best sand wedge review

Best Sand Wedge 2019 & 2020: Reviews (For Bunkers, Sand & Rough)

In this article, we will be looking at what people look for when purchasing a sand wedge and what reviews so far in 2024 have said about the quality of the best sand wedges on the market. We’ll be looking at the easy to hit sand wedges, best wedge for sand and rough and even best sand wedge for bunkers. Ready? Let’s do it.

In a hurry? The best sand wedges are led by the Callaway PM Grind Wedge, followed closely by the Wilson Harmonized and then the TaylorMade Milled Hi Toe. These clubs have so far proved to be a hit amongst golfers in 2024.

Top Rated Sand Wedges: Quick Comparison

Best Rated Callaway PM Grind Wedge
  • Rounded club face
  • Precise milling
  • Increased centre of gravity from high toe
  • Platinum chrome finish
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Best Accuracy Wilson Harmonized
  • High Polish Finish
  • Classic blade shape
  • True temper steel irons
  • Blade has modified bounced angles
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Best Short Play TaylorMade Milled Hi Toe
  • High toe design gives large sweet spot
  • Grooved face gives high spin
  • Crisp copper finish
  • Lower flight trajectory
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Best Wedge for Sand Cleveland CBX Wedge
  • Enhanced groove system
  • Wide sole leads to dependable swing
  • Strong in deep rough
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Best Sand Wedge for Bunkers Cobra King Wedge
  • Well protected
  • First rate milling leads to great spin
  • A well balanced club
  • Versatile from sand to fairways and deep rough
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Best Sand Wedge 2024: Reviews

1. Callaway Golf 2019 PM Grind Wedge

Best Overall

In 2024 the best overall sand wedge and most popular club is the 2019 Callaway PM Grind Wedge.

Two of the best sand players in the world, Phil Mickleson and Tommy Fleetwood, both use the Callaway product.

The club is ideal for playing out of steep bunkers as it naturally produces a lofted shot.

The clubface has progressive groove optimization which gives the ball excessive spin.

This means that the golfer can easily control the ball on fast rolling greens. The club also has a “W-grind” which produces a wider sole.

This means that players are able to come into the ball at a steeper angle allowing a steeper trajectory out of the sand trap.

As well as being one of the best rated wedges to get out of sand traps it also provides terrific value as it is not the most expensive model on the market.

Callaway has in fact produced the Mac Daddy 3 with different grind options for the more experienced players and this is another top sand wedge.

Pros 

  • Good spin
  • High ball flight
  • Best wedge for sand

Cons

  • Not so good out of sand
  • Not as versatile as other sand wedges

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2. Wilson Harmonized

Best in getting the ball closest to the pin

The Wilson Harmonized is used by the Irish PGA player Padraig Harrington.

The club has been highly rated as a classic and highly polished club.

It’s blade shape with modified bounce angles means that it produces a “dead top spin”.

This means that players can aim directly at the flag.

It may not produce as much spin as other models but when exiting steep sided sandy bunker players are looking for a shot that stops immediately.

Sometimes excessive spin on the ball can be costly to a golfer and Wilson has produced a club that is a major asset when coming out of sand.

The attributes of the club are also a benefit to players when coming out of deep rough.

The Sole Grind of the clubface allows the golfer to hit high shots when coming out of poor lies and this is a top-rated sand wedge. Wilson continues to enhance its reputation as a company who makes good sand wedges.

Pros

  • Great value for money
  • The ball lands with “dead spin”
  • A good club to use in heavy rough

Cons

  • Little spin for the players to manipulate
  • Not as attractive in appearance as other sand wedges

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3. TaylorMade Milled Hi-Toe

Best in accuracy from less than 10 yards

TaylorMader is a company that boasts PGA player Francesco Molinari as one of its users.

The Milled Hi-Toe is a wedge that is becoming increasingly popular.

One of the reasons for this is its appearance as its copper color makes it stand out from the other wedges.

Of all of the wedges on the market no other has a larger “sweet spot” than the Milled Hi-Toe.

The High-Toe design has created this and this makes it particularly popular for golfers who may not have the greatest natural ability but are able to afford to pay the highest price for more reliable contact.

The milled nature of the clubface means that few other wedges get the amount of spin that this club does.

This offers the players all forms of options when coming out of the sand, and also when approaching the green from chipping range, and is an easy to hit sand wedge.

Pros

  • Large Sweet Spot
  • Strong from short distances due to the amount of spin generated   
  • Great versatility   

Cons

  •  An expensive sand wedge     
  • Not as strong as others in sand 

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4. Cleveland CBX Wedge

Best all-around sand wedge

There is not a golf club manufacturer that has a greater reputation for producing reliable sand wedges than Cleveland.

Current PGA players Shane Lowry, Keegan Bradley and Graeme McDowell currently use the clubs and their reputation continues to go from strength to strength.

The CBX wedge has an enhanced groove system which means that a high amount of spin can be placed on the ball.

While this is not always required when coming out of sand this is certainly utilized when players are approaching the green from between 60 and 80 yards.

The wide sole and the cavity backed sole gives a smooth and dependable swing and it is actually the best wedge for sand and rough.

It is not the flashiest product on the market but both its dependability and its flexibility means that it is currently one of the most popular brands in golf.

Out of all the featured clubs it is renounced as an easy to hit sand wedge.

Pros

  • Strong when used on fairway
  • Good in both rough and sand
  • Provides a solid dependable swing

Cons

  • Sand specialists favor other wedges due to softer landings
  •  Not as much control as other wedges           

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5. 2020 Cobra King Wedge

Best Sand Wedge for Bunkers

One of the best bunker players in world golf at the moment is Rickie Fowler and he is able to perform to his high standards by using a Cobra King Wedge.

Just as Rickie stands out with his natty dress sense, so does the Cobra King Wedge with its sharp black satin finish making it stand out from many of its rivals.

There is not a sand wedge on the market that is able to put more spin on the ball than this sand wedge.

It does this by not having the deepest grooves of all of the wedges.

The secret in achieving the high rpm’s is that the complete face of the wedge has been milled which gives it a rough all over feel.

This then produces the high amounts of spin that can be achieved with correct contact.

Another bonus of purchasing this sand wedge is that the satin finish means that the club is able to maintain its appearance over time.

This also means its effectiveness is also protected and players are able to use this club in a wide variety of situations around the golf course.

There are many experts that feel that this is the best sand wedge available for getting out of bunkers.

Pros

  • Great amounts of spin can be produced by this wedge
  • Spin is not just generated by the grooves but the whole face
  •  It lasts for a long time                 

Cons

  •  This is not a cheap wedge
  • Sometimes overspin can be to the golfer’s disadvantage.         

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sand wedge for bunkers

The Role Of The Sand Wedge

Some golfers carry 4 different wedges in their bag and considering the maximum number of clubs allowed is 14, it shows the importance players place on the quality of their short game.

The sand wedge is used predominantly to get out of bunkers and this requires a club that can get the ball into the air quickly.

With that in mind, it is hardly surprising that the loft of around 60 degrees is the highest of all of the clubs available.

The sand wedge is also used in deep rough and on fairways when only a short distance is needed to reach the flag.

The club allows the ball to be hit with a great loft and in 2024 the Callaway PM Grind Wedge hits the ball higher than any other of its competitors.

golf wedge sand rough

Conclusion

Although we have compared 5 different sand wedges there are many others that are used both in the professional and domestic game.

Each one has its own strengths and weaknesses and many have been adjusted to suit the professionals that use them.

The three highest-rated sand wedges, the Callaway PM Grind Wedge, the Wilson Harmonized, and the TaylorMade Mill Hi-Toe.

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