Many people consider the wedge to be the most beautiful club in the bag. It's simple design and shape is not cluttered by technology and and over design like many high tech cavity backs and woods today. I have learned to understand why so many athlete golfers long for the basic look blade and treat it as a thing of beauty. While a blade is beyond my skill level, I've taken that appreciation and applied it to wedges. I'm one of those people who look at a wedge and say that is one clean looking beautifully shaped wedge. Today I'm going to check two wedges that I think look beautiful.

Beautiful RC Shaped Designs

Royal Collection has long been under appreciated for making some of the best wedges in Japan. Simple designs and beautiful shapes made from forged steel with wonderful grinds as long been a strong point of RC. The 6150TG as well as the DB Forged were two of the best looking and performing wedges of the last few years but its too bad not so many people got a chance to appreciate and experience them.

Royal Collection kicked off the 2010 season with two new Japan forged wedges in their new Dual Bite line. With the new 2010 USGA groove rules in effect, RC looked at making a new wedge that would conform to the new rules but still provide amazing spin. They decided to create two models with two different design ideas that would create more bite on the ball.

2 Models = Dual, More Spin = Bite

Royal Collection's new Dual Bite line consists of a BK and CP model. Both wedges have the same rounded head shape which I do like very much coupled with a curved leading edge and M like multi grind sole. Both models feature a long straight neck and are forged in Japan from Premium S25C steel.

The BK Model...

So with the new groove rules sapping away spin from many new wedges today, RC decided to create other ways of generating spin. The first was with the BK model. The BK model features a black RAW face for additional bite. The rest of the wedge is nickel plated and satin except for the lower portion of the back face where the "RC" logo is which is chrome. The black face frames the ball well but its main purpose is to create more friction and grab the ball more for spin. This black face will rust if left as is which will generate even more spin.

The CP Model...

The second model is the CP model which stands for Copper Plating. The CP model in fact uses a underplating made of thin copper which softens the wedge to create more grab and friction. The wedge is then finished in the same Nickel Chrome make as the BK including the face which is plated. A few years ago Yamaha did a test on the usage of softer forged metals to generage more spin and found that their black inpres X models forged from S10C steel out spun most of the competion. The CP model from RC follows a similar concept, while it is not S10C which is so soft it could lead to durability issues, the copper underplating has the same effect. We all love wedges for their soft feel and touch and the CP is meant to provide that along with added spin.

Spin and Feel...

These are without a doubt two very good looking wedges but how do they spin and feel? After taking pictures of these wedges I headed over to the local driving range along with RC's new SFDIII Driver and Fairway wood (which I will review in another post another time). I brought along with me a couple of other heavy spinning wedges to compare including Sky Dream Jump's Type Bite and DP-2010, both which are fitted with sharper grooves and fully milled faces. Size wise, the new RC Bite are not ultra compact like the Type Bite which were very similar to the RC 6150TG Forged, they are more along the lines of a TVD Vokey or the DP-2010 when it comes to size.

The great thing about the driving range near my house is that there is an approach practice area with bunkers and a green that you can approach from about 50 yards out on grass. The first thing I noticed about the new Dual Bite's from RC was the nice grind. The rounded leading edge plus the multi grind M type sole which is actually rather wide at its widest point easily glides through the grass. The grind of a wedge is also a factor on the feel of a wedge as it can dictate what kind of contact you make with the ball. I'm glad to say I really like this grind. Feel is superb on both the BK and CP Dual Bite models with the both having very similar feel. When it comes to spin, the raw face BK seemed to produce more spin as the ball stopped quicker than the CP model. Compared to my other wedges, they were not ball destroyers like the Sky Dream Jump wedges can be. Those wedges shred balls like no tomorrow. There is definitely a reduction in spin with the new grooves but for the average player or non pro it may not be as noticeable as we don't generate spin rates as high as the pros in the first place. Trajectory wise these wedges are pretty traditional, no fancy box cavity or tapered blades to raise CG for a lower trajectory. They hit high and land soft with the purpose of trying to stick it close to the pin. Bounce on the Dual Bite's are probably acceptable for most golfers at 48/7, 50/8, 52/9, 56/11, 58/11, 60/10.

A wedge to satisfy all tastes...

I'm really happy with both of these Dual Bite wedges and could bag either right now as gamers. For those looking for a conforming grooves wedge and wanting to choose between the two, the BK will probably spin more for you at the cost of higher maintenance with the raw face. The CP model may in fact be more soft and are definitely more durable but in my short time of testing, feel was very similar between the two. Both have an awesome shape and will suit a low handicapper even up to a mid and average golfer as these wedges border on automatic, yes they are that easy to use. I felt the same way when I gamed the 6150TG from RC last year. Even though they were compact heads meant for the athlete golfer I found them easier to use than most larger sized wedges on the market and that always seems to be the case with Royal Collection. Couple in the fact that they look real good, I'm believing that RC wedges will become more popular this year. Here's to beautiful wedges! Check them out here in the pro shop.