Best of Show Reviews... Wedges!!!, and the winner is...
Direct Link: http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=137591 ... As the equipment gap continues to narrow between oems for drivers, irons and putters, the wedges category only gets wider. Your wedge, more than any other club in your bag, needs to be custom fit for your style of play. Angle of attack, loft/lie, leading edge, look at address and most importantly, the sole grind. One wedge stood out as the ‘08 PGA Best of Show for Wedges.
... While Mizuno, Cleveland, Callaway and Vokey make some very nice wedges, ALL of them are individually custom ground for tour players. Yet the consumer is limited to a few stock grinds and hope they fit. Scratch Wedges does for ANY customer the same thing all the other oems do for their tour players. As an ex IPGA Pro that taught for 5 years, I could make the argument that the average golfer might need a custom fit wedge even more than the better player. I can adjust my angle of attack using a low bounce 60* or a high bounce 54* depending on the length of shot or the condition of the sand. The less skilled player is just happy to get out of the sand and on the green! They need all the help they can get, and finding the right grind for an over the top, early cast bunker shot is crucial. Of course a better player benefits from the same customization by not just hitting the green, but getting much closer to the hole with less adjustments to their set up or swing.
... Scratch Golf uses 1018 Carbon Steel forged at the worlds top foundry in Japan. This produces the best feeling wedge I have ever hit. Evidently the guys on tour agree as Scratch Wedges are the #1 forged wedge on the Nationwide tour, and continues to attract more pro’s from all the tours.
... Scratch makes a set of wedges called JLM, and they cover just about any type of swing you bring to the table. They have a stock satin finish and come in specific grinds. However, each grind can be found in a subcategory of swing types. Sweeper/Slider, Driver/Slider and Digger/Driver. The angle of attack, divot size (if any) and common mishits generally fall into one of these 3 categories. When you look on the Scratch web site, you will see an explanation of each type.
... For the Ultimate in wedge customization, you can choose a Custom Tour Wedge. There is a Custom Studio on the web page that allows you to choose every detail of your wedge so you can see what it will look like. The First step is choosing a head shape. Step Two is choosing the right grind, and their is a tutorial for those that are unsure. Step 3 allows you to choose your custom finish: Raw, Antique, XXX Black, Satin Chrome, Polished Chrome, Satin Nickel and Satin Copper. Almost unbelievably you can call Ari Techner, the President and CEO or Patrick Boyd the VP of Custom Sales and they will personally fit you! Many a touring pro under contract with one of the big boys have made their way thru Scratch’s custom shop and had wedges ground specifically for their advanced game. It helps to have arguably the best grinder in the business in Jeff McCoy, who has not only taught pro’s about grinds, but listened to their feedback and has created even more Tour grind options that will be available soon.
... In an attempt to meet EVERY desire in a custom wedge, Scratch will be offering an array of colored ferrules they unveiled at the show. Even though many of may think this might be a bit much, it just shows how far Ari and his gang are willing to go to give you not only the best performing wedge you’ve ever owned, but the best looking wedge as well. We all know some fanatical college alumni that can’t get enough of their schools. Chris DiMarco is a good example and I could easily see him ordering a wedge with a blue ferrule with orange stripes and paint fill to match.
... I could go on and on, but Scratch has enough loyal followers on these golf forums that will no doubt chime in with their own experiences. The New web site is the best I have ever seen and can answer virtually any question you have. If not, the CEO and/or the VP will be glad to take your call or respond to your e-mail. Ya just gotta LOVE these guys.
http://www.scratchgolf.com/index.php
