Given that your wedges are your scoring clubs it’s important that they work well for you.
While many of today’s models are sold on their ability to deliver more spin or to provide a softer feel around the greens, there’s a good chance that a little more forgiveness is what you really need. It’s an attribute we readily look for in the best driver or the best irons, but perhaps one that is overlooked when it comes to wedges.
We’ve tested a huge number of wedges in recent times and as such have put together a range of guides including the best golf wedges for mid handicappers, the best golf wedges for beginners and the best golf wedges for chipping. But if it’s forgiveness you’re after, then you’ve come to the right place - below are our favorite wedges for those who need some extra help with the short shots.
Sam has worked in the golf industry for 14 years in addition to experience playing on both the EuroPro Tour and Clutch Pro Tour, offering advice on equipment to all levels of golfers. Sam heads up our review content relating to fairway woods, hybrids, wedges and golf balls.
The Quick List
The Hi-Toe 4 is a workable, versatile wedge and comes in a range of grind and bounce options - we also think the bronze finish looks awesome.
Cleveland combine performance and forgiveness in the CBX 4 Zipcore, a wedge aimed at the mid to high handicap players.
The cavity back Cleveland CBX Full-Face 2 wedge blends in better with today's modern sets for mid to high handicappers. Provides forgiveness and control.
Callaway's CB wedge is incredibly forgiving, specifically designed for maximum ease of use when pitching and chipping. Turf interaction is great and it's performance is consistent from a range of lies.
Without doubt the coolest name on this list, the Snakebite X wedge from Cobra is one of the most forgiving wedges on the market thanks to the oversized head that delivers excellent spin control and useful versatility.
The Sugar Daddy III is an improvement on its predecessor. Boasting a more classic look, the addition of a new grind option and precision weighting technology gives golfers plenty of versatility to dial in their wedges to their specific needs.
Most Forgiving Wedges
Top pick
The Hi-Toe 4 shares the face and groove pattern with TaylorMade’s MG4 wedges. This means comparable amounts of spin but with a head shape that’s more forgiving.
Certainly the Spin Tread technology delivers plenty of control from a variety of lies. We were impressed with just how much spin we could generate from both fairway and rough.
Forgiveness comes in the form of full-face groves and a rounded leading edge. Combined we found that it led to clean and more consistent contact. We also appreciated how the laser etching on the face repealed water and as a result added spin in wet and damp conditions.
Offered in a number of loft and bounce options, the Hi-Toe 4 is a forgiving club that offers bags of spin, making it a good match for a range of abilities.
- Read our full TaylorMade Hi-Toe 4 Wedge review
Best spin control
The CBX 4 Zipcore borrows from Cleveland’s RTX6 wedges but instead of a steel hosel uses one that’s designed to be lightweight and with vibration demeaning properties. By saving weight in this area Cleveland has been able to redistribute it across the toe and higher on the face, both of which improve the club’s MOI, making for a more stable face through impact.
Additional help is offered via a larger head that should suit higher-handicap golfers but not appeal to those who prefer a more refined looking wedge. That said, it delivered a great feel on full shots while impressing us around the greens with the amount of spin we were able to produce.
It’s offered in three different grinds and a number of lofts, from 44 degrees to 60 degrees.
- Read our full Cleveland CBX 4 Zipcore Wedge Review
Best full face
As the name states, this is another wedge that features grooves that run across the full width of the club face.
It’s a design feature that can be polarizing but we were impressed with the feel during our testing, a rebuke to the oft-repeated opinion that full-face wedges are lacking in this area. The inclusion of a TPU gel insert certainly didn’t hurt, helping to provide the aforementioned feel and a nice audio feedback through the strike.
Cleveland has equipped the Full-Face 2 wedges with different sole grinds depending on the loft. Lower lofts get a full sole grind for extra forgiveness, while those with higher lofts use a c-shaped sole that delivers more relief at both the heel and the toe. Combined with the forgiving cavity back design it adds up to one of the best golf wedges for beginners.
- Read our full Cleveland CBX Full-Face 2 Wedge Review
Most forgiving
Callaway CB Wedge on a grassy background
The CB is another cavity back design aimed at providing maximum forgiveness for those who are struggling a little with their wedge game. And like the Cleveland CBX Full-Face wedge it also employs full face grooves, but only on the higher loft options. Combined with the wide sole, we found that it meant bags of spin, especially from bunkers.
All lofts benefit from Callaway’s ‘face blasted’ grooves, which it also uses on its more expensive Jaws Raw wedge. In essence it’s a rougher face that helps to generate some additional spin.
Given that these wedges are positioned at newer or higher-handicap golfers, there’s plenty of bounce to help offer forgiveness. That said, we didn’t struggle to slide the club under the ball on tighter lies, making them one of the best high bounce wedges we’ve tested to date.
- Read our full Callaway CB Wedge Review
Best looking
The Snakebite X is Cobra's first dabble in the forgiving wedge space, which includes models like the Cleveland CBX Full-Face 2 and Mizuno S23. The ease of which this club can get you out of jail means it instantly became one of the best wedges I have tested to date.
The oversized head will breed confidence in pretty much any players head - the hollow cavity back design provides extreme forgiveness and versatility to assist in a range of lies. A feature of the Snakebite X wedge is all of the lofts are complete with grooves which span the entirety of the face to provide maximum spin performance on shots with an open face, much like we see on the TaylorMade Hi-Toe 3 wedges. To the naked eye, seeing so many grooves gives the impression the hitting area on the face is so much bigger than it actually is, which should help plenty of players from a range of tight lies to thicker, more tricky shots.
Not all players will appreciate the over-sized look on offer here, but this is a wonderful option for those who struggle with short game - particularly chipping around the greens. This is undoubtedly a wedge to consider as it is extremely forgiving - making it one of the best wedges for beginners. Cobra has succeeded in creating a wedge which ensures confidence while not sacrificing an element of creativity.
