Tag: Titleist Wedges

With the calendar reading 2022 and the PGA Tour set to resume play this week at the Plantation Course at Kapalua in Hawaii, several brands will start releasing new gear to Tour players. Typically, the pros are given access to clubs before they are made available at retail, and that’s happening once again.

Titleist announced Monday that pros at the winners-only Sentry Tournament of Champions will have a chance to use the yet-to-be-released Vokey Design SM9 wedges for the first time in competition.

Titleist has not released a new wedge since the launch of the SM8 (from $159.99 at PGA Tour Superstore) in January 2020, so the arrival of the SM9 is not surprising, but Titleist is still tight-lipped with the details on the new model.

The most significant difference between the SM8 and its predecessors, the SM6 and SM7, was the position of the center of gravity. Starting with the SM6, the center of gravity progressively rose as lofts increased to improve distance control and help golfers flight shots lower. In the SM8, Titleist lengthened the hosel and added tungsten to the toe of the sand wedges and lob wedges to move the center of gravity forward, as well. The company said this helps players square the face for more consistency.

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The SM8 wedges were available in chrome, brushed steel and jet black, and in six sole configurations. The wide variety of sole grinds helps fitters and players find the ideal bounce and configuration to match playing conditions and the way a particular player swings. While finishes often vary from year to year, it is hard to imagine that Titleist would offer significantly fewer grinds in the SM9 lineup.

There are 39 players in the field this week at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, including several Titleist staff players such as Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Cam Smith, Max Homa and 2021 FedEx Cup champion Patrick Cantlay, so several new SM9 wedges could wind up in play in Hawaii.

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Gear: Titleist Vokey Design SM8 wedges
Price: $159 each with True Temper Dynamic Gold S200 shafts and Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 grips.
Specs: Cast 8620 carbon steel with tungsten added to the toe. Available in 46 to 62 degrees
Available: March 6

Aaron Dill is one of the busiest guys on the PGA Tour, responsible for building Titleist Vokey Design wedges for pros. It’s up to him to make sure the players have all the short game gear they need, and when you consider that 49.4 percent of all the wedges used at PGA Tour events last season were Vokey wedges, you can understand why Dill has to hustle.

The newest Vokey wedges, the SM8 line, debuted on the PGA Tour in November at the 2019 RSM Classic, and 37 players immediately switched, collectively putting 102 clubs into play.

The most significant difference between the new SM8 and its predecessors, the SM6 and SM7, is the position of the center of gravity. Titleist has kept the center of gravity low in the pitching wedges and gap wedges, but starting with the SM6 line, the center of gravity progressively rose as mass was added behind the topline in sand wedges and lob wedges. This aligned the center of gravity with the ideal impact position on the face, improving distance control and helping golfers flight shots lower.

The downside of adding a weight pad to the top of the SM6 and SM7 sand wedges and lob wedges was it not only shifted the center of gravity up, it moved it back, too. In the SM8 wedges, the center of gravity not only goes up and down based on the club’s loft, it also shifts forward.

By lengthening the hosel and adding tungsten to the toe of the sand wedges and lob wedges, designers shifted the center of gravity forward – Titleist said it is actually in front of the face. (Don’t worry, you can’t strike a theoretical spot with a golf club.)

Titleist said shifting the center of gravity forward in the higher-lofted wedges helps golfers square the face more efficiently and increases the moment of inertia by 7 percent, making the clubs more stable at impact.

So, players now get the short/long forgiveness of a progressive center of gravity height, plus left-and-right forgiveness thanks to the boosted moment of inertia.

The SM8 wedges are offered in six sole grinds to increase versatility around the greens:
F: An all-purpose grind designed to make the full-swing transition from irons to wedges easier.
S: With a small amount of heel and toe relief, this wedge is ideally suited for square-faced shots and simple techniques.
M: For players who sweep the ball using a shallow swing and who like to open the face and expose extra bounce.
K: This grind offers the most bounce and widest sole, making it a great option in soft conditions and from fluffy bunkers.
L: This is a low-bounce option suited for firm conditions and tight lies.
D: The crescent-shape grind gives players heel and toe relief plus lots of bounce, making it extremely versatile.

To ensure golfers get the maximum amount of spin, Titleist inspects every groove in every wedge. The grooves in the 46-degree to 54-degree clubs are deeper and narrower, like the grooves in an iron, because golfers will typically hit these clubs with a full swing from the fairway. The grooves in the 56-degree to 62-degree wedges are shallower and wider, so they remove water and debris from the hitting surface more effectively on greenside chips, pitches and bunker shots.

Between each groove, a series of microgrooves create more friction and roughness. And each wedge receives a heat treatment that makes the grooves more durable.

The Titleist Vokey Design SM8 wedges are available in four finishes: Tour Chrome, Brushed Steel, Jet Black and Raw finish. The Jet Black will rust as the dark finish wears, while the Raw wedges will rust more quickly with exposure to air and moisture.

The PGA Tour’s last full-field event of 2019 is this week’s RSM Classic at St. Simons Island, Georgia. The tournament is the first time that pros are going to have a chance to put into play Titleist’s newest wedge, the Vokey Design SM8.

Titleist is mum on the details about the clubs, and if history is a guide, they will not be released at retail until the PGA Merchandise Show in late January.

Bob Vokey, Titleist’s master craftsman for wedges, PGA Tour rep Aaron Dill and Titleist’s director of wedge R&D, Kevin Tassistro, are all at the RSM Classic to show the wedges to players and fit them into new clubs.

Prototype wedges have been spotted throughout 2019 in practice rounds, but now we can see cosmetic changes have been made to the back of the newest clubs.

The SM stands for spin milled, a manufacturing technique that involves a special circular saw-style cutting tool passing back and forth across the smooth hitting area to create the grooves. The first spin milled wedges from Titleist appeared in 2007.

It is safe to assume that the SM8 wedges will replace the SM7 family in Titleist’s stable. Those clubs, available in lofts from 46 degrees to 62 degrees, have been made available in Tour Chrome, Brushed Steel, Jet Black and Raw finishes. They feature different grooves in each wedge based on its loft, with low lofts (46-54) being made with narrower, deeper, iron-like grooves. Higher-lofted SM7 wedges (56-62) have wider grooves that can remove sand and water from the hitting area more effectively. They feature a progressive center of gravity design and six options for sole grind.

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