Gear: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 wedges
Price: $189 each
Specs: Cast 8620 carbon steel stainless steel. Even lofts from 46 to 62 degrees, six sole grinds and three finishes.
Available: Pre-order, February 14; in stores, March 8
Who It’s For: Golfers who want to maximize spin and versatility around the green while enhancing feel.
The Skinny: By changing the way its Spin Milled grooves are added to the face, varying the center of gravity location based on loft and offering six unique sole grinds, Titleist’s SM10 wedges aim to provide the ultimate in shortgame versatility and control.
The Deep Dive: Titleist’s Vokey Design SM9 wedges are the most-played wedges in professional golf, with seven of the top 10 male players on the Official World Golf Ranking using them. Last season, Vokey wedges were used to win the U.S. Amateur, U.S. Women’s Amateur, U.S. Open, British Open and could be found in the bags of 15 Ryder Cup players.
That level of success at the elite level, combined with being the most-popular wedge at retail, means Titleist wedge guru Bob Vokey and his team needed to keep the things golfers liked about the SM9 as they worked to update it and develop its successor. With the release of the new Vokey SM10 wedges, the man they call “Voke” now feels he has a new wedge that can deliver even more spin, feel and control.
In the address position, sharp-eyed golfers will see the SM10 wedges have less offset and a straighter leading edge, which is the result of feedback from tour players. The pitching and gap wedges (46-52 degrees) have a more-compact shape than the sand and lob wedges, which also feature a higher, more-rounded toe area. At the same time, all the SM10 wedges have the same blade length, which remains unchanged from the SM9.
In the pitching and gap wedges, Titleist shortened the hosel length, which shifted more of the head’s overall weight toward the toe. The result is the faces should not rotate closed as easily in the SM10, so they don’t have a draw bias.
As in previous Vokey wedges, Titleist makes the grooves in pitching and gap wedges deep and narrow, like an iron’s groove, because those clubs are often played with a full swing from the fairway or fairway rough. However, the grooves in the sand and lob wedges are wider and shallower to get water, sand and debris off the face more efficiently on shots hit around the green.
Titleist also adjusted how the grooves are milled and spaced in the hitting area. The key was developing a way to cut the grooves to a tighter tolerance. Now, after the hitting area is fly cut and made perfectly flat, Titleist cuts the grooves and a tiny portion of the flat area next to the grooves in a single pass. Then, a series of microgrooves are added between the main grooves. Finally, to keep the grooves sharp, Titleist heat treats each head to increase the hardness of the metal and the durability of the groove edges. The result is a more-consistently manufactured hitting area and sharper grooves closer to the USGA’s legal limits. According to Titleist’s data, the new TX9 grooves generate approximately 300 rpm more spin and help shots launch on a lower trajectory for enhanced control.
Since the release of the SM6 wedges in 2016, the center of gravity (CG) location in Vokey wedges gets progressively higher as lofts increase. While extra mass low in the stronger lofts helps them produce a ball flight that extends a player’s iron set, adding mass to a higher position behind the topline, in the higher-lofted clubs, pulls the CG location up and encourages a lower flight.
While tricky lies, rough and sand can make it difficult to make solid contact, Titleist’s wedge team feels that the ideal hitting area is in the center of the face, between the second and fifth groove up from the leading edge. This region creates the most-piercing trajectory and the most spin, which should help golfers get the most control. To help golfers find that spot more often, Titleist offers the Vokey Design SM10 wedges in six sole grind options so players can work through the turf effectively.
F Grind – Available in lofts from 46 to 56 degrees, the F grind is a straight-sole option best suited for full-swing shots.
M Grind – Available in lofts from 54 to 62 degrees, the M grind has material removed in both the heel and toe areas, making it an ideal choice for players who rotate the club open and closed through their swing and who tend to hit shallow, sweeping shots. The 54-degree M had been available as a limited-edition offering only.
S Grind – Available in lofts from 54 to 60 degrees, the S grind has a full sole with some material removed in the heel area. It has trailing-edge relief and is best suited for golfers who play in firm conditions and who like to hit the ball with a square face.
D Grind – Available in lofts from 54 to 60 degrees, the D grind has heel, toe and trailing-edge relief. It has a thinner sole with high bounce, making it a good option for players who like to manipulate the club and open the face to hit a variety of shots in soft conditions.
K Grind – Available in 58- and 60-degree versions, the K grind is the highest-bounce option in the SM9 lineup. It features the widest sole and significant camber, making it especially good in bunkers and thick rough.
T Grind – Popular on the PGA Tour, this wedge will only be available in a 58- and 60-degree version and takes the place of the L grind as a low-bounce option in the SM10 family. It is designed to provide versatility for skilled players in tight, firm conditions.
The Vokey SM190 wedges are available in Tour Chrome, Jet Black and a new finish, Nickel, which replaces Brushed Steel.
Below are several close-up images of the SM10 wedges.
