Equipment
Vokey launches new HandGround program
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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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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Equipment
Spotted: TaylorMade P-UDI driving iron
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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Whats in the Bag
Collin Morikawa WITB 2024 (April)
- 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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Bitter
Dec 15, 2018 at 1:53 pm
Why you all so mad?
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.
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
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.
Tom
Dec 14, 2018 at 3:02 pm
$300 for a Handjoob? I don’t think so…
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?
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.
Gun Violent
Dec 13, 2018 at 9:58 pm
I’ll give you $99, Vokes, take it or leave it lol
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,)
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.
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 !
ian
Dec 13, 2018 at 12:33 pm
Not new I have a hand ground wedge prototype from vokey made in 2014.
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.
Tom
Dec 13, 2018 at 11:57 am
Wedges are the “lowest tech” club in the bag….nuttin new here! Sellers be sellin!!!
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.
The dude
Dec 13, 2018 at 10:26 am
Try $300 dude
Tyler
Dec 13, 2018 at 11:27 am
$300 for a wedge ground by Vokey himself is an absolute steal
Scheiss
Dec 13, 2018 at 12:05 pm
That was funny, Tyler