ULTIMATE REVIEW! – Solus FC-10 Wedge Review

Solus Golf – For The Non-Brandwashed Golfer

Here at MyGolfSpy we often talk about the tendency of some golfers to become “Brandwashed”.  You know who these guys are.  They’re the ones with 14 clubs (or 13 clubs and a Cameron) all with the same logo.  Why they buy what they buy is a mystery.  Maybe it’s what their favorite golfer plays, maybe they figure if a certain brand advertises itself as being the most popular, driver, hybrid, iron or wedge on tour then it absolutely has to be the best club for them.  Whatever the reason, these guys love what they love, and more often than not, there’s no convincing them that maybe, just maybe they should consider something different.

As insidious as it is to be “BrandWashed”, there is a nameless affliction several times more severe.  There exists in some golfers a total and complete negative bias against one or many manufacturers, based not on previous experience, performance, or any other rational basis.  Instead these biases are born from silly little things like maybe you didn’t like a pair of the company’s tennis shoes back in ’84, or maybe you think Davis Love and Duffy Waldorf are snooty names, or perhaps like me, you saw a product advertised in a half-hour infomercial on The Golf Channel and decided unequivocally that if it’s on an infomercial, it must be crap.

“This wedge is now a constant fixture in my bag and has been since early April when I took it out on a golf course for the first time”, says GolfSpy T.

Such was my introduction to Solus Golf.  I had barely taken up the game when I saw my first Solus infomercial.  Back in those days I was solidly brandwashed myself.  I had a 14 clubs in my bag, all with the same logo.  I wasn’t about to waste my time listening to some no name company with a funny little wedge and a goofy little sole grind tell me that their wedge was better than mine.  Who the hell do they think they are?

Fast forward almost a decade later.  My days of being “brandwashed” are long gone.  My 14 clubs are from 6 different manufacturers, and I’ve just signed on to write club reviews for MyGolfSpy.  I’m putting every club we get from the big time OEMs through a series of “SpecChecks”, and more often than not finding myself disappointed by the results.  At the same time the MGS forum comes online, the guys at Solus are writing articles about how difficult it is for the little guy to make any headway on the PGA tour.  The Solus post was just enough to make me take a long belated second look at the company, which is when I found this little gem buried at the bottom of one of their web pages, almost like it didn’t matter.

Assembly / Manufacturing Tolerances:
• Length – +/- 1/16 inch +/-
• Loft/Lie – +/- 1/4 degree
• Swing Weight = about D-6 (+/- 1/2 point)

Those numbers may not mean much to the average golfer, but when most of the other OEMs tell us their tolerances are a little more liberal (1/8″ length, ½-1 degree, lie/loft, and 1 full swing weight point), well, let’s just say I decided right then and there that it was time I gave Solus a fair shake, which is convenient since one of their new, not-yet-available to the public FC-10 wedge showed up on my porch just a few days later.

The Solus FC-10 wedge (Not available to public yet) can be considered a milestone product for a couple of reasons.  It’s the first Solus wedge to conform to the dreaded 2010 groove rule.  It also marks the first Solus product to be forged instead of cast.

Solus FC-10 Technical Specifications

• Available Lofts: 47°, 51°, 53°, 56°, 59°, 61°
• Length: 35 ¼”
• Swing Weight: D3

What We Tested, and How We Tested It

Solus sent us their FC-10 Wedge for testing.  Our sample has the following specifications:

• Loft: 56°
• Shaft: TrueTemper Dynamic Gold
• Flex: Stiff
• Lie: 63.75″
• Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

As usual, the majority of our testing was conducted on PGA TOUR Simulators, powered by 3Trac, from aboutGolf.  Testing took place at Tark’s Indoor Golf Club; a state-of-the-art golf training, club fitting and repair facility located in Saratoga Springs, NY.  In addition to accuracy and data, the aboutGolf  simulators provide us with the spin rate, launch angle, and apex for each and every shot.  This data is invaluable when evaluating, and of course, purchasing a new wedge.

To determine the performance rating for the Solus FC-10 wedge (Not available to public yet), we hit a series of shots with a full swing as well as to pins at 40 yards and 15 yards to get the best overall view of how this wedge will perform in on course conditions.

Performance Rating

What we noted time and time again during our tests is that the Solus FC-10 is remarkably consistent club.  One you’ve developed a feel for it (and it doesn’t take long), it’s extremely easy to dial in your distances and consistently make your shot.  At 15 yards, a full 80% of shots taken finished inside of 3 feet; including 1 chip in, and several near misses.

(Target area illustrates a 10 foot radius from the hole)

15 Yard Accuracy Grade: A

At 40 yards, the Solus FC-10 (Not available to public yet) was nearly as impressive, with the majority of shots finishing within 6 feet of the hole.  If not for a couple of slightly errant shots, the 40 yard score would be near perfect.

(Target area illustrates a 10 foot radius from the hole)

40 Yard Accuracy Grade: B

On full swings the Solus FC-10 was a very strong performer. We’ll have to wait for more wedge tests before we know exactly how strong, but we found it to be extremely accurate, and though we can’t say for sure yet, we think the spin numbers will prove to be among the highest we see, especially among wedges that conform the USGA’s 2010 groove rule.

(Target area illustrates a 30 foot radius from the hole)

We don’t track distance for wedges, only accuracy.  The above graphic shows that all but a single shot from our testing sample finished within 15 feet of the center line.  What more can you ask for from your scoring clubs?

Full Shot Accuracy Score: A

The Solus FC-10 Test Chart:

We also took the Solus FC-10 wedge out on the course to see how it would perform in the type of conditions golfers face throughout the course of a round.  We hit the Solus FC-10 from the fairway, the rough, the sand, tall heather, and even a partially dried up swamp.  Performance from the fairway and rough more than supported the results of our indoor tests.

