Finding the best shafts for wedges is not easy. This is because most golfers don’t even think of it. When you look in the bag of a professional, or even a local single digit handicapper, you’ll see different shafts for each type of club. When we think best shafts for wedges, we think Project X Rifle.
In modern golf, you don’t have to use the same shafts for wedges that you do irons. If you were to keep stock shafts, you aren’t hurting your game, but you certainly aren’t helping it either. Take a look below to see our top picks for golfers at every experience and skill level.
Top Pick: True Temper Project X Rifle
True Temper Project X Rifle shafts do a little bit of everything. You can swing hard or soft with them and still achieve optimal results. With most wedge shafts, you’re encouraged to swing one way or the other. Any golfer with sense will tell you that having the versatility to do either, depending on the shot in front of them, is critical to getting up and down.
Let’s talk spin. If you don’t want spin, bump and run with an 8-iron or hybrid. If you like making your ball check and want to hit smaller landing areas, this is what you need to know. Project X Rifle shafts are designed to give mid to high amounts of spin. Due to this engineering, you’ll have a better chance of hitting your chips and sub 50-yard shots to 10 feet or less than you would other shafts.
When we were deciding what criteria to use to determine our best shafts for wedges, two things kept coming up; precision and control. True Temper bills their Project X Rifle shafts as designed specifically for these two attributes. Their performance passes all the tests.
What’s nice about these shafts is that they are a True Temper product, a brand that thrives on versatility. They make this model shaft for every iron, slightly tweaking each to encourage ideal launch, flight and spin. Not only do they fall under best shafts for wedges, but they’re really some of the best shafts overall.
What We Like
- Comes in multiple flex options
- Can get these for your entire set of irons—without having to cut anything
- Tapered shafts provide responsiveness and superior energy transfer
What We Don’t Like
- Mid-level trajectory; if you want multiple feet of backspin on each shot, be prepared for a higher risk of hitting it thin
- Moderate tempo and stiffer flexes are better suited for golfers with stronger swings so these may not be best for senior golfers
Runner-Up: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus
Nippon might not be the most well-known Japanese golf shaft manufacturer, but they are a brand you should know. With more than 200 professional victories worldwide, Nippon makes some of the best shafts for wedges you don’t know about.
To perfect the pitch shot, you need clubs with a low trajectory and the ability to throw the brakes on once your ball hits the green. Nippon N.S. Pro Modus shafts encourage a low launch and dynamic directional control.
Even when you hit the shot after missing a green by 12 feet, the precise direction will prevent a compounded mistake. If you hit it 12 feet by, it’s a 12-foot putt. You won’t have to worry about coming in another 15 from the left or right of the pin.
N.S. Pro Modus shafts are tailored to golfers with harder swings. These are ideal for golfers with low handicaps but can be effective for any golfer with a top swing speed of 100 mph+. A Nippon designed heat treatment helps shift some weight towards the hands, providing a bit more feel on shorter shots.
If you play Nippon shafts, you’re going to get a feel for your clubs rather quickly. Just like some golfers prefer one-length irons to help with their consistency, Nippon makes it so that each shaft weighs the same. With only loft varying club to club, it’s easier to replicate the same full swing with Nippon shafts than other options.
What We Like
- Three flex options with progressively heavier shafts based on stiffness only; an option for every golfer
- Creative approach to weighting and design gives poor short game players a chance to start from scratch
What We Don’t Like
- Comes in packs of three—but let’s be honest, you carry three wedges and uniformity helps you develop a better feel
- Difficult to reap full rewards if you are a slow swinger
Best Lightweight Shaft: True Temper AMT Red R300
There is a reason True Temper is all over this page—they’re good at what they do. If you’re a slower swinging golfer, or just keep to a slow tempo, a lightweight shaft gives you more control. You also get more accurate without changing the way you approach the game.
AMT Red R300 shafts are high trajectory. A common mistake for golfers who prefer hitting the ball high to produce a steep landing angle is opening the club too much and hitting it thin. What these golfers don’t realize is that by changing to a shaft like this, they can produce a high ball flight while reducing their risk of skulling it.
Golfers who swing at more than 100 mph can produce spin regardless of what shaft they have on their wedges. They even get spin with their long irons; it’s just easy when you swing that hard. With a shorter or slower swing, things are more difficult.
By picking out a shaft that you can work with, you are putting yourself in a position to succeed. Too frequently will you see a mid-handicap golfer pass up an opportunity to take a risk greenside due to restrictions created by their clubs. With the best shafts for wedges in your bag, you’re in the clear. Just make sure your playing partners aren’t directly behind the flag until you get the shots down.
