Updated July 5, 2023. 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 Square Strike Wedge is a chipping iron that is designed to take some of the learning curve away from mastering the short game.
With a wide sole and blade-like clubface, the Square Strike Wedge is for golfers who want a no-frills alternative to chipping onto and around the green.
Similar in stature to a putter, the chipping iron is meant to be taken back and through the ball on a straight line for an easy two-step process of getting the ball to the cup.
The Square Strike Wedge is a ready-made alternative to the frustration of using irons off the green.
We’re sharing everything you should know in this Strike Wedge review.
Square Strike Wedge Review
The Square Strike Wedge is specially designed to keep the ball moving forward from where you are off the green. Whether you are on the fringe or more rooted in the rough, the Square Strike Wedge is designed to slide smoothly through the grass so you can get quality contact on the ball. With its putter-style and length, this wedge is enjoyable for golfers of all skill levels because it serves a much-needed purpose in your short game. Rather than using an iron, which has a higher degree of difficulty, chippers like the Square Strike Wedge are easier to use and are guaranteed to prevent you from hitting your chip shot fat, allowing you to save par every time.
Table of Contents
Square Strike Wedge
For Golfers Needing Consistency From Their Short Game
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Specs
- Loft: 45°
- Lie: 68°
- Shaft Length: 35.5”
- Swing Weight: D2
Pros
- Chunk-free wide sole offers premium contact quality
- Lower loft control trajectory and forward roll
- Incredibly consistent with dependable results
Cons
- Only made for chipping, no other reliable use on course
What Others Are Saying About the Square Strike Wedge
Technical Specifications
Wide Sole
The wide sole on the Square Strike Wedge helps the golfer to keep the club along the turf, rather than digging into the grass, for a smooth stroke that connects to the ball solidly with each swing. The Square Strike wedge is specially designed to make chipping easier, and the full sole is the primary component of the club’s unique talents.
45-Degree Loft
The Square Strike wedge, lofted at 45-degrees, is similar to a nine-iron. Other chipping irons are more upright with their loft and more in line with a 7-iron. But the Square Strike Wedge allows for more lift, making it useful in thicker rough and in areas where the golfer needs more height on their shot to get the ball to the hole.
35-inch Shaft Length
The shaft of the Square Strike Wedge is 35 inches, the standard length for a putter. This feature is intentional as the chipping iron is designed to feel similar to using a putter so that the golfer needs just one stroke for their entire short game from around the green. The Square Strike also has a lie of 68-degrees, making it more upright than other chipping irons to mimic the feel and look of a putter.
Features & Benefits of the Square Strike
We’re breaking down the many features and benefits in this Strike wedge review.
Impossible to Hit Fat Chips
One of the biggest problems that high handicappers have around the green is hitting the dreaded fat chip that does not go anywhere.
Instead of putting for par, once you hit a fat chip, you are staring at another chip shot with shaken confidence because you misfired on the first attempt.
With the Square Strike Wedge, the wide sole allows the club to effortless move over the chipping surface without snagging for more consistent contact with the ball.
That’s the point of carrying a chipping iron in your bag if you are struggling to get chips onto the green because the club does all the heavy lifting, and all you need to worry about is tempo and power of the stroke.
The Square Strike features a heavier body that works in the same way that a heavy putter does by keeping the clubhead low to the ground.
By keeping the clubhead near the surface, the golfer can continue to make quality contact without the worry of hitting the turf behind the chip, causing a fat shot.
Length of a Putter for More Control
One of the best features of the Square Strike Wedge is the shaft of the club is 35 inches long, similar to a putter.
By making the Square Strike similar in stature to the putter, golfers can use the club with the same stroke and grip that they do on the green.
Of course, the only difference is that chipping irons have a loft on the clubface to lift the ball and allow control through the tempo of the swing.
One of the biggest problems with using different irons for chipping is that each of them has shafts that are of differing lengths.
By using a chipping iron for all your short game chips, you are using a club that is uniform, and if you put in enough practice, you can anticipate the response and feedback of the club with each stroke.
