Equipment

This PGA Tour pro is using a ridiculously expensive 1-of-1 sand wedge. Here’s why

Published

4 years ago

Jan 24, 2022

It’s not uncommon for a PGA Tour player to use a one-off prototype golf club that’s not available to the public. If you follow our weekly photos in the GolfWRX forum threads, you know that’s the case. Some of the world’s best players simply require a different look and feel than what comes stock from the OEMs, and, for the most part, PGA Tour players are in a position to get any club modification they want.

Dylan Frittelli’s new Callaway Apex TCB sand wedge, though, is a next-level custom job that could represent a shift in equipment usage for golfers going forward.

Most tour players and mid-to-low-handicappers use what you’d consider a set of “standard” wedges, which are characterized by thick soles, thick hosels, rounded profiles and blade-style back sections. Their more angular cavity-back (or muscleback) iron sets typically stop at either the 9-iron or the pitching wedge, while their higher-lofted clubs have a standard wedge design.

Just for reference, below is a look at Frittelli’s 56-degree sand wedge from March 2021, which showcases what a “standard” wedge looks like.

Why do players use differently designed clubs for their irons and wedges?

Well, that’s what Frittelli wanted to know.

“I’m like, why do I use a sand wedge with a blade? I asked the Callaway rep and Roger Cleveland, they were all like, ‘No, there’s no reason, it’s just people do that,'” Frittelli told GolfWRX on Monday ahead of the 2022 Farmers Insurance Open.

Last year, Frittelli switched into a Callaway Apex TCB gap wedge that was a stock offering in the iron set, and he found the distance numbers to be more consistent on mishits due to the cavity-back design.

Click here for more info and conversation about the Apex TCB irons.

“The simple story is, I switched to the gap wedge in L.A. last year. I saw it on Instagram – I think it was in Austin the guys gave it to me,” Frittelli explained. “Through putting it on Trackman, hitting distances and yardages with the wedge, I figured it was way more consistent than the next wedge down, which was a blade-like sand wedge. So I’m like, ‘Why not? Can you make me the same iron head in the sand wedge in that loft and see if we can try?'”

Since Frittelli found the Apex TCB gap wedge to work well, he wanted to try a sand-wedge version. The problem was, a 56-degree Apex TCB iron-like head didn’t exist.

That’s when Callaway’s R&D team got to work on the task…and it was NOT cheap.

“It took two or three months for them to make it, but I started using it last week and it’s really good,” Frittelli said. “Roger said to me it’s a $4,000 wedge basically. I don’t know what steel it is, but they ground it out and milled it and did whatever they could to get to the shape. They 3D modeled somehow so they can reproduce it cheaper and quicker.”

A $4,000 wedge has to be the most expensive wedge on the PGA Tour. But is it worth it? According to Frittelli, he’s experiencing performance gains across the board.

“Chipping is a little different, I had to adjust a little bit there,” Frittelli told GolfWRX. “But it feels fine, on most of my chip shots I use a sand wedge. It feels pretty good on that as well. So it’s really just a question of, ‘Why do you guys use these? Well, just because they use them.’ There’s no answer. There’s no extra spin, there’s no extra distance or less distance. For me, in my head, I just see spin numbers are more consistent on the longer shots, full shots, and slight mishits just fly to the yardage a lot better. And then out of the rough you have a little more mass behind it, which again, mishits and off-center it flies a lot better.”

Based on his experience with the Apex TCB gap wedge, Frittelli says it’s unlikely he’ll switch out of the sand-wedge version. This is certainly something to keep an eye on going forward, since Frittelli is breaking new ground in the wedge category on tour by using an iron-like wedge for his sand wedge.

“I just used (a blade-style wedge) because they never had that option,” Frittelli said. “Then when the TCBs came out, I saw the gap wedge was in the list of irons, so I was like, well, let me use it. And I didn’t turn back once I used it. So I don’t see myself turning back now from the sand wedge. I don’t think anyone is gonna follow me in that trend, but that’s OK. We’ll see if my wedge numbers start going off the charts.”

For average golfers, I pose the question: Why do you use a blade-style wedge, rather than a cavity-back, iron-like construction that may offer more forgiveness? That’s the question Frittelli asked, and it led him down this road. It will be interesting to see if his performance really does improve, and if the new wedge stays in the bag.

If you’re curious to try out a wedge like this for yourself, next time you’re shopping for irons, take note of the available options. Many irons sets come with gap wedges or sand wedges in their stock offerings. They may be worth a try.

Check out more photos from the 2022 Farmers Insurance Open here!