The best wedge shots are high with plenty of spin. AMT Red R300’s are some of the best shafts for wedges because they make that shot shape easy. Even though these shafts are on the lighter side, it does not confine you to a specific type of shot or swing. If the time comes for you to really go at a shot, or you need to take a massive, hard swing for a flop shot over a hazard, these shafts are ready.
What We Like
- Versatility—anyone can use these shafts (low handicap, high handicap, seniors, women)
- Lighter shaft and flex options will help you on full and half shots
- If shafts prove too light, you can add grip tape, etc.—going the other way isn’t as easy
What We Don’t Like
- Progressive weighting might disrupt feel if you use these for all of your irons
Best Heavy Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold S400
Another category, another rave review of True Temper shafts. With the Dynamic Gold S400’s, we get a little heavier with a different ball flight. Either way, still one of the best shafts for wedges out there.
Most people picking out shafts for their wedges are looking for high flying, fast-spinning shafts. With those types of shots, you also have a pretty real possibility of messing the shot up. Small swings, small mistakes (for the most part).
True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 shafts encourage low trajectory and produce low spin. For those that specialize in chip shots, like running the ball up to the hole and golfers with a flat home course, these are the shafts to elevate your game.
We list the liquid black finish as something we like, but we also need to provide a warning with this. Any time there is a coating or coloring on the shafts of golf clubs, it will eventually chip. Take good care of it and you can prolong this process. Be a golfer that switches their equipment every season or two and you’ll never have to worry about it. Your choice.
What We Like
- Black finish—sometimes a little flashiness on the golf course is fun (as long as you can back it up)
- Can be used with fast or slow swings
What We Don’t Like
- Limited flex options
- Low flight reduces distances, but then again, these are wedges—not your driver
Best for Beginners: KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 Taper Tip
When you’re a beginner, you’re envious of more skilled players who seem to hit their wedges high and yank them back, cozying each shot up close to the hole. These skills take practice. In modern golf, it takes less practice. You can thank better technology for that.
With a high launch wedge shaft, beginners will have to resist the urge to hit everything like a flop shot. Due to the natural loft and help from the shaft, your ball will take off naturally—you don’t need to give it any extra help.
Adding to the high launch, the tapered shaft “activates” as you come through the ball, making it easier to hit different types of shots. As you start to get a better feel for the short game, you can keep these shafts since they are suitable for golfers at all levels.
For beginners, hitting a full shot with a sand wedge is as difficult as hitting a high 4-iron. As such, you might want to stay away from those shots until you gain more experience. What makes the KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 Taper Tip shafts so good is their responsiveness around the greens. With shots inside 30 yards, or even greenside, you’ll be able to feel what went right (or what went wrong).
What We Like
- Even with the loft increase, it’s difficult for beginners to hit the ball high—these help
- Better to use for full sets than other KBS shafts
What We Don’t Like
- Lack of flex and length options since they’re wedge-specific shafts
Budget Option: KBS 610 Wedge Shaft
Everyone likes to feel special. Everyone also likes having specialty items; with golf equipment, the feeling is no different. When we found out KBS was making their 610 shafts specifically for wedges, we needed to know more. Spoiler alert, we liked what we found.
All things natural, KBS 610 wedge shafts will produce a low to middle ball flight and launch. You won’t be hitting the highest shots out of your foursome, but you have a good chance of attacking the green with the most control—distance and direction.
This shaft is tapered with a pretty dramatic difference between the top and bottom width. The butt end of the shaft is .610” wide (the shaft name should make sense now). By the time you taper down to the clubhead, you’re at .355”. The tapering effect provides more versatility and helps to shape the ball in a variety of ways. When you try a different shot, your club will listen.
The thing about competition among golf companies is that you can find affordable products that are also high quality. KBS finds the perfect combination of quality and value with the 610 wedge shafts making them one of the best shafts for wedges and your wallet.
What We Like
- Price (obviously)
- Solid mix of low and high, spinning and non-spinning shots
What We Don’t Like
- Not ideal for full set use; again, these are wedge shafts
- Limited flex options (stiff only)
Best Shafts for Wedges Takeaways
If you take one thing from this article, I hope it’s that custom wedge shafts are a must. Even if you use the same shafts for the rest of your clubs, you need to make sure that you are putting the wedge “version” into your wedges.
There are wedges (and balls) for fast swings, slow swings and every speed in-between. There are also heavy wedges and light wedges. You won’t know what’s best for you until their in your hands, but by studying the tendencies they produce, and your own game, you can do the work from your house.
If you’re honest with yourself and your needs for the golf course, you can compare what you currently have in your bag to what’s available online and find the perfect fit for you. We hope that we’re helping you along that path.