CNC wedge vs. Forged wedge? lets hear it.

[handlez42]

Simply. Which do you prefer/like the most?

i know soo far the CNC wedges are usually made of a harder metal in comparison to forged. also that the faces are cut in an actual CNC machine to ensure the face is completely flat. the grooves are CNC milled as well. [vokey (spin milled), cleveland ("zip" grooves), wilson staff (milled grooves AND face), mizuno (not sure?) etc.]

forged are usually softer. i assume better trajectory control as well as side-to-side, with not as strong of a bite on the ball at contact in comparison to CNC.

[mvmac]

Why not both?

http://www.mizunousa.com/golf/products/mizuno-mp-r12-golf-wedge

http://www.ping.com/clubs/wedgesdetail.aspx?id=9971

I think maybe Callaway is the only major company that doesn't use machine milling for the wedge grooves.

[wmiller]

My Vokeys have been sitting in the garage since I discovered the Macgregor VIP forged wedges. Soft, heavy-feeling head that puts plenty of bite on the ball. Add in the price, and it's a pretty good deal IMO.

[handlez42]

Originally Posted by wmiller

My Vokeys have been sitting in the garage since I discovered the Macgregor VIP forged wedges. Soft, heavy-feeling head that puts plenty of bite on the ball. Add in the price, and it's a pretty good deal IMO.

i have been considering the newer VIP wedges. not sure if they are the ones your referring to. they look fantastic with a traditional look that i prefer. i hit newer wilson staff era irons and i figured that like wilson (61 majors) that macgregor (59 majors) would make some really good equipment. its too bad they didnt pay their staff players, or they would be up with wilson right now in the race of companies.

i know recently i was interested in scratch wedges and their more expensive wedge, not including the custom wedge ($350), that their forged 1018 wedge is higher priced above the CNC 8620 wedge they offer. wasnt sure how many other companies offer forged wedges anymore.

[Nessism]

When companies refer to a wedge as being CNC'ed they are (generally) referring to the machine work done to the face.  It doesn't matter if the club head is made by casting or by forging, milling the face is a secondary operation that is done after the head is formed.

Forged club heads are made of soft(er) carbon steel, although the same steel is often cast as well (at least 8620 steel is).  Because the head is softer than a stainless steel cast head, the grooves and chrome will wear faster than something like a Ping Tour-W/S, which uses a much harder 17-4 stainless.

One advantage of CNC'ing the face is they can program the machine to create more surface roughness, which some believe helps increase spin out of the rough.  I'm not sure how much this matters but I believe it does to some extent.  That is not to say that non-machined face wedges are bad, that is too broad a generalization.  Callaway wedges are very popular with they don't have a machine surface face.  Complicated subject to be sure.

[wmiller]

i have been considering the newer VIP wedges. not sure if they are the ones your referring to. they look fantastic with a traditional look that i prefer. i hit newer wilson staff era irons and i figured that like wilson (61 majors) that macgregor (59 majors) would make some really good equipment. its too bad they didnt pay their staff players, or they would be up with wilson right now in the race of companies.

i know recently i was interested in scratch wedges and their more expensive wedge, not including the custom wedge ($350), that their forged 1018 wedge is higher priced above the CNC 8620 wedge they offer. wasnt sure how many other companies offer forged wedges anymore.

I bought these VIP wedges at golfsmith a few months ago when they had a sale going on them.

[handlez42]

Originally Posted by wmiller

I bought these VIP wedges at golfsmith a few months ago when they had a sale going on them.

i can assume they are the newer ones....they look like beauties

traditional looks like what i prefer

just wasnt sure of the benefits of forged wedges vs "cnc" (harder?) wedges. i know the 8620 is a the hardest metal they use for a wedge vs. something like a 1018

[handlez42]

which is the best company involved with CNC milling? since most of the market has adopted this method. and i dont want to include Vokeys or clevelands. they have done more than enough marketing for those wedges that my head is spinning. HAHA comic relief. Im talking mostly of companies like ping or wilson or nike? or adams with the watsons or puglielli's ? scratch? or miura? macgregor has caught my eye with their forged VIP's but i just need a bit more insight.

what companies does everyone have in their bag for wedges other than the bigs of vokey or cleveland?

[handlez42]

Originally Posted by Nessism

When companies refer to a wedge as being CNC'ed they are (generally) referring to the machine work done to the face.  It doesn't matter if the club head is made by casting or by forging, milling the face is a secondary operation that is done after the head is formed.

Forged club heads are made of soft(er) carbon steel, although the same steel is often cast as well (at least 8620 steel is).  Because the head is softer than a stainless steel cast head, the grooves and chrome will wear faster than something like a Ping Tour-W/S, which uses a much harder 17-4 stainless.

One advantage of CNC'ing the face is they can program the machine to create more surface roughness, which some believe helps increase spin out of the rough.  I'm not sure how much this matters but I believe it does to some extent.  That is not to say that non-machined face wedges are bad, that is too broad a generalization.  Callaway wedges are very popular with they don't have a machine surface face.  Complicated subject to be sure.

does anybody even develop stainless steel casted wedges at all? i know of irons obviously being cast... it just seems unlikely with the dominating wedge design being a blade, a casted blade would literally make my hands fall off from the contact haha. I know certain companies are attempting "harder" wedges and adding dampening systems to them like the bobby jones ortiz wedges of recently. or the tour edge exotics xtreme spin wedge. which has a tpu filled cavity inside the blade strategically shaped to help with feel along the entirety of the face. (note: those wedges also have (box) grooves legal for Amateur play but not legal for professional usage.) unimportant fact to me though.

is the market going towards softer wedges because of the grooves rule? making wedges softer to help the grooves become more involved? or what i think is happening, wedges are become harder in composition because the entire golf ball market is going towards softer covers and softer feel? instead of the ball forcing itself into a softer forged wedge, the softer cover ball is forced upon by a harder wedge.

sorry for all the confusing theories i just wasnt sure about cast, forged, cnc'd, and so on. I just need something to replace my Ram Tom Watson Scoring System BeCu 55* sw and my Ram Tom Watson Scoring System 60*/14* "rake" wedge.

with the BeCu wedge i love its size. very small and round with ample bounce makes it versatile from anywhere. its somewhat not as soft as id hope and distance is sub-par (or for the better of the golf community above-par haha comic relief again) i can barely get it to about 80 yards and i know with my old wilson deep red 2 distance 56sw (shovel) i could hit 95-100 yards. it felt softer and much more lively. ive considered getting a new wedge shaft thats probly either a bit lighter, or a softer flex. I wouldnt mind keeping the 55* but it would need "tumbled" or refinished somehow to freshen up its grooves and make it shine. which is nearly impossible to find anybody who does that with copper golf clubs around here or anywhere that isnt the other side of the states in california. <----risky?...the 60/14 is great especially from the sand because of the rediculous amount of bounce it has. but this bounce hurts its tight lie play as well as the ability to open the face without lifting the leading edge. although its best trait is probably its soft feel at contact in comparison to the BeCu 55*.

if i were to get a 54* id need probly a 50* to gap the distance between sand and pitch. i also use a 19* hyrbid which plays as a long iron/short wood. thus, freeing up a space for a gap wedge.and then finish it with a low-mid bounce 58 capable of being opened up without hurting flop characteristics like i mentioned.

so the reason im asking alot is because these clubs will have important purposes and shot capabilities on top of 3 spots in my bag.

[GaijinGolfer]

You dont have to choose between a CNC milled and a forged wedge.  Theres a few companies that make a forged wedge with a CNC milled face.  IMO, if you want soft feel it doesnt get any better than carbon steel wedge with a milled face.