Related Topics:Callaway featured recommended wedges

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Andrew Tursky

He played on the Hawaii Pacific University Men's Golf team and earned a Masters degree in Communications. He also played college golf at Rutgers University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

16 Comments

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Jeremy

Jan 26, 2022 at 12:10 am

This in not a new thing Callaway started offering the Mac Daddy CB wedge in 2020 I used them all last season they are great

Reply Report comment
steve

Jan 25, 2022 at 8:10 pm

This is the story Terry Koehler (founder of Edison wedges) has been telling for many years. I have tried his wedges and I am sold.

Reply Report comment
Garrett

Jan 25, 2022 at 11:32 am

but if he uses a CB sand wedge where will aaron dill put all those dope stampings. priorities

Reply Report comment
- Aaron Dill
  
  Jan 25, 2022 at 12:49 pm
  
  Pay no attention to my charlatan ways.
  
  Reply Report comment
Steve Myrvold

Jan 25, 2022 at 10:35 am

Well, sandwiches come in all shorts of different sole configurations. The set wedge may be fine for more full type shots. But, the sand wedge needs to be very versatile. Sand conditions can make a different sole design very important.

Reply Report comment
Dan W

Jan 24, 2022 at 9:57 pm

Why use a blade wedge? I’m shocked a pro doesn’t know these things. 2 reasons.
1- the wedge head has the most aggressive grooves. Plus micro grooves or face milling or face texture which adds spin on the shorter shots.
2- and most importantly. Flighting down shots and controlling trajectory.
If a pro doesn’t see these things they sucks with a wedge.
Ask any fitter, “why go with a bigger head?”…answer- yes, forgiveness but mostly, the bigger the head , the higher it makes the ball go.
So a blade style club can easily flight the ball down, which is crucial with the wedge as choosing the proper trajectory is vital with a back pin then a front pin or to combat a head or tail wind.
The reason we all use them isn’t “ well, we just do”. There’s a very important reason.

Reply Report comment
- Seriously?
  
  Jan 25, 2022 at 12:36 am
  
  So, how many professional wins do you have and how long did you spend in the world top 50?
  I’m pretty sure Dylan can flight down these wedges without an issue.
  
  Reply Report comment
Jay

Jan 24, 2022 at 9:32 pm

I asked myself this same question not long ago. I’ve used Vokey blade wedges for years and years. I recently decided to switch to a cavity back sandwedge, The Callaway MackDaddy CB, and I have seen no performance drop off in consistency or spin, and I have gained some forgiveness. I am glad I questioned this and changed.

Reply Report comment
Born

Jan 24, 2022 at 9:29 pm

My PW is 49.5 lol so prob same loft as TCB gpa wedge

Reply Report comment
chip75

Jan 24, 2022 at 8:42 pm

“Many irons sets come with gap wedges or sand wedges in their stock offerings. They may be worth a try.”

It depends on the set. The more player orientated the stronger the highest lofted club tends to be. That’s one of the reasons why they spent $4,000 on this spanner. Ping are one of the last OEMs to offer something like a 52° with the i210s (which Westwood games). It would be neat if we saw 56° and 60° set wedges. Ping probably had some of the last 2-SW/LW sets on tour with their Eye2 line, not sure if that got to i3s.

Reply Report comment
- Dan w
  
  Jan 24, 2022 at 10:02 pm
  
  The Ping i210 GW is 50 deg.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Golf Nobel
    
    Jan 25, 2022 at 2:53 am
    
    Retro Spec is 52 and he probably has this configuration.
    
    Reply Report comment
  - chip75
    
    Jan 25, 2022 at 8:14 pm
    
    Lee’s used two U wedges in the past, one a 49.5 the other a 53, as well as a 50/54 U set-up.
    
    I assume he uses the Sharpie yardage marks to tell the difference when they’re in the bag!
    
    Reply Report comment
Benny

Jan 24, 2022 at 7:26 pm

Always was a fan of my sets gap wedge. Looks better with the flow. Weight is consistent and for CB’s its helps.

Great call and article Wrx.

Reply Report comment

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Equipment

Then and now: Comparing Rory McIlroy’s current setup to his record-breaking 2019 Canadian Open victory

Published

2 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Alistair Cameron

In Rory McIlroy’s first appearance at the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, he crushed the record books to earn his 16th PGA Tour title in dominating fashion, winning by seven shots over Shane Lowry and Webb Simpson.

McIlroy’s score of 22-under-par 258 is the lowest 72-hole score to date at the Canadian Open, and his closing 61 is also the best final-round score in the history of one of golf’s oldest tournaments. Finally, with his win in 2019, McIlroy became only the sixth player to win the career Triple Crown, adding to his victories at the U.S. Open in 2011 and The Open Championship in 2014, joining Tommy Armour, Walter Hagen, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Tiger Woods in a coveted list.

So, with that, why not compare his current setup to the clubs he used to break all the records?

Driver

2019: TaylorMade M5 (9 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D (9 degrees @8), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7X (45 5/8 inches)

McIroy led the Tour in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee in 2019; he’s doing the same in 2026. Between now and then, McIlroy has switched from the Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX (a shaft with slightly more feeling in the tip) to the original Fujikura Ventus Black 7X, having just made the change to the heavier version from playing the 60X.

