What is Wedge Flex? Decoding Wedge Shafts

Wedge flex is essentially a stiff flex wedge shaft. Rather than designate a wedge shaft as stiff, many OEMs brand wedge shafts as “wedge flex” even though they’re simply stiff wedge-length shafts.

These days it’s common to notice that among the plethora of options when selecting a wedge – loft, grind, bounce, and finish – there is often no shaft flex option. Since feel is more important than flex with wedges, wedge flex is much more standardized than with any other club in the bag.

When you think about what shaft flex you should have in your wedges, consider how you plan on using each wedge. 

Some players opt to use the same or a similar shaft in their wedges as their irons. If you plan on hitting mostly full-swing shots with your wedges, that makes perfect sense.

If you have one or two wedges that you primarily use for greenside chip and pitch shots, and half-swing shots, you may consider a different shaft for those wedges.

For more delicate shots that require more feel, a slightly heavier shaft can provide that feel and improve consistency.

Many players prefer to drop down a flex from their iron shafts when they move into the wedges, particularly the partial-swing wedges. For example, True Temper says that 60% of its tour players use a softer flex shaft in those wedges than their irons. 

Since dropping to a softer flex can be beneficial for those greenside wedges, but dropping to a lighter weight can actually hurt, many wedge shafts, like the Project X Wedge Shaft, are designed to play slightly softer in flex while maintaining a consistent weight from the corresponding iron shaft.

Do OEM’s re-brand stiff shafts in wedges as “wedge flex” just to confuse consumers? Who knows the reason, but now you know that wedge flex is a stiff flex shaft.