When you use the right wedge, you do a better job of hitting greens and spinning the ball back like a pro.
You need not be concerned if you do not hit the green since your wedge is the weapon that will allow you to chip your ball close to the hole.
In either case, we are preventing strokes throughout the entire day.
You are just unbeatable. At the same time that men will want to be you, women will want to be with you. Because my team and I put everything on the market to the test, I am going to demonstrate to you which wedges are the most effective for high handicappers.
The Best Wedges for High Handicappers and Beginners in 2025
- Cleveland SmartSole 4 wedge (most forgiving golf wedge)
- Wilson Harmonized wedge (best value wedge for beginners)
- Cleveland CBX Fullface 2 wedge (best sand wedge for high handicappers)
- Ping Glide 4.0 S wedge (best premium wedge for high handicap)
- Square Strike wedge (best wedges for chipping)
- Callaway Mack Daddy CB wedge (best wedge to stay in your bag for long)
Cleveland Golf Smart Sole 4 Wedges
Most forgiving golf wedge
Cleveland Golf makes the best wedges for high handicappers in general but they designed the Smart Sole with high handicappers in mind.
Why the Cleveland Smart Sole 4 series is my top recommendation high handicappers:
Three wedges made for specific purposes:
- C wedge is 42° and made for Chipping.
- S wedge is 58° and is made for Sand and lob shots
- G wedge is 50° which is the Gap between the S and C wedges
C wedge: The C wedge has a loft of 42 degrees and was developed for playing around the green. However, it can be utilised just as successfully from 125 yards with a full swing at just the same distance. When I hit the ball from inside 125 yards, I discovered that there is a lot of roll. Because of this, you can hit the C wedge, but you need to anticipate where it can bounce before the green without rolling into a hazard.
The S wedge, also known as the Smart Sole S wedge, is designed to assist you in getting out of the bunker with practically no effort at all. One thing that I discovered is that the very WIDE sole of the club is able to skim the sand wonderfully. It was not necessary for me to employ any particular bunker strategy in order to get out of the sand because the club did all of the job for me. Due to the fact that the face has 58 degrees of loft, there is not much of a need to open the face when taking the bunker shot. It is remarkable.
G wedge: The G wedge, which is set at 50 degrees, is the between club that produces a full shot that is slightly shorter than the 42-degree club and allows for greater chipping precision.
Your ability to glide through tall grass and fairways alike is going to be facilitated by the club’s broad sole. When you are in the vicinity of the green, you will not touch the ground before the ball or skull the ball as it travels across the green.
Pros
- Playable from any lie
- Get out of sand FIRST TIME
- S wedge purpose built for easy bunker shots and preventing chunks with chipping
- C wedge purpose built for chipping and running balls up from the fairway
- G wedge slots in between the C and S wedge making this a perfect set of three
Cons
- Unusual shape that will take time to get used to
Wilson Harmonized Golf Wedge
Best value for money wedge for beginners
Especially considering the fact that you can purchase a set of these Wilson Harmonised wedges at a low price, they are the greatest wedges for beginners because they have a conventional appearance.
In order to achieve constant distances from 120 yards all the way down to 70 yards, you will need to purchase a set of synchronised wedges. These wedges will assist you in achieving the gapping that is consistent between your wedges. Among the wedges included in the set are the Lob Wedge, Sand Wedge, Gap Wedge, and Pitching Wedge.
If you are just starting out in the game or are on a tight budget, it would be prudent to get a couple of these wedges. Despite the fact that these are terrific beginner wedges, I can ensure that you will not play the Wilson Harmonised when you drop into the mid handicap range. This is because you will upgrade to more expensive models.
During this experience, you will get an excellent sense of how a classic wedge operates and feels. It is important to practise chipping, bunker shots and pitch shots so that you will have the ability to take advantage of premium wedges when you eventually upgrade to a higher level of golf.
Pros
- 56° sand wedge has ideal 12° of bounce to get through the turf
- Classic blade shape wedge
- One of the best value for money options to get started in the wedge game
- Look for the black versions to reduce glare from the chrome ones
- Wide range of lofts in Harmonized range PW, SW, GW, LW
Cons
- Highly reflective chrome finish will cause glare into your eyes
Cleveland CBX Fullface 2
Best sand wedge for high handicappers
As a result of the grooves that stretch over the entire face, the Cleveland CBX Full Face wedges 2 are exceptionally forgiving for high handicap professionals. In order to get a favourable outcome, you are free to smash the ball anywhere on the surface of the club.
