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WedgesNew Wedges 2026A gear nerd averaging 72 compares eight models by material and process and picks one
Updated: Nov 3, 2026Contains affiliate links
With wedges, I look at material and manufacturing before reputation for feel, because a wedge is a club you bend for loft and lie after buying. Skip this and you'll pay for it later. If I, averaging 72, had to pick one of the eight new 2026 wedges, it's the Titleist Vokey SM11 (JPY 29,700). There are 27 combinations of loft and sole grind. With that many, you can find the bounce (the sole's protrusion) that fits you. This year saw a big jump in forged soft steel, made by hammering soft iron. I've listed them newest first, from the SM11 in February to Bridgestone's BITING SPIN 2, TaylorMade's Hi-Toe 5 and Cleveland's RTZ 2 (Sep 12, JPY 27,500) in September.
After hitting them: I hit the Cleveland RTZ 2 (58 degrees, standard bounce) alone for 40 balls at a local indoor golf range in October 2026, on a TrackMan and a mat, with the room at 22°C. A full shot carried 76 yards with 9,400 rpm of spin, with 0 fat shots and 1 thin shot. I used the Vokey SM11 (58 degrees, 8 degrees of bounce) from April to October for about 25 rounds and 40 balls on the TrackMan. A full shot carried 78 yards with 9,500 rpm of spin. On a rainy-day-after October round at a public course, 18°C, playing with two friends, I hit a 58-degree from the wet rough on the 18th (about 60 yards out) and the ball stopped on the green. The trouble was that on rainy days I could not get the distance right even with the SM11, and I went up one club. I only touched the PING s259 in a shop and never hit a ball with it. I only looked at the other models in a shop.
The Gear Nerd's Pick
Titleist Vokey Design SM11 (¥29,700) Six sole shapes across 44 to 60°, 27 combinations in all. What I weigh most heavily in choosing a wedge is whether I can pick bounce that matches my swing and the turf. The maker says the center of gravity is matched across sole shapes at the same loft.
Where to buy this product
Titleist Vokey SM11
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
- Tsuruya Golf (specialty store)RecommendedTsuruya product page
- Rakuten IchibaRakuten product page
- Rakuten Ichiba (used)Used product page
- AmazonAmazon product page
- Yahoo! ShoppingYahoo! Shopping product page
Buying from outside Japan? Sign up free for Rakuten Global Express (Rakuten's official forwarding service) and check out with its Japan warehouse address → full guide
Ad. Links go to each store's product page ("Search ..." links go to search results). Price, shipping, stock and specs such as loft, shaft and number of clubs differ by store. Check the product page before you buy.
For golfers who want spin in the rain or morning dew
Cleveland RTZ 2 (¥27,500) 46 to 64°. For each loft and sole shape, it changes the ceramic pin inside and the thickness at the back to match the center of gravity. The "588" sole is new this time.
If you choose by sole options
PING s259 (¥33,000) 6 sole types from 46° to 62°. Designed so spin doesn't drop off when wet, with a grip about 3/4 in. longer than standard so the feel is the same when you choke down.
In this article
Bottom line
The Gear Nerd's Pick is the Titleist Vokey SM11 (¥29,700). There are 27 combinations of loft and sole shape, so you can choose bounce that fits you.
In 2026, new forged soft-iron wedges kept coming: the Callaway X FORGED (S15C), Cleveland RT i-FORGED (S15C), Bridgestone BITING SPIN 2 (S20C) and TaylorMade Hi-Toe 5 (8620). Soft iron's advantage is that a workshop can bend loft and lie to fit.
Prices run ¥25,300 to ¥37,400 per club.
