Golf Club Review

Pinemeadow Golf, well know for almost 25 years now for their great selection of high quality clubs, has recently come out with a new premium line of clubs, the C. Carnahan line. All clubs under this brand name are designed by Chris Carnahan, a very accomplished player who successfully played on the Canadian Tour and now heads the product development department at Pinemeadow. His professional tour experience and his vast connections to other professional players enable him (and Pinemeadow Golf) to come up with great designs that have not evolved from drawing boards or rocket science but from actual playing experience.
 
We have reviewed our first Carnahan club, the St. John putter, elsewhere on this site (click here to read the C.CARNAHAN St. John Putter review)
 
The wedge we recieved was the 56° model, featuring a 64° lie and an 8° bounce angle. The head is made from forged 430 Stainless Steel attached to a True Temper Dynamic Gold Shaft and a Lamkin Crossline Tour grip, both part of the standard configuration.
 
How it works
 
There are basically two types of wedges, namely cast and forged. Without going into the nitty gritty, cast means that liquid steel is poured into the mould of the wedge, whereas forged means that the wedge is hammered out of a chunk of steel. The main difference is that during casting the metal composition is inconsistent throughout the club head. In addition, small air bubbles may stay trapped in the moulded steel wedge. In contrast, during the forging process the grain of the metal is hammered into the shape of the wedge, which supposently results in better consistency and strength compared to casting. The average weekend golfer may not feel any difference in the final product, but accomplished players apparently do - this is why most tour players play forged wedges.
 
What we think
 
The C. CARNAHAN Forged Wedge shows a classic design, excellent craftsmanship and, most importantly, great performance. The feel of hitting a golf ball is very smooth from either chip, full pitch or half shot. The substantial relief grind produces a wedge that is easy to open up for flop shots or shut down for fast checking chips. This and the well balanced club head result in great spin control. The grooves on this wedge are cut so aggressively that you litterally skin the cheap balls at the driving range. In fact, you can even induce a decent backspin on partial wedge shots and short chips which we found very impressive.
 
Wedges, along with putters, are called scoring clubs, and we all know that a precise short game is one of the quickest way to drop shots from your score. The C.CARNAHAN Forged Wedge is an excellent tool for doing so. It feels like butter on good swings, and mishits aren't too bad either.
 
Our verdict
 
At US$69.95 the C. CARNAHAN Forged Wedge is the most expensive wedge in the Pinemeadow Golf line-up, but still considerably cheaper than comparable wedges from better known brands. It provides excellent feel, feedback and workability and can easily hold its ground against other 'famous' wedges that cost substantially more - a definite two thumbs up for the C. CARNAHAN Forged Wedge.
 

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