Do not forget that these wedges are available in a wide range of lofts, including 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, and 60 degrees. It is possible to become perplexing, but I would recommend starting with the 56 degree angle. After you have experimented with it for some time, you will be able to determine what to add next. Getting too many at once is something you should want to avoid doing, but after you’ve played the 56-degree club, I suspect that the next club you play will be a 50 or 52-degree club. You are free to disregard the sixty degree for an extended period of time.
Because of the full face grooves, in addition to two other elements, the CBX 2 Full Face is an extremely playable golf course for high handicappers.
The solitary design is the first component that contributes to forgiveness. The sole of the 50 and 52 degree clubs makes it simpler to hit complete shots than it would be otherwise. To facilitate chipping, bunker, and pitch shots, the soles of the 54, 56, and 60 degree wedges have a c-shaped design that provides additional bounce. Additionally, the soles are shaved towards the heel, which makes it easier to strike the ground before the ball and achieve a favourable outcome.
The hollow rear of the wedge is the second aspect that contributes to the forgiveness. When compared to blade design golf clubs, cavity back golf clubs are easier to hit.
These wedges are just what you need if you have a habit of hitting the ground before the ball. Due to the fact that they are both high-quality and forgiving, the Cleveland CBX 2 Full Face wedges will never need to be replaced in your bag.
Pros
- Hit the ball anywhere on the face and there are grooves there
- Extra forgiveness through the cavity back and new sole design
- Wide range of lofts so you can build a full set: 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, 60 degree
- Matches the feel and look of cavity back irons
Cons
- Nothing – these are excellent wedges for high handicappers
PING Glide 4.0 Wedge
A wedge to keep in the bag for a long time
In addition, the PING Glide comes with a grip that has been specifically created and features white markings that can serve as a guide for where your hands should be placed when you are gripping down. In order to give you the most amount of control possible, they created the wedge from the ground up that you may use.
The weighting has been moved to the perimeters in order to improve the off-center strikes on the longer shots, which will result in less variation in distance. Because those half injections are everyone’s worst nightmare, this is a huge assistance because it addresses the problem.
Joe, a contributor to our website who hails from the United Kingdom, possesses a 54-degree PING glide sand wedge, which he used for a wide range of shots on the golf course. In addition to the fact that he adores the amount of bounce that the club possesses, he finds that the club’s forgiving appearance makes it simpler for him to hit committed three-four swings. His home golf course has a variety of varied ground conditions, and this is an appropriate solution for those conditions.
Pros
- Special grip design to aid with partial shots
- Perimeter weighting gives extra forgiveness
- Low centre of gravity to help prevent fat shots
- Premium look and feel
Cons
- Expensive
Square Strike Wedges
The very best wedges for chipping if you duff your chips
In the short game, square strike wedges are a powerful saver. During my time with them, I witnessed five of my pals completely transform their chipping and pitching skills.
Getting familiar with the bump and run technique is the best approach to make use of these wedges. Your self-assurance will increase after you have played these for some time, and you will eventually be able to play “normal” wedges once more. Square Strike has the potential to serve as both a long-term solution and a short-term institution for the development of confidence.
One of the challenges that a lot of golfers have is chipping, which is within the rules of tournament play and can be of assistance to the typical individual who is having a problem. With their assistance, you will learn the fundamentals of the bump and run shot, which is the most important chipping shot in golf.
If you want shots that are more reliable and predictable, you should try the lower shot with the Square Strike around the greens instead of the high lobbed shots. When it comes to high lofted wedges, it is quite challenging for novices and high handicappers to accurately forecast the launch and spin of the wedges. You can see that through square strikes.
In terms of bump and run chips, the Square Strike 45 degree will be the most effective option; however, the Square Strike 55 and 60 degree options are also available for those who require assistance with pitch shots and lob shots. You can employ each and every one of them in any situation involving chipping, pitching, or bunkering.
Pros
- Easy to use when using the correct type of stroke for the shot
- Three different lofts 45, 55, 60 degree, to collect a set if you like them
- Great introduction to the chip and run with a putting style stroke – great for learning
- Allowed in golf tournament play
- Anti chunking sole for more of a putting style stroke
Cons
- Cheap grips
Callaway Mack Daddy CB Wedge
The Callaway Mack Daddy CB is a cavity back wedge that is designed to be forgiving and is suitable for high handicappers as well as beginners.
