Fourteen is a Japanese brand that first released wedges 22 years ago and quickly became the most used wedges on the Japan PGA Tour. The ‘U-groove’ design created by the brand was said to be creating so much spin that they eventually got banned by the tour, but over the past decade, the brand has adapted and is now making some of the best-looking wedges in the game. The Fourteen FRZ wedges look a million dollars, but how does the performance compare to some of the best wedges on the market? I took them onto the golf course to find out.
First things first, these may just be the cleanest wedges I’ve ever seen. While they are offered in chrome satin, I couldn’t resist the smoky black finish - something I think just adds to the premium appeal of these wedges. The precision milling across the head provides beautiful detailing and will certainly have your playing partners peaking into your bag for a closer look.
The visual appeal of these wedges continues down behind the ball. The compact head will suit the eye of the more confident short game player but for mid-high handicappers, I would recommend a cavity-back wedge found among some of the most forgiving wedges on the market.
The FRZ wedges are forged from S20C steel, which offers an exceptionally soft feel through impact and will help with distance control. The clever design sees the CG positioned higher on the blade and towards the heel to allow golfers to produce the correct amount of spin depending on the technical shot they are looking to execute. The brand also claims that by shifting the center of gravity towards the heel and away from the impact point, the gear effect will help improve spin performance. While I did feel as though these wedges offered extremely high levels of spin, I wouldn’t say I noticed it dramatically fall or rise by hitting different shots with an open or closed face.
When on the fairway and green surrounds, these wedges chewed the cover off the ball (see the image above). The spin created from what I would consider slightly poor lies, balls sat down in the rough, was still really impressive. There are three different grind options to help you select the correct wedge for the course you typically play on, so I selected a versatile S grind low bounce option on my 60° and H grind option on my 56°, providing me with a little extra help for when I get a little steep on more full shots. There aren’t as many options as with the Vokey SM10 wedges or Callaway Opus wedges but I do feel as though the combination of three grind and eight loft options is more than enough for the majority of amateur golfers.
The bladed design, soft feel, and compact head profile on these wedges lend themselves more towards the higher-skilled golfer looking to upgrade their wedges. While I'm yet to put this wedge through testing on a launch monitor, the spin and control on offer certainly feel as though they rival those of any major manufacturer. However, due to the soft metal and lack of face blasting that I've seen used on some of the best wedges on the market, it will be interesting to see if the grooves and ultra-soft face hold up over time.
At £180 per wedge before any aftermarket shaft or grip choices, these wedges are certainly a sizeable investment, but if you want a high level of performance in one of the best looking wedges around, you’ll do well to find anything close to the Fourteen FRZ wedges.
