Seven Hills Prototype Forged Wedge Build – Part 3

It was a hot, hazy and humid day today as we headed south of Kiminomori just past Mobara to La Vista Golf Resort. I was looking forward to trying out the newly shafted Seven Hills Prototype wedge as I mentioned yesterday in Part 2. There are plenty of bunkers and different lies at La Vista that will allow me to really test both the 52 and 58* dancing prototypes.  The rough is tall but nicely trimmed and this time of year in Japan and while  hot, it is not dry, so the fairways are soft and lush.

I went with my usual playing partner Taka who happens to live next door to me in Kiminomori.  We try and get out together for a round at least twice a month.  We had a 9:13 tee off time and with the special weekday price of 7900 yen (about 85USD) including Japanese lunch, drink bar and of course bath time and a power cart (pretty much everyone rides in Japan), La Vista was busy as this is considered a pretty good price in Japan at a reasonable course. The first 9 before lunch had us waiting at every hole for the group (and sometimes groups) in front.

Anyway on to the wedges. I used the 52* for pretty much any kind of approach within 100y of the hole unless I am in a bunker or need to get a high short lob, which even with the higher bounce on the 58 was doable. The Seven Hills has superb feel. Soft but not mushy with great feedback.  With the 950GH and a full shot from 90y out, the ball goes high and stops on the spot. As I mentioned before this was my first time using conforming grooves for an actual round and I personally could not tell the difference between my non conforming Fourteen Jspec II Forged wedges most likely because I am not “pro” enough to generate crazy amounts of back spin in the first place. That said I was sticking it on the green and for me the spin was more than adequate and just as good as the non conforming wedges I’ve used if not better.

The wedges set up great at address, the teardrop shape and small head frame the ball very well.  The sole is very versatile and worked well in rough or on the lush fairway. In the bunker I could open up the 58 and still take it straight at the hole.   Being able to open up the face of both wedges also allowed for both high and low trajectory shots with a very soft touch chipping around the greens.

If I had to complain about one thing, and this really should not be a complaint as its more of a personal thing, is that the sole is narrow and may not suit an average golfer like myself. The narrow sole while very versatile fits the better player and is not necessarily forgiving or as I put it automatic for the average or higher handicap player. This wedge is meant to be played and controlled and the better or improving player will love the narrow sole and versatile crescent shaped grind. The Fourteen Jpec II is the opposite where you just aim and swing the same in most situations with its bigger head, more offset and wider sole.

Interestingly I felt that while some may think the stated bounce is high, the actual bounce due to the grind does not seem as high. The Prototype 1 suits a picker or sweeper of the ball more with that narrow sole. Players with very steep down blows and who take huge divots may struggle more with the narrow sole unless they have the power and speed to force the head through impact. The slower swinger with a down blow won’t benefit from this grind as they have the potential hit shots fat.  This is not a negative for this wedge but more a comment on the type of player it will fit. I realized this because while I can pick the ball well or take a very tiny divot with my wedges, Taka my playing partner has a steep down blow and struggled to adjust to the wedges at first when I let him try them on a few holes.

So final conclusions from today’s 18 hole round are that the Seven Hills proto’s look great, have a very soft touch and good spin control. The grind is versatile but the sole narrow and the head compact, meaning its not for everyone. The wedges are very easy to open up and high or low trajectory shots are doable from different lies.  Sweepers and pickers of the ball will excel with this wedge and be rewarded with buttery feel with feedback (in other words not mushy soft) and wonderful performance. Hopefully people are willing to give this wedge a try, I’m pretty happy with the way they turned out and I’m looking forward to introducing the next two models.