Back in my high school days (about 2000), I had a set of Ben Hogan Apex irons I absolutely adored. I still have them. However, at the time, I wasn't much of a golf history buff. So I was confused when I bought my clubs and there was a club with an "E" stamped on the bottom. No pitching wedge, I wondered. The sales guy set me straight, but he didn't explain what "E" meant or the history behind it.
That "E" stood for Equalizer, which was the name of Ben Hogan's famous wedge that turn some of his errant misses into par saves and mind-blowing birdies. Now, the Ben Hogan Golf Company has brought back the Equalizer name with a new line of wedges marking the first new equipment release since the company resurrected from restructuring into a direct-to-consumer equipment company.
The Equalizer wedges are made from forged 1025 Carbon steel for that easy-to-bend (up as many as 3 degrees, down as many as 2 degrees), soft-feeling head most players crave with their wedges. Available in even-numbered lofts from 48 to 62 degrees, the Equalizer family sports a variation on the SCOR Golf V-sole, which has softened bounce on the leading edge (23 degrees) and more bounce on the trailing edge (6-8 degrees) and sole to create versatility and prevent digging for those with steep angles of attack. There aren't special grinds for these wedges, with the theory being the V-sole should allow a player to handle pretty much any shot they'll need with one wedge style.
All of the grooves are 0.20-inch U grooves, cut 0.40 inches apart. The faces all CNC milled for more precise tolerances and extra friction-generating patterns in between the grooves.
There's also a Progressive Center of Mass (gravity) system as you've seen coming in more wedges, particularly from Bob Vokey. The center of gravity is higher on the face as the lofts decrease to create ideal flights for the most common shot types with each loft category (pitching, gap, lob).
The Ben Hogan Equalizer wedges are available for pre-order now for $100 each. There are four shaft options available in seven total flexes, and loft, lie and other adjustments are available free of charge.
