Wedge testing: MD4 vs SM7 vs Glide 2.0 (with data & updates)

[Z1ggy16]

I did hit it and I do have data... It did spin a crazy amount. I didn't get as much distance as I should have but it is a 52 so I need to get the loft checked abs adjusted to 51*.

 

Need to mess around with my modus shafts in it, too.

[getitdaily]

Been gaming the md3 54 w grind for a while myself. Bought a used md3 54 s grind off the bay and it came in today. Hopeful it will be good out of the bunker and better around the greens than the w grind. I had a sm6 54-10 that was tremendous around the greens but it dug in bunkers. It looks like the 54-10 md3 has a bit wider flange than the vokey did.

 

If the md3 54-10 is good then I may play with some back edge grind relief on the 54-12. The sole is discolored to perfectly show where that relief needs to be. Agree completely with one of your posts, the 54-12 md3 is hard to manage off tight stuff. Things are getting firmer around the greens here in Orlando. Need something more versatile.

[Z1ggy16]

MD4 vs Glide 2.0 Stealth Sand Wedge data:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goal here was to test ~60 yard and ~80 yard shots with the sand wedges. The MD4 had the stock S200 Ti and the Glide had a modus 115 wedge. Glide is 3* Flat. To me the story here is MD4 was a little more accurate, spun a bit more. Glide seemed to be better on the longer shots, less so on the shorter ones... flew lower with a bit less spin.

 

Overall, the Glide feels a bit softer, and I like the stealth look better than MD4 chrome. Also the Glide grind seems to have a hint of heel relief whereas the W grind does not, but is more cambered. I have played the MD4 in real golf rounds and not the Ping. The MD4 is incredibly hard to use off hard pan or tight lies for me.

 

 

Will post data on Gap Wedges soon. I have a 52* Sm7 F grind and 52* SS glide grind. Would need to game both at 50* though for gaps to be correct. Keep tuned...Thanks.

[Z1ggy16]

So I managed to keep my tradition going today of golfing on New Year's Eve. Cold, damp & raining with soaked fairways. Literally 0 roll out but I got to play alone which was nice because I wanted to hit a bunch of various shots.

 

With out making this too long of a post, I'll just give some brief highlights of what I thought of all the clubs I've been testing so far and maybe how playing real golf tells a lot more of a story than Trackman.

 

Lob wedge: The Glide paired up with the Modus 125 was a dream. Feels soft, flights low but because it was soft out, I had no problems stopping the ball. Almost holed out twice... banged the stick but it didn't drop. For sure staying in the bag right now.

 

Sand: This is where actual golf speaks volumes. I just did not like how the 54/14WS sat behind the ball. Something with the shape of the hosel and how it went into the head... Just bugged me. It was a nightmare out of the hard packed wet sand, too. Off the fairway and rough it performed fine but I just wasn't liking how it framed the ball on real grass. The MD4 looks much better, albeit I'm not a fan of bright chrome really. I'm likely selling the Glide straight away... I have to love how a wedge frames the ball or I get distracted and lose confidence. May either look for a MD4 but in an S grind, or a SM7 in the S grind. 54/14ws is a big no go.

 

Gap: The Glide looks very good behind the ball but the Vokey looks more blade like and smaller. Not sure if I love that smokey chrome look of the Vokey, I feel like it would get dinged and show blemishes really fast. I only hit each club like twice because I just didn't find myself in that yardage much. Both clubs look nice, felt nice... no complaints. Leaning Glide just because I tend to find all black wedges reduce glare. Tempted to try and find the all black SM7.

[Z1ggy16]

Just purchased a SM7 54/10S and a Stealth 2.0 54/12SS. They should arrive early next week; Trackman data for those 2, plus data for the gap wedge data should be up end of next week. I was hoping the weather would cooperate and I'd get some more golf in this weekend but it's looking like rain.

[ChrisLC40]

Love the information and work you're putting into this. Looking forward to the rest!

[Z1ggy16]

So I did test the 52* gap wedges today and the sand wedges. Unfortunately, the Trackman was really acting odd and didn't record much of my data. I can say though with out a doubt, the Glides were performing better than the Vokey's. The feel was better, they were consistent and I was hitting the distances I wanted, more often.

 

I think the real question will be how they play during a real round. I'm 50/50 on if I want to just sell off everything other than the Glides and then if I'm not happy with them buy some other wedges, or keep everything and do some kind of giant outdoor test in the spring.