What’s interesting about McIlroy’s 2019 setup is that the weighting on his driver is actually set in the high-draw setting, using the T-Track weighting system, whereas in the Qi4D, he’s currently using a heavily rear-weighted setup. (Two 13-gram weights in the rear and only two 4-gram front weights.)

The TaylorMade M5 driver he played in during his Canadian Open win was the company’s first head that they claimed to design to initially exceed the USGA’s COR limit, and then injected with tuning resin to bring it back in bounds.

Fairway woods

2019: TaylorMade M6 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 80 TX; TaylorMade M5 5-wood (19 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 90 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8X; TaylorMade Qi4D 5-wood (18 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9X

The TaylorMade M6 fairway wood that McIlroy was using during the 2019 season is still in the bag of some of the best golfers on Tour in 2026. Just check out Justin Rose’s winning setup from the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year. This year, though, McIlroy has still been searching for his top-end-of-the-bag setup, having played both the new Qi4D and the Qi10, which he won the Masters with.

The same shaft swap can be seen in the fairway woods as the driver, along with slightly less loft on the 5-wood.

Irons

2019: TaylorMade P750 (4) Buy here, TaylorMade P730 (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0
2026: TaylorMade P760 (4), TaylorMade Rors Proto (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0

The biggest difference between McIlroy’s custom set and the stock P730s is the groove design. While the P730s were constructed with 14 MX-9 grooves on their milled faces, McIlroy’s proto heads instead use the higher-spinning, 16-groove layout of the TW2 grooves. Other big differences between the sets are that McIlroy’s 7- and 8-irons have thinner toplines, are 1 degree stronger in loft, and are 1/4 inch longer than the original P730 builds.

With McIlroy’s 4-iron, the switch from P750 to P760 sees a transition to a two-piece construction with Speed Foam in it, which allows McIlroy to launch the ball slightly higher, with more workability.

Wedges

2019: TaylorMade Milled Grind (48-09SB), TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09SB, 56-09SB, 60-LB09), Shafts: Project X Rifle 6.5
2026: TaylorMade MG5 (46-09SB, 50-09SB, 54-11SB, 60-08LB @61), Shafts: Project X 6.5 (46-54), Project X 6.5 Wedge (60)

Between 2019 and 2026, McIlroy’s focus on his short game has been much more apparent. It was the reason why he switched back to the TP5 golf ball, to help with launch, spin and control with his wedges leading up to his career Grand Slam victory in 2025. The most apparent changes to McIlroy’s wedge setup are his lofts and bounce. He’s slowly delofted his pitching to a sand wedge, but has increased the loft on the lob wedge, bending his current 60-degree to 61. With that, adding more loft to his lob wedge also slightly increases the bounce and leading-edge sit point, so, as a result, he plays a lower-bounce lob wedge compared to 2019. The MG5 wedges are also softer than the first Milled Grind option from 2019. McIlroy also no longer plays the full-face grooves found on the Hi-Toe.

Putter

2019: TaylorMade Spider X
2026: TaylorMade Spider Tour X

Notice anything similar. Yes, the copper finish on Rory McIlroy’s Spider X putter in 2019 is a slightly more reflective finish than the recently released torched PVD finish. McIlroy was using the True Path alignment system, but now uses only a single white sightline.

Ball

2019: 2019 TaylorMade TP5 (#22)
2026: 2025 TaylorMade TP5 (RORS)

As mentioned above, McIlroy had transitioned from the TP5 to TP5x golf ball since his victory in Canada in 2019, but now is black with the same style of golf ball as his victory at Hamilton Golf & Country Club.

Grips

2019: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
2026: Golf Pride MCC

Interesting, McIlroy actually used Golf Pride’s Tour Velvet Cord grips during his victory in 2019 (it was during a 2+ year switch to the corded TV) as opposed to his usual MCC grips, which he has played for most of his career.

Equipment

From the GolfWRX Classifieds: Titleist Vokey Proto Wedges 54M, 60T

Published

4 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Will Schube

At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @Putt4Dough is selling some prototype wedges from Vokey Wedgeworks. These include a 54 degree wedge with the M grind and a 60 degree wedge with a T grind.

From the listing:

(1) Titleist Vokey Proto Wedge 54M with a Tour Issue DGS400 shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet (logo down). Standard length, lie, and loft. BB&F ferrule. Raw wedge in good condition. No initials. Price is $200 shipped. Buy both wedges for $380 shipped.

(2) Titleist Vokey Proto Wedge 60T with a KBS Tour 130X shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet. Standard length, lie, and loft. Raw wedge in good condition. No initials. Price is $200 shipped. Buy both wedges for $380 shipped.

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules.