Bob Vokey is one of the true household names in golf. He belongs to a select group of individuals who is recognized by golfers around the world for his marvelously efficient wedges. He mixes a wealth of knowledge, years of experience working with the best players in the world with boundless enthusiasm to produce arguably the best wedges on the market.
Everyone who’s anyone seems to have a brace of Vokey wedges in their bags. There are an abundant number of grinds for golfers of all ability levels and every situation. Whether you’re shallow or steep into the ball and play on courses in every conceivable condition, there is a Vokey wedge for you.
Titleist’s new Vokey SM7 wedge builds on the progressive center of gravity shift that was introduced in the SM6 line. In a nutshell, in the lower-lofted wedges, CG was lower in the club head to increase ball speed and produce a more iron-like ball flight, while the CG in the higher-lofted wedges was placed higher in the club head in order to increase spin and lower ball flight, providing greater control around the greens. These CG locations were also meant to be placed in the area that golfers struck at impact—a bit lower on the club head in the lower lofts, and higher on the higher lofts—for better feel.
Apparently, Vokey felt they didn’t make enough of a weight shift as Titleist’s core audience would have liked so CG is even higher in the high-lofted wedges, and even lower in the low-lofted wedges. That will mean more spin with the sand and lob wedges compared to the SM6 wedges, and more ball speed with the pitching and gap wedges.
The amount of spin a wedge generates is a prime consideration when any of us plunks down our hard-earned money for a wedge. We will miss more greens than any three pros combined so the wedge plays a yeoman’s role during a round. Titleist claims up to a 100 rpm increase in spin due to tighter tolerances with its Spin Milled machining process, but only with the plated wedges (Tour Chrome and Brushed Steel), as opposed to the Jet Black raw wedge. Seems the black wedges don’t get the new machining process.
Titleist retains the now ubiquitous F, S, M, K and L grinds for the SM7 range and introduces the new D grind. The D-grind has high measured bounce, but also has a crescent-shaped grind to offer the player greater versatility (open-faced shots, different shots around the green, etc.). The D-grind could be thought of as a cross between the high-bounce K grind and the versatile M grind—you get the benefits of higher bounce, with a more versatile sole.
To shed light on the designs of the other wedges, the F and K grinds are generally better for golfers that play their short games with the clubface square to the target. Both are superb out of bunkers in the higher loft and bounce configurations, but it is the K that stands out.
The L and M are best for firm conditions and for players with shallow angles of attack that take small, shallow divots. They both have crescent shaped grinds that allow opening up the clubface without raising the leading edge unnecessarily.
The S is perhaps the most versatile of the grinds and will suit the greatest number of golfers. It’s good out of the sand and the ribbon ground out of the trailing edge of the sole allows it to cut through the turf more efficiently.
Is the SM7 advanced enough to get golfers to upgrade? If you have a set of SM6 wedges then, I’d say no. You might want to add the D grind to your arsenal but other than that, you should be good. If your wedges are more than two years old and you like to practice, chances are that you could really benefit from a set of Titleist Vokey SM7 wedges.
We don’t know how Vokey does it and to be honest, we really don’t care as long as he can keep making his wedges better with every generation. Titleist has long stressed the importance of fitting for the serious golfer, and it says the short game is an area that can see rapid improvement in a short time. Make an appointment for a fitting at an Empire golf shop near you. Titleist Vokey SM7 wedges are available at all Empire proshops for P10,550.