A$264 to A$390 a wedge: SM11, RTZ 2, MG5, Opus SP+ or s259 for firm couch and sandbelt sand

October is when Australian short games get found out. The fairways are drying, couch is waking up and running, the greens are quicker by the week, and the sand in a lot of bunkers is packing down after a wet winter. If your sand wedge skipped off a tight lie into the face of a bunker last Saturday, this is the month to ask whether the wedge is part of the problem. Five families share the wedge racks in Australia this spring: Titleist’s Vokey SM11, Cleveland’s RTZ 2, TaylorMade’s MG5, Callaway’s Opus SP+ and Ping’s s259. Here they do not cost the same. In mid October an Australian chain listed them from A$263.95 a club for the TaylorMade to A$389.95 for the Ping, a gap of more than A$120 per wedge that does not exist in the US, where four of the five sit within a few dollars of each other. This is an overview of products and of public opinion, with a local eye on grind and bounce. Nobody at Panxis Golf has hit these wedges.

The Australian price list, one wedge at a time

These are the lowest prices shown at a national Australian golf chain on 15 October 2026, including GST.

Wedge	Released	Lofts	Grinds	Per club, Oct. 2026	Three wedges
TaylorMade MG5	September 2025	46 to 60	6	A$263.95	A$791.85
Cleveland RTZ 2	August 2026	46 to 64	5	A$298.95	A$896.85
Callaway Opus SP+	March 2026	54 to 60	3	A$303.95	A$911.85
Titleist Vokey SM11	February 2026	44 to 62	6 (27 combinations)	A$305.95	A$917.85
Ping s259	January 2026	46 to 62	6 (25 combinations)	from A$389.95	from A$1,169.85

Three wedges is the usual make-up for a golfer who carries a gap, a sand and a lob wedge. On those numbers the Ping costs about A$378 more than the TaylorMade for the same three slots, enough to pay for a wedge fitting and a lie adjustment on the rest of the set. The Ping listing also showed a higher top price of A$419.95 for some configurations. Three other points stand out. The TaylorMade was announced here at A$329 a club (A$379 for the TW grind) when it launched in August 2025, according to Golf Australia magazine’s launch report, so a year on it is noticeably cheaper than its launch price. The 2025 Callaway Opus SP, which stays on sale beside the SP+, was listed at A$299.95, only A$4 below the newer model. And the first-generation Cleveland RTZ, now replaced, was still listed at A$231.95, the cheapest way into a current-looking tour wedge if you can find your loft and grind.

Before the models: what bounce and grind do on firm ground

Bounce is the angle between the leading edge and the lowest point of the sole. Titleist’s guide puts 4 to 6 degrees at the low end, 7 to 10 in the middle and anything above 10 at the high end. The grind is the shape of the sole: how much metal comes off the heel, the toe and the trailing edge. Take metal away and the sole sits lower when you open the face.

Australia complicates this more than most countries. A golfer who plays couch fairways in Brisbane in January, kikuyu rough in Sydney in winter and a Melbourne sandbelt bunker on a holiday weekend is asking one wedge to do three jobs. Firm, tight lies favour less bounce or a sole with heel relief. Soft, fluffy sand and a steep swing favour more.

TaylorMade MG5: the cheapest of the five here, and the oldest

What TaylorMade publishes. The MG5 reached shops in September 2025 and remains TaylorMade’s current wedge in October 2026. It is the first Milled Grind wedge forged from soft carbon steel, and it comes in lofts from 46 to 60 degrees and six grinds: LB, SC, SB, a new wide-soled SX and HB, plus a TW grind modelled on Tiger Woods’s wedges. The grooves are saw-milled and the face carries a raw “Spin Tread” texture that TaylorMade says keeps 13 percent more spin than the MG4 in wet conditions. Finishes are Satin Chrome and a dark Charcoal. The stock shafts are the Dynamic Gold Tour Issue 115 in steel and the Recoil Dart 80 in graphite, with a Golf Pride Z-Grip Plus 2. TaylorMade’s published material we read did not give a bounce figure for every grind, so we have left those out.

Here. A$263.95 a club in either finish, against A$329 at launch. The raw face is designed to rust, which is worth knowing if you like a wedge that stays shiny.

Cleveland RTZ 2: the newest, with an old favourite back

What Cleveland publishes. The RTZ 2 was announced in August 2026 to replace the first RTZ. It runs from 46 to 64 degrees in five grinds: Low for shallow swings and firm conditions, Mid as the all-rounder, Full for steep swings and soft turf, a full-face Adapt grind for open-face shots, and the 588, a name brought back from Cleveland’s older wedges, with 8 degrees of bounce and a wider sole than the Mid. The head is made from Cleveland’s Z-Alloy with a core in the hosel tuned by loft and grind, which the company calls ZipCore iQ, and the face uses loft-specific blasting and laser lines for spin in wet grass. Finishes are Tour Satin, Black Satin and a raw Tour Rack version.