2026 wedges (newest release first)
| Model | Release date | Price (1 club, incl. tax) | Loft | Material and process | Features (from the manufacturers' descriptions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland RTZ 2 | Sep 12, 2026 | ¥27,500 | 46–64° | Z-ALLOY (proprietary alloy) | Matches center of gravity across sole shapes. Adds the 588 sole |
| Bridgestone BITING SPIN 2 | Sep 4, 2026 | From ¥26,400 (figure reported by media) | 48–60° | Soft iron S20C, forged, made in Japan | Grooves go from 15 to 19. Spin retention on wet turf 81% to 93% |
| TaylorMade Hi-Toe 5 | Sep 4, 2026 | ¥31,900 | 56 to 60° | Soft iron 8620, forged, plus a ceramic core | First forged Hi-Toe. Grooves across the whole face |
| Fourteen FR-3 | Apr 17, 2026 | ¥30,800 | 46–58° | S20C soft iron, forged | Two-level sole: low bounce at the front, high bounce at the rear |
| Callaway X FORGED | Apr 10, 2026 | ¥34,100 | 48–60° | Soft iron S15C, forged | From the previous S20C to the softer S15C |
| Cleveland RT i-FORGED | Apr 4, 2026 | From ¥28,600 | 48–60° | Soft iron S15C, condensed forging | A forging method that keeps neck strength with the soft S15C |
| Callaway OPUS SP+ (limited distribution) | Mar 20, 2026 | ¥37,400 | 54 to 60° | Soft iron body plus a stainless face | A larger cavity in the sole for a low-launching ball that stops |
| Titleist Vokey SM11 | Feb 20, 2026 | ¥29,700 | 44–60° | Soft iron, cast, made in Japan | 27 combinations across 6 soles. Groove volume up 5% over the previous model |
| PING s259 | Feb 5, 2026 | ¥33,000 | 46–62° | 8620 carbon steel | 6 soles. A long grip lets you choke down |
| TaylorMade MG5 (released 2025, current) | Sep 5, 2025 | ¥29,700 | 46–60° | Soft iron S25C, forged | Changed from the MG4's casting to forging |
| Mizuno T-1 / T-3 (released 2025, current) | Mar 7, 2025 | ¥25,300 | 50 to 58° | Soft iron S25CM, forged, made in Japan | The T-1 is for golfers who hit down, the T-3 for sweepers |
The gear nerd's take: how to read material, process and grooves
1. The numbers in S15C, S20C and S25C are the carbon content
The "S15C," "S20C" and "S25C" of soft iron are a guide to the carbon in the iron, and the smaller the number, the less carbon and the softer the iron. In 2026, the Callaway X FORGED went from the previous S20C to S15C, and the Cleveland RT i-FORGED also uses S15C.
Seen as a gear nerd, the biggest thing isn't feel but that it's "easy to bend and adjust." Wedges are clubs where you often add or take away 1 to 2° of loft or match the lie, and soft iron makes that work easier. On the other hand, being soft, the neck moves with use and loft and lie drift, so having a workshop measure it once a year is reassuring.
2. Forged isn't above cast, or the reverse
The Vokey SM11 is cast (poured into a mold), and the BITING SPIN 2 and X FORGED are forged (hammered). Forging is said to feel soft, but feel changes a lot not just with material but with how head thickness is distributed, the ball and where you hit it.
Casting has the advantage of making it easy to vary weight distribution finely by sole shape and loft. The SM11's "same loft, different sole, same center of gravity" is what casting does well.
3. Grooves are consumables
Wedge grooves are worn down little by little by sand and balls, and spin drops. In 2026, the Vokey SM11 added a high-frequency heat treatment at the groove edges for durability, and the BITING SPIN 2 increased grooves from 15 to 19.
Media report that the BITING SPIN 2 raised spin on wet turf from 81% to 93% of the dry level (a 58°, 40-yard robot test). That's a comparison under the maker's conditions, and the number varies by golfer.
In my view, the more someone keeps using a wedge with worn grooves, the more the gain from simply "switching to fresh grooves" outweighs any new model's groove tricks. Which model to choose can come after that.
How to choose bounce (using the Vokey SM11 as an example)
Bounce is the angle of the sole's bulge. The bigger it is, the less the club digs into sand or turf, and the smaller it is, the easier it is to open the face. Here are the SM11's combinations by loft.
| Loft | Sole shapes and bounce available |
|---|---|
| 44°, 46°, 48° | F 10° |
| 50°, 52° | F 8° / F 12° |
| 54°, 56° | S 10° / D 12° / F 14° / M 8° |
| 58°, 60° | S 10° / D 12° / K 12° / T 4° / M 8° |
As a guide, golfers who hit down and courses with a lot of soft sand take bigger bounce; sweepers and courses with hard ground take smaller. If unsure, starting at around 10 to 12° on a 56° is safe. For golfers who hit a lot of fat shots, how to choose is in Fat chips and bounce, which calculates the bounce that remains. How many wedges to carry is in How many wedges to carry.
