Vice Golf is of course best known for the impact it made in producing some of the best golf balls on the market, but recently the brand has branched out into other areas, producing clubs, bags, rangefinders and shoes amongst other offerings. So far, the results have been impressive. A particular favorite of ours is the Vice Boost Starter Set, which is one of the best value package sets we’ve tested, and the striking VGI03 irons.
Vice Golf has a different way of doing things to the more established, well known brands. One obvious difference is that it has no presence on the professional tours, preferring to focus instead on the regular golfer. This brings a trickle down effect to the consumer, as the lack of huge tour contracts and other unnecessary overheads allows Vice to undercut some of the competition while still offering a similar quality of product.
This was my first experience of using a club made by Vice. I am a big fan of Vice golf balls so I was excited to see how the VGW02 compares to the best wedges out there. Spoiler alert: I was not disappointed.
Visually, this is a stunning looking club. I love the clean, understated look with just a simple, unobtrusive logo on the back cavity. The markings on the precision milled sole also please my eye, and this is an area where Vice excels in my view. Looking across their range of clubs, the aesthetics really do jump off the page.
Any time I glanced at my bag and saw the three VGW02 wedges sat in there, I was struck by how stylish they looked. I enjoyed the look at address too, the brushed chrome head is right in my wheelhouse to be honest. If I were to design the perfect wedge, it might look a lot like this. Even the packaging they come in is eye catching.
The VGW02 wedges follow on from last’s years VGW01 range. Interestingly, the full face grooves of the VGW01 are no more. The VGW02 has a more traditional face design, which will appeal more to the traditionalists and better players. Higher handicap players may be better served with the older model though. The VGW02 is aimed at the higher end of player, with more emphasis on workability than forgiveness.
In testing the VGW02 wedges performed impressively. The standout for me was the consistency on full shots. I tested three different lofts (50°, 54° and 58°) and the gapping between them was exactly what I look for. At the range, well struck shots produced very tight numbers and I was within a few yards of my required distance every time. Obviously there was a drop off on poorer strikes, but that will be the case with any wedge. Being able to trust the number when margins are small is vital with scoring clubs and the VGW02 delivered.
Spin levels were in the window I would expect and definitely comparable to other higher end wedges. On the golf course, turf interaction was a real highlight. You only get a limited feel for what a club can do on the range, and this is particularly true of wedges where on course performance is much more important than just data gathered from a range session. Hitting shots into a green from various types of lies give a much better idea of how a wedge performs, and the VGW02 certainly came into its own on the golf course.
I enjoyed the feel, which is exactly what you would expect from forged 1020 carbon steel - very responsive with excellent feedback. Shots around the green yielded nice results too. Stopping power was fine and I found it easy to control shots, whether it required a quick check or a run out. I would expect that this will be one of the best wedges for chipping this year. Performance out of bunkers was excellent too.
Overall this is a very solid offering from Vice. It is a premium offering aimed at low-mid handicap players and it comes it at a significantly lower price than other wedges in that category.
It would take a lot for me to turn away from the trusty Cleveland CBX Zipcore wedges that have been in my bag for three years, but if I had to replace them with the VGW02 I could happily live with that.
These wedges are available in a wide range of customisable options when ordered from Vice, and they retail at a very appealing $129 (£109.99 UK) which is quite a significant saving when compared to offerings from the bigger name brands. Shaft upgrades are also available but will increase the cost.
