50 Words or Less
The PING Glide 4.0 wedges continue to build on one of the best wedge lines in golf. Four meaningfully different soles. Excellent spin. Very forgiving and consistent.
Introduction
The Glide series of wedges is classic PING. These were some of the first wedges to focus on forgiveness in the short game, but they don’t crow about it. They overdeliver on consistency with a great looking all-business aesthetic. Glide wedges have figured prominently in my bag in the past, so I was eager to see what’s new for the fourth iteration.
Looks
The PING Glide 4.0 wedges carry forward the no-frills aesthetic of previous generations. At address, you see a compact club face with a rounded toe and leading edge. The lack of full-face grooves is almost surprising in today’s wedge market, but traditionalists will appreciate the clean look.
As you change lofts, you will notice that the shape of the Glide 4.0 changes. The lower lofted wedges look more iron-like with a shorter heel. As you get toward the higher lofts, the head becomes much more rounded. Above is a 54 degree wedge, roughly the middle of the range.
If you want something more unorthodox, PING offers the E grind which mimics the old Eye2. You’ll immediately notice the high toe, extremely rounded leading edge, and “blended hosel.” PING offers the E grind at 54, 56, 58, and 60 degrees.
In the bag, the Glide 4.0 is ultra-clean. The geometry of the elastomer insert is mirrored by a thin black line – the only ornamentation on the back of the club. “Glide 4.0” is tucked high in the toe, near the loft and grind stamping on the sole.
Sound & Feel
Especially for a forgiving wedge, what stood out most to me is the excellent audio feedback from the PING Glide 4.0. On center, this wedge is very quiet. Strike the ball off-center and impact gets noticeably louder. No shot every feels harsh, but the sound immediately tells you when you’ve missed your mark.
Solid feel has always been a trademark of the Glide wedges, and that’s true in the 4.0, too. The club feels strong behind pure and mishit shots. Your reward for striking it well, in addition to the quieter impact sound, is a softer feel in the hands. This isn’t a wedge that’s going to elicit words like “buttery,” but centered strikes are satisfying.
Performance
For Glide 3.0 [review HERE], PING did a “grip to grind” redesign. The Glide 4.0 is a refining of those bigger changes.
One thing that has carried forward is the menu of four grind options. In my opinion, this is one of the things that PING does as well or better than any other OEM. They offer four meaningfully different soles without overwhelming the golfer with choices. The four options are S (Standard), W (Wide), T (Thin), and E (Eye2). The S Grind, available in every loft, has trailing edge and heel relief and is the “do everything” option. PING’s W Grind is a full sole for more resistance to digging and performance in the sand. The T Grind is the thinnest sole with the most relief, but it has higher bounce at the leading edge. This is a great option for players who want to get creative with their short game. Finally, the E Grind has a concave sole that, in grass or sand, feels like nothing else.
The words I would emphasize when describing these four soles is “meaningfully different.” You don’t need to have Tour-level feel to notice the way that the W Sole resists digging or how easy it is to open the T Sole. In the bunker, the E Sole absolutely shines, though it’s very playable in a variety of situations. For me, having the S Sole in the gap wedge, W Sole for the sand wedge, and T Sole for the lob wedge is a perfect mix. No matter the conditions, I have a club that I can pull confidently.
When I got the Glide 4.0 wedges to the launch monitor, the first thing I wanted to see was how they spun. The Glide 3.0 tested as one of the highest spinning wedges available, so I was eager to see if the Glide 4.0 could match that. With its milled grooves and new Emery face blast, it did. It’s also worth noting that PING didn’t just add spin thoughtlessly. In the lower lofted wedges (52 degrees and below), they milled grooves to optimize spin on full swings. The higher lofted wedges have different grooves that maximize spin, especially on shorter shots.
Another thing that stood out on the launch monitor was the consistency of the Glide 4.0. I could easily hear when I hadn’t struck a shot well, but the results barely showed it. Ball speed and carry distance were remarkably predictable.
Finally, I want to note PING’s use of the Lamkin Crossline 1150 grip. This grip is 11.5″ long, noticeably longer than your standard grip. For players that like to change their hand position to control distance, this adds more versatility to the wedge.