Where to buy the Titleist Vokey SM11
- Tsuruya Golf (specialty store)RecommendedTsuruya product page
- Rakuten IchibaRakuten product page
- Rakuten Ichiba (used)Used product page
- AmazonAmazon product page
- Yahoo! ShoppingYahoo! Shopping product page
Buying from outside Japan? Sign up free for Rakuten Global Express (Rakuten's official forwarding service) and check out with its Japan warehouse address → full guide
Ad. Links go to each store’s product page. Price, shipping, stock and specs (loft, shaft, set make-up) differ by store, so check the product page before you buy.
What I learned from the two wedges I used
The best moment was stopping the ball on the green with a 58-degree from the wet rough on the 18th. The RTZ 2 had a low sound and a soft feel, but on a mat I could not see how it cuts through turf.
I hesitated over how long the grooves last and the spin, and what decided it was that I wanted to see how the ball stops. Comparing the RTZ 2 and the SM11, the full-shot spin was 9,400 rpm and 9,500 rpm, almost the same.
The advice to have the loft and lie measured at a workshop once a year comes from the way soft iron tends to drift. I have never had the loft or lie of my own wedges measured at a workshop.
If I chose again, I would use the SM11 again. I would recommend it to people who also play on rainy days.
About the writer and sources
Written by a gear nerd who studies golf equipment, averages a 72, and plays about 150 rounds a year.
I rechecked the figures against the sources below on 5 October 2026. I hit the RTZ 2 and the SM11, and I only touched the PING s259 in a shop. I only looked at the other models in a shop and have not hit them. The update date is 3 November 2026.
FAQ
What's the newest wedge as of Sep 2026?
The Cleveland RTZ 2 (¥27,500), released Sep 12. The Bridgestone BITING SPIN 2 and TaylorMade Hi-Toe 5 also came out Sep 4. How to choose between the Hi-Toe 5 and TaylorMade's MG5 is in Hi-Toe 5 vs MG5 (loft, weight and price compared).
How does the Vokey SM11 differ from the previous SM10?
By the maker's description, groove volume is 5% larger, K-sole bounce changes from 14° to 12°, and a 44° is added. The price is ¥29,700. I compare them in detail in Vokey SM11 vs SM10.
Can a beginner use forged soft-iron wedges?
Yes. What matters more than the process is whether loft and bounce fit you. Soft iron makes loft and lie easy to adjust but also easy to drift, so having a workshop measure it from time to time is reassuring.
What are Mizuno's new wedges for 2026?
As of Sep 15, I see no new 2026 Mizuno wedges. The latest is the Mizuno Pro T-1 / T-3 (¥25,300), released Mar 2025.
Ready to choose? Start here
Related reading
【Nov 2026 Update】Lynx Slide Sole Master 56° Review
Vokey SM11 vs. SM10: what changed
2026 D1 Ball vs. the Previous Model
Sources for this article
- Sumitomo Rubber news release: Cleveland RTZ 2
- Dunlop official: Cleveland RTZ 2
- Bridgestone Golf official: BITING SPIN 2
- Minna no Golf Digest: BITING SPIN 2 (price and vs previous model)
- TaylorMade news release: Hi-Toe 5 (PDF)
- Fourteen official: FR-3
- GDO gear catalog: Callaway X FORGED wedge (2026)
- Minna no Golf Digest: Callaway X FORGED and OPUS SP+
- Sumitomo Rubber news release: Cleveland RT i-FORGED
- GDO news: Callaway OPUS SP+
- Titleist news release: Vokey Design SM11
- GDO gear catalog: Vokey SM11 (bounce by loft)
- PING official: s259 Wedge
- TaylorMade news release: MG5 (PDF)
- Mizuno official: Mizuno Pro T-1 wedge
Women's models are ranked separately
Women's clubs differ in both weight and loft, so I ranked them separately using each maker's official specs.
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