Are you someone that blades their wedge across the back of the green every time you try to hit a short pitch? Do you hit behind the ball, sending a divot flying further than the ball itself?
You are not alone.
Wedges can be challenging to hit. It takes timing, precision, feel, and discipline to become a great wedge player. Prior to becoming a great wedge player, there are some forgiving wedge designs on the market that will help get you there.
We went ahead and put together a list of the most forgiving wedges for a golfer who needs something to improve his game.
At A Glance: Our Top 5 Picks for Most Forgiving Wedges On The Market In 2022
- Best Overall: TaylorMade Milled Grind Wedge
- Runner Up 1: Cleveland CBX 2 Wedge
- Runner Up 2: Cleveland RTX 4 Wedge
- Best Price: Wilson Harmonized Wedge
- Best For Women: Wilson Harmonized Women’s Wedge
IMAGE | PRODUCT | |
---|---|---|
Best Overall | TaylorMade Milled Grind Wedge
| VIEW LATEST PRICE → |
Runner Up 1 | Cleveland CBX 2 Wedge
| VIEW LATEST PRICE → |
Runner Up 2 | Cleveland RTX 4 Wedge
| VIEW LATEST PRICE → |
Best Price | Wilson Harmonized Wedge
| VIEW LATEST PRICE → |
Best For Women | Wilson Harmonized Women’s Wedge
| VIEW LATEST PRICE → |
Most Forgiving Wedge: TaylorMade Milled Grind
PROS
- Great distance control
- Forgiving wedge for all handicap levels
- Great spin
- Large club face
CONS
- Expensive
At the top of our list is the TaylorMade Milled Grind wedge. TaylorMade has started on a series now with the milled grind wedges, and we don’t blame them.
This is an excellent wedge for a variety of players and one of the most forgiving wedges on the market. In addition to being an easy to hit wedge, it also has some great feel.
The TaylorMade Milled grind is CNC machined with a very clean leading edge. This clean edge is not only going to help with turf interaction, but it also helps with a players mental game.
Seeing that clean, crisp line and imagining what you need to do to return that clubface to the impact position is an essential part of the short game.
The launch angle on the TaylorMade wedge is designed to be a bit more controlled, but the spin levels are very high. The ZTP-17 groove design helps players to manipulate the ball around the green a bit more than prior technologies.
The 8620 carbon steel composition helps these wedges have a very soft feel. The TaylorMade sits at the top of our list because of the combination of spin, soft feel, and control over shots.
Runner Up 1: Cleveland CBX 2
PROS
- Cavity back design
- Great for full shots or just around the green
- No grind or sole decisions to make, just choose loft
- Clean look to them
CONS
- Not appealing to a lower handicap player
If the TaylorMade wedges are not the best fit for you, we have a Cleveland option that could work. The Cleveland CBX 2 series of wedges are an easy to hit cavity back wedge available in a variety of sole grinds.
The CBX 2 is a relatively new design, and its hollow cavity design makes it a very forgiving wedge. If you want to hit this wedge from the middle of the fairway or a bunker ten yards off the green, you will have that ability to do so.
The CBX 2 only comes in one finish, and it is a tour chrome type finish.
The CBX wedges feature the Cleveland Tour Zip groove design that helps to make them a leader when it comes to spin and distance control.
The feel on the CBX wedges also makes them stand apart from the competition. With the enhanced balancing technology and an insert, there is minimal, if any, vibration at impact with this wedge.
Another great feature is that you won’t have to choose the sole grind that you want for these wedges.
The CBX comes with the correct sole grind for the loft to make them optimized as far as performance, and spin levels are concerned.
We love this concept for those struggling with forgiveness. Not having to think about sole and grind and just trusting Cleveland seems like a great plan.
Runner Up 2: Cleveland RTX 4
PROS
- More for the mid to low handicapper
- Plenty of forgiveness and spin
- Feel balancing technology
- Several bounce options to choose from
CONS
- More expensive since they are a new release
We will follow the Cleveland up with another Cleveland; after all, this post is about wedges!
The RTX 3 is a bit more of a traditional muscle back design, but Cleveland still managed to pack in some forgiveness when they built this wedge.
The Cleveland RTX 4 does come in a few different finishes, unlike the CBX. Our favorite is the black satin, which is very similar to the jet black you will see on a Vokey design wedge.
This finish will help reduce glare at impact, so you won’t be able to blame, and mis hit shots on the glare!
These Cleveland wedges come with four different bounce options to help you tailor these clubs to your exact needs. For a wedge with tremendous feel (using the progressive feel balancing technology), this club also has plenty of forgiveness. Making it one of the best golf wedges for mid handicappers.
Cleveland makes some of the best wedges on the market, and they keep the value fair as well. That may be our favorite thing about the Cleveland wedge.
Wilson Harmonized Wedge
Most Forgiving Wedge for the Best Price
PROS
- Very cheap
- Easy to hit
- Versatile
CONS
- Built more for mid to high handicapper, won’t work for low handicap
- Not great spin around the greens
Replacing one wedge is not such a big deal. Replacing all of them can add up fast. Even when companies drop their pricing, it can still be a significant investment to change out a gap wedge, sand wedge and lob wedge.
