If you’re a beginner (high handicapper) and you’re less than 130 yards away from the green, you have to make your shot with a wedge.
Whether you want to make the ball land on the green or get it out of a hazard, using a wedge can help you get closer to shooting that ball into the hole.
With so many wedges right now, three have been handpicked and reviewed until only one gets declared as the best for beginners and high handicappers. If you’re not a newbie golfer anymore, check out the best wedges for mid handicappers article instead.
If you want to take another step towards lowering your scores then you might want to invest in a rangefinder. It doesn’t have to break the bank – read our budget rangefinders article to see what are the best affordable rangefinders on the market.
What Are the Three Types of Wedges That Beginners and High Handicappers Should Have?
A beginner or high handicapper like you should have at least a pitching wedge as part of your complete set of irons. You can add sand and gap wedges later on once you gain experience in playing golf.
- A pitching wedge lets you hit the golf ball 100 yards away from the green and make it roll smoothly once it lands there. You should use it if you want to get the ball out of the ground, pavement, or humid turf.
- While entirely optional for beginners and high handicappers, a sand wedge is nice to have, especially if you have to get the ball out of a sand bunker as the iron’s name indicates. You can also take a shot using a sand wedge if the ball is on wet grass as long as you’re 70 to 80 yards away from the green.
- Another optional iron that you can buy once you’ve mastered your golfing skills, a gap wedge is named that way as it fills the loft gap between a pitching and a sand wedge. You would want to use a gap wedge when you’re between 70 and 100 yards away from the green.
What Should Beginners and High Handicappers Look Out for When Buying Golf Wedges?
Wedges are essential for your gameplay as they help you achieve the lowest possible score that you can in a round of golf. As wedges don’t come loaded with too many features compared to drivers, irons or putters, you only need to look out for these two things whenever buying a wedge:
Loft
The angle formed between the shaft and the face of a golf club is known as loft.
- A pitching wedge typically has a loft of 44 to 49 degrees, while that of a gap wedge is usually between 50 to 53 degrees, and a sand wedge has a loft range of 54 to 58 degrees.
- The higher the loft of the wedge, the higher the ball would go up in the air but the less distance it would cover.
- Every wedge that you’ll have as part of your set of irons should have loft gaps of four degrees each. For example, if the pitching wedge included in your set of irons has a loft of 46 degrees, the gap and sand wedges that you want to buy should have a loft of 50 and 54 degrees, respectively.
Bounce
The angle between a surface and the sole of a wedge’s head is referred to as bounce.
- If you’ll be hitting the ball on either short grass or hard sand, you should use a wedge with a bounce of 4 to 6 degrees.
- On the other hand, if you’ll be striking the ball on either long grass or soft sand, you would want to use a wedge with a bounce greater than 10 degrees.
- You can also use a wedge with a bounce of 7 to 10 degrees to make the most out of both scenarios mentioned above.
Best Golf Wedges for Beginners and High Handicappers 2018 & 2019
Out of several wedges for beginners and high handicappers available in the market today, three have been chosen and reviewed below to help you decide which one you should buy and use to improve your game.
Callaway Mack Daddy 3 S-Grind
Out of the three variants in the Mack Daddy 3 line of wedges released back in June 2015 by the Callaway Golf Company, you can pull out an S-Grind wedge whether you’re hitting the ball on the fairway, a sand bunker, or high and thick grass. Click here to see more photos.
Pros
- You can use a Callaway Mack Daddy 3 S-Grind as a pitching, gap or sand wedge as it has seven different lofts ranging from 48 to 60 degrees.
- There are two sets of groove patterns available for the face of the Callaway Mack Daddy 3 S-Grind wedge’s head, namely 30V and 20V. If you’re using the S-Grind as either a putting or gap wedge, its head has 30V grooves. On the other hand, 20V grooves are embedded on the face of the S-Grind sand wedge’s head.
Cons
- The Callaway Mack Daddy 3 S-Grind comes with a hefty price tag, so if you’re on a tight budget, you might have to double down on saving up until you could afford to buy one for yourself.
- The black finish of the Callaway Mack Daddy 3 S-Grind can be worn out quickly through constant use.
Wilson Harmonized Wedge
Sometimes, a simple yet timeless-looking wedge is all you need.
The head of the Wilson Harmonized wedge has achieved that with its high-polish finish and classic blade shape that can make you feel like you’re doing a professional golfing circuit even if you have yet to reach that level. See more photos here.
Pros
- You can use a Wilson Harmonized wedge with a loft of 56 degrees and a 12-degree bounce as a sand wedge if the ball is on top of a bunker with soft sand.
- The grooves and blade shape of the Wilson Harmonized wedge’s head allow you to boost the spin of the ball once you hit it.
Cons
- The lowest loft available for the Wilson Harmonized wedge is 50 degrees so you can’t use it as a pitching wedge at all.
- The Wilson Harmonized can feel a bit too light and make you wonder about the quality of the materials used to make it.
Cleveland Golf 588 RTX 2.0
Compared to the 588 Rotex line of wedges, the Cleveland Golf 588 RTX 2.0 was released in September 2014 and improved upon the original by adding three sole grind options and two head designs.
But as you’re still a beginner or high handicapper, you would want to buy Cleveland Golf 588 RTX 2.0’s cavity-back, standard bounce wedge for now until you could move to the other options in the line. Click here to see more photos.
Pros
- Like the Callaway Mack Daddy 3 S-Grind, you can use the Cleveland Golf 588 RTX 2.0 as a pitching, gap or sand wedge with ten lofts ranging from 46 to 64 degrees to choose from.
- While the Cleveland Golf 588 RTX 2.0 wedge also comes in low bounce and full sole grind options, the standard one has a bounce of 8 to 12 degrees which means that you can use it in almost any kind of terrain depending on your chosen loft.
Cons
- The laser-milled microgrooves embedded on the face of the Cleveland Golf 588 RTX 2.0 wedge’s head can wear out quickly.
- As it’s recommended for beginners and high handicappers like you to use cavity-back irons instead of the more demanding muscle-back ones, you’re stuck with the Black Satin finish of the Cleveland Golf 588 RTX 2.0 wedge’s head which can rust over time.
Related: Best Irons for Mid Handicappers and Best Hybrid Golf Clubs
Conclusion
Shopping for a golf wedge may seem easy at first as it doesn’t have as many features as those normally found in a driver, iron or putter.
But with so many wedges to choose from, buying one can take you forever.
Good thing three wedges for beginners and high handicappers have been examined above until the winner is crowned as the best one.
With its various sole grind, head design, and loft options, the Cleveland Golf 588 RTX 2.0 emerged victorious followed by the Callaway Mack Daddy S-Grind. You would want to buy a Cleveland Golf 588 RTX 2.0 cavity-back, standard bounce wedge though as it’s the most beginner- and high handicapper-friendly option for you.
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