Updated October 21, 2022. This article was thoroughly audited by multiple golf experts and coaches for its accuracy. You can read more about our rigorous testing protocol here.
The Rundown:
Best Overall: Cleveland CBX Wedge
“Providing beginners with a wedge that is similar to an iron set, loads of forgiveness, and an excellent turf interaction, the Cleveland CBX Wedge is the perfect sand wedge for beginners.”
Easiest to Hit for Beginners: C3i Wedge
“For beginners having a hard time getting the ball out of the sand, the C3i Wedge is the easiest sand wedge to use with its widest sole that can get the ball into the air quickly and deep face that offers quality contact.”
Most Affordable: Wilson Harmonized Golf Wedge
“On a budget? Golfers can’t go wrong with the Wilson Harmonized Golf Wedge. It’s one of the more dependable short game clubs available at an affordable price.”
One of the biggest mistakes that beginning golfers make when assembling their bags is forgetting to add clubs with loft.
If you do not carry a sand wedge in your bag, you are making it harder to improve at the game of golf.
For our top ten list of the best sand wedges for beginners, we have spent hours combing through sand wedges and we are confident that we’ve found several that are worth your money.
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Last updated on 2022-11-17. The links are affiliate links. Product images are served from Amazon Product Advertising API.
Table of Contents
Best Sand Wedge for Beginners
- Best Overall: Cleveland CBX Wedge
- Easiest to Hit: C3i Wedge
- Most Afforable: Wilson Harmonized Golf Wedge
- Best Value: GoSports Tour Golf Wedge
- Best Chipping Sand Wedge: Square Strike
- Best Budget: Pinemeadow PGX Wedge
- Most Balanced: Lazrus Golf Wedge
- Best Contact from a Sand Wedge: Cleveland Smart Sole
- Best Feeling: Cleveland RTX 4 Wedge
- Outstanding Cavity-Backed Design: Cleveland CBX2 Wedge
Cleveland CBX Wedge
Best Sand Wedge for Beginners Overall
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PROS
- Wide sole promotes excellent turf interaction for cleaner contact
- Cavity-backed design gives beginners a wedge that is similar to iron set
- Tall face with large sweet spot gives beginning golfers loads of forgiveness
CONS
- A lighter feel makes the response different than a heavier wedge for beginners
The original Cleveland CBX Wedge is a stunner, providing the beginning golfer with a solid foundational club that will allow them to learn the game with a short game tool that they can trust and depend on throughout the first days of their golfing career – truly one of the best wedges for beginners.
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The wide sole of the CBX wedge helps cut through any obstacle, whether it be tall grass or deep sand, to give the golfer a clean surface to hit the golf ball. The rounded look of the CBX wedge helps keep the club gliding through the turf to prevent excessive chunking of pitch and chip shots.
Lighter than most wedges, the CBX sand wedge could be too light for beginning golfers who want a heavier, more solid-feeling club that keeps the head low to the ground during takeaway and throughout the impact zone.
Accentuated by the cavity-backed design, the CBX wedge is our pick for the best all-around wedge for a beginning golfer because it reduces the game to the essentials, a perfect combination for inexperienced golfers who need it a wedge to help them focus on improving their short game.
C3i Wedge
Easiest to Hit Sand Wedge for Beginning Golfers
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PROS
- Widest sole you’ll find on a sand wedge, designed to get the ball into the air quickly
- The easiest sand wedge to use for a beginner with terrific response at impact
- Deep face allows for quality contact, even on off-center strikes
CONS
- Must be used with a square stance and doesn’t allow room to grow for golfer
The C3i Wedge is one of the most recognizable clubs for golfers who love watching The Golf Channel. It’s one of the best wedges for beginners. Popularized by tens of commercials each week on the network, the wedge is geared toward beginners who are having a tough time getting the ball out of the sand and other trouble.
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The C3i Wedge does come in a 56-degree version, ideal for those looking for a sand wedge.
Although at first glance, the wedge has a gimmicky look with the wide sole, we must admit that it really does help beginning golfers get a sense of what a sand wedge should do around the greens.
Another thing we liked about the club is that it does help provide the golfer with a feel of where the center of gravity rests inside the head. With the center of gravity placed lower in the C3i Wedge, the golfer can expect it to deliver more launch and spin after impact.