Conclusion
The PING Glide 4.0 wedges continue to be extremely hard to beat. They provide high level performance in all areas of the short game from full swing forgiveness to spin on touch shots. You get a variety of soles that are meaningfully different without being overwhelming or complicated. Finally, the selection of stock shafts and fitting options is second to none.
Visit PING HERE
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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22 Comments
Very interesting review. How do you think forgiveness compares to Edison? Thanks!
Stephen,
I think they’re comparable in terms of forgiveness. Your personal feelings might depend on your more common misses.
Best,
Matt
I was looking at the Edison wedges, but with shipping 485 with shipping, that’s not Fiona happen. I will stick with my Ping’s
John,
Not sure how price is the deciding factor – the Edisons are $15 less per club.
-Matt
Hi Matt! Great review!! You top pick is Vokey SM9 or Ping Glide 4.0 and why?
Thanks,
Joe
Joe,
I did not review the SM9, Zack did here: https://pluggedingolf.com/titleist-vokey-design-sm9-review/
-Matt
Nice review but you left off one important factor – price. These wedges are more expensive than other large manufacturers and significantly more than the previous generation. Ping was always a great engineering golf company that sold their products for reasonable prices, but now all of their recent club introductions come with an incredibly high price tag (re: i59, i525, etc.). Not sure what they are doing and as loyal Ping player I’m concerned. So instead I went out and bought a couple of Glide 3.0 wedges at much reduced pricing and am very happy.
Jim,
The price is listed under “Price and Specs”.
$199 is not out of step with other major OEMs.
-Matt
$279.00 + 13% tax in Canada.
Matt: Can you get just a head and do your own shaft? Edison allows it. Any other wedge makers who do?
Dana,
Not to my knowledge, no.
Best,
Matt
Hi, you wrote “In the bunker, the E Sole absolutely shines, though it’s very playable in a variety of situations. For me, having the S Sole in the gap wedge, W Sole for the sand wedge, and T Sole for the lob wedge is a perfect mix. ”
So is it your opinion that the E, or W sole is more suitable for sand/bunker use?
Mark,
It depends on the player, but both are very good. The concave sole on the E has an extra bounce/jump out of the sand that I enjoy, but some players may find that a bit unusual. There’s probably something to be said for the kind of sand you play, too. If your bunkers are very hard/heavy/compact sand, you might actually want the S or T sole.
Best,
Matt
Matt, I currently have a Ping Glide 2.0 SS 56/12 wedge and an older Callaway X forged 60/10. Both have lost their spin and time to replace. I am convinced to buy the Ping wedges but the more I read the more I don’t know. I want a 50-60 yd. wedge and a green side for chipping and a sand wedge. I play 4 months on Florida tight firm lies and 6 months in Wisconsin softer more forgiving fairways. Before spending big money on 4.0 I am thinking the 3.0. The grinds are what is most confusing.
Thank you
Dale,
I don’t think you can go wrong with the 3.0 or 4.0. If you’re playing in a variety of conditions, the S Sole is best because it does everything. Alternately, you could go with one Thin and one Standard or Wide so that you have one wedge better suited to tight conditions and one for soft.
Best,
Matt
Matt just to follow up on your suggestion, I was thinking 54*/12 S for mid to short range shots and the 60*/8 E for sand and tight lie chipping around the green. I noticed you didn’t mention the E grind yet Ping states it’s excellent for sand and around the green.
Hi matt, Can you compare these glide 4 to the new callaway cb sand wedges that came out???? Is the latter a lot more forgiving and does that matter for sand wedges since distance is not the main goal for sand wedges….
Jeff,
I haven’t hit the new Callaway CB wedges, but Dylan has a review that will be published next week.
Best,
Matt
Just bought a 4.0 50 degree wedge for $128.99. Must be coming out with new wedges next year.
Tour Issue Raw are now discounted from $199 to $127
Matt,
Excellent review. I play Ping G425 irons and feel like I need to replace my wedges so these Ping Glide 4.0 wedges would probably be a great match. My only dilemma is what shafts to get. I have stock graphite shafts in my irons but have always played light steel shafts in at least my sand wedge (with mixed results). Does it make more sense to match up the shafts in all my wedges with my other Ping graphite irons?
Larry,
There are many different approaches to wedge shafts, all with their own logic. Personally, I play the same shaft in my wedges and irons.
Best,
Matt