So I tried a bunch of wedges today, and as it turned out the ones I hit the best were these Killer Bee NCW jobbers...which were on closeout for $15 each! I am a n00b (played for 2 years 14 years ago, then just came back last year) so I asked the guy what I was missing by buying such a bargain club, and was there a reason not to buy them. He said "hey, we can't help what we like. You hit it well, and you like the feel, so why not save the cash?" Why, indeed.

It was closing time, so I picked out the grips I wanted to have put on, paid, and left them there. When I got home I Goog'd 'em up for the heck of it and discovered what you all probably know...that 'NCW' stands for Non Conforming Wedge. They're illegal.

So "you're cheating if you use them" doesn't count as a reason not to buy them? WTF? There should be a large tag hanging on them that says "WARNING: THESE CLUBS ARE NOT USGA LEGAL!" or some such.

Annoying. Now I have to call them first thing, tell them not to grip them, go back there, return them, and spend more money on clubs that I don't like as much. Fun.

Just to be clear, this isn't non-conforming as in the new groove rules. It's non-conforming because of the grooves and because the entire face has a very textured raspy finish to it. At least, I assume that isn't legal seeing as how the model name is what it is.

You may have wanted to do this prior to buying them?

What is it you want us to help you with also?

Well i did specifically ask the sales person if there was any reason i shouldn't be buy them...i think "playing with them is cheating" counts dont you? And they were $15...should i have driven 30 miles home to reasearch them?

Also i dont see where i was asking for any help...? But I do appreciate your good natured reply...

Sales person probably wasnt wrong. I mean for you to be looking at those wedges in the first place he knew you werent a competitive golfer. You liked those wedges and you liked the price so you bought them. I mean besides you just play for fun it sounds like so who cares? As long as you dont use them in a tourney you are fine.

I understand the sentiment, but I don't think I'm the only recreational golfer around who takes pride in following the rules. Besides, I am looking at playing in some tournaments this year, and hopefully a casual league.

Part of taking pride in following the rules is knowing them, or at least asking when unsure and taking responsibility\being accountable for what you do. I am assuming that even if you didn't know what NCW means you noticed the difference in the club face versus the other wedges since it's obviously different to you at this point.

I haven't heard you say anything about them giving you trouble about taking them back. I'm sure it's not fun for them to deal with the return either.

Unless I am reading this wrong (or it changed in the interim) you could use them this year anyway:

http://www.pga.com/golf-equipment/eq...es-it-mean-you

I respect the fact you want to play by the rules as beginner. Being a closeout

The inconvenience of bringing them back is nothing. If they take them back move on and forget about it. Even if they just give you a store credit I think that is more than expected

In my experience, Golfsmith is always very good at taking clubs back, especially if you explain to them that you didnt realize they were Non conforming, and you want to play conforming wedges. They took back a set of used clubs that I had bought, 45 days after I bought them because I explained to the manager that they were blades and I was just having a ton of difficulty hitting them. They were beautiful on the rack, and pretty cheap (basically brand new), so I had visions of grandeur that turned out very bad, ha.

If you want an alternative, Golfsmith has the MacGregor VIP wedges for around $30 the last time I was in there. The head is sig. smaller than the Killer Bees, but the wedges are solid and will last you. You just gotta see if the head is too small for you to start out with.

Do you have one specific club that you do alot of your chipping/pitching with around the green? If so, an alternative might be to buy one club brand new (the one you predominantly use), and then buy 1-2 more from the used wedge section. The grooves will be worn, sometimes very little other times a lot. But for full shots I dont think you will realize much difference.

This. Plus the fact that the salesman probably assumed you knew what NCW meant since you didn't ask about it in your line of questioning.

That said, if you don't want it, return it and buy another. No need to get too pissy.

They did offer to take them back. I talked to by brother in the mean time and he said he wanted them, so I just gave them to him.

I wasn't trying to go way overboard here...I just think that if a novice holds up a club and asks "is there any reason not to buy this" being purpose-built as a non-conforming club would be a reason is all...seems like a silly thing to ignore.

In any case, it's all good now, the store did a good job of offering to make it right.

Have you tried returning them?

Er...?

oops missed that

Glad to hear it all worked out

I work for golfsmith international lol. And also an avid player myself. People are going nuts for nonconforming wedges right now.. if u play amateur golf there is no need to take it back. Keep it imo. The only reason u shouldn't play the wedge is if u plan on playing professional tournaments.

I'm using 09' vokey wedges which are non conforming still. I play amateur events also.

They will obviously take it back as a return also. Should never be a problem there.

There is a huge difference between '09 Vokeys and a no-name wedge with half-inch grooves and a sandpaper face. The Vokeys are legal in most events until 2024 while the no-name wedge has never been legal.

Furthermore, starting in (I believe) 2014 the new groove rule applies to top amateur events as well.

And FWIW, in regards to the OP, I feel both parties were initially at fault to some degree. Yes, the clubs are non-conforming, but let's face it, most high-handicappers don't care. And kudos to this one who does. I can see why the salesperson didn't mention it although I do think he should have brought it up. And of course OP should have done his homework before the purchase.

BO

Very true. Crazy how if you look at the laser milled faces of the cleveland wedges how they can be conforming. Almost looks like sandpaper

Im reading the reviews on the new Cleveland Rotex wedges, and many are claiming spin-rates that are in line with pre-CC wedges.

Im debating between Scratch, Vokey 2010 pre-CC and the Rotex Wedges. I've tried the Scratch cast models, and really like them on full shots.

lol, i know this is a old thread, but i happened to be in Golfsmith this past saturday looking to turn in my cleveland wedges, for some new wedges...

And i too seen the Killer Bee Wedges and ran my finger over the grooves and was like WTF.. i even asked one of the employees about the grooves and said this cant be legal can it?? and he said it wasnt.. And my first thought was using this wedge would carve up any golf ball...

But if your just a amateur golfer and do not plan on playing any golf tournaments where they actually check your clubs, then by all means use the clubs..