Old vs. New Wedge: Do new Wedges make a difference?

With this test we want to find out how much spin an old wedge actually loses compared to a brand new wedge. Many players have the impression that the wedge already shows signs of wear after a short time and produces less spin. Some players think they need new wedges after one or two years at the most. So it's time to measure exactly how much spin a wedge actually loses with the help of the GCQuad - and to decide whether it's worth buying a new wedge just for that reason.

We test two different shots. Once a 56m pitch over a bunker on stiff and fast greens - there we really need maximum spin. And from 85m with a full shot - also on hard greens.

For testing, we take two wedges that couldn't be more similar: a 10-year-old wedge that is well worn and one from our current fitting matrix that has only been in use for a short time. It is the direct predecessor with the same bounce and grind. Both wedges have 56°. The old wedge still has clearly visible grooves. As a rule, we recommend changing wedges or irons when the lowest groove is no longer visible. This is not yet the case with this wedge. Nevertheless, we would expect the spin to drop significantly.

We don't have to beat around the bush. The results were practically identical on both the short and the long shot. On average, the backspin hardly differs at all between the two wedges. So little, in fact, that even we were surprised. The backspin of the old wedge tended to be slightly lower, but not noticeably so.

Where we do see a difference is in the standard deviation in the spin, i.e. how much the actual numbers fluctuate around the mean value. This deviation is significantly greater with the old wedge. This means that the spin of the new wedge is much more consistent and reliable. This is only logical, because a wedge does not wear equally in all places. Therefore, this variation is no surprise and also a reason why tour pros change their wedges very often. You need to be able to rely on the wedge to produce the spin it should on every shot.

But apart from that, we can't say that this wedge necessarily needs to be changed. So before you buy new wedges every one or two years because you think they lose too much spin, you should rather make sure to buy an exactly fitting wedge once every 4 or 5 years - just in the right length, with the right swing weight, with guaranteed correct lofts and the right bounce and grind.