Legal for Tournament Play
Making the chipping iron more than just a gimmick is crucial for using the Square Strike in tournament play.
For the junior golfer who loves playing in tournaments over the summer, a chipping iron is legal and accepted for competition play because it looks comparable to an iron.
The grip is not one of the wide putting grips that you see on modern putters, but instead, the chipping iron must use a standard grip that an iron would typically have on the shaft.
Also, the Square Strike’s club length is 35 inches, which is the same size as a putter. In all other ways, the putter is like an iron, down to the cavity backing, the grooves on the clubface, and the wide sole of the club that is reminiscent to a lob wedge.
The Square Strike Wedge can be used at any time and in any tournament because the company has taken the necessary steps to make sure the club conforms to USGA regulations.
Heavy Feel with Exceptional Balance
The head on the Square Strike Wedge is weighted at 330 grams, which is the standard weight to most putting heads. But instead of being used for putting, the Square Strike Wedge has been tailored to the look of a putter that aims to prevent fat chips and consistent chipping off the green.
Manufacturers of golf equipment want putters to stay low to the surface so that the ball is met squarely by the center of the putter’s face.
The Square Strike Wedge has the same principle in mind as its blade-like face gives plenty of coverage for making solid contact with the ball.
This quality contact is achieved by the weighted head of the Square Strike Wedge. Much like the putter, the golfer only has to make a steady stroke through the ball for reliable results that lift the ball out of trouble and onto the green.
Blade-Putter Shape
One of the more ingenious aspects of the Square Strike Wedge is how it is shaped like a putter. Instead of having a lie of 62 degrees like most irons, the wedge is more upright, standing at 68 degrees.
This slight adjustment gives the Square Strike the look and feel of a putter, even though the club has the shape and design of a wedge.
By extending the clubface and giving the Square Strike a low profile, the company has extended the center of the wedge, providing a larger sweet spot for quality contact.
Instead of having to find a small area in the dead center of the clubface, golfers can play around with the Square Strike Wedge and utilize the blade to adjust the speed and power of the chip.
When coupled with a blade-putter, think Scotty Cameron style, the Square Strike can provide consistency throughout the golfer’s game by having two clubs that are similar in structure but perform two different, but incredibly, necessary tasks.
Centered Center of Gravity
You might be wondering why having a centered center of gravity on the Square Strike Wedge is essential because you aren’t swinging the club like you would a fairway wood, but rather using it to improve your chipping.
But having that focus of energy in the center of the clubface, helps the golfer provide a solid stroke to the ball with every stroke from off the green.
When you factor in how the club is meant to be used, having the center of gravity in the true center of the clubface helps keep the focus on the ball without complication.
The design of the Square Strike Wedge encourages simple to use for golfers of any skill level, and by not making the club complicated from a technical standpoint, they’ve accomplished their mission.
By balancing the club and centering the center of gravity, golfers can find a reliable sweet spot that will deliver a true response with each successive stroke.
For beginners, having reliability in the bag is essential for being able to focus on getting better fundamentally without worrying that your clubs are going to fail you.
Wide Sole for Gliding Over Turf
The wide sole on the Square Strike Wedge is something akin to a gimmicky lob wedge that you might find at a sporting goods superstore.
And while that lob wedge uses the sole to slide under the golf ball, no matter how bad the lie or the condition of the rough, the Square Strike Wedge shares the same principle in that the wide sole keeps the club from grabbing into the soil for an unfortunate mis-hit.
Although it might take time to understand and utilize the full sole, having it on the Square Strike Wedge makes the chipping iron dependable and a joy to use.
With the weighted head keeping the Square Strike low, the golfer can focus on making a smooth stroke through the golf ball with the knowledge that the Square Strike Wedge won’t snag or twist against the turf.
The company has also kept a little weight in the toe of the Square Strike Wedge so that it doesn’t twist in the hand of the golfer, providing more stability throughout the putting-like motion. When coupled with the weighted toe, the full sole of the Square Strike wedge works even better to promote quality contact on each stroke.