However, if there is one thing that we must note about the C3i Wedge, it is meant to be played with a square stance, meaning both feet are even at address. This is negative in the sense that if you grow into your game and develop your skillset, you’ll eventually have to replace the wedge for a more advanced model.
Wilson Harmonized Golf Wedge
Most Affordable Sand Wedge for Beginners
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PROS
- Heavier sand wedge keeps the club lower to the ground for more consistency
- Groove system helps with solid spin from a budget-level sand wedge
- Tall face gives beginning golfer more surface area to make quality contact
CONS
- Looks and feels like forged iron that may be harder to hit for beginner
The Wilson Harmonized Wedge is a sleek, affordable club, providing the beginning golfer with a well-designed sand wedge that will undoubtedly help from trouble areas and the fairway.
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Wilson’s balance in this sand wedge is expertly distributed as they have a long history of using the weight in the clubhead to level out their wedge line.
Since the sole of a wedge weighs more, Wilson has moved weight around the head’s perimeter to keep the wedge evenly distributed throughout the swing. This slight detail is why the wedge will help beginners increase their performance from inside 50 yards.
The club does have the look and feel of forged iron, and while that may play differently than other wedges with a broader sole, the beginning golfer shouldn’t be scared off by design.
One of the biggest reasons a beginning golfer should consider the Wilson wedge is the price point, as it is one of the more dependable short game clubs available for beginning golfers. Although some golfers may find this a bit shallow and prefer performance over price, the club admirably gets the ball into the air with a high spin rate.
GoSports Tour Golf Wedge
Best Value Sand Wedge for Beginners
PROS
- Wide sole provides exceptional turf interaction
- Milled face produces high spin from anywhere on course
- Tour design offers professional look
CONS
- Designed solely to help contact, so it has to be played with square stance
The GoSports Tour is an affordable sand wedge option for beginning golfers looking to add dazzling clubs to help their short game.
With a wide sole that helps turf interaction, the GoSports Tour cleanly moves through the turf to get the golf ball onto the face for imparting spin and lift. The club’s milled face also works overtime in providing quick rotation onto the golf ball along with touch and distance control.
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Inside 100 yards, the sand wedge produces high spin rates regardless of where you find your ball. So whether you are in the sand, rough, or sitting pretty on the fairway, the GoSports Tour is ready to easily lift the ball with a spin for shot-stopping power once it hits the green.
Another aspect of the GoSports Tour worth noting is the professional look. Available in either a brushed or satin black finish, the Tour wedge delivers a first-rate appearance that sparkles in any golf bag.
An excellent sand wedge that comes with a very low price point, the GoSports Tour checks many boxes for beginning golfers looking to add short game clubs to their bag that provide consistency and reliability.
Square Strike Wedge
Best Chipping Sand Wedge for Beginners
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PROS
- Specially designed to prevent chunking for more consistency and excellent contact
- Extra-wide sole slides through turf for exceptional contact from off the green
- Can be used like a putter with straight-back and straight-through approach
CONS
- A chipping sand wedge only, not meant to be used from the bunker or too far away from green
The Square Strike Wedge is another club that has been tailored to help the beginning golfer with their contact issues. The club comes in a wide sole, 56-degree version with the same properties as a sand wedge, but its intent is far more narrow than your traditional short game clubs.
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Made for shorter distances, the Square Strike Wedge has a look and feel of a putter, but instead of an upright clubface, the wedge has grooves and a lofted face.
Another area that separates the Square Strike from your typical wedge is using it with a straight-back, straight-through swing path. Remember, this isn’t a club to use from 75 yards in the fairway, but instead, it should be deployed when you need an accurate short chip shot that doesn’t have an obstacle or hazard in the way.
We must admit that while the wedge isn’t for everyone, a beginning golfer can benefit from the dependability of the club as it can stop the golfer from hitting behind the golf ball. And frankly that its purpose, in a nutshell, is to provide the golfer with clean contact from just off the green.
Pinemeadow PGX Wedge
Best Budget Sand Wedge for Beginners
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PROS
- Heavier wedge that stays low to the ground to give the beginner more consistency
- The wedge is easy to use for a beginner, especially with square stance
- Chrome finish goes well with the overall look and design of the club
CONS
- Inexpensive wedge certainly scratches the low price itch, but suffers from inferior construction
The Pinemeadow PGX Wedge is another addition to the company’s long line of clubs made for golfers on a budget.
