Gear: Titleist Vokey Design SM8 T Grind wedges
Price: $199 each
Specs: Tour Chrome and Raw steel finishes. Right-handed only in 58 and 60 degrees.
Tight lies and hard ground can play havoc with your short game. Getting a wedge’s leading edge under the ball is difficult when it is on the ground with almost no grass underneath it, so pitch shots and lob shots are tricky. The bounce that helps in bunkers and fluffy lies in the rough works against you on tight lies.
If you play courses that typically are hard and fast or you tend to hit short-game shots with a sweeping motion instead of a digging action, Titleist has a new wedge, the SM8 T Grind, that might be suited for your game.
Available in lob wedge lofts only, the T Grind has a low bounce angle and narrow crescent-shaped sole. It is designed to keep the leading edge down, even when you open the face.
Jordan Spieth first used a T Grind wedge while playing in college at the University of Texas, and in 2019 he asked Titleist’s PGA Tour rep for wedges, Aaron Dill, to make him one at the Players Championship. The style of club has been in Spieth’s bag ever since.
As he prepared for the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne, a course famous for its speedy and tricky greens, Justin Thomas had Dill make him a T Grind wedge. Thomas played it in the biennial event, and Titleist said that since that time he has brought the club to every tournament in case he encounters firm, hard conditions.
Like previously released SM8 wedges, the T Grind has a center of gravity near the front of the face. This is achieved by making the hosel slightly taller and adding tungsten to the toe. As a result, Titleist said, it is easier to flight shots down for extra control and feel.
Each club’s grooves are inspected to ensure they are sharp and comply with U.S. Golf Association and R&A regulations, and each club also undergoes a heat treatment to increase the durability of the grooves so they stay sharp longer.
The SM8 T Grind wedges are available for custom order in golf shops and at vokey.com, and custom options include letter and number stamping, customized paintfill and toe engravings.