Design Allows for Short, Smoother Putting-Like Strokes
The club’s design is what attracts golfers to the Square Strike Wedge. Instead of having to decide between which iron is best for the chip they are facing, the guesswork has been eliminated by the use of a chipping iron that is dependable and similar in shape to the golfer’s putter.
With the more upright look, the Square Strike Wedge works in a near-identical method like the putter.
The golfer can take the same stance they use when putting, but instead of placing the ball in the center of the stance and knowing the putter’s end result will create forward roll, the golfer will need to adopt a new position that allows the chipping iron to lift the ball into the air.
Most golfers adopt a style of forward press where the hands move forward at address to de-loft the club and encourage forward roll to the cup.
The Square Strike Wedge makes that style easy with its 45-degree loft and upright style.
Great for Beginners Who Want Simple Chipping
There are two ways to putt. The first is by taking the putter back and through on the same line. You will hear coaches call it “straight back-straight through.”
The other is by swinging the putter in an arc that starts square at address and then returns to the same position at impact.
Imagine windshield wipers if they went from one side to the other without stopping. That’s putting in an arc.
For beginning golfers, it is much easier to swing the putter straight-back and straight-through. This method helps minimize mis-hits and prevent the putter from getting off-line.
For the designers of the Square Strike Wedge, they felt like the chipping iron would be best used in the same manner and encourage golfers to use their club in the straight-back, straight-through style.
By giving golfers this simple instruction, it makes the club even more accessible to young and beginning weekend warriors who need all the help they can get while they continue to learn the game.
Alternatives to the Square Strike Wedge
Tour Edge Hot Launch Chipper
Best alternative: Great Chipping Iron for Mid Handicappers
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Specs
- Loft: 37°
- Lie: 67°
- Shaft Length: 35”
- Swing Weight: D3
Pros
- Super-wide sole glides across grass without snagging
- Low, broad face makes reliable contact with golf ball
- Exaggerated offset makes clean lane of sight at address
Cons
- Only capable of hitting chips from just off green, not versatile
When comparing the Tour Edge Hot Launch Chipper to the Square Strike, you’ll first notice the difference between the two head shapes. The Tour Edge has a wide body with a rounded, smooth sole, while the Square Strike carries the shape of a blade-style putter.
There’s not much between the two chippers that are similar, other than sharing the same loft angle. With a 37-degree loft, the Tour Edge chipper shares the same face angle as a 7-iron.
The Hot Launch’s wide sole offers an easier playability for beginning golfers as it slides along the turf and into the golf ball without snagging into the grass. The chipper also has an extended grip, offering you the ability to choke up for more control on trickier chip shots.
For experienced golfers, the Tour Edge Hot Launch Chipper could be the difference maker in helping improve your short game.
MacGregor MACTEC X Chipper
Most Forgiving Option
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Specs
- Loft: 37°
- Lie: 68°
- Shaft Length: 35”
- Swing Weight: D2
Pros
- Provides reliable speed and trajectory when chipping
- Wider grooves offer smooth launch with quick forward roll
- Large sole doesn’t chunk or snag the turf during stroke
Cons
- Great for chipping, but doesn’t have other utility on the links
An outstanding alternative to the Square Strike is the new MacGregor MACTEC X Chipper. Designed to help inexperienced golfers find better accuracy from just off the green, the chipper offers a putter-like club that significantly reduces the number of fat or thin chips.
With a 37-degree loft, this chipper mimics a 7-iron, but with far easier execution for shorter par putts that helps lower overall scores.
For the MacGregor chipper, the top feature is the wide, mallet-shaped body that produces a wide range of outstanding benefits. The face helps with forgiveness on off-center strikes, along producing the forward roll that golfers need on longer attempts.
The MACTEC X chipper also offers excellent feel. When you use the club the response you’ll receive makes it seem like you are chipping with an iron, but without the problems that can plague golfers struggling with producing quality contact.
Also with the lower profile, the MacGregor chipper slides smoothly along the grass and into the ball for the clean contact that golfers crave with a top-notch chipper.
Very handy around the green, the MacGregor MACTEC X Chipper is a well-made tool for beginning golfers looking to stabilize their short game.