Wilson Staff Model ZM Wedge Review

A gruesome horror story lie from ominous rough.  A pin position or forced carry that can turn the hole into a dark comedy.  We've all been there.  The short game isn't easy and a single shot with your wedge can be the difference between glory and agony.

That's where the 2024 Wilson Staff Model ZM come in.  No virtue is a more universally accepted test of golf equipment excellence than trustworthiness.   And my new Staff Model wedge had me trusting it from the very first swing.  Wherever you are on the course, whatever the conditions, ZM will take you where you need to go.

Hey Good Looking, What You Got Cooking?

For the last handful of weeks (I showed you a teaser on social) I've been testing and playing the Wilson Staff Model 56.12 degree ZM  wedge really to hell and high water.  I played in the rain, in soft conditions, tested in the rough, fairways, and bunkers.  And honestly it all started with laying the ZM down at address for the very first time.

The Staff Model ZM looks absolutely gorgeous.  I know appearance is a subjective, but if clean lines and classic shape is your thing ZM will get your dopamine flowing.  To me ZM is the best looking wedge Wilson has ever designed, going back even before the FG Tour PMP and TC (Tour Control wedges).  And it's right up there with Vokey, Ping, Mizuno in looks (in fact with an even thinner topline than most classic looking wedges out right now).

Wilson did not assign grind names with the new ZM (I'll get to that below because it's a fascinating part of design and performance to me).  Instead you have different bounce angles (low, medium, and high) to go along with the different lofts (46 to 60 degrees) that Wilson says will provide the versatility to cover all range of skills and swing types, and course conditions.

That Feel Good Vibe

I was out playing with a friend one of the times I was testing the Wilson Staff Model ZM and he asked to try it so of course I said okay.  And I'm starting with his feedback rather than mine because it was a bit of a wow moment that actually made me to add to my testing the next time out.

My friend hit a full shot with my 56 degree ZM and immediately said it was the best feeling wedge he's ever hit.  I already knew these new Wilson wedges felt extraordinary (more on that below), but to hear it from someone else after just one swing was illuminating.  And what he said after was even more so.  He just offered up, "if Mizuno is the best feel in Japan, then Wilson is the best feel in the US."  Seriously right?  WOW.

So I brought one of my Mizuno T-Series wedges along with me next time out testing the Wilson ZM and I kid you not, it's a feel that's almost identical.  Strong, dense, soft, and crisp at impact.  So much so I believe if people hit a Wilson ZM and Mizuno T side by side not knowing which was which, there are a lot who will not be able to tell the difference.  Whatever Wilson did with feel with these ZM wedges is nothing short of outstanding and incredibly satisfying.

For me, the feel of hitting the Staff Model ZM wedge for whatever reason conjures up the feeling of splitting wood.  The entire range of motion even. Swing back, drop it down, and as the wood splits in two that strong, clean, crisp, precise feeling?  There's just something mmm-mmm good about how these ZM feel.

A corollary to the ZM feel is that it feels exactly the same at impact as swinging the new Wilson Staff Model blade irons (and to a similar but lesser extent even their new CB irons).  Some of that of course comes from the soft 8620 forged carbon steel used in the wedges and irons.  I'm not sure if the ZM feel is a testimony to the blade irons feel or vice versa, but it's freaking awesome and this consistency of feel is not something you find very often.

The No Name Grind

As mentioned earlier Wilson offers up different bounce angles to go along with different lofts in the new Staff Model ZM wedges.  And at least for my 56 degree wedge with 12 degree of bounce the grind is truly special.  There's a lot going on with this sole.

If you look closely there's something of an F-grind aspect to ZM in that it's partly like a full sole wedge which helps (especially on full swings) with forgiveness and stability.  There's also something of an S-grind aspect with material ground away from the trailing edge.  And this helps you with versatility in both full shots and touch shots around the green.

There's also part of the sole where the leading edge is ground a bit (lead edge relief) making the ZM wedge sit closer to the ground (even with 12 degrees of bounce).  And this helps with extremely clean, crisp contact, even from tight lies and firmer conditions.  And finally there's also a C-grind aspect with moderate toe and heel relief to lay this club open easily on flop shots and even manipulate the face for players with a lot of hand action.  I'll talk more about all these shots I hit later in the performance section but for now will just say again the sole on my 56.12 is utterly fantastic.