Luckily some options are more cost-effective.
The Wilson harmonized is a high polish wedge similar to a tour chrome finish. These are a classic blade shape, but they have a very large club head, and they are versatile grind wedges.
In other words, you will not have to choose between the bounce or grind that you want as Wilson has done that for you.
The way Wilson has this wedge setup is for optimal spin for the mid to high handicap golfers.
You can open the club face on this wedge way up and hit a very high lofted shot, or you can turn it slightly down for more of a bump and run type shot.
For a lower-priced option, the feel is not bad at all on this club. The harmonized comes in five different lofts, one of them being a 64 degree.
We don’t highly recommend the 64-degree wedge unless you feel as though a flop shot is one of the strongest options in your bag.
A 64 can be great for hitting very high lofted bunker shots or quick up and downs, but realistically how often does that shot come up in a round. You only get a certain number of spots in your golf bag; this may not be the best choice for filling one of those spots.
Read our Wilson Harmonized Wedge review.
Wilson Harmonized Women’s Wedge
Most Forgiving Wedge for Women
PROS
- Easy to hit
- Very low price
- Large club face
CONS
- Spin and feel is not as good as other models
The Wilson Women’s Harmonized wedge is a perfect option for more forgiveness for women. The other great thing about this club is that it is very affordable.
You can get an entire set of these wedges for almost the same price as a single wedge from another company.
The Wilson Harmonized is available in a 52, 56 and 60 degree. The thing that makes these so easy to hit is the large club face that is very easy to manipulate.
If you want to get out of some thick rough you can open this club up and get the loft you need. These are versatile golf clubs that should work for all handicap levels.
Most Forgiving Wedges Buying Guide
If you need some more information to help you decide which golf wedge is for you, we have you covered!
What Makes A Golf Wedge Forgiving?
When it comes to Driver and Irons, you can almost look at the club and know whether or not it’s going to be forgiving. With wedges, it can be a little more challenging to tell.
There are two basic types of wedges that you can choose from, and one is more forgiving than the other.
Blade Wedges
This is the traditional wedge style. The back of this wedge does not have any perimeter weighting, and you will see what looks like a smooth and sleek finish to the backside of this wedge.
The feel on a blade wedge is going to be much better than that of a cavity back.
However, if your game is not to the level it needs to be to hit a blade wedge accurately, you will never experience this great feel.
Cavity Back Wedges
Made more popular in the recent years, these wedges will tend to match the construction of a cavity back set of irons.
The cavity back wedges generally have a center of gravity that is low and centered, helping players who tend to have trouble getting the ball in the air.
These wedges better when it comes to balancing technology but will likely not compare as well to the blade when it comes to feel.
The cavity back wedge is considerably more forgiving than a blade design.
The blade wedge will also tend to spin more and have a more narrow sole. In addition, you will be able to choose more versatile bounce and sole grinds on the blade-style wedges.
What Kind Of Wedges Should A High Handicapper Be Using?
A high handicap golfer will struggle with short game for quite some time. A forgiving wedge is one with a larger face; generally, a bit of an offset design, and most of the time, it will also be a cavity back.
The low handicap style players blade wedge will not help on those shots where you miss slightly low on the club face or slightly behind the ball.
When it comes to loft for a high handicapper, the 56-degree wedge will be the most important because it is versatile and more forgiving than a 60.
Choose wedges for high handicappers with mid bounce and learn how to manipulate these best wedges for high handicappers to produce the shots that you need both around the greens, from the sand, and from fifty-plus yards away.
Do I Really Need A Lob Wedge?
Golfers looking for forgiving wedges often get scared of lob wedges. It only takes one bladed shot through a green to make anybody scared of it. The thing is, this wedge can be one of the most forgiving golf wedges in your bag as soon as you learn to use it properly.
These wedges will give you quick loft and increased spin.
For shots where you short-side yourself or bunker shots with a high lip in front of you, the lob wedge can be a great option. Learning how to use a lob wedge takes some time and practice work but it will be worth it.
So, to answer your question, yes, put a lob wedge in your golf bag.
What Company Makes the Best Wedges?
This is a tough question to answer because each manufacturer has its positives and negatives. The leaders in the wedge game tend to be Titleist and Cleveland.
This is simply because many of the products they release each year are focused on wedges more so than distance. They have also developed some of the better sole and spin technology on the market.
Conclusion
Choosing the best wedge packed with forgiveness could be a game-changer for you. The short game is the most crucial part of the golf game when it comes to scoring.
Replacing an outdated, underperforming wedge with a high spin option that has excellent turf interaction will, without a doubt, help to lower your scores.
Don’t forget the critical component to any great short game players secret is practice!
We feel as though the TaylorMade Milled Grind wedges are going to be your best bet when it comes to more forgiveness. You will get feel, distance, control over loft, and spin all in one great looking wedge.
If, for some reason, the TaylorMade is not your favorite or falls higher in the price range than you would like to spend, there is no question you can find Cleveland CBX 2 and Cleveland RTX 4 to fit your needs.