 

If you guys want me to go back and get more Trackman data on the SM7's vs the Glides, let me know. I'm also heading to Golf Galaxy tomorrow to have all my iron lofts checked and tweaked as needed. I'm going to take a look at the RTX4's and possibly the Taylormade milled grinds. May include these in the test if anybody is interested.

[Dpavs]

Sorry but I can't take a review seriously where the clubs all have the heads on backwards.

 

JK of course, very nice post and review!

[Z1ggy16]

Just channeling my inner Phil ;)

[Z1ggy16]

Also, I do really want to try the hi-toe/PM grind...I for sure will be adding one of those to the test, particularly for outdoor stuff.

[dunn]

Idk I always just played golf with wedges to see how they react it if I likely or no likey......cant imagine if the same swing and strike is put on em they would change all that much....

 

Hitting off harpan, fluffy, normal, side hill, uphill lies us hard to reproduce off a matt

 

On a matt I hit em same given strike is sane

[Z1ggy16]

Yeah I think grind probably makes the biggest difference but with wedges a lot of things around feels and looks play in to it.

 

One thing I wish I could do is test them all using the modus wedge 125 shaft but I just don't have the money to blow or time to reshaft all these wedges.

[ChrisLC40]

Personally I would really like to see the gap wedge numbers. Full, partial, etc. I will be redoing my wedges before this next season starts, so all the hard data I can get to compare the better.

 

With regards to the SM7's what made you choose the grinds/bounces you did? Availability, prior experience, etc?

[Z1ggy16]

Personally I would really like to see the gap wedge numbers. Full, partial, etc. I will be redoing my wedges before this next season starts, so all the hard data I can get to compare the better.

 

With regards to the SM7's what made you choose the grinds/bounces you did? Availability, prior experience, etc?

I chose grinds/bounce on experience of what I need based on courses I play and my swing tendencies. I used to be pretty shallow with all my clubs so I used to use all very low bounce clubs. I found though that most of the season my course isn't actually firm, and that improving my swing lead me to getting more steep with almost all my clubs so I need some more bounce to help protect me from laying sod even when I hit just a few cm behind the ball.

 

I went from say AoA of -1 with a full shot on my SW to like -4. So I've now gone to using higher bounce grinds, but I still want to open them up a little for bunker play, and getting shots to land soft when chipping from deeper rough. So the GW is currently 12* of bounce, the SW is 10, and the LW is 12. F grind on the gap (only choice) S grind on the SW and D grind on the LW.

 

The Glide Stealth grinds are also very similar, if not identical. The Ping SS grind proved a bit of heel relief, but not quite as much as the D grind.

[Z1ggy16]

Hit the 52 vokey and 52 Glide again today but yet again I forgot to get the Trackman data sent to me. I will try to remember next week but I can say with certainty the Glide is going in the bag. I'm not sure why but the glide was just easier to hit the distance I wanted with less effort. I was just hitting 60 yard pitches and the SM7 just felt a little tougher to control. I felt like I had to swing a bit harder and it wasn't quite getting there so then I'd give it too much and end up hitting it 68 or 70 yards. I'm sure I'd adjust, but I just felt the Glide working better for me.

 

I also got the 54/12SS Glide sand wedge and it seems to look a bit better behind the ball than the 54/14WS. I'll definitely look to bring it on the course (probably not soon due to snow) to confirm that. For now, I'm going with the Glide 2.0 Stealth in GW, SW and LW (bending the 52 down to 50). Will maybe look to get a Hi toe ... Thanks for the support all.

[lefty74pgh]

What shaft did you decide on for the Glides?

[Z1ggy16]

What shaft did you decide on for the Glides?

Most likely going to put modus wedge 125 in all of them. Already have it in the LW and it worked awesome in the one round I did get in this winter. May tinker with modus 120x in the GW but I'm trying to play more knockdown partial shots with all my wedges this year, so I may want the heavier wedge shafts to help with tempo. I'm not actually sure if the wedge 125 is more or less stiff than the 120X (Im guessing less stiff) so it could be another thing I post here as far as putting up some data.

[lefty74pgh]

I’m going the opposite direction and just ordered RTX 4 with Modus Wedge 105. Not sure how it will go, but I noticed that all the DG wedge shafts just seemed to heavy and harsh for me.

