Bridgestone WC Wedges
Wedge Play Shouldn’t Be a “Grind.”
I have to admit: every time I think about Bridgestone Golf and their products, I tend to wince. Not because their products are not of high quality and performance. But rather, because they are! Sounds weird, right? Bridgestone has been cranking out really high-performing clubs ever since their re-introduction into the American marketplace. Often times, they seem be met with praise from the media, but have not yet been largely accepted by the public. It makes me worry that people are overlooking some of the highest quality clubs currently on the market. Their WC Design wedges certainly are worthy of being mentioned with the same high regard.
With the development of their new West Coast Design studios, Bridgestone is making a hard charge at establishing themselves in the American market. Largely a “players” oriented brand to this point, the West Coast Design studio has been hard at work expanding the Bridgestone lineup to include a larger segment of the golfing populous. The GC Mid and Oversize iron sets, GC Hybrids, and now the WC Design wedges (
http://www.bridgestonegolf.com/en/product/wcwedges.aspx) are the products of the new American-based design effort. While the WC Wedges have been released just recently, their development on Tour with input from players such as Stuart Appleby has been a while in the making. The Tour influence is very evident, and makes for a highly playable wedge.
Any time you pick up a new club, the visual impact and aesthetics are the first impression- conscious or not. The club just has to appeal to your senses. The WC Design wedges very much appealed to me upon first inspection. They are finished in a very unique matte finish that is not exactly a “satin” finish. They are a light grey/silver finish, which almost appears “chalky.” The look is very unique and unlike any other on the market at present. The reduction in glare is very apparent, and is actually even better than some of the satin finishes on the market in this regard. After taking note of the finish, my attention turned to the grind applied to the head. There is trailing edge relief as well as heel and toe relief to allow for opening and closing of the face for more creativity. (I have heard the Scratch Golf “Egg” grind used as a comparison.) The look is very Tour-inspired, as is the performance, which we will delve into in a moment. Finishing off the package is a Bridgestone-branded Tour Velvet grip and the venerable Dynamic Gold shaft.
The grooves on the WC Design wedges don’t appear to be too impressive upon first glance. Something about the matte finish on the face seems to make them appear less pronounced than other wedges. Just to verify, I asked Bridgestone’s product engineers about the grooves, and they confirmed they are a modified U-groove milled just under the USGA limits (-don’t get me started on that issue!) Once in play and in practice, my doubts about the grooves’ effectiveness quickly became an afterthought. They move a lot of cabbage out of the rough, and from the bunker I found myself being able to rely on their spin to make the ball check very nicely. I actually have had to adjust my aim point some out of the bunker to allow for some rightward spin (I am right handed) as the spin is pretty aggressive. Low-running “checkers” bit onto the green very nicely. I have played wedges with more spin, but the WC wedges seem to have a very predictable nature about them. They will check and release, where as some other wedges can almost be too aggressive and cause shots to check and not release to the hole. Also, on more full shots from the fairway, I did not experience any kind of distance loss. On some wedges with more aggressive grooves, I have noticed a tendency for them to over-spin and lose distance and “balloon” as a result. I did not notice this phenomenon with the WC’s. Also, your high-priced urethane-covered golf balls will be relatively safe with the WC’s, as cover “shear” was kept to a minimum. I give high marks on the grooves on the WC wedges.
The grooves don’t do us much good unless we can make clean contact, and the grind of the WC wedges is up to the task. With a trailing edge grind applied to the rearward edge, the WC wedges play like they have less effective bounce than they actually do from the fairway to aid in clean contact. Described as “Variable Bounce Technology,” the opening and closing of the face dictates how much effective bounce is available for a given shot. Opened up for bunker shots, I found the grind to be very effective from various types of sand. At twelve degrees of bounce on the 56 degree, there is enough bounce for softer sand conditions, while the heel relief tends to minimize that bounce when used from tighter greenside lies. I tested the 52, 56, and 60- degree models and found them to be very versatile. There was no tendency to dig in softer conditions, while still providing a low enough leading edge to get creative around the green. The 10.5 degrees of bounce does seem rather high on paper on the 60 degree lob, but it laid open nicely for me and I had no issue sliding it under the ball for high, soft-landing flops. It also proved very effective as a higher-launching bunker tool.
Almost as personal as the putter when it comes to “feel,” wedges have to pass this final subjective test before a player will adopt them as their own. I found the WC Design wedges to be very pleasing at impact. They are made of 8620 mild cast steel like many of their competitors, but the feel is almost that of forged. I again ran this question past the Bridgestone engineers, and they confirmed my senses were not just playing tricks on me. They use a special heat treatment process to treat the steel, making them “13 percent softer than Vokey on the Rockwell B hardness scale.” Huh?? Anyway- they’re soft as can be on full swings, and this really gives them a deft touch around the greens. I suspect the finish of the WC’s also contributes to their soft feel, as it does not seem to be a traditional chrome “plating” type application. While I can’t report on the longevity of the finish due to obvious time constraints, it did seem to hold up very well after multiple range/bunker practice sessions, as well as a few “real world” tests out on the course.
So- we have spin, feel, and versatility, -always a good combination. I did have a few questions that I thought others might have for Bridgestone, such as loft availability and different types of finishes possibly coming down the road. Bridgestone did hint at the possibility of different finishes, but was a little hush-hush when they would actually come to market. Also, they did confirm that 48 and 58-degree wedges are in play on the PGA Tour, and it sounded like the possibility of seeing these lofts was very possible. Sorry left- handers, you are out of luck right now.
Much like other Bridgestone products, the WC wedges seem to have been met with a very modest amount of fan fair. (OK, they officially qualify as “sleepers” to this point.) If you are a Bridgestone devotee, and are in the market for new wedges, these may already be on your short list. But for those that perhaps have not experienced the Bridgestone products, the WC Design wedges may be a good place to start. Their excellent soft feel and versatility will definitely speak to your sense of touch and allow your shot-making creativity to flourish. The grind is as versatile as they come, and the grooves are aggressive without being destructive to balls. The wedge game certainly isn’t a “grind” when it comes to the WC Design wedges from Bridgestone.
Michael White
Independent Equipment Reviewer
GolfDiscussions.com
