Wait! These New Wilson Infinite Wedges Are How Much?

In a just and fair world, how much should a new wedge cost?

The going rate for a mainstream OEM’s top-shelf, Tour-level wedge starts at around $169.99 and can run as much as $189.99. Yeah, you can buy last year’s closeouts for less. That’s always an option but you may not always be able to find the lofts you’re looking for.

Well, today Wilson is dropping a new (for them) line of cavity-back game-improvement wedges that will run you all of $130 a pop, whether you’re in the U.S. or Canada. While that’s a price you can meet or beat with most direct-to-consumer brands, it’s at least a 15-year throwback price for a mainstream retail-focused OEM.

The new line of Wilson Infinite wedges sparks many questions.

First among them, however, has to be that at $130 each, are you sacrificing anything? The answer is almost “certainly.” The good news, however, is that if you’re the golfer Wilson is targeting with these wedges, you’ll probably miss the extra $50 in your pocket more.

Wilson Infinite wedges: What are we looking at?

Last year, Wilson launched its forged Staff Model ZM wedges, the most tech-loaded Wilson wedge in years. What made those wedges compelling, however, was the price tag: Wilson launched them at $149.99. The HT (High Toe) model finished a middle-of-the-pack 14th out of 26 wedges tested by MyGolfSpy last year while the standard model came in 22nd. All in all, not a great debut, but both earned top-10 spots in consistency. Both also finished ahead of offerings from companies that sell a lot more wedges than Wilson does.

While the Staff Model ZM wedges are traditional blade-style wedges, the Wilson Infinite wedges follow the example set by Cleveland, Callaway and others. They’re cavity-back, game-improvement wedges designed for forgiveness.

If the Infinite name rings a bell with you, that’s understandable. These appear to be an extension of Wilson’s Infinite putter line, a budget-friendly lineup of cast putters that have tested very well with MyGolfSpy over the past five years or so. Those putter designs aren’t particularly innovative or groundbreaking. They do, however, succeed at the job they’ve been given which is to get the ball in the damn hole without costing you an arm and a leg.

The Wilson Infinite wedges are the same thing, only different. They’re budget-friendly cast wedges that aren’t particularly innovative or groundbreaking. They do, however, succeed at the job they’ve been given.

Which is to get the ball near the damn hole without running you an arm and leg.

Cavity-back wedges? What’s the difference?

Forgiving wedge design goes back to the days when golfers wished they had a niblick that was a little easier to hit. In a world where “firsts” are hard to pinpoint, we can say Cleveland made game-improvement cavity-back wedges a thing in 2017 with the CBX line. At the very least, that’s when it became a modern “product category.” Callaway, COBRA and others soon followed suit. The idea is that if you play game-improvement cavity-back irons, you should also play game-improvement cavity-back wedges.

The cavity-back does the same thing in a wedge as it does in an iron: it allows for more perimeter weighting and brings the CG down for a higher launch. The wider sole helps the chronic chili-dipper while the overall lower weight keeps feel consistent with the iron set.

You won’t find much in the way of sole grind options with this type of wedge. The target golfer is not looking for versatility or creativity around the green and won’t be opening up the face for a heroic flop shot. These wedges are designed to get through the turf with some forgiveness and help with the types of shots game-improvement golfers hit most often.

With that in mind, the Wilson Infinite wedges fit the bill. The cavity features a TPU insert which shifts mass low and to the perimeter to improve forgiveness. You’ll also notice the upper portion of the blade is thinned out to further lower the center of gravity. The Infinites also feature a wide sole to reduce the likelihood of chunks.

Specs, price and availability

The new Wilson Infinite wedges are very much a K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Sunshine) proposition. There are four lofts (48, 52, 56, 60 degrees) with a single, high-bounce sole design. The 48-degree model features a 10-degree bounce while the other three have a 12-degree bounce.

All except the 48-degree model be available in left- and right-handed models.

The line features what Wilson calls an onyx-black finish. It’s a PVD, or Physical Vapor Deposition, coating. PVD gets a bad rap in golf and it’s not as premium as, say, Diamondized Black Metal (DBM) or Quench-Polish-Quench (QPQ). PVD is a vacuum-based process that vaporizes solid materials to form a thin, bonded surface layer. It’s not as durable as DBM or QPQ but it won’t wear off during your first range session.

As befitting the category, the Wilson Infinite wedges feature the lightweight KBS Tour 105 shaft in wedge flex as stock. The Lamkin Crossline 360 Black is the stock grip.

The Wilson Infinite wedges are available now at retail and online for $130 each.

For more information, visit the Wilson Golf website.

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