Best Golf Wedges for Mid Handicappers
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Golf wedges are an essential part of any golfer’s bag. It does not matter the level of skill or experience you have had, you will require some wedges at some point in your game. Today, we cover the best golf wedges for mid handicappers.
So if you're considering a new golf wedge because...
1. Wedges aren't forever. They just need to be replaced from time to time. Grooves wear down, shafts get bent....the list goes on.
2. It is high time that you upgraded your wedges. The ones you have are not as good as you had hoped, or aren't performing like they once did.
Or
3. Everyone else has a shiny new set. Why shouldn’t you? 🙂
And yes, the quality matters. It could be the difference between executing the perfect shot but still not getting the desired outcome, and playing a seemingly under par shot but getting results.
This is why it is just as important to get wedges that are designed for a player that is at the level at which you are playing.
Mid handicappers have needs that would no longer be met by clubs that they would have been using as beginners.
As your game improves you want to control more aspects of it. You will know that most beginner gear is not designed to deliver this side of things.
Beginners need that extra assistance, which manufacturers embed into the design of the clubs, such as the best golf wedge for their skill level.
As a mid handicapper, you are looking to move beyond that...
Here are our top picks for Best Golf Wedges For Mid Handicappers:
In A Hurry?
Perhaps you are thinking that one only wedges you want to read about are potato ones.
That is fair enough.
We would rather you stick to what you fancy.
This is why we spent a bit of time comparing our top picks. In this case, we wanted to cut this list to just one ultimate pick. I am glad to say that we did just that.
Our winning wedge was the Cleveland Golf Smart Sole 3 Wedge S.
It is designed for mid handicappers. There are a variety of lofts that you can choose from. Both right and left-handed player options are available.
You will find a more detailed review below.
Our Test Winner After 40 + Hours Of Research:
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RESEARCHED SOURCES
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REVIEWS CONSIDERED
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HOURS RESEARCHING
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PRODUCTS COMPARED
Best Golf Wedge for Mid Handicappers 2023
We set ourselves a goal to search high and low. Our quest was to find the very best wedges that would serve players at a mid-handicap level very well.
This search took us to the dark corners of the web.
We read through countless forums to gather as much user data as possible. Manufacturers’ data was our next step. We considered the wedges that we being marketed directly to mid handicappers.
With everything gathered, we tested some good and bad clubs.
The result of this work is what you are now reading.
We found 5 products that we're going to share with you, along with detailed reviews below:
Rank | Name | Our Rating | Buy NOW |
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1. Cleveland Golf Smart Sole 3 Wedge S - TOP PICK
Our Honest Star Rating
Cleveland delivered a wedge that has a sole with 3 tiers. This was a totally new concept for us.
It was designed for the less experienced players to not feel the full brunt of their mishits.
There are 3 pads that are activated to ensure that the club connects better with the turf. They also made a considerable effort to make a club that would be easier to play with and execute a wide range of shots with ease.
To ensure that you can have some control of your game, they made use of the feel balancing technology. This saw more of the weight that would have otherwise been situated at the hosel being moved to the toe end of the club.
The club’s centre of gravity is now more central than it would previously have been. As a result, there is a larger sweet spot. You will also find that shot dispersion is no longer as varied as it used to be.
The loft of the club also saw a revamp. It was purpose-built in this case. They focus on the execution of bunker shots as well as other rescue shots that you may find yourself in need of when you are on the course.
This meant the increase of the elevation that you can generate off the ball. You will not need to open the clubface as much to get this to happen. This, of course, will mean much better-shot control in the sense of direction.
The simplicity of your shot game will mean an overall improvement in it. Who does not like a better all-around golfing game?
You can get this in both left and right-hand orientations. The shafts can be chosen between graphite and a steel one.
The graphite is the lighter one of the two in terms of weight.
Pros
Cons
2. Pinemeadow Wedge
Our Honest Star Rating
Not many wedges come with the distance that they deliver explicitly written on them.
This is one of the first things that will catch your attention when it comes to the Pinemeadow wedges.
They were built with a great emphasis placed on maintaining the high standard that has always been associated with the brand. It was made with beginners and average golfers in mind.
The clubs come in at 125 grams of shaft weight. They have a low to mid kick point.
Pinemeadow increased the surface area of the wedge to make it much easier to hit the ball for the less experienced players. The available lofts include 52-degrees, 56-degrees, 60-degrees and 64-degree lofts. They have gone a step further than most brands do by adding the 68-degree wedge to this list.
This is the reimagining of their most sought after wedge designs of all time. The brand has been refreshed, as has the logo. What remains the same is the quality and design.
The large sweet spot that we always loved was retained. When considering the effect that the enlarged clubface has you will note that there is enhanced ease. This is something that benefits beginners.
The design of the lie allows the club to smoothly strike the ball and effortlessly generate the loft that you want. You will have both flight and ball control intact.