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The company has gained popularity in recent years by creating dependable clubs and offering the golfer solid performance for less than the cost of a green fee. We are happy to report that the PGX sand wedge meets that threshold with a shiny chrome wedge set against the neon green and black backdrop.
For the beginning golfer that doesn’t expect too much from their sand wedge they won’t be disappointed by what the Pinemeadow model brings to the table. When you first hold the PGX wedge, you’ll notice it is a bit on the heavy side and the materials used for the club aren’t exactly top of the line.
But none of that matters once you get the club onto the course because it performs well at moving through the grass and sand to create solid contact with the golf ball. If you don’t ask too much of it, the Pinemeadow PGX Wedge is a hard worker that certainly provides a solid introduction into the sand wedge game.
Lazrus Golf Wedge
Most Balanced Sand Wedge for Beginning Golfers
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PROS
- Precision milled face provides the club with dynamic spin for advanced control on greens
- Well-constructed design packs a punch at impact for terrific distance from a sand wedge
- Hi-toe look allows the club to forgive off-center strikes with better consistency
CONS
- Has feel of forged iron that may be too advanced for first-time golfers
The Lazrus Wedge is a well-designed sand wedge milled and forged for a classic look that certainly earns its stripes by the way it handles itself close to the greens. One of the big reasons golfers love the Lazrus line of wedges is because the clubs are made with the amateur in mind as they play with exceptional feel and response.
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The sand wedge from the company is set at 56-degrees and is painstakingly milled to produce a high rate of spin, especially if you are sitting pretty in the fairway. Even from the rough, this sand wedge was a top performer, especially considering the affordable price.
The club does have the forged look and slimmer design, and while that isn’t an issue for wedges tailored for mid-handicappers or experienced golfers, beginners might want a wedge with more bulk and heft.
We loved the Lazrus sand wedge’s balance we felt throughout the swing. This club is one level wedge that doesn’t dig with the toe or bore down with the hosel. Instead, it provides the beginner with a horizontal entry into the turf, producing a terrific-looking result.
Cleveland Smart Sole Wedge
Best Contact from a Sand Wedge for Beginning Golfers
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PROS
- The wide “smart sole” of the sand wedge prevents chunking shots from off the green
- Milled groove system imparts exceptionally high spin rates from inside 50 yards
- Large sweet spot provides the beginner with solid yardage after impact
CONS
- Rounded shape of the wedge may be harder to hit for inexperienced golfers
The Cleveland Smart Sole Wedge is a premium wedge that assures the beginning golfer that they’ll have a wedge in their bag that will continue to grow with them as they advance in their game.
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Highlighted by the computer milled face, the Smart Sole sand wedge is set a little deeper, at 58 degrees, than other wedges. But with the extended sole, the additional loft helps provide the golfer with a club that is an expert at saving your score from trouble.
If you find yourself buried deep in sand or covered with gnarly rough, the Smart Sole wedge will find a way to get you safely out of distress.
The rounded shape of the wedge does potentially create an issue for beginning golfers who want a more straightforward wedge and enables the player to use a square stance. Even with the wide sole, you can play this wedge with an open or exaggerated stance.
The Cleveland Smart Sole Wedge is a dynamic performer that delivers outstanding contact on every shot, regardless of the lie or condition of the turf. This wedge is great for beginners who don’t mind spending a few bucks on building a short game collection that will carry them throughout the first several years of their golfing voyage.
Cleveland RTX 4 Wedge
Best Feeling Sand Wedge for a Beginning Golfer
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PROS
- Excellent response and feel throughout the golf swing, especially at impact
- High spin rate from the milled groove system that is one of the sharpest on the market
- Adjustable center of gravity depending on the attack angle of the club
CONS
- Not much to hate with this wedge, although it may be a little more expensive than beginning golfers want to spend
The Cleveland RTX 4 Wedge is one excellent sand wedge that provides the golfer with a club that slides through the turf while offering exceptional distance from a short game tool. All the features you’d expect from a Cleveland wedge are here in the RTX 4, from an advanced groove system to a thick sole that gives the golfer an even entry into the golf ball.