Here. A$298.95 a club in all three finishes, right- and left-handed, built to order.

Callaway Opus SP+: a narrow range with a built-up head

What Callaway publishes. The Opus SP+ arrived in March 2026 and sits beside the Opus SP rather than replacing it. It is deliberately short: 54, 56, 58 and 60 degrees, in three grinds, Z at about 8 degrees of bounce, S at about 10 and X at about 12, the X not offered in 54. The head is built in three pieces: a metal-injection-moulded face, a cast 8620 steel body and a tungsten weight placed high. Callaway says the “Spin Pocket” behind the face is about 25 percent larger than on the SP, which lifts the centre of gravity for a lower, more controlled flight, and that the grooves are cut at 17 degrees with tighter spacing. It comes in chrome.

Here. A$303.95 a club in chrome. If you want a pitching or gap wedge in the same family, the SP+ will not give you one; that is where the Opus SP, at A$299.95, fills in.

Titleist Vokey SM11: the biggest menu of soles

What Titleist publishes. The SM11 went on sale in February 2026, replacing the SM10. It offers 27 combinations of loft, bounce and grind across six grinds: F, S, M, D, K and T, with lofts from 44 degrees upward. The 58 and 60 come in the widest range, from a low-bounce T for tight lies and open faces to a high-bounce, wide-soled K for soft sand, and a new low-bounce K has been added. Titleist says the centre of gravity sits in the same spot for every grind of a given loft, that groove shape changes with loft, and that a heat treatment on the scorelines doubles the durability of the groove edges. Finishes are Tour Chrome, Nickel and a new Jet Black, with Raw on custom order.

Here. A$305.95 a club in Tour Chrome, Nickel or Black.

Ping s259: the dearest in Australia by a long way

What Ping publishes. The s259 replaced the s159 in January 2026. Ping lists 25 loft and grind combinations from 46 to 62 degrees across six grinds, S, W, H, E, T and B, each carrying its bounce in the name. The cast 8620 steel head has wheel-cut grooves that change by loft, with tighter MicroMax grooves from 54 degrees up, and a blasted face. The stock grip is a Dyla-Grip three-quarters of an inch longer than standard, for players who choke down, and the stock steel shaft is Ping’s Z-Z115. Finishes are Hydropearl 2.0 Chrome and a dark Midnight.

Here. From A$389.95 in either finish, up to A$419.95 depending on the configuration. In the US the s259 is priced with the pack; in Australia it costs about A$84 more per club than the Vokey.

What golfers are saying: the praise and the gripes

Owners’ comments sit mostly on overseas forums and in published reviews, and the newest wedges have had little time to gather them. These are the themes that keep coming back, not a tally.

TaylorMade MG5. Praised for a fuller, softer feel than the MG4, less sting on heavy strikes and plenty of spin, including on damp mornings. Criticised for a large logo and a busy back, extra heel bounce on the 60-degree TW, a feel some golfers rate below the Vokey’s, and less forgiveness than its looks suggest. One long forum thread described a fitter measuring lofts and lies outside tolerance on new heads; that is one case, not a pattern, but it is a reason to have any new wedge checked.

Cleveland RTZ 2. Praised for the return of the 588 sole, a soft-to-medium feel with clear feedback, high spin on part shots and a clean, plain back. Criticised for limited grinds for left-handers, with no Full grind in the lower lofts and no high-bounce lob wedge; for few visible changes from the first RTZ; and, at two months old, for having no owner track record yet on groove wear.

Callaway Opus SP+. Praised for consistent spin from the sand and around the greens, a feel described as less “hot” off the face than earlier Callaway wedges, and refined shaping behind the ball. Criticised for its price, the one weakness in National Club Golfer’s review, and for a teardrop head with grooves set towards the heel that bothers some golfers at address.

Titleist Vokey SM11. Praised for its shape and finish at address, very consistent spin, and a choice of soles nobody else matches, backed by a fitting process golfers rate highly. Criticised because little has changed from one generation to the next, which both National Club Golfer and Golfalot noted; for heads some forum members found heavier than the SM10’s, which matters if your wedges are built to a swing weight; for firm feel on off-centre strikes; and for Raw and Jet Black finishes that will rust over time, as Plugged In Golf pointed out.

Ping s259. Praised for a very soft feel, strong stopping power from wet or dewy grass, a versatile S grind and understated looks. National Club Golfer gave it top marks. Criticised for a compact head that will not suit everyone, a black insert on the back that some owners feel does not sit square with the sole, an S grind others find “grabby”, and a thread about wear on the Midnight finish. Ping told Plugged In Golf the Midnight colour will not fade from the face.

