Gear: Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWork L Grind wedges
Price: $225 with True Temper Dynamic Gold S200 shaft and Titleist Universal grip
Specs: Cast stainless steel. 58 and 60 degrees of loft options with 4 degrees of bounce
Who It’s For: Accomplished golfers
The Skinny: With only 6 degrees and extreme heel and toe relief, the WedgeWorks L Grind wedges let skilled golfers hit a wide variety of shots from greenside bunkers, rough and tight lies.
The Deep Dive: For decades, Bob Vokey, Titleist’s master craftsman for wedges, has preached that bounce is the recreational golfer’s friend. Why? A large flange on the back of a wedge that elevates the leading edge can help prevent a club from digging into the turf or sand, and that can lead to greater consistency for most golfers.
However, highly skilled golfers often gravitate to low-bounce wedges because those clubs allow them to hit a wider variety of shots. Plus, there are times when a high-bounce wedge can make things more challenging, like when the sand in a bunker is wet and compacted or when the turf is especially hard. In those cases, excessive bounce can make getting the leading edge under the ball more challenging.
For accomplished golfers who like to open the face of their lob wedge and hit flop shots, high-spin chip shots and other types of short-game shots, Titleist has released a new WedgeWork L Grind wedges.
Available only in 58- and 60-degree lofts, the WedgeWorks L Grind wedges have just 4 degrees of bounce, making them the lowest-bounce wedges in the Titleist stable. If you are a mid- or high-handicapper or a golfer who tends to play courses with soft conditions or fluffy, light sand, this club is likely not one you should consider. With its low bounce angle, the L Grind is better suited for firm, links-style courses where moderate and high-bounce wedges will tend to ricochet off the ground and lead to skulled shots and inconsistent contact. It requires players to make a precise strike with a sweeping swing.
That said, the L Grind’s significant heel and toe relief reduces the area of the club that comes into contact with the ground, so low-handicap players can open the face and get the leading edge under the ball from a variety of lies and places around the green. Opening the face and adding loft will automatically increase the “playing” bounce by a few degrees, as it will to any wedge, so the 4 degrees of bounce could behave like 6 or 8 degrees of bounce when you use it and try to hit a high, soft pitch shot or recovery shot.
Among the pros who use an L Grind wedge regularly are 2023 British Open champion Brian Harman, Max Homa, Sungjae Im and Cameron Davis.
The L Grind wedge’s raw-steel finish will rust over time and with exposure to water, and they will be available starting today at select golf shops and on Vokey.com.