Equipment

Vokey launches new HandGround program

Published

5 years ago

Dec 13, 2018

Bob Vokey is now offering the tour grinding experience to all golfers through the introduction of the new HandGround program on the company website.

The HandGround program has been created with the aim of offering golfers who seek tour-level customizations such as additional heel relief, squared up leading edge, or tour grind.

The option is currently available on all Vokey SM7 Raw models, and golfers are now able to choose from a variety of performance and profile adjustments.

The performance adjustments are aimed to allow golfers the opportunity to change the wedge’s playing characteristics based on their unique swing-type and course conditions through the process of grinding material off the sole of the wedge.

The performance adjustment options which golfers now have the chance to choose from include

Pre Worn Leading Edge
Smooth Grind Lines
Heel Relief
Trailing Edge Relief

While the profile adjustments on offer are designed to allow the golfer to create a confidence-inspiring head shape that fits the player’s eye by grinding material off the profile. The profile adjustments on offer from Vokey include

Semi-Square Leading Edge
Thin Top Line
Tour Grind (smooths all profile lines & slightly reduces profile size)

Two club grinders that Bob Vokey has personally trained are carrying out the task, and the master craftsman will oversee the entire process, as well as grinding HandGround orders himself from time to time.

Speaking concerning the new project, Bob Vokey stated

“This takes me back to my roots – one player at a time, one wedge at a time, crafting the sole to the player’s exact specifications.”

With the F, K and L Grind wedges, golfers now also have the chance to make specific grind selections to their club. For example, choosing a J Grind for the K Grind wedge to offer heel & trailing edge relief, or an A Grind for the L Grind wedge to soften the grind angles.

The HandGround wedges are now available on all SM7 Raw models through Vokey.com. The price of the wedges starts at $195, with an additional $75 charge for all Handground services.

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Gianni Magliocco

Gianni is the Managing Editor at GolfWRX. He can be contacted at [email protected].

18 Comments

Bitter

Dec 15, 2018 at 1:53 pm

Why you all so mad?

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A. Commoner

Dec 15, 2018 at 11:32 am

A hyped up stick made for maybe 2% of the golfing population. Let them have it. C’mon, 98% or so do not have the feel, touch, fine muscle control, or overall skill to benefit from the ‘subtleties’ ground into this ‘miracle wand.’ How many, like me, feel neglected market wise.

Reply Report comment
Kirk

Dec 15, 2018 at 1:25 am

Ridiculous, wedges have gotten crazy expensive lately..

unless your a true artisan short game specialist…..guys who cant chip but have money will do this whole program and nothing will change

With all options available today if you cant make one work than sad to say vokey special grind for 3 Bill’s wont either

Reply Report comment
JThunder

Dec 14, 2018 at 8:23 pm

I love how the high-and-mighty come out of the woodwork to “criticize” the golf industry at every new product announcement. Maybe find a more productive way to spend your time – like starting at a wall or sucking air through your teeth.

Yes, golf companies exist to make profits. Especially the publicly traded ones. And, yes, they will come out with new products every year – whether “improved” or not – essentially because, in modern capitalism, they must. Especially the publicly traded ones.

Golf clubs are not life’s essentials. And, if you’re on Golfwrx, they’re not “the tools of your trade”. (The big joke being, the folks who make a living with their clubs get them for free – plus a ton of cash – all of which comes out of YOUR pockets!)

Golf clubs are luxury items.

So drop the idiotic, disingenuous shock and indignation when you see “custom options” and high prices. No one needs to play golf. No golfer needs more than one set of (grown adult) golf clubs in their life, except in the unlikely event they wear them out. Any golfer could assemble a full set – especially of used clubs – for the price of one hand-ground Vokey. And when you start grumbling “that isn’t good enough for me”, then accept the fact that golf is your hobby, perhaps even golf clubs are your hobby, and you’re being a whiny little child that your precious hobby isn’t as cheap as you’d like it to be.

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Tom

Dec 14, 2018 at 3:02 pm

$300 for a Handjoob? I don’t think so…

Reply Report comment
Blake

Dec 14, 2018 at 10:56 am

Am i crazy or was there some other hand ground raw program launched a year or two ago?

Reply Report comment
MP-4

Dec 14, 2018 at 2:27 am

Use SM6’s which are fine, but saw the Cleveland RTX 4’s in the shop and they are pretty nice. Kind of like an S Grind but looking down on them they sit and look a little better. Titleist should have kept JP and come out with something fresh. SM4 – SM7, SM7 seems like the end of the design cycle.

Reply Report comment
Gun Violent

Dec 13, 2018 at 9:58 pm

I’ll give you $99, Vokes, take it or leave it lol

Reply Report comment
ogo

Dec 13, 2018 at 6:21 pm

Golf club marketing buzzword is now “customization”… so geardeads can own “tour-tested” features… for a few more $$$$$$$$$$$$… and feed their neuroticism.
So every off-the-shelf stock wedge is now deficient and inferior and should be scrap ped… to gain tour quality wedge shots. (“Golfers are gullible.” — Harvey Pennick, Little Red Book,)

Reply Report comment
Titleist Fan

Dec 13, 2018 at 5:10 pm

Huge Titleist fan, but not sure how much longer. Have seen so many shortfalls in improvements since the SM2, SM4/5’s were just harsh and ball flight was awful. SM6/7’s are average at best.

Now Voke wants $300 to use a belt sander on the edge and sole, you’re losing your fan base and reputation Voke.

Reply Report comment
Franksail

Dec 13, 2018 at 2:13 pm

Worth jumping on their site to learn more about the various grinds. Bob Vokey’s experience goes a long way. Like the idea of more options and focus on SCORING clubs !

Reply Report comment
ian

Dec 13, 2018 at 12:33 pm

Not new I have a hand ground wedge prototype from vokey made in 2014.

Reply Report comment
Babaganoosh

Dec 13, 2018 at 12:25 pm

Go to harbor freight and get a cheap wheel and grind yourself. I swear, golfers are the least resourceful bunch on the planet. The golf industry thrives on you fools.

Reply Report comment
Tom

Dec 13, 2018 at 11:57 am

Wedges are the “lowest tech” club in the bag….nuttin new here! Sellers be sellin!!!

Reply Report comment
Thunder Bear

Dec 13, 2018 at 9:47 am

Is it me or are wedges starting to get too expensive? $200 for a wedge is crazy high IMO.

Reply Report comment
- The dude
  
  Dec 13, 2018 at 10:26 am
  
  Try $300 dude
  
  Reply Report comment
- Tyler
  
  Dec 13, 2018 at 11:27 am
  
  $300 for a wedge ground by Vokey himself is an absolute steal
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Scheiss
    
    Dec 13, 2018 at 12:05 pm
    
    That was funny, Tyler
    
    Reply Report comment

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Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

3 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.

Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.

We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.

Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).

See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here

Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge

Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.

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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.

See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here

Turning Back the clock

Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.

But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.

For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.

Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.

The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.

The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.

Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter

Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.

Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.

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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.

If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.

Brilliant.

See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here

Stricker’s unrecognizable putter

Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.

Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.

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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates

Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.

Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.

It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines

Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.

Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.

FitzMagic teams back up

Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.

See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here

And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.

We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!

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