Ben Hogan Equalizer II Wedge · Clubs

Wedge

Ben Hogan Equalizer II Wedge

2021–2025Notable

Caddie's note

“Equalizer II - enhanced spin grooves, multiple lofts. Players/tour-milled.”

The story

The 2021 step-up from the original Equalizer, arriving in Ben Hogan's strongest commercial year since its DTC relaunch (46.3% average revenue growth from 2017-2022, per company figures). Equalizer II added a CNC-milled face with fine texture between U-shaped grooves for extra spin, a Progressive Center of Mass that lowers CG in the highest lofts (for soft, high-landing approaches) and raises it in the lower lofts (for a more penetrating, controllable flight), a slightly larger head with a thinner topline than the original, and an optional Texas Grind sole (50/54/58 only) with extreme heel-and-toe relief for open-face work. It came in nickel-chrome or Diamond Black Metal finish, forged from 1025 carbon steel, sold DTC with custom lie/length/shaft at order time.

Standing

Notable

Reviewed independently and favorably by Golf Monthly, National Club Golfer and MyGolfSpy, which called it a genuine 'Hogan throwback' with real spin performance rather than a marketing refresh - but it never generated forum-level chase demand or scarcity, and its improvements (milled face, Texas Grind) were incremental refinements of the original Equalizer rather than a breakthrough design.

Who it's for

Golfers who liked the value case of the original Equalizer but want the added spin control of a CNC-milled face and the option of extreme-relief grinds (Texas Grind) for tight lies and open-face shots. Overkill for a beginner who just wants a simple, cheap wedge - the original Equalizer does that job for less.

Notable

CNC-milled face with fine texture between U-shaped grooves, aimed at maximizing spin beyond the standard Equalizer.
Progressive Center of Mass: lower CG in high lofts (soft landings), higher CG in low lofts (penetrating flight).
Optional Texas Grind sole offered only in 50°, 54° and 58°, with extreme toe/heel relief for open-face shots.
Available in traditional nickel-chrome or Hogan's proprietary Diamond Black Metal finish.
Forged from 1025 carbon steel, the same base material used across the rest of Hogan's reborn-era wedge and iron line.

In its era

Launched in 2021 during Ben Hogan's peak DTC year, before ExWorks Capital's late-2020 withdrawal of financial support (pandemic fallout on its investment portfolio) caught up with the company; Ben Hogan Golf Equipment Co. filed Chapter 11 again in 2022 and closed operations that July. The brand was revived a second time in 2023 by Golf Brands Inc. under CEO Simon Millington via a new Perry Ellis license, so whether 'Equalizer II' specifically continued past 2022 under the new ownership is undocumented - the record's 2025 year_end should be treated as provisional.

Specifications

Category: Wedge
Subtype: forged milled wedge, enhanced spin
Years: 2021–2025
Ladder tier: Players Tour (Milled)
Dexterity: both
: 48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, 60, 62
: Wedge, S
Stock shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold, stock wedge steel
Shaft weights: 115-130g steel
: any

Forgiveness

6/10

The Progressive Center of Mass and improved V-Sole make it, per Ben Hogan's own claim (echoed by reviewers), 'the most forgiving wedge yet' from the brand - genuinely more consistent across lies and mis-hits than the original Equalizer thanks to the loft-tuned CG. It remains a compact milled wedge shape, though, so it rewards centered strikes more than a cavity-back game-improvement wedge would.

Calibrated across the whole catalog — a tour blade scores low here on purpose; it means control, not ease.

On the used market

Modest resale value consistent with a mid-market DTC wedge: roughly $35-$60 used in 2026 depending on finish and wear, with Diamond Black Metal examples holding slightly better than plain nickel-chrome. No reconditioned-retail channel exists for it at scale, so private-party listings are the real market.