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RankingsBest Wedges 2026Three picks, chosen from wet spin, bounce options and price
Updated: Oct 4, 2026Contains affiliate links
Only one wedge out of 15 models lost not a single rpm of spin when wet.
This article is my ranking of the best wedges for 2026. As a nerd who studies golf gear, I lined up the numbers for dry and wet spin alongside the number of bounce options at 56° and the price, and picked three. Where a club is good, I praise it without holding back. Where it is so-so, I say so-so.
The Gear Nerd's Pick
No. 1: Titleist Vokey SM11 6,857 rpm dry, 6,860 rpm wet. A retention rate of 100.0%. Of the 15 models, the SM11 was the only one that managed this. This was the one place I had no doubts. It is flat-out good.
Find the No. 1 Vokey SM11Rakuten Ichiba, as of Oct 5, 2026 10:17
Titleist Vokey SM111 club, new, lowest price first
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- ゴルフセブン¥28,215+ shippingSee today's price on Rakuten
- 美-健康ゴルフ¥28,215+ shippingSee today's price on Rakuten
- Victoria Golf 楽天市場支店¥29,000+ shippingSee today's price on Rakuten
Used from ¥13,200 (Golf Ace No.3 Rakuten Ichiba store) See used
Ad: New units (right-handed) from Japanese retailers found in a Rakuten Ichiba search, lowest price first. Used and grey-import items are excluded. Prices, shipping and stock change. Prices can also differ by loft or shaft, so check the product page before you buy.
In this article
- Bottom line
- I ranked them by looking at wet spin first
- 1. Vokey SM11, 2. PING s259, 3. RTZ 2
- Why This Order
- No. 1 Vokey SM11: lost no spin when wet
- No. 2 PING s259: the numbers are good enough, the price is so-so
- No. 3 Cleveland RTZ 2: cheap, with plenty of options, but no numbers yet
- The numbers for the Hi-Toe 5, which I left out of the rankings
- FAQ
Bottom line
The difference between wedges shows up in morning dew and on rainy days. That is why I looked at wet spin first. On that number, the SM11 is a clear step ahead.
The overseas test used here is on US-spec clubs, under a single condition: 56° at 50 yards. These are not numbers for open-face shots or for bunkers.
If the grooves on your current wedges are still sharp and the ball still stops on wet days, you don't need to replace them.
I ranked them by looking at wet spin first
I looked at three criteria: wet spin, the number of bounce options at 56°, and price.
The spin numbers come from the annual comparison tests by MyGolfSpy in the US (GCQuad launch monitor, Pro V1 balls). The test hits 50-yard shots with a 56° wedge and compares dry and wet conditions. Price and bounce are from each maker's official Japanese site. All sources are listed at the end of the article.
Why wet? Dry, the 15 models all spun between 6,729 and 7,217 rpm, a spread of only 488 rpm. Wet, the spread exceeds 3,700 rpm. The model that dropped the most went from 6,801 rpm to 3,130 rpm. That is less than half. Wet is where the gap opens up.
1. Vokey SM11, 2. PING s259, 3. RTZ 2
Rakuten Ichiba / AdTitleist Vokey SM11
Rakuten Ichiba / AdPING s259 Wedge
Rakuten Ichiba / AdCleveland RTZ 2 Wedge
Product images: Rakuten Ichiba (Ad). Tap an image to go to its Rakuten Ichiba product page.
| Rank | Model | Dry spin | Wet spin | Retention rate | Bounce options at 56° | Price (1 club, incl. tax) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 | Titleist Vokey SM11 | 6,857 rpm | ◎ 6,860 rpm | ◎ 100.0% | ◎ 8, 10, 12, 14° | ¥29,700 |
| No. 2 | PING s259 | 6,760 rpm | 6,389 rpm | 94.5% | 10, 12, 14° | ¥33,000 |
| No. 3 | Cleveland RTZ 2 | No test data | No test data | No test data (the previous RTZ was 97.9%) | ◎ 6, 8, 10, 12° | ◎ ¥27,500 |
Why This Order
| Rank | Model | Why I ranked it here |
|---|---|---|
| No. 1 | Titleist Vokey SM11 | Wet, its 6,857 rpm became 6,860 rpm, a retention rate of 100.0%. The SM11 was the only one of the 15 models to manage this. The 56° also comes in four bounce options. |
| No. 2 | PING s259 | It has a number that was actually measured: a retention rate of 94.5%. This is why I put it above the RTZ 2. The reasons it falls short of the SM11 are that its wet spin is about 470 rpm lower than the SM11 and it costs ¥3,300 more. |
| No. 3 | Cleveland RTZ 2 | The cheapest at ¥27,500, and the 56° comes in 4 bounce options. But there are still no numbers measured on the RTZ 2 itself. Since it is unverified, I ranked it No. 3. I will revisit this when test data comes out. |
There is almost no difference in dry conditions, so I looked at wet spin first. Change the criteria and the order changes too. Reread it according to which criterion you look at first.
