Scor Wedges

Scor 4161 Wedge Review: Everyone knows that a good short game is critical to scoring. Not only can a good short game overcome mediocre driver and iron play, it is really the only way to go low. Unfortunately, I have never really had a great short game in part because I approached it from a defensive standpoint. For example, I have been of the mindset that I can shoot mid to low 80’s by not 3 putting, hitting some greens and not making double bogeys. Good advice I think, but as I have worked toward becoming a single digit handicap player, I knew I would need to become a better wedge player in order to move into the 70’s. So when I went looking for new wedges I poked around and found a newish company called Scor Golf.

When I spoke to Scor Golf founder, Terry Koehler, the first thing I realized is that this guy knows more about wedges than about 99.9% of the world. Morever, Terry is more than willing to share his knowledge with anyone who is interested . . . in fact he writes a really informative blog on wedge play. So after 30 minutes on the phone, I went to the Scor Golf website and filled out my profile. Scor then came up with my optimal set and sent me a 41, 45, 50, 55 and 60 degree wedge. Note: this also meant that I would have to replace my stock PW, gap and sand wedge. The 41 should replace my 9 iron but I am still in the process of getting comfortable with that.

Not to make this post too much about me, but I figure many of you can relate to being a bit terrified of blades and wedges. Prior to taking the wedges to the course I spent about an hour on the chipping green and what I found was that they were very easy to hit and much more forgiving than a traditional wedge. After a bit of practice I was even peppering the pin. Now I am not going to get crazy and tell you I have gotten all Phil Mickleson, but I will tell you that I am now far more aggressive with my wedges such that I am looking to save strokes, not just avoid taking more. Again, with some more practice I now know exactly how far each one will go so I can hit a full shot at 100, 80 and 60 yards. For you strong guys who hit a PW wedge 140 yards, ask yourself how do you manage your game inside of 125 yards. The Scor wedges are meant to bridge that gap. In fact, the name Scor 4161 is in reference to the fact that Scor offers wedges with lofts between 41 and 61  at 1 degree increments. For those of you counting that is 20 different lofts!

For me, I now have much better touch around the green and I even have confidence hitting the dreaded 60 degree wedge out of green side rough. Again I am not going to give all of the credit to Scor wedges but I am at an all time low handicap, 8.4, since putting them in my bag. The fact is I am now shooting in the 70’s on a fairly regular basis which I believe is only possible if you are able to regularly hit greens inside of 125 yards and chip to inside of 7 feet on a consistent basis.

So what makes the Scor wedges different from all of the rest? What Terry explained is that while drivers, irons and putters have changed dramatically over the years, wedges have remained basically the same. With that in mind, Scor developed a wedge with technology to deliver a more accurate and forgiving ball flight. Specifically, the V-Sole not only gives optimal bounce but because of the shape, it also is more forgiving when you dig the club too much or skull it slightly. Again from personal experience, I am now very comfortable hitting a 55 or 60 degree wedge from virtually any lie as I know I do not have to make perfect contact for the ball to come off the club properly.

The other unique feature of the Scor golf club is the progressive weighting system. With most irons, the clubs are all weighted the same. With the Scor Golf irons, each club is weighted differently to match the loft. This way your lob wedges are optimized for spin while 58 to 61 degree wedges are optimized for trajectory and control.

On a side note, one thing I love about wedges is that they are truly an art form. Hand grinded wedges are all the rage and the results can be visually striking, but in the end performance is what matters. This is not to say the Scor wedges are ugly because they too are very good looking. My point is that when comparing high end wedges, technology matters and Scor has it in spades. Plus, Scor Golf puts their money where their mouth is and offers a 30 day money back guarantee. Yup, if you don’t like ’em, just send them back but don’t go looking to get your hands on mine because they are staying in my bag.

You can see more high res images of the Scor 4161 wedges on our Facebook Gallery and learn more about Scor Golf on their website.