- Updated: January 5, 2023
Best 60 Degree Wedge 2023
Tom Kite was the first PGA professional to implement the use of a 60 degree wedge back in 1981, the same year he topped the money list. He was voted the most improved player, and he is quoted saying, “I put it (60 degree) in the bag and I instantly became a better player.”
We have been reviewing golf clubs for over 10 years here and our top choice comes as no surprise from the famed man and wedge company Bob Vokey’s “Titleist Vokey Wedges” and their SM9 60 degree.
They continue to tweak and improve their iconic design year after year, proving itself again in their SM9 lob wedge.
1 |  OUR TOP PICK | Vokey SM9 |
| |
2 |  ALTERNATIVE | Mizuno T22 |
| |
3 |  HIGHER END | Callaway Jaws Full Toe |
|
As golf continues to evolve, there has never been a time where precision is more rewarded. The best 60 degree wedge for your game should inspire confidence when in your hands by letting you know you have a greater shot-making capability and control over your golf ball than without it. Including a 60 degree wedge in the golf bag can give you more authority over the typical 85-ish yard and closer shots, leading to more comfortable par and birdie opportunities.
The following list will include our 8 top choices for the best 60 degree wedges. Afterward, we’ll dive into the differences and features of each selection further and show you why they would be a great addition to your bag. We always encourage players to try these lob wedges for themselves to see how it’ll fit their specific swing type and speed.
The 8 best 60 Degree Wedges 2023
- Vokey SM9 (Top Choice)
- Mizuno T22 (Alternate Top Choice)
- Callaway Jaws Full Toe (Close 3rd)
- TaylorMade MG3 (Played by DJ, Rory, and Morikawa)
- Ping Glide 4.0 (Face Insert for Better Feel)
- Cleveland CBX Zip Core (Player Improvement Wedge)
- PXG 0311 Sugar Daddy II (Precision Weighting)
- Miura K Grind 2.0 (Knuckled Sole Design)
1. Vokey SM9 (Top Choice)
“Vokey” is a manufacturer name that is synonymous with top-tier craftsmanship, technology, and overall product quality in the golf wedge space. Launching the original “SM” (Spin-Milled) line of golf wedges in 2008, Vokey has continued to perfect and redefine the wedge line with every update leading to the current SM9 line.
When choosing a lob wedge from Vokey, you’re met with some big decisions. For starters, there are 5 different sole grind options: L grind, M grind, S grind, D grind, and K grind.
The “L grind” 60 degree is the lowest bounce option of them all, and Vokey says this club is “perfect for firm conditions and designed for precise players who have complete control at impact.” The “M grind” 60 degree is a “multi-purpose” grind designed for players that like to manipulate the face to manufacture shots and tend to have a shallower swing. The “S grind” 60 degree is designed for players that enjoy hitting (s)imple shots with a (s)quare clubface. The “D grind” 60 degree is designed for players who have a steep angle of attack and tend to take larger divots. And lastly, the “K grind” is the highest bounce wedge offered by Vokey, and they say it is the “ultimate bunker club” due to just how forgiving the grind is.
After choosing between the 5 grind options, there are some much easier decisions to make. These decisions include choosing from the three finish options of “Brushed Steel,” “Tour Chrome,” and “Jet Black,” as well as choosing between a “True Temper Dynamic Gold S200” shaft or stock graphite shaft. Vokey shows its dedication to innovative technology by moving the club’s CG even more forward than previous designs for a more controlled ball flight, distance control, and repeatability of a strike. The grooves on the higher lofted SM9 wedges are cut broader and shallower based on the needs of a lob wedge, and a heat treatment is added to the impact area, increasing the club’s resistance to wear.
Through the extensive work Vokey has done with their SM9 line, we hope you can agree they craft the one of, if not the best 60 degree wedge on the golf gear market today. With their mission being to create a versatile lob wedge, we hope to see it in your bag soon.
|
2. Mizuno T22 (Alternate Top Choice)
Mizuno as a manufacturer is more famed for their incredibly crafted forged irons than any other aspect of their company, but their T22 golf wedges may be here to change that line of thinking.
