8 Best Wedges for High Handicappers in 2023 (Reviewed)

As a high-handicap golfer, you need the best wedge suited for your game. You need a consistent wedge game to get better at golf.

Wedges for high handicappers should offer forgiveness. They must make it easier for these players to connect well with the ball.

But they also need to perform well in spin. And many high handicappers want their wedges to feel amazing.

These are the best wedges for high handicappers in 2023.

Cleveland CBX2 (Best Overall)

The Cleveland CBX2 is overall the best wedge for high handicappers. This wedge is forgiving and easy to hit.

Its hollow cavity-back design makes it forgiving for high handicappers. You won’t get a drop-off in performance on off-center strikes. The hollow chamber towards the heel and the weight in the toe maximize MOI.

This wedge feels stable at impact, giving you excellent consistency. It means the clubface won’t twist too much when you miss the sweet spot.

It has a surprisingly pure feel for all the forgiveness it offers. You get feedback on your shots, but there’s a low vibration, so it feels smooth.

Expect excellent spin performance with this wedge. Cleveland’s fourth-generation Rotex Face combines sharp grooves with aggressive face milling to help you get spin.

The CBX2 has a wide sole that stops resistance with the turf. It helps prevent fat shots because the sole glides over the grass.

Ping Glide 4.0 (Runner-Up)

The Ping Glide 4.0 is the runner-up on our list of the best wedges for high handicappers. This wedge helps players to get spin on the ball, even when they don’t make a clean connection.

The clubface has more friction due to the new Emery face blast. So, it grips your ball and keeps it on the face for longer, giving you more spin.

This wedge has three grind options – S, W, and E. You can choose the best sole to suit your swing and attack angle from these choices.

The S (standard) grind is the most versatile of the three and will suit most golfers. It’s the best choice for players with a moderate attack angle.

The W (wide) grind is the most forgiving through the turf and helps high handicappers make the best contact. This option will suit you if you hit a lot of fat shots with your wedges because the wide sole glides through the grass and doesn’t get stuck.

The E (Eye2) grind offers the best option for bunker shots. The original Ping Eye2 wedge inspired the E-grind.

This wedge has a stylish design, especially the standard model. But the W-grind also looks nice behind the ball and inspires confidence for high handicappers.

Callaway Jaws Mack Daddy 5 (Best Feel)

The Callaway Jaws Mack Daddy 5 has the best feel when it comes to the best wedges for high handicappers. This wedge is for you if you’re a high handicapper who still wants an exceptional feel.

It’s constructed from 8620 mild carbon steel, and Callaway precisely placed the center of gravity on this wedge. So, you get a soft yet crisp feel on impact.

High handicappers also get excellent forgiveness with this wedge. Off-center strikes still perform well with good spin.

And you get sensational spin when you strike this wedge pure, with pitch and chip shots. V-shaped grooves grip the ball upon impact, while mini groves between the main ones hold it on the face for longer. That gives you exceptional spin on longer pitch shots and full shots especially.

The Callaway Jaws MD5 wedge has three grind options and three bounce ones, depending on the loft. High handicappers will get the best out of the W-grind with a 12-degree bounce.

Cobra King Snakebite (Excellent Spin)

The King Cobra Snakebit wedge offers excellent spin around the greens. It can help high handicappers who struggle to get the ball to stop quickly.

The new SNAKEBITE groove design delivers this phenomenal spin. Cobra claims the grooves are 11% deeper and 40% sharper, so you get this extra spin. And it’s hard to argue with that because the ball ‘bites’ from various distances.

This wedge is highly forgiving, especially in the higher lofts (54-60). You can play delicate shots without worrying about a drop-off in performance when you miss the sweet spot.

You have three grind options with this wedge – Versatile, Classic, and Widelow. Each has its uses, but higher handicappers may want to check out the Classic option. The Widelow grind has low bounce, which makes it harder for high handicappers to play.

Callaway Sure Out 2 (Stop Fat Shots)

The Callaway Sure Out 2 helps you stop fat shots. Many high handicappers catch the turf before the ball and hit it fat, but Callaway designed this wedge to stop that.

The sole has a refined bounce angle and glides through any lie. So, the leading edge won’t get stuck before you strike the ball. The sole creates less resistance with the turf, giving you a better connection with the ball.

Also, this wedge has more heel relief than the previous model. That makes it easier to play a variety of shots.

The design makes the Callaway Sure Out 2 a highly forgiving wedge. It makes connecting well with the ball easier, but it offers forgiveness even when you don’t.

This wedge is also excellent for bunker shots. The wide sole doesn’t get stuck in the sand, making sure you pop the ball out the first time.

Callaway collaborated with Lampkin on a new grip design. Three “step down” markings help promote effective and ultimate distance control and shot selection.

Tour Edge Hot Launch E522 (Best Budget)

The Tour Edge Hot Launch E522 wedge is the best budget option for high handicappers. It gives you extreme game-improvement technology that helps from any lie.

The Houdini sole puts more weight below and behind the ball. That makes it easier for you to get the ball into the air with this wedge.

