Why I’ve spent this season searching for the perfect wedges

Welcome to Fully Fit 2026, GOLF’s new platform for providing you with real-golfer insights into what 2026 gear might be best suited for your game. To this end, we assembled six GOLF content creators of varying abilities and ran them through the gauntlet of six full-bag fittings (driver to putter!) at six major club manufacturers in Phoenix and Carlsbad, Calif. Our hope: that you might see shades of your own game in one of our panelists’ and take some learnings and inspiration from their fitting experiences. In this installment (below), Jake Morrow details his irons journey around Fully Fit 2026. You may browse each of our panelists’ full 2026 dream bags here:

Jake Morrow (0.3 handicap) | Jack Hirsh (1.2) | Wadeh Maroun (2.6) | Johnny Wunder (2.8) | Maddi MacClurg (5.6) | Sean Zak (7.4)

MORE FULLY FIT: Fully Fit hub page | Why we’re ‘testing’ golf clubs differently this year | Inside 6 days of fittings and testing | Browse 2026 drivers | Browse 2026 irons | How 5 days of club fittings changed my mind on golf equipment

Last year during our Ping stop of the Fully Fit trip, I ended up quite liking the Ping S259 wedges.

They spun very well, they felt very confidence-inspiring at impact, and it was a shape that I liked to look at behind the ball.

The only problem was that the stock grinds that Ping offered me didn’t really work out on the golf course. I ended up with a W grind in the lob wedge mostly to deal with digging on full shots, but that stopped me from some of the more creative short game shots I wanted to accomplish.

It wasn’t until I went back to Ping and did a custom wedge with PGA Tour Builder Adam Harding that I found “the perfect” lob wedge. You can read and watch all about that incredible experience here.

Since that fitting, I’ve been pretty stubborn about not messing with that lob wedge. About two months however, I noticed the lob wedge has been wearing down. I’ve noticed that it’s not performing the same way that it did when it was fresh and that it’s time to replace it.

The good news? Adam built me a backup when he built the first one, so I knew I had a weapon in the holster when I needed to switch.

The bad news? I wasn’t really happy with my 50º and 56º that were in the bag, so the experimenting began.

Couple quick notes here for those who may be curious:

I played a set of Cobra King wedges for the entirety of 2025, and they were still my choice at the start of the season after our Fully Fit trip. Cobra has not released new wedges in 2026, and my own rules told me to try something new for the bag, so they were unfortunately exempt from further testing. That being said, Cobra King wedges rule. You should try them. Side note: hands down the best RAW finish in the wedge game. Best patina for sure.

I have also known that RTZ 2 was coming, so I didn’t put any effort into testing RTZ product. Now that I have RTZ 2 in my hands this entire article could be blown up in the coming days, but more to come on that testing soon.

Replacing the lobber was going to be hard, so that became a lower priority than figuring out what to do about the 50º and the 56º options in the bag. The problem was not performance. I had put Ping S259 in the bag to match my new lobber, and they performed wonderfully. I was able to be creative with shots, hit the ball high and low; the 56º W-Grind was a bunker cheat code, and it was nice that they matched the lob wedge for the sake of my own OCD. The issue, though, was I just never loved how they looked behind the ball.

I genuinely have no idea why. There was just something about the way that they looked that made me second-guess the full swings. Almost like they were too “wedge-y” and not “iron-y” enough? I’m still not quite sure, but with the rest of my bag (aside from the driver) being more locked-down than ever, it could also have just been a tinkering itch I needed to scratch.

View Product

My Fully Fit Runner-Ups

My first stop was to my runner-up set of wedges from Fully Fit. The TaylorMade MG5s should be at the top of anyone’s list to try as gamer options for the bag. They’re a little bit firmer off the face, but you feel a tad more compression at the same time than some other wedges. They appear a bit more compact behind the ball, and that leans them more (for me) into the “iron-ie” side of shaping rather than getting a higher toe profile or a longer blade length like a more common wedge design typically would. I put these in the bag for about 10 rounds of play and just like the S259, they performed great.

Still, though, they didn’t end up winning the fight for what some of you readers are going to think is an insane reason. They flew too far. They didn’t jump. They were just HOT.

The 50º was getting closer to 135 yards in the air, and the 56º was getting close to 115 yards. When in the rough, those numbers could jump even further.

Could I have gotten used to the yardages? Yes. Did I struggle with the yardages? Yes. Did I end up switching them out solely because my job allows me access to anything else I wanted to test? Most definitely.

Next up: Callaway Opus SP

I still think these may have been the best performing wedges (50 and 56) that I’ve had in the bag this year. They’re ultra consistent in spin, launch, and dispersion. They spin when you WANT them to, and you can make them trundle when you don’t. Creativity is unlocked, confidence is increased, and the reliability of the wedges to get out of a sticky situation isn’t matched by many others. But they didn’t end up stuck in the bag.