 

I’ve been struggling with my wedge game this year. I realized that I prefer lighter shafts in my irons, so I’m going to try them in the wedges. I have a CBX 54* with the stock DG 115 that has been decent, but not sure I’ll keep it. I have a set of Z585 NS Pro 950 GH with the RTX 50, 58 Modus 105 Wedge on the way, so it should be interesting to see how they perform.

[Z1ggy16]

Well when my swing and body are tuned up, my wedge club head speed is probably in the low 90s, so I need a heavier shaft. That doesn't mean I need a steel pole... But usually very light shafts make me swing get out of sync.

 

I think you'll really love the modus wedge shaft though. They are firm with it being harsh. I agree that the dg shafts are a little bit harsh if you aren't used to it.

[Hot Rod 71]

I had the Glide 2.0 Stealth 50, 54, and 58 in the bag for quite a while. Loved the gap and sand wedge. The lob wedge was a different animal for me.

 

i loved the shape and bounce of the lob wedge, but I have a difficult time controlling distance on short pitches and chips. It was like some would just rocket off the face and end up 5-10 past the hole. I thought it was me for a long time.

 

I've always been very good with a lob wedge around the greens, its one of my strengths. But I struggled with the Glide 2.0 because of the unpredictability I was experiencing. I tried a few of my past lob wedges for comparison and seemed to control those just fine. I have OCD with my wedges so once the Glide 2.0 LW left the bag, so did the other two.

 

I found a set of RTX4 wedges cheap so I picked the up. So far I really like these. The grinds are light years ahead of the RTX3 and so is performance. We'll see if they stay or go once the season is in full swing and I can play them in normal conditions.

[Z1ggy16]

I had the Glide 2.0 Stealth 50, 54, and 58 in the bag for quite a while. Loved the gap and sand wedge. The lob wedge was a different animal for me.

 

i loved the shape and bounce of the lob wedge, but I have a difficult time controlling distance on short pitches and chips. It was like some would just rocket off the face and end up 5-10 past the hole. I thought it was me for a long time.

 

I've always been very good with a lob wedge around the greens, its one of my strengths. But I struggled with the Glide 2.0 because of the unpredictability I was experiencing. I tried a few of my past lob wedges for comparison and seemed to control those just fine. I have OCD with my wedges so once the Glide 2.0 LW left the bag, so did the other two.

 

I found a set of RTX4 wedges cheap so I picked the up. So far I really like these. The grinds are light years ahead of the RTX3 and so is performance. We'll see if they stay or go once the season is in full swing and I can play them in normal conditions.

I totally know what you mean. It's weird to describe but the Glides do maybe feel a touch "hot" off the face. If you go back and read my very first post about them, I described that and how I hated it. I was much more used to "dead" feeling wedges, just like how SM7 feels. Perhaps I have now gotten used to them because for the past 4 weeks or so I've been hitting it. Plus I almost holed out twice with it on New Years Eve when I played, so maybe that's given me some confidence.

 

As a lefty I'm not sure RTX4 is in the works for me. I thought last time I looked, grind options were limited and the ones I could get, I wasn't a huge fan of. We'll see how these SS grinds work out. They are more like vokey S grinds than X/D grind with all the heel relief, so there's a chance I do end up moving to something else later on, depending on how much I think I really need that kind of grind. I have heard the RTX4 though are really nice looking and feeling, so I'm not 100% counting them out.

[Hot Rod 71]

I am a lefty as well, and the struggle is real.

[Z1ggy16]

Going to be posting some more updates as I just picked up a Hi Toe 58*. I've been practicing short game a decent amount this year and I notice out of longer grass I really tend to get the ball struck higher up on the face and a little toe side. The 12* bounce Glide has been solid but maybe not the absolute best to play open faced shots from bunkers or rough.

 

I'll provide some on course feedback about hi-toe and then also give a little data snap like I have prior. Would possibly try and pick up a a PM grind just for the heck of it, too. I don't play tons of open face shots but it's nice to have the ability.

[HidekiWoods]

For some reason I did not get along with RTX4. I was surprised since I have Z785 irons and love them. Much better performance with MD4s for me.

[Z1ggy16]

> @HidekiWoods said:

> For some reason I did not get along with RTX4. I was surprised since I have Z785 irons and love them. Much better performance with MD4s for me.