Because the face is angled at 56 degrees, full face grooves allow you to smash the ball all over the face while still achieving an adequate amount of backspin. To prevent any digging that may occur when you strike the turf, Callaway has included a leading edge that has already been worn. Wide soles on the bottom of the club will help to skim the wedge through the ground and offer a beginner or high handicapper a lot of confidence to make good contact and also get out of bunkers easily. Wide soles on the bottom of the club are located behind the leading edge and extend all the way down to the 52-degree wedge.
To allow you to grasp down for short game shots without having to clutch the steel shaft, the grip that is provided on the CB wedge is specifically designed to be longer than the standard grips.
The loft of Callaway Mack Daddy CB wedges ranges from 46 degrees all the way up to 60 degrees, with increments of 2 degrees in between each loft height. In order to achieve complete uniformity, you can use the Callaway Mack Daddy CB line to fashion a pair of wedges that are tailored to your personal taste.
A Mack Daddy defensive back is difficult to beat when it comes to forgiveness and precision. However, they come at a very high cost.
Pros
- Very good for players who don’t hit the sweet spot on wedges
- Many loft options to craft a whole set of wedges in future
- Glides through the turf with the big sole and bounce on each club
- No need to replace these other than if you wear out the grooves – these are top quality
Cons
- The head shape is a bit large make sure that it suits your eye
- Very pricey
High handicap and beginner wedge info guide-
What factors make good wedges for high handicappers?
When it comes to creating forgiveness in a wedge, ball bounce, club head style, and loft are all crucial aspects for high handicappers to consider. Our top responsibility as higher handicappers is to forgive others so that we can get the ball off the ground and moving in the direction we want it to go at the time we want it to go. That is something that Bounce assists us with.
What is bounce?
Before we go any further into that, it is essential to recognise that the most crucial quality of a wedge is its ability to provide us greater forgiveness (Insert Link).
I concentrated on bounce as the primary criterion in order to assist you in finding the finest wedge for high handicappers and novices for your golf game.
What is bounce on a wedge?
When we talk about bounce, we are referring to the lowest section of the sole, which is the part of the wedge sole that is really in contact with the ground at address. This is the component that causes the front of the sole to be elevated above the ground at address.
A measurement of the angle that is given in degrees and is known as the bounce angle is the angle that is formed between the leading edge of the sole and the lowest point on the sole. As the bounce angle increases, the leading edge of the sole will be elevated off the ground when the ball is aimed at the target. The bounce is increased by larger soles.
How does bounce make a wedge forgiving?
By causing the bottom of the club’s sole to make contact with the turf, bounce causes the club to ‘bounce’ back off the ground rather than digging into the ground. In the event that you make contact with the ground before the ball on your pitch or chip shot, the bounce of the club will assist you in maintaining accurate contact.
If you hit the ball behind it, the bounce will cause the club to skim and pop towards the ball, which will ensure that you make contact with the ball. The sand wedge that is used from a bunker, for example, should have a lot of bounce so that it may literally bounce off the surface of the sand and float the ball out on a pillow of sand. This is the case for ninety percent of golf students.
We all make a lot of fat shots when we first start playing golf, which means we strike the ground before the ball. When you make a fat shot with your SW, if it has too little bounce, it will dig into the ground, and your ball will go a few feet or yards in front of you from where you are standing.
The ball will be sent to your target if the wedge has a higher bounce, which means that it will literally bounce off the ground and make strong contact with the ball. These will aid your shoots that are within one hundred yards.
Since I am a beginner or a player with a high handicap, which wedges should I use?
You can try to obtain yourself a gap wedge (GW), which is also known as an approach wedge (AW), in order to have a distance for a club between your sand wedge and pitching wedge. If you just have the Sand Wedge from your set, you can take advantage of this opportunity.
WARNING: Do not get a 60 degree wedge until you are a much lower handicap, perhaps around 9 handicap. They are too technical and will make more bad shots than good ones.
- To get out of bunkers the first time: If your major priority is simply getting out of that blasted bunker, I would strongly recommend that you go with something that has a sole that is really thick and a loft that is between 56 and 58 degrees. Begin with a Cleveland Smart Sole or one of the other crazy fat soled wedges, such as an X-out or Tour Edge 1out. Both of these options are available to you. This is an excellent method for simply removing something from the sand.