- Read our full King Cobra Snakebite X Wedge Review
Best adjustability
The Sugar Daddy II wedges were an improvement on the original Sugar Daddy wedges from PXG and the third iteration of these wedges has given us even more improvements. The brand have pushed the boat out in terms of looks in some of their previous wedge releases but have dialed it back a little here, delivering a more classic look that I think is fantastic. The premium looks are backed up by the performance as well.
The model is offered with two sole options, a 13º BP-Grind and a 10º C-Grind. The former works better if you play on softer golf courses, while the latter is well-suited to firmer conditions. During my testing I found the BP grind to be ultra-forgiving, mimicking the performance of some of the most forgiving wedges thanks to the higher bounce and wide sole.
As you’d expect, PXG’s adjustable weight technology is again present. This allows you to fine-tune the club’s weighting to suit your requirements. And it works. We were able to add both consistency and forgiveness to our shots with a few tweaks. We were also very impressed by the versatility on offer from these wedges - performance was consistent from both the fairway and the rough and when we hit shots up to 70 yards from both these areas of the course we saw the ball reacting similarly when hitting the green.
- Read our full PXG Sugar Daddy II Wedge
How we test
Our wedge testing is headed up by Golf Monthly Staff Writer Sam De'Ath, a former competitor on the EuroPro and Clutch Pro Tours. Employing a comprehensive approach, we review the clubs over a number of rounds and practice sessions, taking into account different playing conditions as we put them through their paces.
Our approach to testing has been fine tuned over a decade of reviewing the best golf clubs on the market - it is one that is thorough so that we can give the best informed buying advice possible. We don't just take a wedge out for nine holes and give our verdict - instead, testing takes places over multiple rounds of golf across different courses and weather conditions so we can really put each club through their paces.
Using each club consistently for a period can tell us about general performance in facets like - versatility, usability, how the club performs in different conditions and so on. For wedges this means hitting a variety of full shots, pitches and chips from varying lies to assess how they perform. Every member of the Golf Monthly team is an avid golfer and as such, knows what does and doesn't make for a good wedge.
As we do for all clubs, when testing the best golf wedges we try them both at the range or using an indoor simulator as well as out on the course. The former allows us to compile data using one of the best launch monitors, while the latter gives us that vital real world feedback. It’s here we can see how the numbers translate into on-course performance across a range of conditions.
From here we can create unbiased reviews with the aim of helping you make more informed buying decisions and ultimately find the right golf equipment for you. As we've mentioned in many of our other buying guides, we pride ourselves in our reviews here at Golf Monthly because they are made by golfers, for golfers. We have built a strong level of trust with our readership for delivering genuine, bias-free reviews so that our readership is given the most informed buying advice possible. No brand will ever get better treatment over another, nor can a manufacturer simply 'buy' a good review - instead, our reviews are conducted by golfers, for golfers who know what it takes to make a good golf club!
How to choose new wedges
As with all golf clubs, the range of wedges on the market can create some uncertainty when it comes time to buy a new model. To help you we’ve listed some of the key factors you’ll want to consider in your search for the most forgiving wedge.
1. Gapping
You don’t want big gaps in yardage between your wedges. To determine the right lofts for you, first find out the loft of your pitching wedge and work from there. Ideally you’ll have around a four degree gap between the clubs - so if your pitching wedge has 46 degrees of loft, you’ll ideally want a gap wedge of 50 or 52 degrees, a sand wedge with 56 degrees and a lob wedge with 60 degrees.
Knowing your yardages with your scoring clubs is of vital importance if you want to save shots in and around the green.
2. Forgiveness
Many wedges are designed with spin and feel as a priority, which can make them hard to hit for less experienced golfers. This guide features some of the most forgiving wedges we’ve tested, which can really do wonders for your confidence around the green.
3. Bounce
You’ll want to think about the course conditions you typically play, and try to match the bounce accordingly. Low bounce wedges are more suited to hard fairways and tight lies, while high bounce wedges are better for softer ground conditions and bunkers.
You’ll also want to consider whether you have a steeper or shallow angle of attack, and whether you want to open the face and play a variety of shots with the wedge, or whether you prefer to play with a straight leading edge.
4. Grooves
While grooves are now tightly regulated, it is still well worth keeping up to date with the latest designs, which use new milling processes and groove shapes to help move water and dirt away from the ball at impact to create extra spin and improve control.
5. Testing
While having a forgiving set of wedges can really help you score low cards, you may also want to make sure you have a good set of wedges across the board. For that reason, we've put together several guides including our guides on the best lob wedges, best gap wedges and best wedges for chipping.
FAQs
Which wedges are most forgiving?
There's no one-wedge-fits-all solution when it comes to forgiveness, but in our buying guide, we have endeavoured to find and test the most forgiving models on the market. However, wedges with high MOI are considered to be the most forgiving, especially when it comes to hitting full shots
What is the best wedge for a high handicapper?
High-handicap golfers who struggle to control strike location would likely benefit from a cavity-back wedge or one with full-face grooves. With that in mind, the Cleveland CBX Full-Face or the Ping Glide 4.0 would be great options.
What is the easiest golf wedge to hit?
Most modern wedges are now designed to provide forgiveness on everything from chip shots through to full shots. However, as mentioned above, cavity-back wedges are probably the easiest to hit due to their maximised MOI and game-improvement technology.
What degree wedge is best for chipping?
This comes down to personal preference and the type of shot you're facing. For example, some golfers might have a 'favorite wedge' they use from any and all positions, while others might mix it up depending on if they need to hit something high, low or loaded with spin. Whatever the case, it's worth heading to the practice ground to find out what works best for you.