 

Yeah if I for some reason didn't go with the Glides, MD4 were probably my next choice. Not the best feeling of the lot, but seemed to have a lot of control. RTX4 wouldn't likely work in the L wedge slot because it doesn't likely have enough eel relief to be super versatile. Probably fine for a Gap and Sand wedge but... my Glide's already fill those rolls perfectly.

 

I also plan to put a modus 120x in my GW and a modus 125 wedge into the SW pretty soon. Will try to post some data this week and on course test thoughts.

[gioguy21]

Ziggs--- solid testing and posting work man -- awesome. hope those glides workout well for you~!!!

[Z1ggy16]

> @gioguy21 said:

> Ziggs--- solid testing and posting work man -- awesome. hope those glides workout well for you~!!!

 

Thank you good sir. Actually... I see you're rocking RTX4's now. How's that heel relief and trail edge relief? Can you open it up to hit some nice high softies out of the rough? I did dig my RTX3 feel but the looks were not awesome. So far the Glides are pretty great and my ONLY criticism is they do go a little too far sometimes with full swings. Don't take many full swings with wedges anymore but every now and again the situation is called for.

[gioguy21]

> @Z1ggy16 said:

> > @gioguy21 said:

> > Ziggs--- solid testing and posting work man -- awesome. hope those glides workout well for you~!!!

>

> Thank you good sir. Actually... I see you're rocking RTX4's now. How's that heel relief and trail edge relief? Can you open it up to hit some nice high softies out of the rough? I did dig my RTX3 feel but the looks were not awesome. So far the Glides are pretty great and my ONLY criticism is they do go a little too far sometimes with full swings. Don't take many full swings with wedges anymore but every now and again the situation is called for.

 

i have high bounce on mine since we have wet/soft turf -- i've yet to have any issues opening it up; either the 52 or the 59. i have had no issues as of yet that were club related -- i've spent a lot of time on my short game in the last week or so. haven't had any issues since i locked in my mechanics.

[Z1ggy16]

> @gioguy21 said:

> > @Z1ggy16 said:

> > > @gioguy21 said:

> > > Ziggs--- solid testing and posting work man -- awesome. hope those glides workout well for you~!!!

> >

> > Thank you good sir. Actually... I see you're rocking RTX4's now. How's that heel relief and trail edge relief? Can you open it up to hit some nice high softies out of the rough? I did dig my RTX3 feel but the looks were not awesome. So far the Glides are pretty great and my ONLY criticism is they do go a little too far sometimes with full swings. Don't take many full swings with wedges anymore but every now and again the situation is called for.

>

> i have high bounce on mine since we have wet/soft turf -- i've yet to have any issues opening it up; either the 52 or the 59. i have had no issues as of yet that were club related -- i've spent a lot of time on my short game in the last week or so. haven't had any issues since i locked in my mechanics.

 

Yeah that's why I ended up going SS in all the Glides... most lies around the area lend to be thicker/wetter than they would be dry/bare. I don't have a compelling reason to ditch my Glides really, I was just curious about Hi Toe since almost all the staffers seem to use one minus Tiger.

[gioguy21]

> @Z1ggy16 said:

> > @gioguy21 said:

> > > @Z1ggy16 said:

> > > > @gioguy21 said:

> > > > Ziggs--- solid testing and posting work man -- awesome. hope those glides workout well for you~!!!

> > >

> > > Thank you good sir. Actually... I see you're rocking RTX4's now. How's that heel relief and trail edge relief? Can you open it up to hit some nice high softies out of the rough? I did dig my RTX3 feel but the looks were not awesome. So far the Glides are pretty great and my ONLY criticism is they do go a little too far sometimes with full swings. Don't take many full swings with wedges anymore but every now and again the situation is called for.

> >

> > i have high bounce on mine since we have wet/soft turf -- i've yet to have any issues opening it up; either the 52 or the 59. i have had no issues as of yet that were club related -- i've spent a lot of time on my short game in the last week or so. haven't had any issues since i locked in my mechanics.

>

> Yeah that's why I ended up going SS in all the Glides... most lies around the area lend to be thicker/wetter than they would be dry/bare. I don't have a compelling reason to ditch my Glides really, I was just curious about Hi Toe since almost all the staffers seem to use one minus Tiger.

 

i had one, didn't like it. strikes never felt solid to me and always felt...brittle...if that makes sense? always felt like i missed it, even out the middle.