Callaway Opus SP Custom Wedge

SPIN POCKET™ CONSTRUCTION
A re-engineered 2-piece construction head design strategically reshapes mass to optimize CG locations. The Spin Pocket redistributes weight higher, raising the CG, and promoting a lower, more penetrating launch. The result is more spin and enhanced control, especially when you need to flight shots or attack tight pins.
NEW SPIN GEN 2.0 FACE™
The most advanced face in OPUS history. A new 17° groove angle with tighter pitch spacing delivers more groove edge contact for more consistent spin across a variety of lies. Combined with a deeper cross-hatch laser pattern across the face, Spin Gen 2.0 produces enhanced friction for more bite and stopping power on all types of approach shots.
SHAPE 6 – TOUR-VALIDATED PROFILE
Trusted by Tour players for its clean, confident look at address, Shape 6 offers precise leading edge shaping and refined sole geometry. Shape 6 is the 6th and final iteration in the Opus prototype shaping phase, validated by Tour players and major champions. OPUS SP introduces progressive shaping in gap wedges to seamlessly blend with modern iron sets—creating a more cohesive setup from top to bottom.
X GRIND – VERSATILITY WITH BOUNCE
Back by popular demand, the X Grind returns in OPUS SP. Designed for shotmakers who want added bounce for forgiveness, without giving up versatility, the X Grind is ideal for players who like to open the face around the greens or play in firmer turf conditions. It’s the perfect blend of playability and performance in a wide range of shots and conditions.

View Product

It’s another case of me not being in love with how they look behind the ball. There’s something about how the top of the heel and the topline interact that doesn’t sit quite right with me. I think it’s because the Opus SP have a slightly more “traditional” look to them that TONS of players prefer. A tad more offset, a bit higher heel, and a bit rounder of a leading edge that sort of cuts into the hosel transition. Again, performance… 10/10. The problem was it took some effort for me to feel comfortable taking full shots with the 50º particularly, so onward the test went.

The Elephant in the Room

You may be thinking to yourself right now, “How has Jake not talked about Vokey yet?”, and that’s a wonderful question with another weird answer.

I have a wonderful set of Vokey’s that I got fitted into by Brandon at TPI, who did a terrific job with me and got me into a set that really works. The M-Grind at this point is maybe the only stock-grind lob wedge that I feel comfortable with, and Vokeys are Vokeys. I even went and did another test with Brandon to specifically test the WedgeWorks options and see if the M could be beat. Nope. There’s just nothing wrong with them.

But that’s sort of what’s wrong with them. Vokey seemed like too easy of an answer. I’ve also done nothing but glaze up the GTS3 this year, so I thought it best to give someone else a chance. Could Vokey’s have ended this entire thing? I mean… probably.. but what’s the fun in that? Lower scores? Who needs em. (I’m kidding. Sort of.)

Where we’re at today

I legitimately sat around for about a week figuring out what to do with the 50º and the 56º part of my bag. With all this tinkering going on, there wasn’t time to mess with any lobber experiments (although I’ve got some crazy testing to do), but I had no clue where to turn for help.

I have used a set of Mizuno T24 and a set of Mizuno Pro T-1 wedges in the past that I liked, as well as some Wilson Staff wedges that are incredibly underrated, but they weren’t jumping back into the bag. I wanted something fresh. While I was sitting thinking about it, the doorbell rang with a box that changed the game (At least that’s how the movie version would have gone).

PXG had sent me a box of polos and a new vest, and that sparked a text to one of their tour builders; my friend Anthony Gagliano. Anthony is the one who was messing around on the range with Johnny and Jake Knapp, and also did Johnny’s irons fitting for YouTube as well. The box of clothes made me remember last year’s fall PXG event. At that event, on top of testing the Gen8 product, I hit the Sugar Daddy III wedges for the first time and was in love. They felt absolutely amazing, and I couldn’t remember them looking bad, so I figured now was good of a time as any to get them in the bag.

After questioning why I would ask for a 50º and a 56º but not a lobber, and the vague acceptance of a challenge to take down the S259, Anthony graciously sent me over a set of Sugar Daddy IIIs with some custom stamping on them built to my spec and in Anthony we trusted as I headed to Pinehurst to play No. 2 for the very first time.

Yes. I brought the brand new set with me to Pinehurst, and only that set. They’ve been in the bag since, and I can’t say that I’ve trusted two wedges like this for quite some time. Maybe all the way back to a set of Vokey SM7 wedges that were the very first new wedges I ever owned.

The Sugar Daddy III wedges feel incredible. They compress the ball and you can feel it get “heavy” on the face at impact, but they’re still responsive in the hands. I really like the look of the back cavity on the wedges and the adjustable weight is a cool way to make sure they’re dialed in from the build perspective.

I did get a bit of tour sauce, and Anthony hooked it up with some RAW finish heads as well. The shaping is compact just the way I was looking for, and the soles have enough bounce to be trusted with full shots, but not wide enough soles to feel like they’re going to get in the way. The shape proportions are great; the toe doesn’t get too high, and the way that the hosel leads into the leading edge and the top of the heel feels proper. There’s just nothing distracting about the shape behind the ball. The flight, the spin, and they do it all on command exactly how and when I want. So for now, they’re in the bag, and we’re taking a break from further testing.

Have I started my own secret custom-grind war for the lob wedge spot? Maybe. Stay tuned on that.

I’ve said this before, but we’re in an incredible market for golf clubs right now. I am obviously in a position to test out as much gear as I please, but I encourage everyone to do the same in whatever way they are capable of for themselves.

Ready to overhaul your bag in 2026 like our Fully Fit panelists? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

“>