CRITERIA
Our judges evaluated Hot List candidates in four areas.
- Performance ( 45%)
The utility of a product, or what happens to the ball when it’s struck by the club. - Innovation ( 30%)
How a club’s technology, including custom-fitting, advances the category. - Look/Sound/Feel ( 20%)
What the golfer experiences before, during and after impact. - Demand ( 5%)
The relative interest in a product and its reputation.
All judging is based on a 100-point scale.
97-100 ★★★★★
88-96 ★★★★
70-87 ★★★
51-69 ★★
≤50 ★
(L) Low-Handicapper | (M) Mid-Handicapper | (H) High-Handicapper
Callaway
MD3
Performance ★★★★ ½
Innovation ★★★★★
Look / sound / feel ★★★★★
Demand ★★★★
VERDICT Callaway engineers believe wedge grooves should transition gradually from iron grooves to give players better distance control from the rough. The MD3 line covers 15 models, 14 degrees of loft and has three types of grooves. They include one designed for steep angles of attack on lower lofts and one designed for short swings that’s wider and more aggressive. Three sole grinds are available to fit various swing types and playing conditions.
COMMENTS(L) Bounce is great around the green for any shot height you want to hit. (M) Beautiful feedback. Nice heft behind the shot. (H) Easy to hit out of the bunker, always getting out and giving you spin.
CLEVELAND
RTX 2.0/CB 
Performance ★★★★ ½
Innovation ★★★★★
Look / sound / feel ★★★★★
Demand ★★★★
VERDICT Whether you prefer the traditional blade or the midsize cavity-back with the larger sole, the story with this extensive offering of 36 options starts and ends upfront. There are three layers of spin enhancers: the company’s sharpest grooves yet and two kinds of milled surface roughness between the grooves. Confused by the array of lofts? Cleveland’s wedge-analyser app can fit you in three swings.
COMMENTS (L) Barely heard it or felt it, but I knew it was good. (M) Weighting allows for great sand
interaction. On low chips, you could drive it in there with a hard check.
(H) An all-around performer that’s automatic out of the bunkers. Not too heavy, not too light.
MIZUNO
S5
Performance ★★★★★
Innovation ★★★★★
Look / sound / feel ★★★★
Demand ★★
VERDICT The slightly rounder, larger profile might say game-improvement, but the S5 is full of tour-inspired attributes. In addition to being one of the few forged offerings in this category, that list of features includes loft-specific grooves: Higher lofts will yield more spin, and lower lofts won’t produce too much. The five sole grinds match specific lofts, including both wider and narrow soles on the middle and higher lofts.
COMMENTS (L) This has a firm feel, in a great way. Incredible interaction with the sand. (M) Total control of the clubhead with an authoritative strike through the ball. (H) It combines a nice feel and a boring trajectory on full swings.
PING
GLIDE
Performance ★★★★ ½
Innovation ★★★★ ½
Look / sound / feel ★★★★ ½
Demand ★★★
VERDICT The company that invented clubfitting takes on the short game with four swing-specific sole grinds. Options include everything from the Thin Sole grind for players who take shallow divots to the new, bunker-friendly Eye Sole. Two types of grooves are intended to maximise volume on the lower lofts and optimise sharpness for more grab on the higher lofts. One other spin tactic: The chrome finish helps repel moisture for better friction when the rough is wet.
COMMENTS (L) I can see how it got its name: Hard or soft sand, it glided every time. (M) I like to choke down, so the longer grip really works. Easy distance control. (H) The ball comes off incredibly soft.
TAYLORMADE
TOUR PREFERRED EF
Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★★★
Look / sound / feel ★★★★
Demand ★★ ½
VERDICT The interesting case here is that the industry standard of milled grooves and laser surface roughness aren’t precise enough. So these wedges use extremely thin face plates, where the grooves and surface roughness are electroformed. In this method, the face plate is built up from liquid metal to tolerances as little as one-eightieth the width of a human hair. No less important, the metal used is highly durable nickel cobalt, so those precise grooves might just last longer, too.
COMMENTS (L) It has above-average spin on greenside shots. (M) Great turf interaction. It never seemed to dig. (H) This one laughs at deep rough.