- You can actually get away with chipping with your irons if you learn the bump and run type chip, which I encourage on my YouTube channel. When you learn this style, you can truly get away with chipping. On the other side, if you have a high handicap, you can find yourself in some challenging situations where you need to chip over challenges such as bunkers, water, and obstructions.
- If you are looking for a wedge that can be used in both the rough and the fairway, you should consider purchasing one that has a cavity back, such as a Ping Glide or a Cleveland CBX wedge. This will allow you to play the game more effectively. Additionally, the Smart Sole is an excellent choice for chipping on the other hand. This powerful chipping club is part of the Smart Sole series and is called the G wedge.
- For these kinds of shots, the loft range can be anywhere from fifty degrees to fifty-six degrees, and you will be OK with only one or two of these wedges.
- From thirty to one hundred yards: Swung more ‘full’, they are going to be clubs with lofts ranging from 58 degrees to 50 degrees and a loft that is 58 degrees. You have complete control over the kinds of wedges that are most suitable for this purpose. It is sufficient for you to practise with the one that you select and determine the distance that you are able to hit it with a FULL SHOT and a HALF SHOT. The next step is to modify your game so that you can use that club and that swing for the particular distance that it travels.
When do we use wedges?
For pitching and chipping around the green, as well as driving wedges from bunkers, we use wedges. The majority of golfers seem to have a single club that they prefer to use for hitting three-quarter shots, chipping greens, and hitting out of bunkers. To simplify your game and ensure that you have a shot that is constant for every circumstance, this is a smart formula to use.
In addition, we employ wedges inside a hundred yards. This is the most crucial aspect of golf, and the majority of experts will tell you that if they were to take control of the game for a 24 handicapper within 100 yards, the 24 handicapper would be a 10 handicapper. There is no denying the significance of the wedge game!
You have the ability to drastically SLASH strokes off your score if you are armed with a solid wedge and a considerable amount of experience. Your ability to rapidly nip tuck shots from around the greens will amaze you if you make a decent investment in a wedge and treat yourself to it. This is just incredible.
The decision is entirely up to you, and there is no right or wrong way to proceed; nonetheless, beginning with these suggestions will be beneficial to you.
What are the Four Main Wedges?
Pitching wedge
The pitching wedge is the most common type of wedge, and it has a loft that ranges from 44 degrees to 48 degrees. You will find it in your set of irons. These are fantastic for chipping around the greenside.
Gap Wedge 50° to 53° which fills the gap between PW and SW for when you need to close the gap in distance. It is necessary for you to get this item on your own because the majority of high handicap iron sets (Insert Link) do not necessarily include one.
Sand Wedge
Sand wedges often have lofts ranging from 54 to 58 degrees and fat soles that have bounces ranging from 10 to 12 degrees. These lofts and soles are crucial for bunkers and shots that are within 100 yards. The ball is able to glide through longer grass and sand thanks to the broad underbelly, which also assists it to become airborne off of shorter grass. In every bag, the sand wedge is an indispensable component.
Lob Wedge
Using a lob wedge with a loft of sixty to sixty-four degrees is ideal for striking over bunkers surrounding the green, short bunker shots, and shots that are within eighty or ninety yards. It has the potential to bring a new dimension to your game, enabling you to take fuller strokes within 100 yards rather than those challenging half swings with sand wedges. Lob wedges with a degree angle greater than sixty degrees are not suitable for the typical golfer.
How important are wedges?
The quantity of shots you will hit with a wedge will amaze you, in addition to the fact that specialised wedge clubs are a dream to play with:
- Pitch from 20 to 100 yards
- Green side chipping
- Chipping and pitching over hazards and bunkers
- Green side sand shots
- Chips from the rough
If we add up the total shots you play per round with these few clubs in these situations, you’ll see it can be up to 40-50% of your of the game.
The verdict: Best wedges for high handicappers
The best wedge for high handicappers and beginners are from the Cleveland Golf Smart Sole 4 Wedge range.
My primary objective is to assist you in selecting the most suitable clubs for your game without causing you to become bankrupt or to be enticed into purchasing subpar clubs that will leave you feeling dissatisfied. With any luck, you were able to pick a solid wedge or set of wedges that will allow you to take your game to the next level from within 100 yards. I hope that this advice was beneficial to you.