Scratch Golf 1018 Forged Wedges Review

Graylyn LoomisProduct Reviews7 Comments

I was sad to recently learn (10/15/2015) that Scratch Golf has gone out of business. Here is the full story from GolfWRX.

All serious golfers have some sort of addiction within the game. People have garages full of old putters, while others seem to always have a new driver. My addiction is wedges. I seem to have tried or owned a wedge from nearly every major brand.IMG_0486

I originally read about Scratch Golf on golfwrx.com. They are a small company based in Chattanooga, Tennessee that do custom sets of irons and wedges. They offer “8620 Milled” wedges and “1018 Forged” wedges. These are all offered in three different sole grind options (click on link to view). If none of these please your eye, there is an option to have Scratch’s head club makers personally grind you a wedge to any shape or specification that you wish. Because of the very tight and firm turf here in St Andrews, Scotland, I chose the “Driver / Slider” sole grind for my 50* and 54* wedges. Without getting too technical, this gave me less bounce, therefore discouraging thin shots on the tight fairways.

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One thing you will notice is a very straight leading edge on the wedges (seen in the photo below). This is different from the rounded leading edge that is found on Vokeys and Clevelands. While this suits my eye and give me confidence on tight lies, make sure you chose a sole grind that personally suits your eye.

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I always look for an aesthetically pleasing finish, a nice head shape, and heavy weight in my wedges. Beyond those obvious factors, I mainly look for longevity in the clubs. How long do the grooves stay sharp? Does the finish completely come off after a few bunker shots? Although I was playing a lot at the time, my first set of Cleveland CG12s looked years old after only a few months. My spin milled Vokeys always seemed to completely destroy cover of the Pro-V1xs. This was before the three-month point at which they became dull and began to stop spinning completely.

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I have played the wedges this entire summer, which led to fairly heavy use. They have held up incredibly well. The grooves are still very sharp, and at no point did they cut up soft Titleist golf balls. The gun metal finish has held up well despite quite a bit of bunker practice.

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After 3 months of use.

Scratch Golf allows for a HUGE amount of customization when ordering wedges. Everything can be customized including head finish, shaft type and color, grip type and color, hosel plastic color. Customers are spoiled for choice. My personalized stamping can be seen in the picture below. Without the stamping (a small additional fee), the look is refreshingly simple compared to the flash of many modern clubs.

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The 8620 Milled wedges cost 109 US$ with the 1018 Forged wedges coming in at a more expensive 179 US$. The forged wedges are quite expensive, but they are an extremely good product. They are meant to compete with the likes of Miura, and they do it successfully.

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If you want a great simple wedge, or to be able to dictate literally every specification on the wedge, Scratch Golf is your best option. They make wedges that look incredible and perform equally well.

www.scratchgolf.com

7 Comments on “Scratch Golf 1018 Forged Wedges Review”

  1. Dear Graylyn,
    I’m intrigued by all the “27’s” stamped on your Scratch Golf wegde; may I ask what that signifies?
    You have a wonderful blog–keep it up!
    Sincerely, Jules Marine, Newport Beach, CA (currently in Aberdeen, Scotland)

    1. I’m really glad that you enjoy the website! I will certainly keep the posts coming. Lots of great golf ahead this summer that will make for great course reviews. As for all of the 27s on the wedge, it is a number that came to me when ordering the custom stamping. It is relative’s birthdays, favorite numbers, etc. etc. I like how it turned out! These wedges still look great 3+ years down the road.

  2. I love all the “27’s” on your wedges; I’m going to do something custom on mine as well.

    Just got back to California from my trip at Sunningdale New, Swinley Forest, St. Georges Hill, Royal Aberdeen, Cruden Bay and Trump International. Cruden was my favorite, followed by Swinley. Keep all the posts coming–I love your website!

    Jules Marine
    Newport Beach, CA

    1. I’m glad you like the custom stamping! It gets a lot of questions and comments – a great way to individualize your set.

      You managed to play some of the best of England AND Scotland – not something many do in the same trip! What did you think of Trump? It is one that I am yet to play at this point.

      1. Trump was a really cool and fun course, similar to Ballybunion; big dunes, interesting holes. Customer service was really good, too. The clubhouse is supposed to open this week. The development has a little bit of the Trump over-the-top touches–two large, four-sided clocks, gaslamp-type lanterns in the parking lot, a clubhouse that looked more American South than Scotland, but I’m being picky–Trump is trying to do the right thing, and I think he has a wonderful course. The MacLoud House, his lodging, is one of the coolest mini-castles I’ve ever seen. It appears like an original 100 year-old structure. Staff and food there were really good. Have fun!

        Jules Marine
        Newport Beach, CA

  3. I just read your post regarding Scratch Golf and was disappointed to read that they are no longer in business. I would welcome your input about other wedges that may have a straighter leading edge. My handicap ranges from 8-10 but I have all kinds of issues when I try wedges with more of a crescent shaped leading edge. For the last few years I’ve been playing with old Solus wedges but recently purchased a 50* and 56* Ping Glide Wedge. I’ve been relatively happy with them but would like to know if some other options may exist. Your insight would be greatly appreciated

    1. Hi Joe, I was disappointed to read about Scratch as well. To be honest, I haven’t seen another really straight leading edged wedge since I purchased this set. I just posed the question to my Twitter followers and the best answer was Fourteen Golf’s TF wedge. I just posted a link below. Have a look and hopefully it’s what you had in mind. It’s better than the other options I saw!

      http://www.fourteengolf.com/products/45/tf-wedge/

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