You can get this wedge for both right-handed and left-handed players. It is largely made up of stainless steel material and finished with a dark tumble. The full length of the club is about 36 inches.
Pros:
Cons:
3. Wilson Staff Harmonized Black Chrome Golf Wedge
Our Honest Star Rating
This is one of the club designs that come to mind when you picture a wedge.
It is a design that has been around for generations.
Wilson has not sought to reinvent the wheel.
They have focused on making it look better than it previously did. The grooves are more pronounced than there have ever been.
You will get more spin on your shots.
The sole of the club has also been rethought out to allow higher trajectory shots that will improve the height of your lofts. Steel was used to construct both the head and the shaft. This is a great indicator of durability.
The combined length of the head and shaft is 34 inches. There is a comfortable grip at the end of the head. It has a great feel and comfort that allow you to get every bit of feedback on your impact.
This means that you can work on improving your shots each time. By making the grooves on the clubface more aggressive, they essentially give the golfers the license to seek more spin on their shots.
There is a great balance between shot control and performance. Your chip shots will benefit immensely from this.
It is available il 52-degree, 56-degree and 60-degree variants. There is no left-handed version of this club.
Pros:
Cons:
4. Pinemeadow Golf PGX Wedge
Our Honest Star Rating
Our fourth pick is from Pinemeadow as well.
This one comes with a steel shaft that is covered in the same grip that we love from this brand.
There is a midsize sole that enhances your overall accuracy play from whatever lie.
The leading edge means that your club can slot seamlessly beneath the ball to give your perfect trajectory for elevation on your shots. Each of the wedges has a wide bottom sole.
They are more forgiving on your mishits.
There are three lofts that you can choose from. These are the 52-degree, 56-degree and 60-degree angles. Based on the information that Pinemeadow have provided, the 52-degree can be sued for playing on the fairway and getting around the green. It is designed to deliver more roll without too much elevation off your shots.
The 56-degree one is the equivalent of a sand wedge. This is the one that we would recommend for chip shot execution. It has the perfect angle for getting a good lift on your shots.
If you find yourself in a tough spot where you need elevation to rescue you, this is one that you can turn to.
The 60-degree wedge posed the greatest challenge for shot execution. It takes some getting used to before the average player can get it right. Once you get it, you will appreciate the enhanced spin that the club will be able to generate for you.
The backspin will ensure that the ball has a good stopping distance. They have made use of the U-groove technology on these.
Pros:
Cons:
5. Callaway Golf 2017 Sureout Wedge
Our Honest Star Rating
Our final peak is the Sure Out Wedge. It is sold as a club that will deliver explosive shots from greenside bunkers.
To keep this promise, Callaway has added a new sole that has high bounce.
This is a sole that delivers clean shots from the sand for those difficult rescue shots. It minimises the need to have a more open face as you take your shot.
The new design of the sole allows for the ball to get its elevation from the club’s trajectory without the need for face adjustment. It is designed to also ensure that your shots land softly. This will mean that there is a bit of roll once it has landed.
The sole being wide means permits the integration of an equally large clubface. A large makes it easier to execute your shots. Beyond the shot execution, you will also find that your distance control becomes that little bit easier as well.
Across the face of the club are 17 grooves. They are of the aggressive variety. This is always an indicator of a club that will give you a good amount of spin on your shots.
Spin generation, especially in the case of backspin is essential for shot-stopping.
The final piece to this amazing club is the shafts. Callaway made an effort to ensure that the shafts on these clubs are designed specifically for these wedges.
They are made out of lightweight steel and graphite. Both materials will ensure that you get good feedback into your palms. There is a good feel on your shots.
These wedges are available for both left and right-handed players. You can get them in the following lofts: 56, 58, 60 and 64 Degrees.
Pros:
Cons:
Mid Handicappers Wedge Buyer’s Guide
How many golf wedges should I carry?
The most common number of wedges carried is 3. There is a very delicate balance between taking a minimalist approach to the golf clubs that you carry with you, and just carrying way too much.
Beginners tend to fall largely into the latter category.
As your understanding of golf as a whole, as of your own abilities and needs as an individual, this changes. It is always worth knowing what the minimum gear you would need to get you through a golf course is.
When it comes to wedges the focus should be on shot execution. The first step in getting this is right to know the course that you are playing on. Consider this from a worst-case scenario point of view. Imagine having a day in which nothing goes your way. In that scenario.
What wedges would you need to use to rescue you from tough situations?
Tiger Woods carries only two wedges in his bag. Most other tour-level golfers have more than two.
That said, most golfers are not Tiger. If you want to play it safe, go with three. You can go with the 52-degrees, 54-degrees and the 60-degree irons as a set of three.
What are golf wedges used for?
To answer this question we will start by making it clear that golf wedges can be divided into 4 types. You have the pitching wedge, gap wedge, sand wedge and lob wedge.