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Grooves that created exceptional spin line the face of the RTX 4 as you’ll first notice them on the sweet spot, and then you’ll see an arcing pattern of the company’s milling on the toe as well. Both sets of grooves help grip the golf ball at impact and create an outstanding spin that assists the beginner with control and finding a dependable rhythm with their short game.
The black satin finish of the RTX 4 is another highlight as it stands out from other less sophisticated wedges and gives the golfer confidence not shared by many on this list. Another home run by Cleveland, the RTX 4 wedge is glossy and more contained than their other models, but it remains highly accessible by beginning golfers.
Cleveland CBX2 Wedge
Outstanding Cavity-Backed Designed Sand Wedge for Beginners
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PROS
- Cavity-backed design gives the wedge symmetry with similarly-designed irons
- Produces wonderfully high spin rates on a full range of shots for better control
- Entire face is milled for better grip at impact with enhanced spin
CONS
- Bulkier sand wedge than slimmer, forged wedges that give the golfer room to grow
The Cleveland CBX2 Wedge is another stellar addition to the company’s outstanding line of wedges. However, this model is designed to help the beginning golfer gain control of their short game.
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The CBX2 sand wedge has a hollow cavity-backed designed clubhead to render a more sizable option for the beginner looking for an advanced sand wedge that will carry them throughout the early years of their golfing journey.
Another thing that the cavity-backed design presents is a similar look and feel to the game-improvement irons that most beginning golfers typically play for additional symmetry.
The CBX2 also has dynamic grooves created by the company through a patented milling process that creates a clubface that greatly enhances friction and spin.
One of the best things about a Cleveland wedge is knowing that they take the time to create a first-rate groove system to create a wonderful club for golfers of all skill levels.
The bulky look of the CBX2 sand wedge might turn away some beginning golfers, but that would be a shame as the club is just what the doctor ordered for weekend warriors looking for an enhancement to their game through equipment alone.
How to Choose the Right Sand Wedge
Spin
Spin is significant when evaluating a sand wedge because it gives the beginning golfer the ability to stop the ball on the green. Their early golf game will be frustrating for beginning golfers because it will lack consistency, but a high-spin sand wedge can shave off a bit of that learning curve by giving the beginner a club that provides a repeatable shot.
The spin on a golf ball is made when the face of a sand wedge comes in contact with the cover of a golf ball. Spin is created by the friction generated by the grooves on the club onto the ball. One of the big reasons why PGA Tour golfers love a fresh wedge at each tournament is because they want to keep that high spin rate that clean grooves provide.
Shot Height
Sand wedges are primarily used to enhance the beginning golfer’s short game. The sand wedge provides accuracy to shallow pitch and chip shots and full swing shots from around 80 yards in length. Beginning golfers want to learn to be incredibly accurate with their sand wedges by hitting higher shots that utilize the club’s maximum spin rate.
The golf ball’s lift is provided by a sand wedge’s center of gravity. Typically, you’ll find the center of gravity somewhere in the bottom of the club or around the top of the sole area where the club comes into contact with the ground. The lower the center of gravity in a sand wedge, the more loft the ball will have on the shot.
Response
A good sand wedge, much like an iron, can provide the beginning golfer with an exceptional response at impact. When you hear someone talk about a golf club’s response, they describe the club’s feedback and the general feeling the club gives the golfer throughout the swing, especially at impact.
A sand wedge is different from an 8-iron because it will provide the golfer with a shorter and higher ball flight. Every golfer wants that solid impression at impact, but they also need to get a sense of the lift-off of the clubface.
So, the response of sand wedge will be lighter when compared to that 8-iron because the ball isn’t being pushed for distance but instead has a softness needed to land and spin for maximum control.
Feel
When we ask a beginning golfer about the feel of a sand wedge, we want them to gauge the club from the moment they first hold the club. They should tell pretty quickly if the wedge is well made or poorly constructed, based on how the club feels as they hold and swing the club.
With today’s advanced equipment, the difference between a well-constructed wedge and a disappointing sand wedge, at least to the eye of a beginning golfer, can be hard to tell at first glance.
But if you are looking for elements to examine on a sand wedge, it is wise to start at the bottom and work your way up. From the clubhead to the grip, each component contributes to the feel of a club as it enhances the swing from start to follow-through.
Ease of Use
When we note the ease of use of a sand wedge, we talk about the club’s response when being played by a beginning golfer. Wedge play can be challenging as golfers can hit the wedge with a closed or open stance.
