If golf equipment sales were represented in a pie chart, the wedge category would be a very small … wedge. If it were a pizza, wedges would be that little slice that results from a few asymmetric rolls of the pizza cutter. Get the point? How about some real data to drive home the point?
Golfers purchase roughly 2.5 million drivers and putters every year, according to Golf Datatech. The only things they change out more frequently are their golf gloves (no, we weren’t going to go there). Similarly, they buy a million sets of irons, which equates to around 7 million total clubs.
As for wedges? Since 2020, golfers have purchased around a million wedges annually. Considering most players carry between two and four non “stock” wedges in their bags, this figure is proportionately minuscule. And while they have no issue forking over $500 for drivers and putters and upwards of $1,500 for a set of irons, they spend $150 (on average) for a wedge.
Which begs the question, why has rebel with a cause OEM PXG not only joined the wedge party, but potentially crashed it with its Sugar Daddy line? Introduced earlier this year, the Sugar Daddy II wedges are the brainchild of Mike Nicolette, PXG’s director of product creation since 2013. Nicolette spent 24 years with PING and developed a relentless passion for wedge design.
With the blessing of PXG founder Bob Parsons, Nicolette set out to create 100 % CNC-milled construction on top of 3X forged, an expensive and exacting process that drive the Sugar Daddy II price point to $499 per club (editor’s note: as of this writing, they were on sale for $449). Ask any member of the PXG army if they’re worth it, and the answer is a resounding “yes.” That includes the PGA TOUR’s Hudson Swafford.
“I added PXG Sugar Daddy II 46- and 56-degree wedges to my bag at the American Express,” Swafford said after winning the tournament in January. “The added bounce matches my patterns and helps me flight it a whole lot better. Also, they don’t dig as much. With my first win of the year on the books the same week as putting them in, I think it’s fair to say Sugar Daddy IIs are in to stay.”
PXG Sugar Daddy II Wedges present golfers with two versatile sole designs, the BP-Grind (13) and C-Grind (10). Optimal for lush turf conditions and sand, the BP-Grind features a wide sole and slight taper from heel to toe, offering more bounce. Designed to perform in firm turf conditions, the C-Grind presents a narrow sole and aggressive taper from heel to toe, offering a moderate bounce. Both sole designs are available in every loft across the PXG 0311 Sugar Daddy II Wedge lineup – 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, 60, and 62 degrees.
“I’ve never had a wedge spin more around the greens,” PGA TOUR winner and PXG professional Joel Dahmen added. “The look and feel of Sugar Daddy Wedges are the best in the game.”
The Science Behind the Sugar
Precision Milled Grooves are designed at the USGA limit to support extreme shot-making, while the new “Full Face Groove” technology expands the hitting area for shots played toward the toe side of the face. The expanded groove length helps golfers land it softly and ensures more consistent results on impacts across the face.
“High Toe Weighting” creates a high moment-of-inertia (MOI) and helps position the center-of-gravity (CG) more in line with open face shots for enhanced consistency. At the same time, new Precision Weighting Technology introduces swing weight adjustability to the PXG Wedge fitting experience. A large weight near the CG enables golfers to achieve fine-tuned performance through various head weight configurations.
PXG 0311 Sugar Daddy II Wedges are triple forged from 8620 soft carbon steel and then CNC Milled to their final form. The innovative process ensures every geometry is produced to exacting specifications for consistent performance today – and when golfers are ready to refresh their set.
“We’ve taken our signature 0311 Forged Wedges to the next level, perfecting every surface, curve, and groove to help you master your short game,” said Parsons. “Without a doubt, these babies are some of the sexiest, best-performing wedges on the market. Period.”
Testing the Sugar Daddy IIs
We went through the PXG fitting process – a blend of art, science and the best customer service we’ve experienced in the industry, period (to borrow a line from Parsons). Based on the results, we were sent three wedges, 50, 54 and 58 degrees, with the BP grind for softer playing conditions. Unlike many equipment companies, PXG can custom fit and ship clubs (even a full set) in less than two weeks.
On full wedge shots from 80, 100 and 110 yards, the Sugar Daddy IIs spring to life with a firm “click” (note: we used OnCore’s four-piece VERO X1 during testing). They were extremely forgiving, especially on shots hit off the toe. We used FlightScope’s Mevo to track distance and spin, and the full-face grooves produced more spin than the two leading OEM brand wedges we tested alongside the Sugar Daddy IIs.
Around the greens, the Sugar Daddy IIs take some getting used to, but in a good way. The faces on our wedges were “hot,” meaning very little clubhead speed was required to get the ball in the air and online. The 54 and 58-degree wedges were absolute magician’s wands, accommodating a wide variety of shots from all sorts of lies. The 58-degree is the best wedge we’ve tested in fluffy sand, and out of the thin stuff, it just needs the clubface closed a bit to perform optimally.
The Bottom Line
If you’re on a golf equipment budget, PXG has plenty of affordable options via its 0211 and GEN 4 lines. If you’re not, or if you’re an enlightened golfer of any skill level who understands just how important the short game is to game improvement, you’ll want to make the investment in Sugar Daddy II set. For more information, visit www.pxg.com.
