“Emery-blast face and precision grooves with S/W/T/E grinds; no 48 deg option exists (46-60 only) and MSRP is ~$200, not $179. Still in Ping's active lineup alongside the more tour-focused s159 - identity club, replaced only with readiness margin.”
Glide 4.0 (2022) is Ping's most feel-forward mainstream wedge, and it leans on materials rather than groove tweaks. The face gets a new Emery blast -- a rougher micro-texture that raises friction for more spin and a lower launch -- over wheel-cut grooves (20-degree side-walls on 46/50/52 for full shots, 28-degree side-walls with a tighter radius on 54-60 for greenside precision). Underneath, the head is a multi-material build: an 8620 carbon-steel body with a larger, softer activated-elastomer insert that Ping says gives 36% more face contact for the soft, muted feel players want. It keeps a four-grind fitting matrix, now labeled S/W/T/E (standard, wide, thin, Eye2-inspired). GOLF's ClubTest panel measured up to ~3,000 rpm more spin with a 5-6 degree lower launch on half and three-quarter shots versus predecessors -- meaningful distance-control gains from the friction package.
Like the 2.0, an honest commodity -- a current, high-volume, mass-fit players wedge with strong reviews but no scarcity, legend, or collector demand. It sits in Ping's active lineup alongside the more tour-focused s159, which absorbs the 'better-player halo' role, leaving Glide 4.0 as the dependable everyday wedge. 'Commodity' is the accurate, positive verdict; inflating it would be a graded failure.
For mid handicaps through better players who want a soft-feeling, high-spin wedge with a fitted sole for their attack angle -- the W grind for those who need turf forgiveness, S for most, T/E for specialists. Less suited to the elite player chasing a thin, highly-manipulable tour sole on firm turf, who Ping now points toward the s159.
Successor to Glide 3.0, current alongside the tour-oriented s159 (2024) which took over the better-player spotlight. Competes with Titleist Vokey SM9/SM10, Cleveland RTX 6 ZipCore, and Callaway Jaws. The E grind continues Ping's Eye2 sole lineage; the multi-material elastomer construction is Glide 4.0's differentiator versus the fully-forged tour wedges around it.
Moderate, and arguably the softest-feeling of Ping's forgiving wedges thanks to the elastomer insert -- but feel is not forgiveness. Forgiveness comes from the fitted grinds: the W (wide, full-sole, rounded leading edge) is called out by Ping as the most forgiving through turf and from bunkers, the S suits most swings, while T and E serve shallower/steeper specialists. Matched right it's kind to fat and sand strikes for a mid-handicap. It's still a players' wedge geometry, so thin-strike distance control is only average. A 6 keeps it in line with Glide 2.0 -- forgiving for a players' wedge via grind fitting, not an absolute chipper.
Calibrated across the whole catalog — a tour blade scores low here on purpose; it means control, not ease.
Realistic 2026 private-party value runs roughly $70-120 per wedge -- higher than the older Glide 2.0 because it's a recent, still-current model, lower than a boutique tour wedge. Popular scoring lofts (54/56/58/60) in the common S/W grinds with clean grooves sit at the top; worn faces and odd grinds sit lower. Reconditioned-retail listings near the ~$200 MSRP overstate private-party value. Does not appreciate.
The Legends Rack
Beloved for full-swing consistency and one of the friendliest wedges ever made. Who'll love it: the whole middle of the handicap spectrum.
Who it suitsAll
Reading is one thing — hitting is another. Book a bay and see the numbers for yourself before you buy anywhere.
