News

The Wedge Guy: St. Andrews — Where my wedge work began

Published

4 years ago

Jul 14, 2022

Having the Open Championship at St. Andrews this week is special to me, and a story I read yesterday about Justin Thomas and his wedges is the reason why.

It seems “Bones” McKay has suggested to Justin Thomas that he carry two lob wedges this week, one with low bounce for the tight fairway lies, and one with a higher bounce for his bunker shots. Yes, the turf at St. Andrews is that challenging. I experienced the same challenge when my late brother and I made a trip to Scotland in 1990 – over 30 years ago.

But it’s not just at St. Andrews, but on nearly every course everywhere. You can face all kinds of lies and execute all kinds of swings every round you play, right? But it was there in Scotland that I found my off-the-shelf sand wedge was just not getting it done from those tight fairways. So, on a tour of Auchterlonie’s Golf Shop, I saw a grinding wheel and had an inspiration. They agreed to let me use the grinder.

I went back to the hotel and retrieved my sand wedge, and began work on the sole design I subsequently patented…

First, I ground much of the bounce off the back of the sole, taking it down to what I later learned was only about 5-6 degrees. Then, I ground a very aggressive high bounce on the front quarter-inch or so of the sole, removing metal all the way up to the first groove as I remember. Of course, that made the leading edge and offset look very strange, so I ground off some of the bottom of the hosel to make it look at least presentable.

As you can imagine, removing that much metal made the swingweight drop like a rock, so my solution was to pack lead tape on the back of the clubhead until I had it back up to about its original D4-5 swingweight.

The result of my very first work on wedges was very impressive. The new “dual bounce sole” I had created proved very adept at the tight lies around the greens, but also totally functional from the bunkers. And the added lead tape higher in the clubhead produced noticeably more penetrating trajectories and spin like you wouldn’t believe.

Upon return to the States, I purchased several major brand wedges and took a more sophisticated approach to fine-tuning this concept, welding material to the sole and then grinding and polishing until I had it right. Once I had it where I wanted, I filed my patent application, and in 1994 was awarded “U.S. Patent #5,301,944 – Golf Club Head With Improved Sole”.

For the past thirty years, I’ve been constantly tweaking on that sole design, improving the concept ever so slightly with each iteration through wedges I’ve designed for Merit Golf, Reid Lockhart, EIDOLON, SCOR, Ben Hogan, and now Edison Golf. And with each of those wedges, I’ve also increased mass in the top half of the clubhead to optimize gear effect. And that has been proven to make wedges more forgiving, deliver improved spin and more penetrating trajectories — and to make them deadly accurate with distance control, even on your slight misses.

While today’s post is not intended as any kind of promotion for my work in wedge design, the memories of that trip with my late brother — and of my inspiration to move on from putter design to tackle the wedge category — have all come flooding back with The 150th Open Championship being played at St. Andrews and the interesting story of a tour player, his caddie, and his wedges.

I hope you all can get plenty of time in front of the TV this weekend to witness how and where this wonderful game has been played for hundreds of years. And I hope all of you will find a way to make this pilgrimage to the birthplace of golf.

It just might change your life — it certainly did change mine.

News

Most birdies without breaking par – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

2 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Will Schube

In our forums, one user is wondering how many birdies other players have had in a round while still failing to break par. @Lalan45, unfortunately, asked the question after a unique experience of their own.

They wrote:

“Today I managed 8 birdies but still shot even par, could have been a round to remember! What’s the most birdies you’ve made in a round and still didn’t break par?”

Our members in the forum shared their own experiences with successful rounds that still resulted in a score over par. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

kwcsports: “I’ve had 5 a few times, still shot 80+ haha.”
jda: “I played a course for the first time, had 8 birdies, 9 doubles and an eagle. The infamous no-par round. I kept the scorecard. Every shot had a creek that I did not know about, or I was within 8-10 feet for a birdie look. To this day, I have no idea if I should be really jacked up or mad about that performance.”
jvincent: “I think my record is either 5 or 6. Probably shot 75.”
Instron4204: “3 birdies and shot a 92…man I suck!”

Entire Thread: “Most Birdies Without Breaking Par.”

News

Best current stock shaft 2026 – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

2 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Will Schube

In our forums, one user is asking for thoughts on the best stock shafts offered in 2026. Stock shafts are the shafts included with a club when it’s purchased from retailers or OEMs.

@DTorres asked:

The last couple years has seen a lot of updates and additions to no upcharge stock shafts, which do you think is the best offering in 2026?

