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How Do You Test Wedges?

SuperStroke
I have weird mind and use two tests to find out if i'll like a wedge: I'll grab the wedge, grip and waggle it and set it down at address. If it gives me a confidence that I could potentially hit a nice "one hop stop" into a green, i will then proceed to the next step. Go to the hitting bay at the store and place a ball in the best kept section of the hitting mat and try to pick the pinch the ball just as I would on course and if I don't thin it or chunk it then I will give it a test oncourse.
 
Like a couple of others, "testing" hasn't really been my process with a wedge. Yes, I'll hit them, but it's only after I have narrowed down the choices based on how I like their looks. Having said that, I did take a flyer on a cheap, used TM ATV wedge, and while I don't care for the looks, it is working well for me.
 
I too used to buy based on looks but for my last 2 I have been lucky enough to get to try them on course and interestingly enough both were clubs that my buddy Ole Gray had, the ATV and the Cleveland S. I don't plan to buy any wedges "cold" again, I know that I must give them a try before I buy.

Some of the "hottest" wedges of the past few years that were available for us at the Orlando demo day's were just not for me. Everyone was raving over several offerings but I knew that I was hitting the wedges I had in my bag better than those latest and greatest back then.
 
One of the perks of working in the industry is that I can borrow wedges from reps and hit them on the course, from all conditions to see how they perform for me. It was the only way the U Grind started the season in my bag, I would have never thought it would work for me before trying it on course.
 
I just buy whatever online then learn to play with them.
 
I haven't spent a lot of time shopping for wedges yet, but want something that I like weight wise, I want a pleasing look to my eye at address.
It probably is 180* off on what I should be looking for in a wedge, but mostly I want to like the club I'm holding!

Soon, I will be shopping....
 
I've never tested a wedge before buying. I had set wedges before buying my first wedge, a Vokey. It had plastic on it so I didn't think it was even possible to try it first. The last two times I bought wedges I wanted something from the same OEM as my irons so my bag would match and I just did it....it never occurred to me to test them first.
 
I do online research into loft and bounce combinations, taking aesthetics into account. But I've learned from much trial and error that I need to hit wedges before buying them. The Golfsmith near me lets me demo wedges in the sim. I pay attention to feel and to my spin numbers, in that order.
 
I hit them and try to see whats the most comfortable when I swing them.
 
Honestly?

Club head shape and how the ball feels of the face.

Never really thought of anything else.
 
I've never tested a wedge either. I usually just buy them based on looks/customization/THP reviews, hate them, and then stick them in my staff bag in the living room. I've always been a sucker for the 588 series though.
 
Once I decided that I wanted a 54°, I discovered that Ping, Vokey and Cleveland were my only options. Cleveland CG-15s were on sale and available in-store. So no actual testing involved. I'm fairly happy with them, although I have no idea what I may be missing out on. Probably does not matter, I figure I can blade balls across the green with one make of wedge just as proficiently as with any other make of wedge.
 
I usually purchase one and try it out and if I like it I will buy the rest. This hasn't worked out so well lately though lol. I bought a pair of Hopkins and ended up not liking them as the head felt to heavy to me. It did work out when I bought the Scors I had for awhile though, they just got beat up pretty bad hitting from the desert as I used them as my rock clubs. I seem to really like Vokeys though and have owned a couple different sets of them and will probably just stick with those here on out. I like the weight of the heads, I like the feel of them and they come in a variety of grinds and bounces.
 
I first go by how they look behind a ball and then how they feel when I swing it.
If they pass this test then typically I'll look for a demo day because I really want to hit them off grass.
That said, when I bought my current wedges I took 4 swings with a 56° into a net at the PGA Superstore and that was all I needed to buy it, felt great. I played one round with it and ordered a 52° & 60° to go with it and love them.
 
I've never tested a wedge on a launch monitor or anything. I usually rely on demo days, and the selection is always very subjective.
 
Pure feel. Full swings, sure, but the wedge i choose is the one where i feel it is effortless to switch between a 30 yard shot and a 40 yard shot.

In the end, its totally subjective.

~Rock
 
go to demo day with a real grass range but some i buy with out testing Such as my new MD2 T grinds since the T grind addressed the major issues i had with the original MD2 which i loved
 
I never tested a wedge before buying, up untill this year. A store close to where I work were holding a Callaway fitting day, so I booked s slot for a wedge fitting. I took my PW & new 58* wedge with me. He asked me a series of questions e.g. What type of course do I play etc. He then got me to hit about 10 shots + some 1/2 swing shots with each to establish the distance and gaps and suggested what clubs fitted best. A Real eye opener, since it was my first getting fitted for wedges.
 
With not really have any where to test them I don't. My dad had a new Cleveland wedge so I gave it ago, I really liked it so I just brought a couple of them and haven't been disappointed at all.
 
JB said:
The question is exactly how it sounds. Before you buy your wedges, how do you go about testing them? What are you looking for?
Click to expand...

I try all clubs at the course both on the range and in play before I buy. If they don't have a demo in what your looking for, they will get one.
 
Wedges are the hardest clubs for me to buy. Hitting them in a bay or off of a mat shows you almost nothing. Since wedges are pretty much the cheapest individual clubs to buy, I normally end up buying one and using it to determine if I want to buy any more in other lofts.
 
Sounds weird, but I just know it when I pick it up and how it looks. But I will say, when I switched from Vokeys to the ATV's, it was because I read here how versatile the wedge was, not because of anything bad with the Vokeys. I bought one, and I knew the Vokeys were gone. To be honest, I am pretty confident that I could make any wedge work though - some just may take a bit of time than others.
 
If I am interested in a wedge or a few different wedges, I'll spend some quality range time with them. The first thing I do is hit them to get a feel for each wedge and to get a good warm up in. The next thing I do is line up a single ball for each wedge in a row and hit them. If I have a few wedges, I'll lay the wedge I just used right behind the divot so I can keep track of what wedge I used for each ball. I do this so I can compare the divots each wedge makes. If the leading edge is too sharp and takes a deeper divot than another, i'll toss it out of the running. I know divots are a factor of my swing, but for me, some wedges help me take shallower divots instead of beaver pelts.

The last factor I look at is spin around the green. I'll take my narrowed down wedge selection to the practice green and pitch/chip to compare what the golf ball does after it hits the green. This all might seem excessive to some people, but my wedges are the most important clubs in my bag and also the clubs that I use the most on the course.
 
The first wedge I was able to play with was a Cleveland. I used that as I learned the game and didn't really know anything about any specific brands. I used that up until about 2009, when my dad passed down his Vokeys to me (probably just so he could get new ones!) and I started gaming those. I've bought two new sets of wedges since then, and both have been Vokeys.

Since I didn't have the option to test different wedges in playing conditions, I just stuck with what I knew. I was comfortable with Vokey wedges, so I always stuck with them.
 
Up until now I've just waited for something to get rave reviews online and then took a flyer on it. Now I want to make sure that whatever I buy will be an improvement from what I'm using, at least around the green. I feel that full shots can be learned rather easily but around the green the wedge has to have the right sole and bounce.
 
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