Used wedges: when they're a good deal and when they're not

A used wedge is a different purchase from a used driver. A driver's face does not wear out in normal play. A wedge's grooves do, and the grooves are most of what you are paying for. So the question is never just whether the price is low. It is how much groove life is left, and whether the loft, bounce and grind suit your game.

Grooves, spin and how fast they wear

There is good evidence that wear costs real spin. Titleist's director of wedge development, Kevin Tassistro, told GOLF.com that in Titleist testing, wedges used for roughly 125 rounds produced about 2,000 rpm less spin than new ones on similar swings, with nearly two and a half times as much rollout on the green. An older GOLF.com launch-monitor test found a new wedge produced close to twice the spin of a worn one on a 25-yard pitch.

How many rounds is that? GOLF.com has reported that studies put a typical wedge at 65 to 75 rounds before performance dips, which for a regular player is roughly 18 to 24 months. Practice counts too: hitting sandy, wet range balls chews a face faster. Tour players, by comparison, swap wedges every few months during the season. Treat those numbers as rough guides, not a rule, because one golfer's 70 rounds can include far more bunker shots than another's.

Manufacturers are working on the problem. Titleist says the heat treatment on the Vokey SM10 hitting area doubled groove durability in its testing from 400 to 800 bunker shots without a noticeable change in spin. SM9 also had a heat-treated face, and Cleveland applied a heat treatment to the RTX ZipCore to prolong groove life. None of that makes an old wedge new again; it just slows the wear.

Judging groove wear from a listing

You cannot run your fingernail down a face through a screen, so ask for the right photos.

• A straight-on photo of the face in daylight, plus one at a low angle so light catches the groove edges.
• A close-up of the lowest four or five grooves. GOLF.com notes the lower grooves matter most for amateurs, and that is where wear shows first.
• The sole and leading edge, to see dings and how much the finish has worn through.
• A shot of the stamping on the back or toe, so you know the exact loft, bounce and grind.
• Ask the seller to do the fingernail test: drag a nail down the face and say whether it catches in every groove. If the nail slides over grooves, they are worn.

Dents matter too. GOLF.com's advice is that a gouge on the face bigger than a pencil eraser is enough to retire a wedge to backyard chipping.

Reading the stamp: 56.10S and friends

Vokey stamps lead with loft, then bounce, then a grind letter. A 56.10S is 56 degrees of loft, 10 degrees of bounce and the S grind; a 54.08M is 54 degrees, 8 degrees of bounce, M grind. Grinds change from generation to generation, so check which ones existed for the model you are looking at. GOLF.com lists F, S, M, L, D and K for SM8; F, S, M, K, L and D for SM9; and F, S, M, K, T and D for SM10. In Vokey's current descriptions, roughly:

• F: the full sole, built for full swings and square-face shots, and the only grind on Vokey pitching and gap wedges.
• S: for players who mostly hit square-face shots around the green, and a forgiving bunker option in a sand wedge.
• M: for players who like to open and close the face and have a shallower delivery.
• D: a higher-bounce relative of the M with heel, toe and trailing-edge relief, aimed at steeper players.
• K: the widest sole and highest bounce in the line, billed as a bunker club.
• L and T: low-bounce lob-wedge grinds for players who want versatility; Vokey's 60.04T is an extreme low-bounce option.

Other brands use their own names. TaylorMade's MG3 came in low, standard and high bounce plus a TW grind; Callaway's Jaws Raw used S, W, X and Z grinds; Cleveland's RTX ZipCore used Low, Mid and Full soles. Read the stamp and look up that brand's chart rather than guessing.

Bounce, grind and loft gaps

Bounce is the angle between the leading edge and the lowest point of the sole. GOLF.com's rule of thumb: high bounce, around 10 degrees and up, digs less and helps steep swingers and soft sand; mid bounce, roughly 6 to 10 degrees, is the versatile middle; low bounce, 6 and under, suits firm turf, tight lies and skilled players. Opening the face adds effective bounce, which is why grind matters as much as the number. Bob Vokey has said he likes a high-bounce sand wedge paired with a mid-to-low bounce lob wedge.

Check gaps before you buy. Pitching wedge lofts have moved stronger over the years, which is why the gap wedge exists, and Vokey reintroduced a low-bounce 54 for players whose iron lofts left a bigger hole above the pitching wedge. Write down the loft of your set's pitching wedge, then fill the space to your lob wedge in even steps, typically four to six degrees. A beautiful used 52 is no bargain if your pitching wedge is 43 degrees.

Raw finishes and the 2010 groove rule

Raw or unplated wedges rust by design. They are popular on tour for reduced glare and feel, but a fitter quoted by GOLF.com warns the grooves on an unplated face can wear faster than chrome. Another fitter found any spin gain from rust is minimal, and that rust on a face that was never meant to be raw is a sign to replace the wedge. Light, even rust on a raw model such as an SM10 Raw, a Jaws Raw face or an MG3 is normal; pitting inside the grooves is not.

The groove rule rarely matters for a recreational buyer. From 1 January 2010 the Equipment Rules tightened groove specifications for clubs other than drivers and putters. Clubs made before 2010 are not required to meet them until four years' notice is given, and the R&A recommends the local rule requiring conforming grooves only for highly skilled competitions, meaning professional and elite amateur events. If you play those, check the conforming-club database. One real trap: if a seller has run a groove-sharpening tool over the face, the wedge no longer meets the rules.

When a used wedge is a bad deal

• The fingernail slides over the lower grooves, or the face has a gouge bigger than a pencil eraser.
• The seller cannot or will not show the stamp, so you cannot confirm loft, bounce or grind.
• The grooves have been sharpened or re-cut.
• It is a chrome or black wedge with rust on the face, which suggests the plating has worn through.
• The loft does not fit your gaps, or the grind fights your conditions, for example a low-bounce T grind for a steep swinger on soft courses.
• The price is close to new. A wedge with half its groove life gone is worth well under half of a fresh one to anyone who relies on spin.

The good deals are lightly used wedges in the loft you need, and older wedges you plan to use for chipping practice or as a backup. A recent-generation Vokey, Jaws or MG3 with sharp grooves and a clear stamp is one of the best used buys in golf.