For measured verdicts rather than opinions, read the independent reviews: Golfalot on the MG5, Plugged In Golf on the RTZ 2, National Club Golfer on the Opus SP+, National Club Golfer on the SM11 and National Club Golfer on the s259.

Worn grooves cost more shots than an old model year

The gripe that applies to every wedge on this page is groove wear. Titleist suggests checking wedges at around 75 rounds and has published robot figures on an older model: about 8,500 rpm with fresh grooves against roughly 7,400 after 75 rounds. Australian conditions speed that up. Sandy soils, bunker practice in coarse sand and a year-round season mean a sand wedge here can lose its edge faster than one stored away for a northern winter. If a fingernail no longer catches in the grooves, they have gone, whatever year is stamped on the hosel.

The rules have not moved. Since 1 January 2010 new club models must meet the R&A and USGA limits on groove volume and edge sharpness. Older wedges stay legal for club comps and handicap rounds under Golf Australia’s administration of the Rules; only elite events that adopt the groove local rule demand the newer grooves. All five wedges here conform.

Where Australians can try a grind before they buy

National golf chains carry all five brands and usually have a hitting bay with a launch monitor. A mat hides the difference between a high- and low-bounce sole, so ask for a sand tray or, better, a short session on grass. Ask, too, whether your loft and grind is on the shelf or has to be built to order, and how long that takes before the summer comps start.

Your club’s pro shop knows the turf you play. A PGA professional can order from all five makers, will often run a brand demo day in spring, and has seen how your home course’s sand behaves in February. On firm couch fairways and tight aprons, as through much of Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia in summer, a lower-bounce sole or one with heel relief usually suits. Where the rough is thick, grabby kikuyu, a little more bounce and a sole that resists digging helps you get through it. On the Melbourne sandbelt the bunker sand is fine and firm, and many local players find less bounce works there than the bunker-specialist soles marketed for soft sand.

Independent fitters and club builders can bend loft and lie on any of these heads. Have a new wedge measured before its first round; it answers the tolerance worry raised online.

Pre-owned specialists grade each club and photograph the actual head. With a used wedge, the grooves are the defect that matters, so look at the face closely before paying. Buying from a business brings the guarantees of Australian Consumer Law; buying privately does not.

A practical approach for the summer ahead

Start with your turf and your swing, not the badge. Work out whether you play mostly from firm or soft lies, whether you open the face around the greens, and how much divot you take. Then hit two grinds of the same loft on real grass or sand, from 20 to 50 metres and from a bunker, because a full shot off a mat tells you almost nothing about a sole. If your current wedges are under two years old and the grooves still catch a fingernail, a new model will change little. If you play twice a week and the faces are smooth, a fresh sand wedge is the cheapest real improvement in the bag. And if price drives the choice, remember the spread: three MG5s cost about the same as two s259s, and the outgoing RTZ is cheaper still.

How this page was put together

This is an overview of products and a reading of public opinion, not a test; nobody at Panxis Golf hit these wedges. Specifications and release dates come from the manufacturers’ published material as reported at launch by Golfalot and the PGA Tour equipment report (Vokey SM11), Plugged In Golf and Cleveland’s launch release (RTZ 2), Golfalot and Golf Australia magazine (TaylorMade MG5), Golf Digest, MyGolfSpy and GolfWRX (Callaway Opus SP+), and Ping’s own s259 page and Plugged In Golf (Ping s259). Sources disagree on the exact tungsten weight in the Opus SP+, so we have left the figure out, as we have the bounce values of the MG5 grinds.

Prices were read on 15 October 2026 in Australian dollars, including GST, on Drummond Golf’s website. They are the lowest prices listed for each wedge; the Ping s259 range reaches A$419.95 for some configurations, and the three-wedge totals were calculated by the Australia desk. The MG5’s A$329 and A$379 launch prices come from Golf Australia magazine’s report of 25 August 2025. Prices change often, and availability varies by loft, grind and hand.

What golfers say was read on the GolfWRX forums, the MyGolfSpy forum and The Hackers Paradise, in readers’ comments under reviews, and in published reviews from National Club Golfer, Golfalot and Plugged In Golf. Some forum pages refused access, and some comments were read only in search-engine extracts; we kept only themes that came back in more than one place or that a published review confirms. Nobody is quoted by name, nothing is counted, and no impression is presented as a statistic. Groove wear figures come from Titleist’s guidance as reported by National Club Golfer, and the groove rule from the R&A and USGA equipment rules. There are no commercial links here, no affiliate arrangement and no commission of any kind. If content on this site is ever paid for by a brand, it will carry an advertising notice at the top of the page, before the first line.