Equipment
Titleist Vokey SM5 Wedges
Titleist’s new Vokey SM5 wedges offer golfers more tour-preferred grind and bounce options, as well as more spin from their larger third-generation Spin Milled grooves.
The new “TX3” grooves have a 7-percent larger groove volume in two different configurations. The grooves are deeper and narrower on the 46-to-54 degree wedges than the previous generation to deliver better distance and trajectory control, reducing the chance of flyers from the rough.
“On tour these guys have to aim to a lot of small targets,” said Aaron Dill, who builds and grinds Vokey wedges for PGA Tour players. “They need to trust that their golf ball will travel the exact distance they need it to, even from a tough lie in the rough. The deep and narrow TX3 groove helps push the grass down better, which gives you that increased edge radius contact for more spin and consistent distance.”
Above: A Vokey SM5 56-degree wedge with 10 degrees of bounce, an “M Grind” and a “Raw Black” finish.
On the 56-to-62 degree SM5 wedges, the grooves are the same width as the previous generation, but they have a greater depth that adds roughly 400 rpm more spin on full shots from the rough, according to company testing.
“The groove configuration changes with the [56-degree] model because this is where testing showed that the player makes a more oblique impact versus a more direct impact in the lower lofts,” said Master Craftsman Bob Vokey. “The wider TX3 groove on the higher lofts will sheer away the grass, rather than pushing it into the groove, and perform better on partial shots.”
The SM5 wedges are cast from 8620 carbon steel, and are available in lofts from 46 degrees to 62 degrees in two-degree increments. They come in six tour-inspired sole grinds (L, T, S, M, F and K), with each model sorted into low-, mid- and high-bounce categories. That creates a selection of 21 different loft, bounce and grind combinations.
The wedges will be available in stores March 14 in three different finishes — Tour Chrome, Gold Nickel and Raw Black — and will sell for $129. The Tour Chrome and Gold Nickel are plated finishes, while the Raw Black finish will rust over time.
SM5 Sole Grind Descriptions
- L Grind: Narrow crescent sole with small forward bounce surface and minimal camber. Swing type: Slider. Condition type: Firm.
- T Grind: Dual bounce sole with wide trailing bounce surface. Swing type: Slider/Neutral. Condition type: Firm/Medium.
- S Grind: Full sole with straight trailing edge ribbon and moderate heel relief. Swing type: Slider/Neutral. Condition type: Firm/Medium/Soft.
- M Grind: Crescent sole with narrow forward bounce surface and moderate camber. Swing type: Slider/Neutral. Condition type: Firm/Medium.
- F Grind: Full sole with moderate camber and small trailing edge ribbon. Swing type: Slider/Neutral/Digger. Condition type: Firm/Medium/Soft.
- K Grind: Wide sole with increased bounce and enhanced camber. Swing type: Neutral/Digger. Condition type: Medium/Soft.
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Equipment
Why Rory McIlroy will likely use the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper at the RBC Heritage
Although we spotted Rory McIlroy testing the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper last week during practice rounds at the Masters, he ultimately didn’t decide to use the club in competition.
It seems that will change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage, played at the short-and-tight Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head.
When asked on Wednesday following his morning Pro-Am if he’d be using the new, nostalgic BRNR Copper this week, McIlroy said, “I think so.”
“I like it,” McIlroy told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday regarding the BRNR. “This would be a good week for it.”
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According to Adrian Rietveld, the Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, the BRNR Mini Driver can help McIlroy position himself properly off the tee at the tight layout.
Here’s what Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday:
“For someone like Rory, who’s that long at the top end of the bag, and then you put him on a course like Harbour Town, it’s tough off the tee. It’s tight into the greens, and you have to put yourself in position off the tee to have a shot into the green. It kind of reminds me of Valderrama in Spain, where you can be in the fairway and have no shot into the green.
“I’m caddying for Tommy [Fleetwood] this week, so I was walking the course last night and looking at a few things. There’s just such a small margin for error. You can be standing in the fairway at 300 yards and have a shot, but at 320 you don’t. So if you don’t hit a perfect shot, you could be stuck behind a tree. And then if you’re back at 280, it might be a really tough shot into the small greens.
“So for Rory [with the BRNR], it’s a nice course-specific golf club for him. He’s got both shots with it; he can move it right-to-left or left-to-right. And the main thing about this club has been the accuracy and the dispersion with it. I mean, it’s been amazing for Tommy.
“This was the first event Tommy used a BRNR last year, and I remember talking to him about it, and he said he couldn’t wait to play it at Augusta next year. And he just never took it out of the bag because he’s so comfortable with it, and hitting it off the deck.
“So you look at Rory, and you want to have the tools working to your advantage out here, and the driver could hand-cuff him a bit with all of the shots you’d have to manufacture.”
So, although McIlroy might not be making a permanent switch into the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper, he’s likely to switch into it this week.
His version is lofted at 13.5 degrees, and equipped with a Fujikura Ventus Black 7X shaft.
See more photos of Rory testing the BRNR Mini here
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It seems like the RBC Heritage is full of new gear to be spotted, and you can add TaylorMade’s P-UDI utility irons to that list.
We spotted a 17-degree P-UDI 2-iron in Nick Dunlap’s bag yesterday, and now have some photos of both the 3- and 4-irons. Nick has his P-UDI 2-iron setup with a Project X HZRDUS Black 4th Gen 105g TX shaft.
