My first Titleist Vokey Wedge Fitting

A few months ago, I got to fulfill a golf diehard’s dreams: I had the opportunity to go to the Titleist Performance Institute to test the new Titleist Vokey SM11 wedges and go through my first official Vokey wedge installation.

With my partner, Brandon, by my side, I ended up with four new Vokeys, from a 60-degree wedge jump. The final options were wedges which I may not have chosen for myself, but I am I am happy as a result. With that in mind, I want to reveal what came of that test, and how you can replicate the process in your game.

Starting with the most important things

Before taking the film, Brandon and I hit a few shots with my 9-iron to establish carry distances and give him a baseline of what I needed from a full swing with my pitching wedge. Vokey’s SM11 comes in 44-, 46- and 48-degree options in this range, and we settled on 46-degree for high bounce to prevent the club from digging too hard. The 46-degree gapped my 9-iron well, while the 44-degree produced the most speed. Because I play a steep angle of attack – and the 46-degree loft comes with a single grind – the decision came down to jumping alone. The low-bounce option dug sharply into the turf and was difficult to get out clean. The high jump option accommodated my steep delivery consistently without getting stuck.

We ran the same process with the 50-degree wedge until we got the right match. In my game, the 46-degree and 50-degree need to work the same – both are full, square-faced shots with no real variation required. Matching the 50-degree to the 46-degree we’ve already driven makes this part faster, and that brings us to our first take.

Sometimes it’s okay to let good be good. Walking into your local PGA Tour Superstore and checking out every combination of loft and grind sounds appealing – and I’d be a hypocrite to say it isn’t – but you can make the most of your time when building a set. If two clubs serve the same purpose in your wallet, one ideal session includes both. Some players use their gap wedge for bump-and-run shots or special pitches that require keeping a few options close, but that’s not my game. My 50-degree needs to do exactly what my 46-degree does, so we’ve moved on to a sand bar.

Be realistic about what your wedges need to do

As we moved to 56-degree, we decided to stay in the full shooting range of the compound, which was really unusual. Full swings aren’t really the intended use of the 56-degree, but I take full swings all the time – whether my coach likes it or not. It’s also a big difference in my choice of grind. Which brings us to my first claim of merit…

After a full shooting segment, we were on the D grind … for good. No chips or pitch shots are required. At the start of the putt, I had told Brandon that I would split my 56-degree wedge about 50-50 between bunker shots and full swings. When it came to a few options with full shots on the grass, he ended up bringing D to grind with him.

In the basement, we hit the D grind a few times and confirmed it was the right 56-degree option for my game. Left to my own devices, I wouldn’t have chosen the D grind. The lesson: understand the role each wedge plays in your set and evaluate them accordingly. Even if you’re knocking down wedges at the PGA Tour Superstore or an indoor facility, hit the shots you really need on the course. You will be able to identify which options work for your delivery and which ones don’t. Don’t let the mat fool you into thinking you can’t learn something useful. If you can’t feel confident with a bunker-style shot on the mat, you won’t have it in a real bunker either. That sounds silly, but experience has taught me the difference between feeling confident with a wedge and not – in any position.

The lobber is everything

Finally came the lob wedge, which took too much time, and I would encourage you to plan the same. This is where you get your money back. Most players need more swing from their lob wedge than any other club in the set, and for me, it strengthens my entire short game. From about 100 yards and in, I play almost exclusively my 60-degree. My coach has feelings about that. The one caveat I gave Brandon was that the 40-yard field needed to be forward, and I would get a full shift from there – or, as my coach would prefer, stop hitting it altogether. So we started on the green side and hit short chips to the flag about 30 feet away.

Vokey emphasizes blind testing. They give you a wedge before you see it, removing any perceived preference before you start hitting. If you bring someone to handle the clubs during the in-store inspection, try to repeat that process. There’s something liberating about not knowing what’s in your hands – you’re just trying to hit the shot. It also speeds up the session because you stop trying to force a result with a club you’ve already decided on. I returned multiple picks to Brandon after one throw, because I quickly felt that something else would be better. The main feature of this section was a low runner with a downward setup. From the chips on the green side, we advanced with two options, and at that time it was really close.

We moved back about 40 yards, and things got interesting. One of the two remaining options began to produce the kind of trajectory – high, soft, rotating – that you see on the Tour and spend years chasing. I didn’t want to stop hitting it. Then another option started doing it, too. For a moment, I thought I had found two legitimate decisions. The difference comes down to speed. One of the options came out hotter than I wanted, creating enough hesitation in my swing that I felt out of control. One let me swing freely with more speed.

We put it in the basement, and the M grind was successful. It was also my favorite option from the green side chips and 40-yard pitch, which made the decision easy. I left confident in the 60-degree M grind. In the basement, the M grind allowed me to swing hard and get the ball out without being precious about it – a big thing for the way I play. One final note: be aware of how your wedge looks in direct light. Take it outside or have someone shine a phone flashlight on your face as you open it. You may find that you prefer one ending over the other depending on how it appears in the address. Personally, the nickel finish is mine.

Available now at the PGA Tour Superstore!

Vokey SM11 wedges are now available at the PGA Tour Superstore. Like I said above, don’t be intimidated by people who say you can’t afford to buy wedges in a store. There’s a lot you can do with the accessories available at the PGA Tour Superstore and hopefully between this article and my last, you’re armed with the right information to get yourself on a brand new set and shoot low scores. If you haven’t read the pre-cursor for this article you can read it here.

Johnny Wunder also went through the Vokey fitness experience, which you can watch on the Fully Equipped YouTube channel!

“>