New Wedges - Callaway X Tour Vintage

My 2 and a half year old Hogan Riviera wedges are losing their ability to impart spin, so I decided to take the plunge and buy a couple of new wedges. This also gave me the chance to change my 56* to a 58* - I wanted to be able to play some high flop shots, but didn't wat to go all the way to 60*.

Having taken the time to look at a few models, from Clevelands to Titleists and everything in between, I decided to go for the Callaway X -Tour Vintage wedges after reading the reviews including the one done here - http://thesandtrap.com/archives/club...dge_review.php .

I picked up the 58* MD version last week and put it into play on Saturday. And all I can say is OMG....the spin you get with these is incredible. I short sided myself on a par 3 and played a chip/pitch over a bunker to land on a downhill part of the green only to see the ball check prodigiously and finish past the pin but only about 4 or 5 feet, when I was expecting a putt of about 20 - 25 feet. Had my only bunker shot on a par 5 when my second rolled just into the greenside bunker but left a funny downhill lie with the pin about 35 -40 feet away, the result was I got it out first time with a lovely low shot which rolled out to about 10 - 15 feet.

I went to the range last night for some practise and when I got down to my last 40 balls I started working on my short game,and was astounded with the amount of spin I got on 40 -70 metre shots using RANGE baals - they were bouncing hopping forward and then sucking back a foot or 2....fantastic...!!!

The PM grind on the sole was a BIG selling point for me, as it allows you to open the clubface and add loft, as well as being able to play the normal loft off of tighter lies. The only downside is that they chew through balls quite a lot, but apart from that they are great - I would definately recommend them - in fact I'm going to pick up the 52* this lunch time.

All that remains is to go out and re-configure my distances with these wedges.

Xt1nct: Thank you for your comments on the Callaway wedges. I come to this site precisely for the type of posts like yours, rather than those of the one which just preceded this one.

shortgame85 - My pleasure, my intention was basically to do kind of a follow up from the review posted previously, and from someone who's handicap isn't as low.

I've just bought the 52* now as well, and once I've played for a few months with them I'll do another review. Like you, I come to these types of forums to see reviews from the "lay person", people like you and me who aren't "gun golfer" but still like to use as good as equipment as possible.

OK a month on from my last review and I've played and practised quite a bit with these clubs. I also stripped the coating from them to get even more of a "raw" finish. All I did was soak in Coke overnight, and overall I'm pretty pleased with the results.

Anyway, as promised, this is a follow up to the first post.

I would recommend anyone in the market for a new wedge to seriously think about these. The 52* is great from pretty much any lie, and imparts a nice lot of spin on the ball, so that even me off a 10 handicap can make the ball stop pretty quickly, and back up on the odd occasion. I find it great for chipping as well. Unlike some people I like to get the ball to check when I chip, been doing it that way for years and for me it seems to work (most of the time...) and this club really puts a nice checking spin on when hitting crisp little chips from the fringe.

The 58* is fantastic. I love it. Period. On Saturday I hit a shot miles left and had to punch out with my 6 iron - I actually made a better job than I intended and got the ball all the way to pin high but about 45 metres right of the pin. I ended up in an old divot which I was initially a bit upset about - then I remembered reading that you can get some decent spin with this type of lie. The 15th green at Muriwai is very narrow and is guarded by bunkers left and right, so I had a bunker to come over, a landing arear of about 10 metres, then a slope and another bunker over the green. I opended the face up ever so slightly and played the ball from the centre of a narrow stance, and used my 9 o'clock Pelz swing. The ball flew over the bunker, pitched about 4 feet from the whole and stopped dead. My playing partners were pretty amazed, as was I. The grooves on this thing put so much spin on the ball, it's bloody brilliant - oh and I made the putt..!!!! The only downside is that they cut the ball quite a bit, but for me this is only a small downside.

So all in all, these are great - I remember reading somewhere (might have been here actually) that these are for low handicappers, but I have no problems with them and would definately say the mid-handicappers among us would benefit from the clubs.

Great review. I've got Vokey Spin Milled Wedges and love em but I'd love to try a 58 or 60 with PM grind. BTW, your Scotty is beautiful. I'd like to find a used one just like it and send it to the custom shop for a Christmas gift for my Dad.

Thanks for all the above - I love these wedges and think the 58* is just such a great club. Very versatile, lots of feedback, and easy to spin.

The putter is awesome, looks good, putts beautifully. I couldn't be happier - in fact I have this site to thank really. I didn't know about the Custom Shop until I saw Erik's review. If you're planning on getting one, I'd scroll through e-bay and see what is there. Alternatively if you go here they have plenty of Scottys for sale. Some from the Custom Shop as well. I have a Newport 2 Teryllium that has been refinished by someone other than Scotty that I am going to send over once I've saved up.

Great review! While I'm happy wirh my Vokey Spin Mills, I certainly enjoyed reading your thoughts on the Callaway wedges.