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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