If you’re tired of lingering between 10 and 20 strokes over par, you might want to focus on your short game. Anyone can swing a driver, but approach shots take a bit more finesse, so you’ll need the appropriate tools for shaving off a couple of strokes or more. You guessed it, you need wedges. Now, some trainers might argue that even the best golf wedges for mid handicappers will give you only marginal improvement, but here’s where they’re wrong.
Why Choose Wedges?
The basic premise is that you won’t be playing them with full swing, like you would your irons, so if you’re going to get GI (Game-Improvement) clubs, it might as well be irons, and not wedges. However, fact is you’ll be taking plenty of full swings with your wedges, especially with higher lofts (sand and lob), so you might as well go with something forgiving. This is especially true if you need to cover any distance between 65 yards and 110 yards.
What is a Golf Handicap?
Before we move on, let’s just explain briefly what handicap is and why it’s so important, in case there are still some folks who aren’t quite clear on it. In plain English, handicap is just a numerical representation of how good you play (granted, this is a gross oversimplification, but it does the job). Painting with a broad brush, we can divide all players into high, mid, and low handicappers (this is, of course, irrespective of how long they’ve been playing the game).
Let’s get a bit more specific – the typical 18-hole course will have a total par of 68–72 (the number of strokes needed to complete a single hole; total par, then, is the number of strokes it takes to complete the whole course).
Say we’re playing 72, and let’s say there are three players – the first finishes with 76, the second with 89, and the third with 96. That means the first is a 4 handicap, the second a 17 handicap, and the third a 24 handicap, or a low, mid, and high handicapper, respectively. Basically, the minute you get into double digits, you’re a mid-handicapper, while if you go over 20, you’re a high handicapper.
Wedges for Mid Handicappers Comparison Table
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The 7 Best Golf Wedges for Mid Handicappers Reviews
If you’re not quite sure how to go about buying the top rated golf wedge for mid handicappers, feel free to read through our reviews of the seven most popular mid handicap wedges.
1. Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 Cavity Back Wedge(See a full review of the wedge here).
Our Rating:
The Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 is definitely one of the most popular golf wedges for mid handicappers, and with good reason.
For a start, it’s got a very accessible bounce, and you’ll recognize the varieties by the dots on the sole (one dot – low, two dots – mid, and three dots – high, respectively), while the actual bounce will be marked on the hosel.
The lofts range from 46 to 60, but unless you’re a low handicapper or at least under 15, you might want to go with the CB in 46 and 50 (PW and GW, respectively), and then switch to Blade for higher lofts.
Pros
- Great, soft feel, should suit all types of handicappers
- Generates plenty of spin
- Plenty of loft, bounce, and finish options to choose from
Cons
- It’s a bit heavy
2. Mizuno S5 Wedge(See a full review of the wedge here).
Our Rating:
The Mizuno S5 may not be the perfect golf wedge for mid handicappers, but it’s certainly the best looking, if you get it with the Blue Ion finish.
Granted, it’ll wear off rather quickly, which will definitely make other players look at your bag funnily, but it won’t affect the way it plays.
Speaking of which, this is definitely one of the most forgiving wedges out there, and the sweet spot is miles easier to hit than the G spot.
All jokes aside, though, the S5 line comes with plenty of loft, grind, and finish options, which makes customizing your bag all the easier.
Pros
- Plenty of forgiveness, ideal for high and mid handicappers
- The thin top line makes it interesting to low handicappers, as well
- Feels soft, should give you plenty of short distance control
Cons
- Again, the blue finish doesn’t survive for long
3. Cobra King Wedge
Our Rating:
The Cobra King is one of those rare products that actually live up to their names – it’s certainly among the best mid handicap wedges, and should easily make the cut for the best wedges in general.
Its major selling point is the grind selection – Classic (mid-size divots), WideLow (for diggers) and Versatile (for sweepers).
On the flipside, the loft range is a bit poor, since you don’t have any lofts below 50 (though all of the ones you do have come in all three grind variants, which is pretty nice when it comes to versatility). The grooves are CNC milled, precisely cut and angled so that they allow for plenty of forgiveness on off-center shots.
