crown frees additional mass that is strategically repositioned low and deep in the head in design to improve stability and promote optimal launch with controlled spin.

“We designed the Mini to be about five millimeters shallower than other mini drivers on the market. That change improves playability off the deck. From a clean fairway lie, it can function as a strong 3-wood alternative while still providing control off the tee.” – Tour Edge CEO David Glod

An adjustable hosel system allows for loft and lie tuning to dial in trajectory and shot shape, while a fixed 13-gram rear weight helps stabilize the head through impact to improve dispersion consistency. The Exotics Mini Driver is available in 11.5 and 13.5-degree lofts in right-handed models.

Pricing & Availability

The Exotics Mini Driver is available for pre-order beginning today for $399.99 USD at touredge.com, and will be available for purchase at retail outlets worldwide on May 22, 2026.

Equipment

Srixon ZXi combo or TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo? – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

2 days ago

May 12, 2026

Gianni Magliocco

In our forums, our members have been pitting a Srixon ZXi combo against a TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo. WRXer ‘edutch22’ is on the hunt for a new set of irons and kicks off the thread saying:

“Looking at picking up a new set of irons and think I’ve narrowed it down to Srixon ZXi combo or Taylormade P7CB/770 combo. I am currently a 5 cap and allbeit I feel irons are my weakness. My miss is a little to the toe side. I am decently steep at 4-5 down. Always thought I am high spin but recently on trackman my 7 was spinning at 5800 roughly.

My question or looking for thoughts on which one would benefit me more from a forgiveness standpoint? Or is there another iron is should be looking at entirely? I only get to play about once or twice a week, if I am not playing a 2-3 day event. Thanks in advance.”

And our members have been sharing their thoughts and suggestions in response.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

manima1: “You just can’t go wrong with Srixon ZXi7.”
MattM97: “You have to hit them to know, the V-Sole on the Srixon can be make or break for many.”
dmeeksDC: “P7CB is more forgiving for me than ZXi7 because my main miss is low middle and the P7CB still flies and spins great on that miss. These are both really nice irons but I like the P7CB more than the Zxi7 and the P770 (or P790) more than the Zxi5. The Srixons are larger so if that gives you confidence that is the way to go. I don’t feel like I get any benefit from the V-sole and the P7CBs live up to their high Maltby forgiveness rating so the TaylorMades have been great for me.”

Entire Thread: “Srixon ZXi combo or TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo? – GolfWRXers discuss”

Equipment

From the GolfWRX Classifieds: 2024 Wilson Staff CB/Blade combo

Published

2 days ago

May 12, 2026

Gianni Magliocco

At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @pianoman0123 has a 2024 Wilson Staff CB/Blade combo up for grabs.

From the listing: “2024 Wilson Staff CB/Blade Combo. 4-8 irons are CB’s and the 9,PW are Blades. 5-PW have Project X 6.0 Shafts and the 4 Iron has a Steelfiber CW110 Stiff Shaft. Standard Length, Lie and Lofts. These are in very good condition the shafts just don’t work for me. Like new Lamkin Grips on the 5-PW and a stock Golf Pride on the 4 Iron. $525 OBO.”

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules