Wide Sole Wedges

[gary3aces]

I'm very interested in getting a wide sole wedge. I've read a lot of reviews about different ones but can't make up my mind which one if any are the best.I really like the looks of the Cleveland Smart Sole.Been looking at the Tour Edge 1 OUT (58*) and the 1 OUT Plus (56*).The new Callaway Sure Out also looks interesting. I've seen all the commercials but would like the opinions of guys like you and me.

 

Thanks,Gary :golfer:

[Kale_m]

Vokey k grind

 

Sand game is on point

 

[Springsteennut]

I picked up a 1 out last year when I bought 2 other Tour Edge wedges. The guy gave it to me for nothing so I figured why not. I only played with at the range at first and then I decided to try it on the course . It really works well out of the sand and the rough when chipping. Took a while to get comfortable using it in the fairway but now I use it whenever I need a 50 to 70 yard shot. I think you can pick one up for $39/49 so its a bargain compared to some of the others you mentioned.

[Crooksc17]

Vokey k grind

 

Sand game is on point

 

+1

[North Butte]

I used the K grind for a while a couple years ago and really liked it. But it is nowhere near the wedges like Sure Out in terms of width, bounce and camber.

 

The K is a great compromise if you want some of the benefits of the super forgiving hacker wedges but need it to still look like the wedges a good player would use.

[pmcuk]

Vokey k grind

 

Sand game is on point

 

+1

 

Another +1

[Nessism]

That 1-Out looks to have a wider sole than the Smart Sole. Man, if you can't get out of a bunker with one of those you might want to give up the game.

 

The Cleveland seems like it would be a smig more versatile. Guess it depends on your purpose. The TEE would be my first choice as a dedicated sand iron though.

 

Guys saying K sole Vokey are smoking crack. That club is not even in the same conversation.

[North Butte]

Guys saying K sole Vokey are smoking crack. That club is not even in the same conversation.

 

I think of the K-grind as being what you'd think was a wide-soled wedge if you'd never actually tried a wide-soled wedge.

 

I used to have an ancient set of Titleist DCI's that I finally gave away to Goodwill. Stick that Vokey K wedge in a bag full of DCI's and it looks pretty wide. But when it was sitting in my bag of Ping G30 irons it looked narrower than the 4-iron!

 

That's the point when I realized, "Hey, I'm getting into poser territory with this Vokey".

[sphna12d]

Ping Glide WS is a nice option especially considering you can get really good deals on the original Glides now that the Glide 2.0 has been released. Also its a great wedge out of the bunkers and better still you can get it to your preferred lie angle with Pings color code.

[acularw]

The Maltby M-Series+ wedges allow you to pick a bunch of different width/loft options. The wide sole option is 1.2" and available in multiple lofts. They have a club pack with KBS Hi Rev shafts for only $50 on golfworks website.

[CallawayKid86]

I got my dad the smart sole to help him get out of the sand. It didn't help him at all. He just tries to pick it too clean. I am using a Gorge WS with a good bit of bounce. It is my go to out of sand and in the rough around greens. I used to hate fat sole wedges, but this has been great to me so far.

[pmcuk]

The only problem with the K grind is when it doesn't work at all. Like the last round I played. The sand was wet and solid. Impossible to get under the ball. I tried 5 times. In the end I just stabbed at it - wedge dug into the sand and stuck there but at least the ball came out OK.

 

With troublesome bunkers - poor sand, no sand, earth etc - I think it helps to have a 60* wedge with low bounce. I think the wide sole is still fine, just needs a lot lower bounce so the club goes under the ball OK. Tight lies another situation where it might be useful.

[md1m]

I used the K grind for a while a couple years ago and really liked it. But it is nowhere near the wedges like Sure Out in terms of width, bounce and camber.

 

The K is a great compromise if you want some of the benefits of the super forgiving hacker wedges but need it to still look like the wedges a good player would use.

 

Seems to sum up the main concern for most of the guys here. Experiment and use what works for you. I've enjoyed the game so much more once I stopped trying to look cool. The lower handicaps are probably fine with a vokey K, but I can't tell you how many guys I've played with who take two tries to get out of the sand with their Vokey, while I get it close with my ugly wedge.

[Petunia Sprinkle]

I borrowed a k-grind on a wet day and was great for lobs and sand. I should really get one.

[awfidlstx]

Cleveland smart sole is the best quality. Or save a few bucks and get an older Hogan Sure Out.

[herkyjerk]

One of my buddies let me hit his Cally Sure Out from a practice bunker like a month ago. I was literally TRYING to reasonably miss a ball and have it not leave the bunker. Hit about 10 shots and couldn't do it. I am by no means a great sand player, very average. Bought one that night. Less versatile in some other lies but out of sand it is the epitome of automatic. I replaced a Nike Toe Sweep which was good but this club is great. Low handicappers don't need it, I do.

[PowderedToastMan]

I can't use wide sole wedges. I actually find them harder to use from the sand. I open up the face, and it makes the leading edge so high that I have to come in crazy steep to not skull the ball. Plus on full swings, you can feel the extra sole width and it's clunky compared to a thin soled iron. If you play GI irons, you probably won't notice that though.

 

That being said, I learned to play with low bounce, thin sole lob wedges. I'm too stubborn to change my technique now.

[Colonel_Steelhead]

Ping Eye 2

They have yet to build a better mouse trap.

[duffer18]

One of my buddies let me hit his Cally Sure Out from a practice bunker like a month ago. I was literally TRYING to reasonably miss a ball and have it not leave the bunker. Hit about 10 shots and couldn't do it. I am by no means a great sand player, very average. Bought one that night. Less versatile in some other lies but out of sand it is the epitome of automatic. I replaced a Nike Toe Sweep which was good but this club is great. Low handicappers don't need it, I do.

 

Cally Sure Out be the ticket, at least for an old hacker like me. It ain't pretty, I won't back it up, and it's not what you'd call a finesse club. It just makes golf a whole lot easier, whether from the rough or out of a bunker. I'm going to Scotland this summer, and may take both the Cally 58 and the Cgi 65 for the pot bunkers that I will be visiting on far too many occasions. My wedge may be too wide, but so am I, and the scorecard is a lot prettier because of these wide wedges.

[sfdoddsy]

I have the Cleveland Smart Sole.

 

I actually find (currently) that my RTX 3 54 is better for the sand, but the Smart Sole is great for fullish shots and especially good out of fluffy lies around the greed.

[brendan6q66]

I hit far fewer fat 58* shots since picking up a SM6 Vokey K-grind. Super easy out of the sand, too. Only complaint is that it could use a little more heel / trailing edge relief in my opinion. I always get a little nervous opening the face to hit a high, soft flop that I'm going blade it across the green.

[SwingMan]

Limits your versatility.

 

How about setting up with your shaft handle behind the head, and then letting the clubhead pass the hands at impact with right palm in sky - use the bounce. Don't move the grip too much during the swing.

 

Or just get the Callaway SureOut

[pierso2]

I picked up a Fourteen DJ-11 for a gap wedge. 90% of the time I hit it for full shots and had a problem digging and making divots that the super would fill with sand thinking they were new bunkers.

 

Not only does it have a wide sole, but it is also really good around the green for chip shots. You can open the face up a bit but I really don't bother with it.

[gary3aces]

Thanks everyone for your help.I just got a great deal on a Cleveland Smart Sole that is in mint condition for 50 bucks.If I don't like it (which I think I will) I'm not out much. Couldn't pass it up.I didn't want to spend to much on something I've never tried.I don't have a lot of trouble getting out of bunkers but was very interested in trying a wide sole wedge.

 

Thanks,Gary :golfer:

[md1m]

I can't use wide sole wedges. I actually find them harder to use from the sand. I open up the face, and it makes the leading edge so high that I have to come in crazy steep to not skull the ball. Plus on full swings, you can feel the extra sole width and it's clunky compared to a thin soled iron. If you play GI irons, you probably won't notice that though.

 

That being said, I learned to play with low bounce, thin sole lob wedges. I'm too stubborn to change my technique now.

 

Dude, you don't open up the face on a wide sole wedge to use them out of a bunker or you will skull it every time! That's the beauty of them. You just square it up, take a regular swing, and the ball pops out. Works great out of the rough also. I can use mine on everything except hardpan just fine.

[North Butte]

The hacker-wedge idea is if you need more bounce, you build it into the wedge instead of getting it by opening the face. And if you need more loft, you build it into the wedge instead of getting it by opening the face.

 

When you make a wedge like that (tons of bounce, tons of loft, wide cambered sole) you get a club that isn't flexible. You can't take the same club and open it, hood it, play it hands back, hands forward, etc. But it will do the most commonly needed things very well without any manipulation at all.

 

I'm pretty much all-in on the concept at this point in my golfing journey. My teaching-pro buddy will gladly teach me all sorts of ways to play different shots, finesse the ball into tight spaces, spin it, hit it high and low and so forth. But the fact of the matter is I am not about to give up afternoons I could get in a round of golf to go practice all those manipulations. So instead of creating bounce and loft when I need then, I just use a Sure Out that gives me bounce and loft all day, every day.

[tagermo]

Vokey 58.12 K grind wedge is great for sand, rough, flop and full swing approach shots. The wide sole really does help.

[sbeduckman]

I'm a decent golfer, and a decent bunker player. I'm a 5 hcp now, up from a +1-+2 at my best. Have a baby now, got older, don't get to play much, and practice less. I just ordered a sure out (2 actually, one for me, one for dad). Why? My miss is a chunk. Always has been. I used to be good enough to get away with it. I play Ping G series irons now, a 460cc driver, and finally succumbed to a hybrid...tech helps, and forgiveness never hurt anyone. I bought a set SW as well. The game is hard enough and even when I was a better player, I preferred high bounce wedges and played everything with a straight face. I think the wide sole wedge will prove immediately beneficial.

[pmcuk]

The hacker-wedge idea is if you need more bounce, you build it into the wedge instead of getting it by opening the face. And if you need more loft, you build it into the wedge instead of getting it by opening the face.

 

When you make a wedge like that (tons of bounce, tons of loft, wide cambered sole) you get a club that isn't flexible. You can't take the same club and open it, hood it, play it hands back, hands forward, etc. But it will do the most commonly needed things very well without any manipulation at all.

 

My teaching-pro buddy will gladly teach me all sorts of ways to play different shots, finesse the ball into tight spaces, spin it, hit it high and low and so forth. But the fact of the matter is I am not about to give up afternoons I could get in a round of golf to go practice all those manipulations.

 

 

That's a totally realistic real-world viewpoint, and I agree with you. If I have a wedge I can hit straight and which does more or less what it's required to do, then for me it's a go-to solution. I use a K grind 58*. There are times when I could use a low bounce 60* and I might put one in the bag just in case. Wouldn't use it much but there are the occasional shots where nothing else quite does it properly.

[C_rad]

I just tried a cleveland wide sole rtx and it is a very good wedge for me. But it depends on the co dition. I find my s grind sm6 58 more versatile. Anf since i play a 52/58 combo, i need a 58 versatile. If i would go back to a 4 wedge set up, the 60 rtx wide will be surely in the bag.