Take Your Heart for a Spin

The Wilson Staff Model ZW wedges feature new ZM grooves, which are deeper and more angled than in the past.  The wedges also use a high-tech face blasting and you can feel the rougher texture simply by running your fingers across the face.  Wilson says these work in conjunction to create higher and consistent performance in all conditions.  And I'm here to tell you while that's a catchy marketing, it's also fact and reality.

On full swings (100-110  yards out) I saw shot after shot after shot hit greens, bite, and bounce only a few times with minimal roll out.  When I stepped on it a bit more or changed my angle of attack I even saw some balls bite and then reel back towards me.  On pitch and chip shots (50 yards an in) there was a lot of the same.  Bite, bounce, bounce, stick and settle.  The Wilson Staff Model ZM spin is substantial.

Bunkers here are still firm and a kind of heavy (somewhat) wet condition for this time of the season so I don't know how ZM will play in the softer, fluffier sand of late spring and summer.  But when I approached the ball with a square face or opened it up in the bunkers I saw equally good results.  Just thumping the wedge into the sand and letting the bounce take care of the rest.  No digging, great spin, and out of trouble.

With all that said there are other wedges I've tested that have more spin.  So the roll out is even less and the peel back even more.  But it's not so significant that I ever felt or thought I'm getting cheated out of spin with ZM.  We're talking 100s of RPMs not thousands.  And I felt extremely confident and trusting to go after any pin location with ZM during the multiple times I've been out playing them.

As good as the Wilson Staff Model ZM spin is, it's really the consistency of spin (and even launch and decent angles) on slight mishits that make this wedge so deadly.  And in all conditions.  So much so that I'd say even for players who are extremely loyal to a particular brand or who like playing a particular brand top to bottom of the bag, the ZM is going to hold great appeal.

Shots hit from the rough and shots hit during wet days both retained spin (or another way to say it is didn't lose spin) better than at least half of the wedges I've played and tested over the last five years.  I won't go as far as saying spin from the fairways on dry days and spin from the rough and in wet conditions is identical, but it's closer than it is different. 

And no BS here, the ZM spin performance from the rough and in wet conditions is straight up better than spin performance from the fairway and in dry conditions with many other wedges I've played.  That's just insane no matter how you cut it.  The deeper more angled grooves and face blasting clearly move debris and moisture away from the face at impact for incredibly consistent results.

Add In a Little Forgiveness for Good Measure

My 56 degree Wilson Staff Model ZM probably launches the ball a tad higher than other wedges I've tested and played this year (think SM10 and s159), but I'd still call this a low (penetrating) trajectory wedge.  And it was designed to be that way because of the excellent spin and even comparable descent angles to the other wedges mentioned.

And even though ZM is not designed to be a forgiving wedge (and certainly not forgiving like a perimeter weighted wedge), there's a level of forgiveness with ZM that allows you to not be perfect and still deliver consistent results (again with no big drop off in spin or launch).

Shots hit a tad higher on the face as well as towards the heel and toe performed very similar to center strikes (when my face was still square at impact).  I still saw great spin and bite.  Launch and descent angles remained precise.  Shots hit low on the face aren't as forgiving but you're not likely to miss low with ZM unless you pull up and out of your shot.  The face is already sitting low to the ground with that little bit of leading edge relief.

I'll likely pick up the Wilson Staff Model ZM 52 degree and 60 degree lower bounce options later this year to fill out my wedges and go along with the new Wilson Staff Model blades (already told you on social how these were surprisingly every bit as easy to hit as the new Staff Model CBs).

But honestly if I had to stick with just one ZM wedge for whatever crazy reason this 56 degree Wilson baby with 12 degrees of bounce is a club I'd be confident to hit from 110 yards and in from anywhere on the course.  Absolutely excellent consistency of spin and flight in different conditions and a variety of lies.  Wilson knocked this one out of the park.