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Wedge Shoot Out Results

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JB

JB

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I wanted to add a couple of categories for our forum members here and give a few more break downs.

High Handicaps
Look - Wilson Staff
Feel - Nike VR
Spin - Eidolon
Performance - Cleveland CG14

Biggest Surprise - How much closer the Clevelands were to the hole than any other wedge.

Biggest Letdown - Callaway X-Forged.

Mid Handicaps

Look - Wilson Staff
Feel - Adams
Spin - Eidolon
Performance - Cleveland CG14

Biggest Suprise - How poorly the Vokeys performed in this group.

Biggest Letdown - Lack of spin on Mizuno.

Low Handicaps

Look - Nike
Feel - Nike
Spin - Cleveland CG14
Performance - Nike

Biggest Surprise - Nike by a long shot, followed by Bridgestone.

Biggest Letdown - Vokey. They expected more.

Interesting Info

Looks had ZERO correlation with performance. In fact in many ways, it was the exact opposite.

Had Adams wedges looked different, they may have scored a top 5 overall.

Hippo did quite well and with their bargain price tag definitely earns a Consumer Alert.

Vokey wedges suffered in the feel category or they definitely would have finished in the top 3.
 
JB,
Thanks to you and your staff for taking the time to supply us with great info. You really nailed it on the head when you called me for being a feel type. Miz wedges in the bag and have had Eidolons. Maybe I need to give a CG14 a go.
 
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You are welcome. We learned a lot from this thing. Especially when you break down the handicap groups. The most amazing part for us was watching wedges perform compared to their "marketing" and which ones did well and which ones fizzled out.
 
JB- Best review yet! I play the MPT's and have noticed that spin is minimal as well but the feel I get is a nice trade off. I'm surprised at how well the Cleveland's did and how 'poorly' the Callaway's did as well. this had to have been one of the most fun and interesting shhot-outs to date.
 
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The Callaways finished in the top 3 in the overall rankings. That seems pretty darn good to me.
 
sorry- I was referring to how they stacked up for high-handicappers
 
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Oh, I see. Different for every group. It was just amazing to see the results as people from all different handicap groups liked different things. There was definitely a trend in performance though. The same wedges did well in performance for so many people. Its hard to argue those kind of facts and stats.
 
You mention in the review that Eidolon is 3rd in spin and Vokey is 2nd, but Eidolon was mentioned more in the catagories you just posted in terms of spin and Vokey was not mentioned at all. If so, wouldn't Eidolon be 2nd and Vokey 3rd, or Vokey in the spin Catagory as a top choice in the Low, Mid, High handicap section?
 
No because of where they rank in all three categories. It is not just because they are high in 2 of them, but where they place in all three of them. It really came down to an inches game.
 
I realize it can get confusing, so let me use an example. This is purely an example and not part of this Shoot Out.

If there are 10 items being tested and 3 groups like this one, each group ranks a club 1-10. So if you are looking at two clubs and one is

1st -10 points
1st - 10 points
9th - 2 points

and the 2nd club was

3rd - 8 points
3rd - 8 points
4th - 7 points

The 2nd club would have 23 points to 22 points.

This is not exactly how ours is done since every player had numbers and each were totalled into the figures, but hopefully it makes it easier to understand.
 
This test was tight.... i definitely agree that this one i liked better than the putter shootout(but both were great)...JB, do the testers have to come near you or will you ship these off to testers around the country?:act-up:
 
They must be local unfortunately so that we can measure each shot.
 
No problem. You seem to be sitting pretty good with both of those wedges Dent...hehe
 
JB said:
No problem. You seem to be sitting pretty good with both of those wedges Dent...hehe
Click to expand...

I'm happy to see both of my lovely wedges ranked so highly. :D I also did have the Z TP as well, so I guess I make some good choices.
 
JB said:
I wanted to add a couple of categories for our forum members here and give a few more break downs.

High Handicaps
Look - Wilson Staff
Feel - Nike VR
Spin - Eidolon
Performance - Cleveland CG14

Biggest Surprise - How much closer the Clevelands were to the hole than any other wedge.

Biggest Letdown - Callaway X-Forged.

Mid Handicaps

Look - Wilson Staff
Feel - Adams
Spin - Eidolon
Performance - Cleveland CG14

Biggest Suprise - How poorly the Vokeys performed in this group.

Biggest Letdown - Lack of spin on Mizuno.

Low Handicaps

Look - Nike
Feel - Nike
Spin - Cleveland CG14
Performance - Nike

Biggest Surprise - Nike by a long shot, followed by Bridgestone.

Biggest Letdown - Vokey. They expected more.

Interesting Info

Looks had ZERO correlation with performance. In fact in many ways, it was the exact opposite.

Had Adams wedges looked different, they may have scored a top 5 overall.

Hippo did quite well and with their bargain price tag definitely earns a Consumer Alert.

Vokey wedges suffered in the feel category or they definitely would have finished in the top 3.
Click to expand...

That right there was exactly the info i was thinking "it would be useful to know....."

excellent review. Has changed my perceptions about some companies wedges. I will now at least give them a shot....like the Nike VR wedges. Never thought much of em (no real reasons other than first impressions of seeing them), but they perform. So gotta at least try em eh!?!
 
JB, do you have any idea what the diff is between the Callaway X-Forged and X-Tour (which is also forged)? Is it a different year? Or a same-year, different model thing? I'm pretty happy with mine, regardless of how the X-Forged fared in the test (and they seemed to do fairly well), but I've never quite figured out what the brand terminology signifies.
 
Other than one has the C grind and one has the PM grind (phil mickelson) I am not sure the difference WSE. Im sure the bounce options are different, but they are both forged out of the same metal.
 
This is what ive heard
"The notch weighting on the X-Forged is all metal (as in solid). The X-Tours notch weighting scheme is an undercut channel---much less metal. All that metal in the lower end of the club should help hit the ball high which doesn't always translate to distance. That seems to be the problem with the X-Forged. That and a flighted project X which in the longer irons is also designed to help get the long irons airborne could add to the short scenario."
 
JB said:
Other than one has the C grind and one has the PM grind (phil mickelson) I am not sure the difference WSE. Im sure the bounce options are different, but they are both forged out of the same metal.
Click to expand...

the C grind sole lets you flip open the face without gaining bounce(for the flopadopolous)
the Phil Mickelson grind sole adds bounce when you open it...why? idk! haha

the mac daddy grooves help put the teeth in my flopadopolous hehe :laugh:
 
JB,

Great job!! :DThanks for the straight forward reviews without the usual factory promotions fluff. I've played the Mizuno MP-R's since they came out and love the feel, but as with your testers the spin is missing. I wouldn't have considered the Nike's until I read this, but I'll be trying them out along with the Clevelands and the Taylormade TP's. Thanks again for all the effort.

SDD
 
You are very welcome. Despite that these are a lot of work, the testers deserve the credit. I did not even swing a single wedge.
 
This one got picked up by the wire today, which we always find to be pretty cool.
 
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