No. 1 Vokey SM11: lost no spin when wet
The SM11 is flat-out good. 6,857 rpm dry became 6,860 rpm wet. It did not drop.
The difference between wedges shows up in morning dew and on rainy days. You can't see it on a mat at a sunny driving range. Titleist says the SM11's groove volume is 5% larger than the previous model's. A design that gives water more room to escape and the test result line up exactly.
Its overall score is also 3rd of 15 models (8.9 points), and at 56° you can choose from four bounce options. It is a club where I can find nothing but things to praise. I cover what changed from the previous model in Vokey SM10 vs. SM11.
No. 2 PING s259: the numbers are good enough, the price is so-so
The PING s259 had a retention rate of 94.5% and placed 5th overall (8.6 points). Those are plenty good numbers. I also like its long grip, which makes it easy to grip down and take distance off.
The price is so-so. It costs ¥3,300 more than the SM11, and its wet numbers don't reach the SM11's. At 56° it also has only three bounce options, with no 8°. I see it as the club for golfers who want their wedges to flow from their PING irons.
No. 3 Cleveland RTZ 2: cheap, with plenty of options, but no numbers yet
The Cleveland RTZ 2 is the cheapest of the 3 at ¥27,500, and at 56° it has 4 bounce options from 6° to 12°. Its range of choice matches the SM11's.
But here is the so-so part. It only came out on Sep 12, 2026, and there are no measured numbers yet for the RTZ 2 itself. The 97.9% in the table is the previous model's figure. There is reason to be hopeful, but it has not been confirmed.
The numbers for the Hi-Toe 5, which I left out of the rankings
There is a number I'd like you to know before you buy. In the same test, the TaylorMade Hi-Toe 5 had a retention rate of 84.0% (6,783 → 5,697 rpm).
It is a wedge shaped to be played with the face open, and my reading is that a square-faced 50-yard shot in wet conditions was not the situation it is built for. If you are choosing on spin in the rain, I can't put it in the rankings. I cover the differences in construction in Hi-Toe 5 vs MG5.
Who doesn't need to buy these three
- Golfers whose current wedge grooves are still sharp and whose ball still stops on wet days
- Golfers who chunk a lot (the first thing to look at is bounce, not the model. I wrote about it in Chunked Chips and Bounce. The guide is 12° or more at 56°)
- Golfers who haven't decided how many to carry (read How Many Wedges to Carry first)
FAQ
Which wedge holds its spin best in the rain?
In MyGolfSpy's 2026 test (56°, 50 yards), the Titleist Vokey SM11 spun 6,857 rpm dry and 6,860 rpm wet, a retention rate of 100.0%. The PING s259 was 94.5% and the TaylorMade Hi-Toe 5 was 84.0%. The test used US-spec clubs.
What bounce options are there at 56°?
According to each maker's official Japanese site, the Vokey SM11 comes in 8°, 10°, 12° and 14°, the PING s259 in 10°, 12° and 14°, and the Cleveland RTZ 2 in 6°, 8°, 10° and 12°.
If the bounce angle is the same, does it play the same across brands?
Not necessarily. Paul Wood, formerly PING's VP of engineering, writes that effective bounce has no fixed definition or standard, so the numbers vary from maker to maker. In his example, a 60° wedge with 20° of measured bounce has an effective bounce of only about 6° because its sole is 0.5 inch (about 13 mm) wide. When you compare these three wedges on bounce, don't decide on the angle alone; look at the sole width in the shop too. How to measure it is in Approach Chunks and Bounce.
Which is the cheapest?
Of the 3 in this article, it is the Cleveland RTZ 2 at ¥27,500 (for 1 club, tax included). The Vokey SM11 is ¥29,700 and the PING s259 is ¥33,000.
Ready to choose? Start here
Related reading
Vokey SM10 vs. SM11: 5% More Groove Volume, New 44°
New Wedges 2026: The One a Gear Nerd Picked
Sources for this article
- MyGolfSpy: Best Wedges of 2026 (updated Aug 31, 2026)
- MyGolfSpy: 2026 Wet Wedge Spin Results (Sep 25, 2026)
- PING official: s259 Wedge
- GolfWRX: What is “effective bounce” anyway? (Paul Wood / PING, 3/28/2015)
- Dunlop official: Cleveland RTZ 2
- Golf Gear Lab: Latest Wedges 2026 (prices from each maker's official Japanese site, checked Sep 15, 2026)