Unlike their Vokey counterpart, Mizuno takes a lighter approach to fitting a 60 degree wedge into your bag by only offering two grinds, a “C grind” and an “X grind.” The “C grind” provides a lot of heel and toe relief and is said to be manufactured for skilled players and firmer conditions. The “X grind” offers extreme heel and toe relief and is manufactured for even better players or “short game artists,” as Mizuno refers to them. The “modified teardrop” head shape is designed to be slightly smaller for a more “tour designed” look. The wedges are crafted from 1025 Boron Steel, a new material to Mizuno, and the addition of the Boron increases the resistance to wear and dulling on these wedges. Where Mizuno impresses us with their T22 lob wedges is in their “HydroFlow Micro Grooves” that are laser etched to reduce spin drop off and eliminate moisture at impact for maximum spin, and their twenty-eight (28!) different shaft options.
Lastly, Mizuno offers these wedges in three distinct finishes: “Denim Copper,” “Satin Chrome,” and “Raw.” Mizuno implements the use of a copper layer under the face of all their wedges because they noticed it somehow adds to the already incredibly soft feel.
These wedges get the stamp of approval from one of the best wedge players of any era, Luke Donald, and we hope you’ll consider the Mizuno T22 60 degree wedge for your 2023 season.
|
3. Callaway Jaws Full Toe (Close 3rd)
Callaway has made significant waves in the golf equipment space with their new Rogue line of drivers and woods, but their Jaws Full Toe wedges are nothing to scoff at.
Unlike the above two options from Mizuno and Titleist’s Vokey, Callaway keeps it extremely simple by only offering their 60 degree wedge in one grind (C) and one bounce option (10 degrees). Callaway’s “C grind” rounds the sole of the wedge around the heel and the toe to create an extremely versatile grind. Callaway says the “C grind” particularly shines in their 60 degree wedge, making bunker shots and flops far easier to hit.
Callaway is known for a unique and different approach to the golf equipment game, but their full face groove approach is where they differentiate themselves from competitors first. Where a traditional heel and toe section would be on any other wedge face, the Jaws Full Toe has grooves that extend across as much of the raw face as possible, meaning contact anywhere on the face will have maximum spin. Hinted at in the name, the clubface also features their patented Jaws grooves now with offset groove in groove technology. This technology consists of tiny ridges engraved in flat areas between the grooves, creating even more contact points for your ball to catch spin as it’s struck. The toe section of the club was also extended vertically, meaning there were more face and grooves for the ball to make easier contact with.
It’s offered in a “Satin Black” or a “Chrome Finish” and features raw face technology that will rust over time to keep spin rates high for the club’s life. Callaway differentiates itself again from competitors by using their “variable weight port system,” where 4 holes are drilled in the backside of the club to varying depths and filled with varying weights to bring the CG away from the hosel making center contact easier to find. Callaway offers their Jaws Full Toe 60 degree in a “True Temper Dynamic Gold Spinner” steel shaft or a “Project X Catalyst” graphite shaft. Callaway also offers a 2-year warranty on their products, so if something were to happen while using it, you could send it in for repair or replacement.
With the ease of use through their full face grooves and their universal C grind, we hope you’ll put the Callaway Jaws Full Toe in your consideration for one of the best 60 degree wedges of 2023. If you’d like to read our full review of the Callaway Jaws Full Toe wedges, click here.
|
4. TaylorMade MG3 (Played by DJ, Rory, and Morikawa)
Used by some of the game’s current greats, Collin Morikawa, Dustin Johnson, and Rory McIlroy, TaylorMade continues to impress with their MG3 60 degree wedges.
Offered in two finishes, a new “Satin Chrome” and “Midnight Black,” both are specially designed to reduce glare when standing over the ball. The wedges also feature a “raw face” that will rust over time and keep spin rates high. Speaking of spin rates, you’ll see more spin than ever with their “raised micro rib groove” technology. This is TaylorMade’s version of what Callaway is doing in their Jaws Full Toe wedges, where more face texture is added to the space between the grooves to provide consistent spin and improve spin rates across the entirety of its face.
The MG3 line also features a progressively thicker toe section and longer hosel as lofts go higher to improve the CG of the clubhead and move mass to allow for easier contact. TaylorMade’s 60 degree wedge is offered in a low bounce, standard bounce, and high bounce options for player preference, skill, and conditions each player often sees on the golf course. The MG3 comes standard with a “Dynamic Gold Tour Issue” steel shaft and features a machine-milled sole grind to ensure each club they sell to consumers is exactly how they designed it.