Each one of these four wedges is designed with a specific purpose in mind. We will consider these individually.
The pitching wedge ranges between 44 and 50 degrees in loft angle. They provide the least amount of loft among the wedges. This makes them the most ideal wedge for getting distance with a bit of loft on it.
Where loft is more critical than distance, you would want to go with another pick.
The pitching wedge will get you up to 110 yards. The ball will move at a flatter but piercing trajectory.
When you find yourself in the sand, I am sure you can guess which one of these wedges you can call upon. The sand wedge is designed to pull you out of the undesirable sand pits.
It provides you with loft angles of between 54 and 58 degrees. The high loft angles mean that the ball takes off at a high trajectory right from the point of impact.
This is exactly what you would need to get out of the sand. Where distance is concerned, most sand wedges can give you up to 90 yards. It is worth noting that there is a high amount of spin and bounce on any shots struck with a sand wedge. These are key characteristics in achieving what they set out to achieve.
The gap wedge bridges the gap between a pitching wedge and a sand wedge. If you are aiming to get a distance of about 100 yards, the gap wedge is the right one for you.
The alternative would have been exerting more force than usual to get more distance off the sand wedge or reduced the head speed that you generate on the pitching wedge.
The gap wedges have lofted angles of between 46 and 56 degrees. This also places them between the pitching and sand wedges in terms of the loft.
The lob wedge is designed to lob the ball. It has more loft than any of the other wedges. They have lofts that are greater than 58 degrees. The shot takes off in an upward direction on impact. They are useful when you are trying to get over a hazard that is within close proximity.
The ball does not travel that far.
You can cover up to 65 yards. Lob wedges also ensure that the ball has a quick drop and stop distance. Once your ball has been lobbed, you usually want it to stop without rolling further than you would have intended.
What is golf wedge bounce?
The bounce of a golf club is quite literally what the name says. It causes the ball to “bounce” off the face off the club. This delivers a fast takeoff speed on impact. When it comes to a sand wedge, the bounce is generated from the face. Most golf clubs will come with the bounce angle inscribed close to the leading wedge. The bounce on a golf wedge will vary from one club to another.
The bounce angle of a golf wedge is the angle between the ground and the sole of the leading edge. These angles will either be a standard bounce, low bounce or high bounce.
When you are facing firm turf on the green, you can depend on the low bounce angle club. The low bounce angles mean that you have more room to open the face of your club if you need to get some elevation. This is a feature that allows you to get more ball movement on the green. The low bounce angle is between 0 and 10 degrees in bounce.
If you are not sure what bounce you need, the standard one is always a good bet. It has less bounce than the high bounce wedges, but more bounce than the low bounce angle clubs. It provides a lot of versatility for your game. It is great for executing open and square face shots from the bunker.
Standard bounce angle provides more trajectory off your shots. It is between 10 and 16 degrees in bounce.
The high bounce wedges to play rescue shots out of the sand and other similarly difficult situations. This is a courtesy to the 16 to 18-degree bounce angle. The wider flange on the club reduces the amount of digging that occurs. High bounce wedges also deliver high loft on impact.
The angle is such that the ball rises very quickly and sharply. It then has a quick drop and stop distance. There is a soft landing that allows for a slow movement of the ball as it rolls on the grass to come to a stop.
Final Words
We have presented you with some of the best golf wedges on the market that are designed to mid handicappers. Any of them would go a long way in delivering you with the sort of performance that you should be looking for. If for any reason you have yet to make up your mind you can always go with our top pick.
It was chosen based on comparison with other wedges.
For those of you that would like to know some of the things that we took into consideration when it searching for the best wedge, you can take a look at our buyer’s guide.
It covers some of the technical terms that would have come up as part of the product reviews. After you have read the guide go back to the reviews of each product.
This will give you a fresh perspective on some things that you should take note of. There is a key balance to be struck between your level of skill and the club’s features. No matter how good the features of the club are, they are a disservice to you if they are not suitable for the way that you play.
We have also considered things such as:
- Durability
- Loft angles
- The brand
- Ease of use.
Durability hardly needs to be mentioned. We would hope that everyone knows to take it into consideration when making a purchase. It should be reiterated, nevertheless. You want to also check the material that is used to make the club before you buy it.
It is also wise to find out what the experiences of other users have been.
Your experiences will seldom stray far away from theirs.
The loft angle is a key aspect when picking you wedges. Loft plays a massive role in ensuring that your desired outcome is achieved. It also determines whether or not a club is suitable for the use that you have in mind for it.
The brand is not as important, but still worth mentioning. In this case, you want to buy from brands that would deliver good aftercare and customer support if you need it.
Finally, ease of use comes into play. You can always improve with time, but where possible, you want to avoid clubs that have a steep learning curve.
To get these purchases right the first time, bring all of these things together. Happy golfing!
