Vokey SM11, RTZ 2, MG5, Opus SP+ or s259: the 2026 wedges and what golfers complain about

Five wedge families share the wall of American golf stores this fall: the Titleist Vokey SM11, the Cleveland RTZ 2, the TaylorMade MG5, the Callaway Opus SP+ and the Ping s259. Four of them sell new for $197 to $200 a club at a U.S. retailer in October 2026; the Callaway costs about $30 more. What separates them is less the spin, which every brand claims to have improved, than the number of sole grinds, the finishes that wear or rust, and the complaints golfers keep making on forums. This page sets out what each manufacturer published, what a wedge costs, and what golfers say for and against. It is a presentation of products and of public opinion, not a test. Nobody at Panxis Golf hit any of these wedges.

Two words before the models: bounce and grind

Bounce is the angle between the leading edge and the lowest point of the sole. Titleist’s own guide calls 4 to 6 degrees low, 7 to 10 mid and anything above 10 high. Low bounce lets the edge get under a ball sitting on firm, tight turf; high bounce keeps the club from digging in soft sand or wet grass, and forgives a steep swing.

The grind is the shape of the sole: how much metal has been removed at the heel, the toe and the trailing edge. Removing metal lowers the effective bounce when you open the face, which is what lets a skilled player hit a high, soft shot off a tight lie without the leading edge rising too far. A grind is therefore a choice about how you swing and where you play as much as about loft. An American golfer on firm Bermuda in Arizona and one on soft bentgrass in Ohio may want different soles on the same 56-degree wedge.

Our earlier guide on how many wedges to carry and which degrees covers the gaps in a set. This page is about the 2026 models themselves.

Titleist Vokey SM11: the widest menu

What Titleist published. The SM11 replaced the SM10 in stores on February 20, 2026, after fitting demos from January 22. It comes in 27 loft, bounce and grind combinations across six grinds: F, S, M, D, K and T. The F grind covers the lower lofts from 44 to 52 degrees; the 58 and 60 come in six versions, from the 04T, a low-bounce sole for firm ground and open faces, to a 12K, a wide, high-bounce sole whose bounce drops from 14 degrees on the SM10 to 12. Titleist says it kept the same center of gravity for every grind of a given loft by changing the hosel length, cut three groove shapes depending on loft, and used a heat treatment that it says doubles the durability of the groove edges. Finishes are Tour Chrome, Nickel and a new Jet Black, with Raw available on custom order only.

The price in October 2026. A U.S. retailer listed the SM11 new from $199.00 with a steel shaft, $213 with a graphite shaft and $231 with a Dynamic Gold Tour Issue shaft. We did not find a readable U.S. used price.

Cleveland RTZ 2: the newest, and the lowest price

What Cleveland published. The RTZ 2 opened for pre-order on August 4, 2026 and replaced the first RTZ. It runs from 46 to 64 degrees in five grinds: Low, Mid, Full, a full-face version called Adapt, and the 588, a name that returns from Cleveland’s older Tour Action wedges. The head is forged from the brand’s Z-Alloy, with a hosel core that Cleveland tunes by loft and grind (ZipCore iQ) and its UltiZip grooves. Finishes are Tour Satin, Black Satin and a raw Tour Rack version.

The price in October 2026. New, $199.99 in Tour Satin or Black Satin. Used Tour Satin wedges were listed from $149.99, which shows how quickly a two-month-old model reaches the used rack.

TaylorMade MG5: forged for the first time

What TaylorMade published. The MG5 reached stores on September 4, 2025, and in October 2026 it is still TaylorMade’s current wedge; we found no MG6. It is the first Milled Grind wedge forged from soft carbon steel. It comes from 46 to 60 degrees in six grinds (LB, SC, SB, a new SX, HB and TW), in Satin Chrome or a dark Charcoal finish. The face carries a raw “Spin Tread” texture that TaylorMade says channels water away, and Golfalot reports a claimed 13 percent more spin in wet conditions than the MG4. Stock shafts are the Dynamic Gold Tour Issue 115 Wedge in steel and the UST Recoil Dart 80 in graphite.

