Ballistic sells a forged carbon steel wedge for roughly what other brands charge for cast heads. Under testing, it came up short. Price carries this club, and the performance numbers explain why that has to be enough.
What's new
The Forged Proto arrived in May 2024 as a direct-to-golfer wedge, forged from 1020 carbon steel and left in a raw finish. Every loft from 48 to 60 degrees uses a single Proto grind, and heads weigh about 300 grams.
Buying from Ballistic's own store cuts out a retailer, which keeps an assembled wedge in budget territory. Golfers who want to build their own can buy heads alone for a little over half that.
How it plays
Feel holds up best, at 7.6, about what you would hope for from forged carbon steel. Distance (7.4) and accuracy (7.2) land in the middle of the class, and forgiveness sits at 7, so mishits get no special help.
A 2026 robot test of 15 wedges put the Forged Proto dead last at 7.7 overall. None of its scores is bad on its own, but none is strong enough to lift it past the other 14.
Where it lacks
Wet spin hurts most. In a separate wet-conditions test it kept 46.0 percent of its spin, lower than any of the other 14 wedges, so a dewy morning or a damp lie takes a real bite out of stopping power.
Shot shaping scores 6.4, the weakest mark on its card, and one grind across every loft gives a player little to tune. Ballistic is also a new name with no tour presence behind it.
“I like what a forged head costs here. I do not like watching spin vanish once the grass gets wet.”- The Club Stand gear team
Reasons to buy
- Forged 1020 carbon steel heads cost well under typical tour-brand wedge money
- Sold direct from Ballistic, with bare heads available for about half the assembled price
- Feel scores 7.6, its best on-course mark, and lofts run from 48 to 60 degrees
Reasons to think twice
- Ranked 15th of 15 in a 2026 robot wedge test, with a 7.7 overall
- Kept only 46.0 percent of its spin in wet conditions, the lowest figure in that test
- Workability scores 6.4, and a young brand with no tour presence offers little track record
Specs
| Head | Forged 1020 carbon steel |
|---|---|
| Lofts | 48-60 deg |
| Grind | Proto |
| Weight | Approx 300 g |
| Finish | Raw |
More wedges we've scored
- Kirkland Signature GEN 3 Forged 2026 - 8.9/10. Costco's three forged wedges beat 14 rivals in a 2026 test and sell at a value price.
- New Level SPN V3 2026 - 8.7/10. A raw forged blade wedge that out-aims nearly everything in its class, sold direct at a value price.
- Maxfli XCW 2026 - 8.6/10. A fully forged wedge with a ceramic insert, tested most consistent around greens, at value-tier money.
- Vice VGW02 2026 - 8.4/10. A forged carbon steel wedge with a traditional milled face, sold well below what most forged wedges cost.
- TaylorMade Milled Grind 5 2025 - 8.4/10. TaylorMade finally forges a Milled Grind, pairing real feedback with spin that holds up in the rain.
- MacGregor Tour Grind 2025 - 8.4/10. A milled, tour-shaped carbon steel wedge priced at a fraction of what the big brands charge.