Playing out of bunkers is a bugaboo for many golfers, including Hot List tester Anand Mudaliar. A 6-handicap who plays about 50 rounds a year, Mudaliar, 42, has no issue bashing it 260 off the tee but struggles big-time in the sand. Still, he knows what he wants in a wedge. “I really value how the wedge feels as it glides through the sand,” he says, “I’m looking for that effortless cut without too much resistance.” Anand admits it’s also in his head. “Confidence plays a big role. If my mind is saying, ‘Cut through the sand,’ then I want a wedge that visually backs that up. That usually means a sharper-looking leading edge. It’s as much about visual trust as it is about performance.” Here are the wedges that caught Anand’s eye, along with the rest of his favorite clubs from this year’s Hot List.
WEDGES
false Mizuno Mizuno Pro T3 $180 | Golf Galaxy 4.0 GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE Hot List Silver $180 “Consistent across the board on full shots. I could take the 50-degree and hit it anywhere from 70 to 110 yards. Easy to take yards off and add them. Interaction with the ground, trajectory and spin were all working in unison. On greenside shots, the 58-degree worked really well in terms of hitting high, soft, bump-and-run shots and the work from the bunker was effortless.” BUY NOW DETAILS
Anand’s other favorite Hot List wedges
Edel SMS Pro
Titleist Vokey Design SM10
TaylorMade Hi-Toe 4
Ping s159
DRIVERS
false Titleist GT2 $650 | Golf Galaxy 5.0 GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE Hot List Gold $650 “Reminds me of a Porsche—fast, sleek, powerful. Looks aerodynamically perfect. Felt like it would just glide through the air, no matter how bad a swing I made.” BUY NOW DETAILS
Anand’s other favorite Hot List drivers
Callaway Elyte
Srixon ZXi
Tour Edge Exotics E725
Cobra DS-Adapt X
FAIRWAY WOODS
false Titleist GT2 $400 | Golf Galaxy 5.0 GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE Hot List Gold $400 “Love the way it looks. Has this unassuming power behind it when the ball hits the face. Doesn’t feel super hot off the face, but you look up and it keeps going up and up. Worked well off the deck and tee. Head glides through the turf.” BUY NOW DETAILS
Anand’s other favorite Hot List fairway woods
Callaway Elyte X
Srixon ZXi
Mizuno ST-G
TaylorMade Qi35 Tour
HYBRIDS
false Titleist GT2 $330 | Golf Galaxy 5.0 GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE Hot List Gold $330 “When I think of GTs, I think about Porsche. I think about speed, money, elegance, class. This has all of them. Incredible ball speed, high launch, super tight dispersion. Just money.” BUY NOW DETAILS
Anand’s other favorite Hot List hybrids
Srixon ZXi
Cobra King Tec
Ping G440
Cobra DS-Adapt
PLAYERS IRONS
false Cobra King Tour $200 per iron | Golf Galaxy 4.0 GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE Hot List Silver $200 per iron “Love this club! I don’t know about the forgiveness because I didn’t miss a single shot. That surprises me because the clubhead is so small. The all-black look—it’s a black beauty. You carry these in your bag and people are going to ask you where you got them.” BUY NOW DETAILS
Anand’s other favorite Hot List players irons
Titleist T100
Mizuno Mizuno Pro 243
Callaway Apex Pro
Ping Blueprint S
PLAYERS-DISTANCE IRONS
false Srixon ZXi5 $186 per iron | Golf Galaxy 4.5 GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE Hot List Gold $186 per iron “I’m going to call this the ‘Don’t-hold-back club.’ You can bring everything and more. You just step in and rip it. You can play these irons like you play a driver. A lot has to do with sole design and how it interacts with the turf. If you’re afraid to dig divots, please get this club. It will help you get a better divot pattern and help you hit it hard and long.” BUY NOW DETAILS
Anand’s other favorite Hot List players-distance irons
Honma TW767 Px
Mizuno Mizuno Pro 245
Muzno JPX925 Hot Metal Pro
GAME-IMPROVEMENT IRONS
false Callaway Elyte HL $143 per iron | Golf Galaxy 4.5 GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE Hot List Gold $143 per iron “Just by looking at it, it feels like a player’s iron. Everything about it, the sole design, the head design, only a little offset. I like the shiny chrome. The performance is amazing. Every shot is pure. These clubs are supposed to launch the ball and it does with the 5-iron. High launch, low spin.” BUY NOW DETAILS
Anand’s other favorite Hot List game-improvement irons
Wilson Dynapower
Honma TW767 HX
Vice VGI02
BLADE PUTTERS
false Ping PLD Milled $450 | Golf Galaxy 5.0 GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE Hot List Gold $450 “Traditional Ping look. Why fix it if it’s not broken? Love the gold accents. Minimalistic to the core. Center is soft, cushioned feel; off-center hits firmer and more metallic.” BUY NOW DETAILS
Anand’s other favorite Hot List blade putters
Evnroll Zero
Evnroll V2
Kevin Burns Custom Series 9307
MALLET PUTTERS
false TaylorMade Spider Tour $350 | Golf Galaxy 5.0 GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE Hot List Gold $350 “If you put ‘Pure Roll’ on the face, the roll better be pure, and it is! There’s a reason this is probably the most successful putter I’ve played the last five years, and in general. It performs. I feel like when it comes to lag putting, this is the G.O.A.T. I have more tap-ins with this than anything else. Gimmes. More gimmes. More tap-ins. Everything works. Three-putt avoidance is huge. Make a mistake, this putter is incredible.” BUY NOW DETAILS
Anand’s other favorite Hot List mallet putters
Cobra 3D Printed Agera RS
PXG Battle Ready II Bat Attack
Scotty Cameron by Titleist Studio Style Fastback
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