We’d be remiss not to mention that TaylorMade has also collaborated with Tiger Woods to create the MG3 TW grind. The MG3 TW grind 60 degree has an extremely high bounce on the leading edge with a shaved bounce on the heel. This makes it possible to manipulate the face for flop shots while still providing relief on the leading edge for tight lie performance like the greatest to ever do it prefers.
If you’re going to test wedges to add to your bag, be sure to include a few swings of the TaylorMade MG3 wedges.
|
5. Ping Glide 4.0 (Face Insert for Better Feel)
An iconic family-run manufacturer like Ping spares no attention to detail, and this is extremely prevalent in their Glide 4.0 60 degree wedge.
This is the first club from Ping being cast in 8620 carbon steel. This is softer steel than Ping has used in the past and was chosen to add to the feel of the “activated elastomer insert” in all of the Glide 4.0 wedges. The insert added to the cavity of the wedges creates an incredibly responsive feel when struck.
The higher lofted wedges in the line feature grooves that are milled differently than the lower lofted wedges in the line to add spin, particularly around the greens. The Glide 4.0 wedges also feature a “HydroPro 2.0” finish that is water repelling to give you a consistent spin rate regardless of course conditions.
When choosing a 60 degree 4.0 from Ping, you’re met with four unique grinds that all correspond with a different amount of bounce. There’s the S grind, the T grind, the W grind, and the E grind. The “S grind” is built having a moderate amount of bounce, a good amount of forgiveness, and versatility. The “T grind” has the highest versatility of all their wedges, and Ping says the “T grind” is geared toward players that like to execute different styles of shots around the green. The “W grind” is the most forgiving grind offered by Ping and is geared towards being the most forgiving and the easiest to square at impact. The wide sole offered contains the most bounce and is extremely easy to hit. Lastly, Ping offers an “E grind” that’s based on their traditional “Eye 2” style, changing the shape of the club dramatically to a more old-school look. The “E grind” also features an interesting sole shaping to make it a perfect “bunker club,” Ping says.
After making your decision with the grind, the hard part is over! Ping goes above and beyond with their Glide 4.0 wedges, and we hope you’ll give them a try in your upcoming season.
|
6. Cleveland CBX ZipCore Wedge (Player Improvement Wedge)
With a company as famous for their wedges as Cleveland, you knew they’d find somewhere on our list. Their CBX ZipCore wedges are more geared towards being player improvement wedges, and we think you’ll find their 60 degree is worth a try.
Building on previous generations of their iconic wedges, the CBX Zipcore wedges take a different approach and repositions mass from the heel section, replacing the steel with a less dense but still very strong compound. Cleveland moves this “lost mass” to the toe section to increase MOI and CG location and is actually further enhanced by the hollow heel cavity. The Zipcode wedges are filled with a “TPU Gel-Back” insert to reduce vibration and improve the feel upon contact.
The “UltiZip Grooves” are the deepest grooves Cleveland has ever made, and Cleveland has added an additional two of these deeper grooves per wedge to the CBX Zipcore line to get more contact with your golf balls. Taking some of the work out of your decision, Cleveland only offers their 60 degree in a “C grind” designed to allow as much manipulation as needed to create an extremely versatile wedge. The CBX Zipcore 60 degree is offered with a “Dynamic Gold Spinner” steel shaft or a “Project X Catalyst Spinner” graphite shaft for player preference and swing speed.
If you’re new to higher lofted wedges or would like the forgiveness Cleveland is offering in their CBX Zipcore wedges, we hope you won’t hold their extremely good and catchy (not sure if the sarcasm reads) commercials against the company and give them a shot.
|
7. PXG 0311 Sugar Daddy II (Precision Weighting)
Speaking of extremely good and catchy commercials, PXG is another company offering exceptional quality in their 0311 Sugar Daddy II 60 degree wedge.
The Sugar Daddy II 60 degree is 100% milled and offers a full face groove design similar to the Jaws Full Toe. Featured with the full face grooves are a slightly vertically extended toe section for more clubface to make contact with and high toe weighting that is adjustable to put the CG in a perfect place for open-faced shots, further increasing forgiveness and consistency of impact. There is also a large weight in the center of the back of the clubhead that is adjustable in 2 gram increments dependent on a player’s swing and preference.
