You have to get fit for your wedges. Really, you do. And fitting a golfer for the right wedges can be difficult.
If a golfer plays a lot of different courses, particularly in different geographies, they may not be all set with three or four wedges they use on the course they play most. Conditions change, too, meaning a golfer has to be prepared to hit off soft turf, packed sand and other changes that make short-game success more challenging.
Even if you're a golfer who plays the same few courses in the same general area over and over again, you need to be fit for how you play golf, the role wedges play in your game and the conditions in which you typically play.
That's why Titleist's Vokey SM7 wedges are billed first as a full-fledged line of wedge-and-grind combinations to fit most any golfer. There are six different grinds and nine different lofts available, all leading to 23 different wedges available in the line.
From Titleist, here's how they describe each grind:
- F Grind: Full sole designed primarily for full swings and shots hit with a square face. For that reason, F is the only grind available in the 46-52 degrees models.
- S Grind: Designed based on feedback from Steve Stricker, the S is best for square faced shots with a touch more versatility than the F Grind. Players with simpler mechanics will like this.
- M Grind: Vokey’s favorite, the M grind is designed for players that like to rotate the club face open and shut to manufacture shots around the green.
- D Grind (New): The player’s high-bounce wedge, the D Grind offers high measured bounce with the crescent shape of the M Grind for shot making versatility.
- K Grind: The highest bounce wedge in the lineup, the K Grind is the ultimate bunker club and the most forgiving wedge in the lineup for all shots.
- L Grind: The L Grind features a narrow crescent shape allowing maximum green side versatility, but it is the least forgiving wedge in the lineup.
Of course, not every wedge is used in the same way. Hence, grinds and lofts. But center of gravity is important, too. Full-shot wedges are struck in a different place than open-faced shots around the green. That's why the SM6 wedges featured progressive center of gravity, with the CG location lower on lower-lofted wedges and higher on higher-lofted wedges to put the location where the ball impacts the face.
For SM7, Vokey moved those progressions to more extremes to further dial in ideal trajectories for each wedge and deliver consistent distances.
The last key component with any wedge is spin -- the right amount for the right shot. The Spin Milled groove-cutting process has been improved to offer a slight increase in spin rates overall. On top of that, Vokey and team identified a way to add an additional Spin Milled cutting process for plated wedges (Tour Chrome and Brushed Steel finishes) as compared to the raw offerings (Jet Black and Raw) to deliver even more spin.
As mentioned, the Vokey SM7 wedges are available in 23 loft-grind combinations, with four finishes (Tour Chrome, Brushed Steel, Jet Black and Raw). They're available March 9 for $150 each, with much more customization available through Wedge Works.
