ORLANDO -- Classic wedges is a category that's really starting to take off.
Wilson's new Dyna Power models, designed by Robert Mandrella, have been modeled after the original 1958 Dyna-Power designs. The company has introduced a five-model family of Dyna-Powered Wedges that feature the classic Wilson shapes that have been played by legends such as Sam Snead and Arnold Palmer.
Cleveland, one of the undisputed leaders in the category, has replaced its original BeCu and BeNi wedges with the new 900 BRZ wedges, made of a new aluminum bronze compound. The company says the elimination of beryllium increases the elasticity of the metal for more responsiveness while the copper gives it soft feel.
Feel Golf, renowned for its wedges, has introduced the Midnight Series of wedges. They feature a jet-black finish, and with a white ball against the black backdrop of the face. The company says it feels like it exudes a thin film of oil for less resistance through deep rough and sand.
Callaway and TaylorMade don't exactly have a rich tradition in the wedge category, but they've both made strong statements with recent introductions.
TaylorMade's Tour Preferred wedges are blueprints for which the company has based its new irons. The wedges feature something called RAC (Relative Amplitude Coefficient) technology by putting special pockets in the back of the head to affect feel. Two cavities are precisely shaped through milling and positioned at the toe and the heel in the thick bottom flange of the wedge.
Callaway's new Forged Wedges are a significant departure mark the first time it has released a club with a traditional hosel since the 1980s. Designed by Roger Cleveland, creator of some of the game's most trusted wedge designs - the series features two finishes and five lofts.
"The inspiration in designing the Callaway Golf Forged Wedges was to improve upon the classic wedge design. From a design standpoint, a classic wedge shape with a hosel gives you certain options for look and performance that are very beneficial," says Cleveland. "So I wanted to create a 'new classic' wedge design that tour pros and top amateurs would instantly feel comfortable with, but with features that live up to the Callaway Golf standard of being demonstrably superior and pleasingly different for golfers of all skill levels."
Nike Golf has been forging wedges all along in its short club history, and the company has expanded its Nike Forged Wedge line from four choices to 10. The company has introduced lofts of 48, 50, 55 and 62 degrees to go along with the original selection of lofts of 53, 56, 58 and 60 degrees. Options for bounce - a key to how aggressively the club pushes through tall grass and sand - have increased from two selections to six.
"There are really so many good choices out there, wedges for every kind of course or condition" says Supreme Golf Vice President Alan Gilcrest, who been particularly impressed with new offerings from Callaway and Mizuno. "It really makes sense to get your irons through the nine iron, then purchase the wedges separately."
What Mizuno has is a new raw version of its popular MP Series line of forged wedges. The Raw Black Ox wedges are designed to weather and rust over time creating a look and feel that is favored on the PGA Tour.
Grain Flow Forged, the Raw Black Ox wedges have computer-milled deep U-grooves for optimum spin and control.
