50 Words or Less
The JP Golf Premier wedge is a piece of art disguised as a golf club. Unique sole design provides tremendous defense against digging. High spin. A joy to hit.
Introduction
This is a review well over ten years in the making. I’ve been admiring JP’s wedges since he first started grinding in “The Garage” in 2009 [listen to JP’s full story HERE]. I’ve followed his career as he moved from up-and-comer to a signature part of one of golf’s biggest OEMs. Now JP is back on his own, and I finally got a set of his wedges in hand. Were they worth the wait?
Looks
Even if you know very little about golf clubs, one look at these clubs tells you that they’re special. For me, that starts with the titanium backplate. I opted for one black and one blue, both in the polished finish. JP also offers a bronze plate, and each color can be done with a “scraped” finish. You can further customize the look by picking one of nine colors for the JP logo. Among the other things that make a JP Premier wedge stand out are the mill marks on the sole, the three weight plugs in the toe, and the unique loft stamping at the heel. There’s no way you can’t have a little extra swag after pulling one of these out of the bag.
Moving on to the more important – though less exciting – address position, the JP Premier wedge has a slightly larger-than-average face. This is the result of the round shape. The leading edge is curved, and the heel is fairly tall.
One additional thing I noticed is that the 60 degree wedge (left) has a more rounded leading edge than the 54. To my eye, this makes the face look even larger. Many players prefer a rounded leading edge for open-faced shots which is likely the reason for this difference.
Sound & Feel
JP Premier wedges are an interesting mix of new and old school. Each head is forged, the decided preference of the traditionalist. After the forging, however, they’re CNC milled to ensure perfect consistency. On top of that, each head features numerous metals – including titanium and tungsten – to “Super Tune” the CG. All of this made it hard to predict what impact would feel like.
I found that the JP Premier wedge was very responsive to the golf ball being used. With a softer tour ball, the sound was right on the border of dull, almost a thud. With a firmer ball, it produces a crisp “snap.”
Regardless of the ball, the feel of the JP Premier wedge is extremely solid. A pure strike connects all the way to your chest. If you do mishit it, your hands will let you know where and how badly.
Performance
Everything about the JP Premier wedge starts with the sole. These wedges feature JP Camber which “prevents the leading edge from…sticking in the turf.” It also has “extreme heel and toe relief…to maximize shot making versatility.” JP offers his wedges in mid bounce and high bounce, which is denoted by the number of rings on the hosel (see below). Looking at the two side by side, I could see the more aggressive bounce profile in the high bounce 54 degree wedge.
What I found in my testing is that the JP Camber allows you to be super aggressive into the turf. After just a few shots, I had no fear of digging whatsoever. Even when I made an exaggeratedly steep swing, I just bruised the grass. These wedges will be the best friend of “diggers,” and also greenskeepers, everywhere.
The other major performance story is the “Super Tuned CG.” We’ve heard about multi-material construction in drivers. It’s also making its way into irons and putters, but JP is bringing it to wedges. By using a titanium back plate, internal tungsten weighting, and his own patent-pending Injection Weighting, JP is able to precisely and consistently place the CG exactly where he wants it.
There’s nothing on JP’s website that discusses where the CG is located, but based on my testing, I believe it’s higher than your average wedge. In launch monitor testing, I saw shots launching on a controlled trajectory with elite levels of spin.
Finally, the JP Premier wedge delivered a surprising amount of forgiveness and consistency. When I struck the ball reasonably well, the spin and ball speed barely moved. Slightly thin strikes performed well, and even poor strikes were playable. Thanks to the aforementioned multi-material construction, the JP Premier wedge can perform like a cavity back while looking like a piece of art.
Get the same sole at half the price with the JP Camber wedge HERE
Conclusion
The JP Golf Premier Wedges were absolutely worth the wait. These are unequivocally some of the best short game tools in golf. Not only are they beautiful, they’re highly engineered – from the sole to the CG – to perform at the highest level. While the price will certainly be prohibitive to many golfers, those able to put a set of JP’s wedges in the bag won’t regret the decision.
Visit JP Golf HERE
JP Premier Wedge Price & Specs
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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16 Comments
Thanks for this review, Matt. Clearly this is a boutique set of wedges that we otherwise, would likely never hear about. Sort of like the SWAG Putter line you rave about. While “you had me at hello”, the price point, at nearly 3X that of the Edisons (or most OEM’s) gives a lot of room for pause as you suggested. It also appears, after looking at their website, that slower swingers or less elite players need not apply as the shaft offerings seem to be exclusivly steel and aimed at better, aggressive players. A fun club to read about for sure, and JP will surely credit you for a spike in demand. But, alas, one with a very specific and likely limited, target market.
600 dinero. No thanks.
If you had led with the price point I wouldn’t have wasted my time reading this review. $595 for a wedge. Seriously?
Tbf, the article in the email does state the ‘big time price tag’ – they were always going to be crazy money and perhaps aimed at a different tax bracket to ahem normal folk.
I can afford these but screw that. I agree with your statement. I instead cobra mim wedges. Best wedges I’ve ever bought brand new for 150 a piece and I guarantee the cobra mim are better then these
Thanks for the review. Interesting story and, indeed, beautiful wedges.
That’s as far as my interest goes. Wedges, to me, are work horses and the most abused club in a bag.
Fancy finishes and fancy machining don’t do much for versatility and that’s what one would be really paying for in these wedges.
Edison or Vokey will perform the same, or better, and at a price point in which replacements are not hard to justify the expense.
Great to finally see a review of the wedges I have been drooling over on IG for quite a while now! I always wondered if they worked as well as they looked. The price of course does seem unreasonable, especially given that wedges should be replaced more often than any other club, but some drivers cost just as much and they’ll get replaced even sooner in many cases.
Hi Matt, I’m curious about how this compares to Edison from a CG perspective and the related performance. I’ve been liking my Edison set as they do deliver on the lower trajectory, higher spin design with the CG higher than traditional. Are JP like this, or more traditional? Also, I think Edison’s grind is good with turf interaction. It seems JP may exceed them in this. At about 3.5 X the price of Edison, I’m curious but most interested in those two elements of performance. Thanks!
Jim,
I like the turf interaction of the JP wedges, but they are probably best for players who are a little steeper. The Edison is more versatile/one size fits all, in my opinion.
Regarding CG, I don’t think any wedge goes as high as Edison, but the JP wedge does seem to be a bit higher than average.
Best,
Matt
Each to his own. JP look like jewelry but I want my wedges fit to me.
I will stick with Artisan wedges where you spend 2.5 hours outside hitting full, half and partial wedges, bunker shots, and chips and pitches to a green fitting you to your exact specs, including the important factors, sole grind and shaft. And they are $330. Expensive but they are fit to you. You can get a JP Wedge for $595 without a fitting? Good luck.
I have to say that they don’t do it for me. I don’t like the design of the wedges and the oversized looking face really puts me off. I suspect they are incredible to play with and a real show stopper in terms of looks but I like something simpler and sleeker in my bag. Great to see reviews of stuff I’ve never heard of though so appreciate the enlightenment.
J
The real question: Are they going in the bag?
Jonathan,
No, the Edison wedges are staying put.
Best,
Matt
A beautiful wedge, I’d like to try it. I play pitch & putt in Dublin Ireland , and most players use 56/ 58/ 60 degree
But 300 to 600 dollars is two times more than the best on the market.
I hope they come on the market in Dublin soon.
The new JP Camber line looks amazing and competitive with Vokey WW.
Mark,
I just got a set in. They’re outstanding. Look for a full review in the coming weeks.
Best,
Matt