Wedges
Tour golfers carry at least three wedges in their bag, on average, and club golfers can be encouraged to do the same
New groove S
PORTS MARKETING SURVEYS INC.’s European Tour Equipment Census 2012 shows that the
average number of wedges carried by each golfer was 3.24 per player for the season, which has edged up to an all-time recorded high (admittedly from 3.23 wedges per European Tour player in 2011, according to SMS INC.). Still, tour golfers carrying at least three wedges sends a message to
club golfers that they are likely to be limiting their short game capability if their wedge armoury does not extend beyond just ‘S’ and ‘P’. Retail sales of wedges have clear
room for improvement across most European markets in 2013. UK wedge sales have suffered over the past two years in particular: SMS INC.’s retail audits show that from the major European markets of the UK, France,
Germany and Scandinavia, only the UK has shown two consecutive years of dropping wedge sales. UK wedge sales dropped by 6.8% in volume in 2011, the worst year-on-year comparison from the major European markets, but that pails into insignificance against SMS INC.’s 2012 retail audit, which shows UK wedge sales falling by a further 21.3% - the worst European performance last year by some 11.5 percentage points.
14 BRIDGESTONE
J40 Variable bounce technology should create low bounce on the heel and toe areas of the sole.
RRP: £79
www.bridgestonegolf.com
CLEVELAND
588 RTX Cleveland promises that its Rotex face is its most advanced spin technology, with a new directionally-milled clubface pattern to enhance spin.
RRP: £109
www.clevelandgolf.com
MD GOLF
SUPERSTRONG ST3 With a gun metal finish, the new ST3 wedge features MD Golf’s razor grooves, and seven loſts are available.
RRP: £39.99
www.mdgolf.co.uk
MIZUNO
MP-T4 The mild carbon steel MP-T4 is made with a pronounced heel and toe sole grind to boost versatility.
RRP: £100
http://golf.mizunoeurope.com
PING
TOUR WEDGE Gorge grooves in the Tour wedges are milled in-house at PING HQ in Arizona, to ensure the precision required to reach the legal groove limits.
RRP: £113
www.ping.com
Contact Richard Payne
TAYLORMADE
ATV ATV is ‘All Terrain Versatility’, and the sole geometries should produce a different bounce for different shots.
RRP: £89
www.taylormadegolf.eu
TITLEIST
VOKEY SM4 The SM4 wedges feature 17 precision grooves with edge radius pushed to the legal limit. 21 loſt and bounce combinations are available.
RRP: £102
www.titleist.co.uk
e:
richard.payne@
sportsmarketingsurveysinc.com t: + 44 (0) 1932 345 539
www.sportsmarketingsurveysinc.com
WILSON
FG TOUR TC The FG Tour TC wedges, out in March, are made with ‘laser-etched, micro-spin enhancers’, which are mini-grooves between each scoreline.
RRP: £79
www.wilson-staff.com
| SGBGOLF
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