From what we can tell, this new P-UDI utility iron looks to have some of the usual TaylorMade technology as we can see the Speed Slot on the sole of the club for additional face flexibility. A toe screw is usually used to close off the hollow body design that will probably be filled with a version of TaylorMade’s Speed Foam that is present in the current iron lineup. This hollow body, foam-filled design should offer additional ball speed, soft feel, and sound, as well as an optimized CG for ball flight.
“Forged” is etched into the hosel, so we can assume that either the face, body, or both are forged for a soft and responsive feel. The club looks good from behind and at address, where we can see just a little offset and a topline that I would consider medium thickness. We don’t have the full details on what is under the hood or how many loft options will be available yet.
TaylorMade P-UDI 3-iron – 20°
TaylorMade P-UDI 4-iron – 22°
- Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 RBC Heritage
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- Collin Morikawa what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage. More photos from the event here.
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 LS (9 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 60 TX (45 inches)
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (13.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 80 TX
5-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 80 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P770 (4), P7MC (5-6), P730 (7-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue Mid 115 X100 (4-6), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (7-PW)
Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (50-SB09, 56-LB08), TaylorMade MG4 TW (60-TW11)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: TaylorMade TP Soto
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Tour 2.0
Grips: Golf Pride Z-Grip Cord
Ball: TaylorMade TP5x
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Leglikewood
Feb 15, 2016 at 3:16 pm
What would be the standard bounce/grind setup for a 56 and 60?
Curtis
May 1, 2014 at 12:52 pm
Can’t wait for my wedgework sm5’s this weekend!!
Brian
Mar 22, 2014 at 1:33 pm
What’s the difference between tour chrome finish and gold nickel finish? Durability wise? Purely cosmetic?
Gary Lewis
Mar 22, 2014 at 3:04 pm
I think it is pretty much cosmetic. The Gold might not reflect the sunlight as much as the chrome.
Brian
Mar 23, 2014 at 11:29 am
Thanks! I have black nickel irons and was hoping for a return of that in the wedges but I don’t mind the gold nickel.
Gary Lewis
Mar 2, 2014 at 9:57 am
Nice looking wedges and Vokey is continuing to try to improve on a winning formula, and I would bet they will kick ass on the marketplace. Sounds like Vokey has been able to increase the performance with the grooves. Kudos on that. I have just bought a few of the Cally Mack Daddy 2’s, which I like very much, but the SM5 looks like another winner too and it appears he likes Mizunos idea on the grooves. Can’t wait to see these in person.
Jericho
Feb 5, 2014 at 3:13 pm
just had a set of mp-4’s built matched with x100’s played Monterey on my birthday for the first time with these was 4 under through 14 then gave it back away for an even par 71 ..I’ll take it.. with that said..do I get mp t4 wedgeswith s400 to keep the same feel or wait for sm5’s..kinda leaning towards mp t4 ?
Rich
Jan 22, 2014 at 4:14 pm
Never been excited about a Vokey line before but I’m very keen to see these. I’m getting sick of my ’09 X Forged wedges (even though the original MD grooves were cavernous!) and these look nice.
simon
Jan 22, 2014 at 3:01 pm
Very much like my Mizuno’s design only with less feel.
There does seem to be more options with the SM 5 but the lack of forging keeps the Mizzy’s in my bag.
sam Brooks
Jan 22, 2014 at 1:31 pm
Yea sounds like they have use mizunos quad cut idea.. Mizunos have some crazy bite on partials even when chipping you can control the spin really well.. Hmm yea think I’ll stick with mizzys
Chris S
Jan 22, 2014 at 7:35 pm
absofreakinlutely. I bought two Vokey wedges for a total of nearly $400 last year and they won’t be in the bag this year. I would be willing to pay more for forged versions because the grinds are great. Just wish the feel was there.
sam Brooks
Jan 22, 2014 at 1:30 pm
Sweet..
Mark Burke
Jan 22, 2014 at 9:28 am
When I was living in the Tubes in Palm Springs. I never thought I would see a day when vokey would offer so many options on their stock wedges. Now if I can only get my shot on tour, I can maybe use these wedges to get me to the promise land. My caddy New York is coaching me up right now, this year is the year I clear my name.
Harry Dorton
Jan 21, 2014 at 10:25 pm
Look like every other Vokey of past 15 years.
Chris G
Jan 21, 2014 at 9:12 pm
So excited for these. Has noticed a big drop in spin on partial shots with SM4’s. glad to see they fixed that issue. Raw Black in 46,54 and 60 for me please.
Harry Dorton
Jan 21, 2014 at 10:24 pm
I am sure it is the club.
Troll
Feb 24, 2014 at 9:16 pm
Harry’s taking out his 18th hole frustrations on everyone else
Phil
Jan 21, 2014 at 2:44 pm
Sounds like Mizuno design with the different grooves.
Kimmy
Jan 21, 2014 at 1:39 pm
Does Raw Black mean it will rust?
Deaus
Jan 21, 2014 at 2:31 pm
Yes, it will rust. Rust can provide extra spin some say. If you dont like the rust you can use an oil that Vokey has, or stuff I use called SCHUTZ, I have a set of PVD irons that rust really easy but this oil prevents it.
Dave
Jan 21, 2014 at 3:16 pm
Does the oil mess with spin? More of a question of whether oil residue stays on the club, which I would expect to impact spin / crisp contact.
John Aiello
Jan 21, 2014 at 12:30 pm
These look great. My only wish was that they did not add the bounce number in red below the loft number on the toe of the club. I think it looks cheesy.
Jeremy
Jan 21, 2014 at 9:56 am
Will all of the SM5 finishes be offered in Left Hand?
Cole
Feb 5, 2014 at 4:37 pm
The tour chrome and raw black are available in LH but I am not sure about the gold nickel