With a super-wide sole, this wedge reduces turf interaction. So, it stops the leading edge from digging into the ground and causing fat shots, a common miss for high handicappers.

This wedge gives you excellent forgiveness. The super-deep undercut cavity dramatically lowers the center of gravity, giving you forgiveness across the entire face. It also helps you launch the ball from any lie, including the rough and sand.

The Hot Launch E522 has a large face profile with grooves covering the whole face. So, you get spin even on off-center strikes.

Mizuno ES21 (Super Stable)

The Mizuno ES21 wedge is super stable for high handicappers. That stability makes this wedge easier to manipulate.

Many high handicappers won’t feel confident opening the clubface for certain wedge shots. But this wedge stays stable on impact with these shots, leaving less room for error.

The sweet spot is also more central on this wedge than others. So, higher handicappers can find it more regularly and benefit from the forgiveness.

High handicappers can expect excellent spin in all conditions with this wedge. A higher and deeper center of gravity promotes more spin, while Hydroflow Micro Grooves release moisture to retain spin even in damp conditions.

PXG Sugar Daddy II (Best Premium)

The PXG Sugar Daddy II is the best premium forgiving wedge for high handicappers. You get impressive forgiveness from this wedge because of the high-toe design.

Spin performance doesn’t drop when you mishit a shot due to the full-face groove design. It offers good feedback, so you’ll notice a slightly dulled feeling, but the ball still performs well on distance and spin.

This wedge makes it easy to control a wide range of shots because it has incredible balance. The weight at the back of the head gives it a balanced feel in your hands.

With this wedge, you get excellent overall control. It’s easy to control the flight, whether you’re hitting a pitch or a full shot.

The spin performance this wedge offers is another feature we love. The ball responds quickly on the greens, especially on shorter pitch shots.

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What to Consider When Buying Wedges as a High Handicapper

When buying wedges as a high handicapper, you should consider forgiveness, spin, gapping, and bounce and grind.

Forgiveness

You should consider forgiveness when buying the best wedges for high handicappers. Forgiveness is essential when you don’t strike your wedges consistently.

It ensures you won’t get a drop-off in performance on mishits. So, forgiveness helps the accuracy of your wedge game as a high handicapper.

Every option on our list offers you forgiveness. The PXG Sugar Daddy II is your best bet if forgiveness is your main concern.

Spin

When buying the best wedge for high handicappers, it’s crucial to consider the spin it offers. You want your wedge shots to stop quickly on the green.

However, many high handicappers can’t get enough spin with wedge shots. A wedge like the King Cobra Snakebite can help in this department.

Gapping

Always consider gapping when buying wedges as a high handicapper. Each wedge should have a progressive loft difference.

For instance, let’s say you’re buying a gap wedge, a sand wedge, and a lob wedge. You need to get the gapping right to help with your accuracy on the course.

Your pitching wedge has 46 degrees of loft, so we can get the best gapping from there. A good loft progression is a 50-degree gap wedge, a 54-degree sand wedge, and a 58-degree lob wedge.

You’ll notice a four-degree gap between each wedge. It doesn’t have to be four degrees, but the loft gap should be even between each wedge.

Bounce and Grind

Consider bounce and grind when buying the best wedges for high handicappers. These players should generally play wedges with a higher bounce because they’re more forgiving.

Also, the higher bounce stops the wedge from digging into the turf. Wedges like the Callaway Sure Out 2 and the Tour Edge Hot Launch E522 have a high bounce.

High handicappers also need to consider the grind. The grind relates to the shape of the sole, so a wide one suits high handicappers.

The W-grind in the Callaway Jaws Mack Daddy 5 suits high handicappers. They get the forgiveness they need while experiencing the excellent feel of a premium wedge.

What Wedges Should High Handicappers Carry?

High handicappers should carry at least a pitching wedge, a gap wedge, and a sand wedge. Lob wedges are harder to hit and control, so some high handicappers might want to avoid them.

• Pitching wedges range in lofts from about 42 degrees to 48 degrees. These are the lowest lofted wedges, and average male golfers hit them between 95 and 115 yards.
• The range of loft for a gap wedge is between 48 and 52 degrees. They’re for approach shots when the distance is between a pitching wedge and a sand wedge. Average male golfers hit a gap wedge between 90 and 110 yards.
• Sand wedges range in lofts from 52 to 58 degrees. Players generally use them for bunker shots but can also play pitch, flop, and chip shots with them. The average male golfer hits a sand wedge between 80 and 100 yards.
• Lob wedges are the highest lofted clubs in the bag, with lofts ranging from 58 to 64 degrees. The average male player hits it about 70 to 90 yards with a lob wedge. Golfers generally use 60-degree lob wedges, and high handicappers shouldn’t go any higher because 64-degree lob wedges are harder to use.

FAQs

Conclusion

Overall, the Cleveland CBX2 is the best wedge for high handicappers. It’s forgiving and stable at impact, so high handicappers get the help they need.

This wedge also feels great while offering exceptional spin performance. And the wide sole helps with turf interaction, giving high handicappers the best chance of connecting well with the ball.

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