Where we feel PXG goes above and beyond is in their two unique sole options. While other companies like to get extremely specific for their grinds, PXG says their “BP Grind” is catered towards “lush turf conditions, deep sand traps, and golfers with a steeper attack angle… and is the most forgiving.” PXG’s “C Grind” is more catered towards firm conditions and skilled golfers who like being creative around the greens. PXG offers an “XTREME Dark” finish and a “Chrome” finish, as well as two options for “True Temper” steel shafts and five options for graphite shafts from “Accra,” “KBS,” “Mitsubishi Golf” and “Project X.” Crafted from triple forged 8620 soft carbon steel, the Sugar Daddy II’s provide a soft and responsive feel when struck.
The PXG 0311 Sugar Daddy II’s would most certainly be higher on the list, but their placement is just due to their price. The incredible quality of their wedges made them a “must include” on our list of the best 60 degree wedges, of course, but it’s a tough spot when your retail price is more than double the majority of your competitors. That being said, some users say they’ll never switch back after trying them, so if you’re ever able, we highly encourage you to hit their 60 degree for yourself and see if it would be the perfect addition to your golfing arsenal.
|
8. Miura K-Grind 2.0 (Knuckled Sole Design)
A manufacturer name you don’t hear about often if you’re an avid PGA Tour viewer is Miura. DO NOT let this sway you from trying them, as this is likely due to the fact that Miura does not pay players to use or endorse their products, and Miura tends to keep a lot of their manufacturing information to themselves.
The Miura K-Grind 2.0 wedges are handcrafted in Hiroshima, Japan, by longtime creator and master craftsman Katsuhiro Miura. Respectfully referred to in Japanese media as having “the hands of God,” Katsuhiro actually works hands-on in his manufacturing facility every day and even grinds the club heads himself.
The Miura K-Grind 2.0 wedges are designed to be “the most stable and powerful” wedge Miura has ever produced. Modeled after their original 1957 K-Grind Wedge, the 2.0 features the same “knuckles” (where the K-Grind name came from) but now with small modern adjustments. The three distinct flutes on the back of the clubhead came from Miura’s goal giving the club consistent performance through all turf interaction with resistance to twisting.
Their wedges are still hand forged premium (S20C) Soft Carbon Steel in Japan, but now the face is machine milled, and the grooves are machine milled to ensure the lob wedges you receive are exactly as the designer intended. Miura also added heel and toe relief to absorb unneeded impact forces on the 2.0 design. Miura doesn’t need to offer the wide range of bounce and grind options competitors do because they believe so strongly in their product design. Miura also only offers their K-Grind 2.0 wedges in one finish, an original plating in nickel chrome, and finished with satin. Miura does go above and beyond by offering 25 different shaft options for players.
If the lore and mystique around Miura and their manufacturing processes captivates you as it does us, or if you just enjoy their straightforward approach to bringing you a lob wedge, we hope you’ll give their K-Grind 2.0 60 degree wedge a shot in your 2023 season.
|
Could a 60 degree wedge be your missing link to lower scores?
Speaking strictly statistics courtesy of David Pelz Short Game Bible, “60% to 65% of all golf shots occur inside 100 yards of the hole. More important, about 80% of the shots golfers lose to par occur inside 100 yards.” If that doesn’t make you want to hone in your wedge ability, then I don’t know what will. A high percentage of these shots inside 100 yards will be within the range a 60 degree wedge can handle with more ease than lower lofted wedges.
The best 60 degree wedge to fit your game should be perceived as a “weapon” in your hands when you see deep bunker shots or elevated greens, but it’s important to understand how bounce angles connect to your style and course conditions before your purchase. Are you confident in your wedge game but yourself playing more firm courses or bunkers with harder sand? Go with a low bounce 60 degree wedge from our list of the best lob wedges because they’re designed for those conditions. Mid-bounce wedges are more versatile and suited for almost anybody’s game, while high-bounce wedges are designed for softer, fluffier turf and bunkers. If your goal is to maximize spin, most manufacturers say their high bounce wedges create more spin for more control.
🏌️♂️ Subscribe to
Independent Golf Reviews 👇
Get Golf Discounts & Giveaways from the top brands and stores in golf.
Sign up below to be automatically entered in this months giveaway.
No spam, ever. 🔒
About The Author
Writers of Independent Golf Reviews
Independent Golf Reviews has tested and reviewed 1000+ golf products over the past 10 years. We use our experience and expertise to give golfers an unbiased insight on the market.
Read more…
Share
Receive the best golf discounts available exclusively for our subscribers and be auto entered into our monthly golf giveaways!
No spam, ever. 🔒