On short pitches from fairways the Solus FC-10 checks up as well as any 56° club I’ve personally hit.  More impressive was the level of control we found with the Solus as shot after shot was struck consistently with predictable results.  We found similar results from the rough, although, as one might expect, the ball spun noticeably less, and had significantly more run.

From the sand, our honest assessment is that there’s nothing special about the Solus FC-10.  Perhaps there’s a bit more loft coming out of the sand, but we’re hard pressed to say it measurably outperforms anything else we’ve hit this year.

Where we really came away impressed with the FC-10 was in the area of versatility.  The Crescent Cut sole, along with the noticeable heal relief allows the FC-10 to be opened up (or laid flat as the case me be) without the leading edge getting in way.  We were able to effortlessly hit flop shots from closely mowed fairways, and land balls softly to short pins from the rough.  Though I wouldn’t recommend it, I was also forced to hit a shot from a partially dried up swamp.  The FC-10 handled the mud just fine, even if my pants didn’t.  From our perspective, the versatility alone is reason enough to consider adding the FC-10 to your bag.

Overall Performance Score: 90.22

Subjective Rating

Looks

The first thing most people will notice about the Solus FC-10 (or anything Solus wedge) is the Cresent Cut Sole Contour.  Rather than explain it to you in my own words, here’s what the folks at Solus have to say about it:

“The rearward 2/3 of the bounce contour of a conventional Sarazen wedge sole is repositioned upward and behind the leading edge of the club head, the bounce angles are increased slightly, and a camber is added to the rear of that sole contour extending from heel to toe.

This improved sole contour lowers the leading edge (more than 1/8 inch lower than the industry sales leaders) for better set-up and play on square-faced shots from tight lies, downhill lies, and buried bunker shots. Yet, an opened club face orientation for bunker explosion shots reveals an even greater bounce surface area (two 18-degree bounce surfaces) for improved sand play.

The sole contour camber extending from heel to toe creates a negative bounce area for a “pro-grind” relieved heel area to play open-faced lob shots without a dangerously raised leading edge.

This same camber also creates a “keel effect” for the club head in an area of maximized bounce contour directly below the C.G., so that contact with the playing surface at impact does not miss-align the club head.”

Regardless of whether or not you think it makes a difference, there’s no denying that just about every wedge manufacturer worth its salt is now offering products with some form of sole grind.  Solus just happened to do it first.

You may or may not notice the extra heel relief, but when we compared the Solus FC-10 to other wedges we have in house, it clear that the company has removed some extra material from the heel, which adds versatility for those of you who like to open the face up from time to time.

The one thing we’re not keen on is the chrome finish of the FC-10.  While it’s not a shiny as some, it’s far from matte, and does result in the occasional bit of glare.

Looks Grade: B

Feel

We really didn’t know what to expect when we learned that FC-10 would be Solus’ first attempt at a forged wedge.  Whether forged clubs really offer better feel, and more control is an ongoing source of debate.  What we can say is that the Solus FC-10 offers exceptional feel, which is extremely important around the greens where the notion of feel often translates to accuracy.

Feel Grade: A

Value

Yet again the notion of value poses a bit of a conundrum for us.  With a retail sticker price (when it becomes available to the public) of $150, the Solus is among the highest priced wedge you’ll find without “Limited Edition” trailing its model number.  The market has more or less set the upper limit for an off-the-rack wedge (no custom shaft upgrade) at $120.  Using that alone as the measure of value, the Solus FC-10 falls short of expectations.  Considering performance, however, there’s certainly a case to be made that an additional $30 isn’t that big of an issue for what may be one of the best conforming wedges on the market today.

Value Grade: B-

Overall Subjective Score: (35 out of 40)

SpecCheck Rating

For irons and wedges, the current implementation of SpecCheck involves verifying length, loft, lie, Swing Weight, and Flex.  Our measurements verified that the Solus FC-10 is indeed manufactured and assembled to the exacting specifications that the company claims.  As you’ll notice, we measured the lie angle at 64 degrees, not 63.75 as specified, but when you’re dealing with such tight tolerances, I’m inclined to believe that it’s just as likely that our measurement is off by ¼of 1 degree.  The bottom line is that from a specification standpoint, the Solus FC-10 is exactly what it should be.

When measured flex on our DigiFlex (butt clamped 5″).  The TrueTemper Dynamic Golf shaft registered 335 CPMs at 35¼ inches, which puts it well inside our stiff range.

Our Conclusion

Let’s start with the bad.  As much as I think a golf club (or anything else for that matter) is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it, the asking price ($150) for the Solus FC-10 places it on the pricey end of the cost spectrum.  Of course it’s worth noting that the price point is on par with the nearly universally admired wedges from Scratch Golf.  Unfortunately, Solus has to compete in the wedge marketplace with names like Callaway, Titleist, and Mizuno, and that’s not any easy proposition when you’re product is priced 20% higher.

As I mentioned, I’m also not crazy about the chrome finish on the FC-10, and would much prefer a non-glare finish like those employed by other manufacturers.  I’m also curious to see what custom options will be available for the average golfer when the FC-10 becomes available early next year.  These are of course minor issues when one considers the whole of what the Solus FC-10 offers.

From a performance perspective – and really, that’s what counts – the Solus FC-10 is an outstanding performer, which is precisely why it has been a constant fixture in my bag since early April when I took it out on a golf course for the first time.  At the end of the day, my only real complaint is that Solus only sent us a 56°, and I’d be much happier with a full set in my bag.

Total Score: 87.77

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