NSFW Golf Club Design – The Alien Wedge

I grew up working in the golf business in the 90s and early 2000s. It was a fun time. Tiger Woods gave the industry a big shot in the arm, new companies entered the mix and titanium allowed manufacturers to go bigger. Another biproduct of this era – golf infomercials. In pre-social media days, up …

I grew up working in the golf business in the 90s and early 2000s. It was a fun time. Tiger Woods gave the industry a big shot in the arm, new companies entered the mix and titanium allowed manufacturers to go bigger.

Another biproduct of this era – golf infomercials. In pre-social media days, up and coming golf companies tried everything to get their clubs in the hands of golfers. Everyone promised longer, straighter and easier. Each new design seemed stranger than the last one. What a time to be alive!

While they seemed stupid, these infomercials sold a lot of product. Exhibit A – the Alien Wedge…

YouTube video

Later followed by the “next generation” Alien Shot Saver Wedge…

YouTube video

If you’ve been playing golf for a while, there’s a good chance that you either own an Alien or have at least hit one a few times. Out of all of the “infomercial” specials, this is the one that I have the most experience with. Although I never had the honor of selling new ones, we’d see them on trade all the time. We also had one in the shop and we’d use it while we picked the driving range. It was… something…

The idea was pretty simple. Make a wedge with such a large sole that it was nearly impossible for the average golfer to dig it in behind the ball. This was the club that kept “traditionalists” up at night. It was round, dimpled, fat, and stuck out like a sore thumb in a bag. It looked awful, but it worked for so many people.

The Alien wedges were very polarizing too – people either loved them or they hated them. While it’s easy to just dismiss the Alien as a gimmick club that “sucked”, it’s hard to overlook the fact that they sold a TON of them. Someone obviously liked it…

One of the funniest things about this wedge is the “dump truck” folklore. In one of the infomercials, the host hit the wedge out of the back of a dump truck. I’m not sure why… but it was hilarious. I can’t find any video or photo proof online but I have seen a few others mention it. I remember people coming in the shop asking for the “dump truck club”…

It’s a club that is worthy of a spot in our NSFW Golf Club Design Hall of Fame.