Im a bit of a shaft nerd and recently during my Members Testing with the Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond I found the updated Project X Denali Frost Black to be a fantastic stock shaft. I absolutely did not mesh well with the original Denali. Just curious what other people think are the current best Stock shaft offerings out with new models and stock Ventus options and LinQ options popping up here and there.

We were given the option for any stock shafts for our members review. I went with the 70g Black Frost 6.5 because it’s a shaft I don’t have, it’s an updated version of the original Denali and hear little about. I typically use a Diamana WB, GD VF or a HOF Raptor. I’m not saying it was neck and neck with any of those but it was a pleasant surprise I’m not accustomed to in stock shaft offerings.

Our members in the forum have been offering up their own thoughts on the best stock shafts available in 2026. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

rsballer10: “IMO – MCA Ka’ili White Darkwave, Tensei 1k Black/white, UST Lin-Q White. People are free to spend their money however they see fit, but for me personally the shaft catalogs these days have enough options that I don’t see the value of a $400 upcharge. I have never had a problem finding a no upcharge shaft that fits the bend profile and weight that I need. Whether the paint job is good enough or not is above my pay scale.”
bcflyguy1: “Project X Titan Black. I’ve had one in 60TX in my Quantum TD Max for several weeks now. Have to give Titlieist their flowers for finding a way to make it available as a featured option; very shrewd bit of business and one that I suspect will be duplicated by the other companies. TT/PX have a certified banger on their hands with Titan.”
CTG77: “Undoubtedly, it’s the Tensei 1K RIP shafts from Titleist. The Tensei line gives about 98% of the performance of a Ventus VeloCore+ shaft at a tiny fraction of the cost if you’re looking for a blue or red profile. The white is not an exact match for Ventus Black, but it’s closer to it than the non-VeloCore+ Ventus shafts that come from Callaway or formerly came from TaylorMade.”

Entire Thread: “Best current stock shaft 2026.”

News

GolfWRX’s Father’s Day Gift Guide (2026)

Published

2 days ago

Jun 9, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

A reminder from your friends at GolfWRX: Father’s Day is June 21. And as we do every year, we’re rounding up the best gifts for dad.

As we say every year, there’s no better golf-related Father’s Day gift than a round of golf with pops. Be it a country club or your favorite muni, take the time to get together to play 18 if you can.

Let’s get to the gifts.

Ghost Golf Qualifier Diamond Polo

We like the new polos that Ghost is offering, as the fabric and fit are so good. These new Qualifier Collection polos breathe well, are lightweight, stretch with your swing, and of course look great. You can wear them on the course, in the office, or just out at a casual event and they will fit right in.

Buy here.

STR8-Strip Grip Tape Remover

If your dad is an equipment aficionado and tinkers with his clubs, this tool works wonders. Removing grip tape has never been easier, just put a little head on the tape and the STR8-Strip peals it right off the shaft without any damage.

Buy here.

Why Golf: Putting Thing

When it comes to practice, it is good to have a purpose. This “Putting Thing” sure does it. We know from personal experience how challenging it can be and how rewarding it is on the practice green. This also provides some competition for your kiddo to see who will unload the dishwasher or do the next chore around the house.

Buy here.

OluKai Lae‘ahi Men’s Breathable Slip-On Shoes

Riding to and from the course in style and comfort is always a good thing. If you’re in a hurry, it’s a nice feature to slide into your shoes and get to the tee time. For the post-game shoe, at your locker or while putting your clubs away in the car. Nice to slide into a shoe that looks good anywhere. Pair that with meeting the family for dinner, no need to change!

Buy here.

Therabody Theragun Relief

A little wellness goes a long way. Keeping loose is a good way to go when it comes to the weekend game or treatment during the week. If there is a little ache or pain, the Theragun is there to help out. Help loosen up the back for a pre-game warm-up or cool-down.

Buy here.

World Cup golf apparel

Something for the soccer dads. Embrace the World Cup fever this summer on the course with custom gear to support the nation of your choice.

Buy here.

FootJoy Pro SL spikeless golf shoes

Give the old man a break and save his feet with the Footjoy Pro SL Men’s Spikeless Golf Shoes for some added comfort on the course.

Buy here.

Bushnell Wingman 2 GPS speaker

Combine all the hits as well as some game improvement with the Wingman 2 Golf GPS Speaker by getting audible distance readings from 38,000+ courses worldwide through the Wingman 2 remote or speaker.

Buy here.

Personalized Titleist Pro V1 golf balls

The No. 1 ball in golf is a safe bet, and the Pro V1 fits the largest chunk of the bell curve if you don’t know what ball pops plays. Add personalization for a, well, personal touch!

Buy here.