PXG Sugar Daddy II Wedges Rise to Lofty Standard
PXG Sugar Daddy II Wedges
Lofts: 50-62 in 2-degree increments
Sole grind/bounce: BP 13 degrees; C 10 degrees
Price: $499 each
Available: Feb. 1
Mike Nicolette is picky about wedges. "I don't want to say 'snob,'" says Brad Schweigert, chief product officer at PXG. "Let's just say he's an aficionado, a much higher-skilled player than I am."
Nicolette is a former PGA Tour player, winner of the 1983 Bay Hill Invitational. And since 2013, he’s been director of product creation for PXG. That, after 24 years as a senior designer at Ping. All of which qualifies him as having extraordinarily high standards.
The result of which is PXG’s Sugar Daddy II, the highest-priced wedges on the market at an eye-popping $499 each, which isn’t unusual in PXG’s catalog. The Sugar Daddy II wedges are 100-percent CNC-milled on top of 3X forged, an expensive process all the way around. But company officials think the result is more than worth it.
"This all started as a passion project for Mike," Schweigert says. Nicolette found it frustrating that he couldn’t get clubheads to look exactly the way he designed them after all the processes were complete. "Could we fully mill a wedge?" they wondered.
"It seemed like excess but the more we worked with it, the shape was better, the cosmetics were better and it played better, especially for more skilled players,” Schweigert says. "It's the most repeatable process that produces the highest quality."
The process starts with 8620 soft carbon steel. "We utilize this material because it’s on the stronger end of what can be forged and it’s ideal for these types of wedges," Schweigert says. "It gives us prolonged groove life and better cosmetics."
Speaking of grooves, the Sugar Daddy II’s are precision milled across the entire face, which is combined with high-toe weighting. Both are designed for better performance. “We continue to improve our manufacturing process to keep the grooves as tight as possible so that we can maintain the maximum amount of spin,” Schweigert says.
The high-toe weighting is designed to improve moment of inertia (MOI) and optimize center of gravity (CG), so that the wedge will respond to off-center hits all over the face. Especially on open-face shots around the green, where even for highly skilled players, the contact point can often be toward the toe.
The sole grind on the Sugar Daddy II comes in two variations. The BP grind has a slight taper from heel to toe and a wider sole. It’s designed for playing in lusher, softer conditions or for players who tend to be steep in their wedge swings and need help from the bounce. Schweigert says the BP is an ideal bunker club, especially for playing in soft sand. The bounce on the BP grind is 13 degrees.
The C grind has an aggressive taper and more relief on the heel and toe. It’s designed for firm conditions and for better players who have a shallow angle of attack, especially around the green. The C sole is more versatile, especially for players who like to open the face for chips and pitches. This grind has been developed with feedback from PXG’s Tour professionals. The bounce on the C grind is 10 degrees.
The Sugar Daddy II is available from 50 to 62 degrees, in 2-degree increments and the BP and C grind is available in all lofts.
The wedges feature PXG’s precision weighting system, which was introduced in the company’s Gen4 irons. A circular weight is positioned at the back of the club at the center of gravity, which can be changed to make the club lighter or heavier without affecting the basic playing characteristics.
“This is a game-changer in a fitting environment, to be able to unlock the ease of adjusting weight,” Schweigert says. “It makes a big difference in optimizing the fitting.
“The feedback has been outstanding from our fitters and consumers are all given the opportunity to try heavier and lighter in the fitting process. Many times, they didn’t anticipate the gains or the feels they got by changing the weight.”