The price in October 2026. New, $199.99, or $219.99 for the TW grind. Used, from $60.99 in chrome and $65.99 in Charcoal: a year after launch, the MG5 is the cheapest of the five to buy second-hand.

Callaway Opus SP+: a three-piece head

What Callaway published. The Opus SP+ reached stores on March 6, 2026, alongside the Opus SP of 2025. It is a narrower range: 54, 56, 58 and 60 degrees, in three grinds, Z (8 degrees of bounce), S (10) and X (12, not offered in 54). The head is built in three pieces: an injection-molded face, a cast 8620 steel body and tungsten weighting high in the head (Callaway’s Canadian page says “13+ grams”, some launch reports said 18). Callaway says a “Spin Pocket” 25 percent larger than on the SP raises the center of gravity for a lower flight, and that its grooves are cut at 17 degrees with a tighter spacing. The finish is chrome, and the stock shaft is a Dynamic Gold S200.

The price in October 2026. New, from $229.99 at a U.S. retailer. We found no used SP+ yet. Callaway’s own pre-owned store listed the 2025 Opus SP in Black Shadow from $154.99.

Ping s259: a softer insert

What Ping published. The s259 replaced the s159 from January 13, 2026. Ping lists 25 loft and grind combinations, from 46 to 62 degrees, in six grinds: S, W, H, E, T and B, each with its bounce in the name (S-12, W-14, T-6 and so on). The 58 and 60 come in all six. The cast 8620 steel head has tighter MicroMax grooves from 54 degrees up, a blasted face and a larger elastomer insert in the back, and a Dyla-Grip that is three-quarters of an inch longer for gripping down. Finishes are Hydropearl 2.0 Chrome and a dark Midnight. The stock steel shaft is Ping’s Z-Z115.

The price in October 2026. New, $197.00 in either finish. Used, from $70.99 in chrome and $129.99 in Midnight.

The five side by side

Wedge	In stores	Lofts	Grinds	New, Oct. 2026	Used from
Titleist Vokey SM11	Feb. 2026	44 to 62	6 (27 combinations)	$199.00	not found
Cleveland RTZ 2	Aug.-Sept. 2026	46 to 64	5	$199.99	$149.99
TaylorMade MG5	Sept. 2025	46 to 60	6	$199.99	$60.99
Callaway Opus SP+	March 2026	54 to 60	3	$229.99	not found
Ping s259	Jan. 2026	46 to 62	6 (25 combinations)	$197.00	$70.99

Two things stand out. The new prices are almost identical: the brands compete on grinds and feel, not on price. And the used market is where the real gap opens, because a wedge loses value fast once its grooves have been used.

What golfers are saying

Most golfers’ comments sit on forums and in retailer reviews, and the newest models have had little time to collect them. What follows are the themes that come back, not a count.

Vokey SM11. For: a clean shape and finish that many golfers like at address, a soft first impression, and a choice of grinds that nobody else matches. Against: a recurring view that little has changed since the SM8, to the point that some golfers say they are trying other brands; a shiny badge and large “Vokey Design” lettering; a forum thread reporting heads 10 to 12 grams heavier than the SM10, which matters to anyone who has their wedges built to a swing weight; and the cost of custom and Raw options. Plugged In Golf’s review adds that the Raw and Jet Black finishes rust over time and that off-center strikes feel firm.

Cleveland RTZ 2. For: the return of the 588 grind, a soft feel, and a price below the Titleist, TaylorMade and Callaway models in reviews. Against: few grinds for left-handers, no Full grind below the sand wedge for right-handers, and, in the reviews, few visible changes from the first RTZ. At two months old, there are no owner reports yet on groove wear or spin loss.

TaylorMade MG5. For: a fuller, softer feel than the MG4 and less sting on heavy strikes, and high spin. Against: a large logo and a busy back, extra bounce in the heel of the 60-degree TW, a feel some golfers rank below the Vokey, and one well-documented thread in which a fitter measured lofts and lies outside tolerance. That is a single case, not a pattern, but it is a reason to have any new wedge checked. The raw face is designed to rust.

Callaway Opus SP+. For: consistent spin, and a feel golfers describe as less “hot” off the face than earlier Callaway wedges. Against: the teardrop head with grooves set toward the heel bothers some golfers at address, and the price, the one weak point in National Club Golfer’s review. The comments are still thin.

Ping s259. For: a very soft feel, good spin off wet or dewy grass, and a versatile S grind. Against: the black insert on the back, which some golfers find does not sit square with the sole; the S grind, which others find “grabby”; a flight some find harder to control than a Vokey’s; and a thread about wear on the Midnight finish. Ping told Plugged In Golf that the Midnight face does not discolor.

For a measured verdict rather than opinions, read the independent reviews: National Club Golfer on the SM11, Plugged In Golf on the RTZ 2, Golfalot on the MG5, National Club Golfer on the Opus SP and Plugged In Golf on the s259. MyGolfSpy also publishes an annual wedge ranking.

Grooves wear out, and the rules on them have not changed

The most common complaint about any wedge is not on this list, because it is about every model: grooves wear. Titleist advises golfers to check their wedges at around 75 rounds and has published robot results on an older model, about 8,500 rpm when new against 7,400 after 75 rounds, with the ball rolling 18 feet instead of 10. A golfer who practices bunker shots every week will get there sooner. That is a better reason to replace a sand wedge than the year printed on it.

Since January 1, 2010, new club models must meet the USGA and R&A limits on groove volume and edge sharpness. Older wedges remain conforming for everyday play; only elite competitions with the groove local rule require the new grooves. All five wedges on this page conform.

Where American golfers find these wedges

The big golf retail stores carry all five brands and usually have a hitting bay. Ask to hit two grinds of the same loft, from a mat and, if the store has one, from a sand tray. A mat hides the difference between a high and a low bounce; sand and real turf do not.

Independent fitters and the manufacturers’ fitting days are the best place to choose a grind. Titleist, Ping and Callaway run demo days at courses across the country in spring and summer; ask the pro shop for the calendar. A fitter will also check the loft and lie of a new wedge, which costs little and settles the out-of-tolerance worry raised on the forums.

The pro shop at your course knows the turf you play. On firm Bermuda in the South and West, a lower bounce often suits; on soft northern bentgrass and in fluffy sand, more bounce helps. Specialist sellers of used clubs photograph the actual club and grade its condition. Look closely at the grooves of a used sand wedge before paying: on a wedge, a worn face is the defect that matters.

A simple way to decide

Start with the grind, not the brand. Decide whether you play mostly from firm or soft ground, whether you open the face around the greens, and how steep your swing is. Then hit two or three grinds of the same loft. If your current wedges are less than two years old and the grooves are sharp, a new model will change little; if you play often and the faces are smooth, a new sand wedge is the cheapest real improvement in the bag. And if price matters, the used rack offers last year’s MG5 or s159 for a third of the price of a new one.

How this page was put together

This is a presentation of products and a reading of public opinion, not a test; nobody at Panxis Golf hit these wedges. Specifications and launch dates come from the manufacturers’ published material, read directly where the page was available (Ping’s s259 page) and otherwise as reported at launch by the PGA Tour equipment report and Golfalot (Vokey SM11), Golfalot and Plugged In Golf (Cleveland RTZ 2), Golf.com (TaylorMade MG5), Golf.com and a retailer’s specification table (Callaway Opus SP+) and Golf Business News (Ping s259). The bounce values of the MG5 grinds were not published in our sources and are left out.

Prices were read on October 15, 2026, in U.S. dollars, at 2nd Swing, a U.S. retailer, because PGA TOUR Superstore’s pages could not be read; the Callaway Opus SP+ price was read at Carl’s Golfland, and the used Opus SP price at Callaway Pre-Owned. New prices are the lowest “starting at” prices shown; used prices are the lowest shown and depend on each club’s condition. Prices change often.

What golfers say comes from the GolfWRX forums, the MyGolfSpy forum, The Hackers Paradise and retailer reviews. Several of these pages refused access to us, and some comments were read only in the extracts shown by search engines; 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 published guidance as reported by National Club Golfer, and the groove rule from the USGA’s equipment pages. There is no commercial link 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 label at the top of the page, before the first line.