But for beginning golfers, equipment manufacturers have designed wedges that are expected to be played with a square stance to eliminate the noise of different stances and focus the golfer on just hitting the golf ball as best as they can.
Wedges with wider soles can provide the best quality of contact because they don’t allow the club to get stuck into the turf and, instead, will enable the club to glide through the grass to assure that the impact with the ball is clean.
Questions & Answers
What is a sand wedge?
A sand wedge is a club that routinely has 56 degrees of loft on the face and is used in situations around the green where the golfer needs height and softness to land the ball closer to the hole.
Routinely overlooked by beginners, the sand wedge is among clubs deemed unnecessary, but that is typical because the inexperienced golfer doesn’t understand how the high-lofted club can help their game immediately.
Beginning golfers are wise to use high lofted clubs exclusively in the early stages of learning the game. Short irons ranging from the 7-to the 9-iron plus a full array of wedges are a smart collection to use when trying to learn the game and receive some positive feedback as they gain confidence in their swing.
What are the benefits of a sand wedge to a beginning golfer?
It is common for an inexperienced or beginning golfer to not fully understand the benefits of having higher lofted clubs in their bag at the start of their golfing journey. Clubs like a sand wedge can provide a tremendous advantage early because it is a higher lofted club that will allow the amateur to get the ball into the air with more consistency.
Since most beginning golfers struggle early in their careers with understanding how swing speed equals distance, they are hesitant to swing the club harder until they gain confidence. But since a sand wedge, again, has more loft, the golfer gains that trust earlier, making it a club they can depend upon quickly.
By adding a sand wedge to the bag, the beginning golfer has a club around the green that they can lean on and use most of their strokes from anywhere inside 50 yards.
How is a sand wedge different from a pitching wedge?
A sand wedge has a loft that is routinely measured around 56 degrees. A pitching wedge, in contrast, typically measures anywhere from 44-48 degrees. As you can see by the loft alone, the sand wedge has a higher loft when compared to the pitching wedge, allowing it to hit higher and softer shots.
However, a pitching wedge can hit the ball further than a sand wedge, as most professional golfers can dial their pitching wedge up to roughly 150 yards in length for the longest hitters. Most amateurs typically hit their pitching wedge around 100-120 yards and their sand wedge anywhere from 80-100 yards in length.
How important are sharp grooves for sand wedges?
Sharp grooves for sand wedges are among the essential elements of the club, especially for the beginning golfer looking for consistency and control from their short game clubs.
The grooves’ sharpness controls the spin created at the point of impact with the golf ball. For golfers like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, they want the grooves to be as sharp as possible every week, and for that reason, they routinely play each tournament with new wedges.
Since a beginning golfer won’t have that luxury, it is wise to either routinely have the face of the wedge resharpened by a professional or buy a tool that will allow them to sharpen the grooves on their own.
How can I sharpen the grooves of my sand wedge to refresh their condition?
The grooves of a sand wedge are particularly crucial to a beginning golfer because they impart spin onto the golf ball. Early in a golfing career, one of the biggest challenges of the beginner is controlling their shots from a variety of distances, most notably around the green.
Sharp grooves are vital to the health of a sand wedge because it maximizes their purpose for the beginning golfer. There are two ways that a golfer can keep their grooves sharp for the course. The first is having them professionally done by a club professional or golf superstore.
The second method is the homemade version, and that is finding a groove-sharpening tool, like this one here, to clean out and resharpen the grooves of your sand wedge. Tools like the one we linked to are relatively inexpensive, and if you don’t play once or twice a month, they provide a way to keep your wedges fresh without worrying about getting new ones or always having them resharpened.
Conclusion
The best sand wedges offer versatility and strength. Since golfers can use a sand wedge anywhere inside 100 yards, finding one that instills confidence and delivers results is an excellent way for beginners to improve their overall short game.
Our choice for the best sand wedge for beginners, the Cleveland CBX Wedge, offers a wonderful experience from anywhere on the course. Whether you find yourself in the sand or the fairway, the CBX works to provide clean and crisp contact with exceptional spin and greenside control.
Like the CBX and all of the clubs on our list, the best sand wedges give beginners another weapon to lower their scores.
We also recommend you check our guide on How to Hit a Bunker Shot.