Pros
- Excellent grind choice
- Slightly larger profile than standard, looks nice on address
- Should suit all types of handicappers
Cons
- Doesn’t come in lower lofts, so you’ll have to look elsewhere for pitching wedges
4. Ping Glide 2.0 Wedge(See a full review of the wedge here).
Our Rating:
The Ping Glide 2.0 is a slightly larger version of the Ping Glide, which allows it to have one extra groove on the face.
This, in turn, enables the wedge to generate more spin and give you better control on the ball. On that same note, the sweet spot is easier to hit, and even if you do manage to miss it, the wedge is more than forgiving on off-centre hits.
The real deal maker, however, is the rich choice of grinds, ES (Eye Sole), with the inverted cavity back, WS (Wide Sole), TS (Thin Sole) and SS (Standard Sole). If you’re going for maximum forgiveness and a way to get out of bunkers, you’d do well to get the Eye Sole.
Pros
- Plenty of lofts to choose from (46, 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, and 60)
- Incredibly forgiving
- Four grinds/bounce angles
Cons
- Could have a better selection of lower lofts
5. Titleist Vokey SM4 Wedge(See a full review of the wedge here).
Our Rating:
When people hear the words Titleist Vokey, the reaction is almost visceral, and with small wonder.
The SM4 wedges are definitely up to par (pun not intended), especially if you consider the fact they’re the most forgiving out of all the spin milled Vokeys. Its 17 grooves do a great job of giving you more spin control, so you’ll be able of really dialling in the ball.
Granted, this is not to say that it requires no practice – it does, especially if you want to hit the sweet spot on every swing. Then again, if you’re a mid-handicapper, you don’t need an enchanted club, just something to shave off a couple of strokes off your short game.
Pros
- Versatile, good for all three types of handicappers
- Generates lots of spin thanks to its 17 grooves
- Plenty of loft and bounce options to choose from
Cons
- Could have a bigger sweet spot
6. TaylorMade Milled Grind Wedge(See a full review of the wedge here).
Our Rating:
The TaylorMade MD has a decent loft selection, though it’s conspicuously lacking in the lower lofts (no pitching wedge).
On the flipside, the grind selection is excellent (LB, SB, and HB, or low, standard, and high bounce, respectively), and all the wedges from this line will interact smoothly with the turf.
Three bounces are available, though not all of them will appear on each respective loft. However, the major selling point of this puppy would be the new and improved grooves, which are slightly narrower and there are more of them (in comparison to previous generations), so you’ll get plenty more spin control on launch.
Pros
- Great distance control
- Inexpensive
- Lightweight, should suit high and mid handicappers
Cons
- Not as forgiving as some other wedges on this list
7. Callaway MD2 Wedge(See a full review of the wedge here).
Our Rating:
If there was a vote for the most valuable golf wedge for mid handicappers, most players would probably vote for the Callaway MD2 wedges.
The MD2 feels nice and soft, and gives you plenty of forgiveness on mishits. If you’re more of a low-mid handicapper (under 15), you’ll probably also like the newer Callaway MD3 W Grind. It’s not as forgiving as the MD2, but it’ll feel great when you hit the sweet spot.
There’s a nice selection of lofts for right-handers (47, 50, 52, 56, 58, 60, and 64), and not so nice for left-handers (52, 56, and 60). The grind selection is up to par, though, with three options to choose from – C-Grind (versatile and can open face), U-Grind (for more aggressive golfers) and S-Grind (straight and traditional, midway between the other two).
Pros
- Fairly large profile, looks great on address
- Easy-to-hit sweet spot, lots of forgiveness on mishits
- Pretty aggressive groove, plenty of spin control
Cons
- Plays with a bit more bounce than it reads on the sole
Conclusion
Recommending the best golf wedge for mid handicappers is a thankless task, as there are no two golfers who play the same, just as there probably are no two wedges that play the same, even from the same line. Be that as it may, we hope this brief list has at least given you an idea of where to go in your search to shave off a couple of strokes off your short game.
The best thing you could do is take all seven of them for a test run, and see what feels the best. Short of that, find out if there’s a wedge that complements any GI (Game-Improvement) irons you might be using, and try it on. Keep it on the fairways, and whatever you do, always take one more club on the seventh!