TITLEIST
VOKEY DESIGN SM6
Performance ★★★★★
Innovation ★★★★★
Look / sound / feel ★★★★★
Demand ★★★★★
VERDICT The best-selling and most played wedge on the PGA Tour has been totally reconceived. The weighting changes depending on the loft: The low centre of gravity on the lower lofts helps distance progression from the short irons, and the raised CG on the higher lofts tightens distance dispersion. The grooves also change with loft to optimise spin, and the milled lines between the grooves yield more consistent edges.
COMMENTS (L) The bulge behind the top of the face really helps when you miss high. (M) This is the Swiss Army knife of shotmaking. They’ve nailed the bounce and the camber. (H) The sole works well through the turf and moves through the sand easily.
BEN HOGAN
TK 15
Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★ ½
Look / sound / feel ★★★★ ½
Demand ★
VERDICT Sure, it’s cool that there’s a loft at every degree from 48 to 63. But each head also is designed with different weighting for better distance gaps. Overall the weight is positioned higher, but as the lofts decrease, there’s more mass pushed from the centre to the heel and toe. The combination helps improve distance consistency. And why just the single V-shape sole? Because your swing and lie change multiple times in the same round from the same distance.
COMMENTS (L) Not intimidating at all. Easier to hit than it looks. (M) The size was a big positive around the green, like a really nimble sports car. (H) Compact and small, it delivered the ball nicely through the turf.
COBRA
KING
Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★★ ½
Look / sound / feel ★★★★
Demand ★★
VERDICT Sometimes lost in the minutiae of groove edges is the simple but elusive idea of feel. Cobra refocused its efforts here by subtly thickening the face and raising the height of the muscle in back. Those two changes result in higher vibration frequency for better feel. But the engineers didn’t forget about spin. The grooves change with loft so the wider grooves on the high lofts make more consistent contact with the ball.
COMMENTS (L) That simple notch in back really helps the club sit consistently when you open it up. (M) Balanced; just feels right in your hands. Excels in all phases. (H) It’s not heavy, but it sounds and feels that way so it’s smooth through the ball.
FOURTEEN
RM-22
Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★ ½
Look / sound / feel ★★★ ½
Demand ★★
VERDICT There are plenty of subtle elements here that are friendly to better players. The smaller size, thin leading edge and plenty of relief in the heel portion of the sole – even the 41-degree loft option – give it the shotmaking variety that better players prefer. But even average golfers will like having two sole-grind choices on the higher lofts, particularly the more forgiving “wide twin” version.
COMMENTS (L) The leading edge sits flat. The head makes a crisp sound at impact and powers through the sand. (M) It was so easy to control distance and spin. The longer hosel almost makes it feel as though it rips through the turf much easier.
NIKE
ENGAGE
Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★★
Look / sound / feel ★★★★★
Demand ★★
VERDICT In Nike’s eyes, getting the centre of gravity moved away from the heel is crucial. That’s why the hosel is shorter. The saved weight resets the CG closer to the centre so the head is more stable and easier to manipulate. The three sole grinds all emphasise versatility, including the distinctive toe-sweep version. Its narrow heel section and wide toe allow the club to stay open through rough and sand.
COMMENTS (L) A heavy head makes bunker shots pretty easy. (M) The sole’s pre-worn leading edge made contact around the green easier. (H) I opened the face on the 56, and it played like a 60. Good thump in the bunker.
WILSON
FG TOUR PMP 
Performance ★★★★ ½
Innovation ★★★★
Look / sound / feel ★★★★
Demand ★
VERDICT Spin is the primary focus here, thanks to what’s going on in the grooves and between them. The new groove is wider to grab more of the ball for increased spin on full shots. The 11 laser-etched scorelines between the grooves help boost spin on partial shots. Plus, the three sole grinds combine with Wilson’s custom-bending options to create 97 loft/bounce models.
COMMENTS (L) I could play a ball out of a sinkhole with this. (M) Makes you feel like you have soft hands even if you don’t. (H) It looks long from heel to toe, but it’s fantastic off all kinds of lies.
