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GolfWRX Spotted: Titleist Vokey SM8

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In what is not unusual in today’s media age, Titleist gave the golf world a heads up that tour seeding of the all-new 2020 Vokey SM8 wedges would begin this week at the RSM Classic on the PGA Tour.

Although Vokey isn’t giving us the full rundown of the technology that is being implemented into the new SM8 wedges, there are a few things from the pictures so far that have us speculating on what those changes could be.

Titleist Vokey SM8 wedges: What we know

Refined Vokey Grinds: Titleist Vokey wedges are driven by tour feedback from the best players in the world. There’s no question there have been some tweaks to the grinds that many players know and love. These subtle teaks are all about keeping up to the demands of the modern game and turf conditions. Technology in turf management is just as advanced as modern golf club manufacturing and as we continue to see it change, the short game tools like Vokey wedges will continue to evolve with it.

New Milling Techniques for Grooves: We are keen to hear the details on how the Vokey wedge R&D team approached this new SM8 face and groove design, especially considering how good the SM7s already performed.

Titleist Vokey wedges have utilized variable groove shaping based on loft to maximize short game performance in the past and we’re ready to hear how the Vokey team looks to improve on that.
If we draw potential comparisons to recently released wedges like the new Callaway MD5 JAWS, tool changes and draft angles can now bring each and every face right to the limit of conformity and increase control, as long as companies work with machine shops to constantly check parts. Titleist’s quality control is already one of the best in the business, so to see how they have improved it once more will be interesting.

Mass Shifting & Feel Improvements: Feel comes from sound, and sound comes from vibration. In previous Vokey designs, engineers have moved mass vertically in the head to change the center of gravity and improve ball flight and spin control. With the SM7s, that mass shifting was well pronounced with a large “scoop” or channel in the back of the higher-lofted wedges. With the new Titleist Vokey SM8, it appears that the SM7 style channel is gone and replaced with a traditional flat back—but looking closer it’s easy to see how the top half of the higher lofts are still thicker than lower loft options, and this could be about feel.

As mentioned, feel is sound, and as any piece of metal gets thinner it can start to vibrate at a higher pitch, and in golf clubs that higher pitch and be considered an unpleasant “feel.” It looks like designers may have solved this with the SM8s by continuing to shift mass but also replace some of the lost thickness from the previous SM7 to improve sound and feel without sacrificing control.

Join the discussion to see what golfers are saying about the all-new Titleist Vokey SM8s wedges in the GolfWRX Forums

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Ryan Barath is a club-fitter & master club builder with more than 17 years of experience working with golfers of all skill levels, including PGA Tour players. He is the former Build Shop Manager & Social Media Coordinator for Modern Golf. He now works independently from his home shop and is a member of advisory panels to a select number of golf equipment manufacturers. You can find Ryan on Twitter and Instagram where he's always willing to chat golf, and share his passion for club building, course architecture and wedge grinding.

13 Comments

13 Comments

  1. Trevino

    Dec 3, 2019 at 4:53 pm

    The satin finish looks amazing just like my 620MB. Definitely will buy these.

  2. Ryan

    Nov 19, 2019 at 9:25 am

    I think the look is for stamping. There is all that empty free space on the back to stamp sayings, logos, etc. That seems to be an ever growing trend and it doesn’t surprise me that Vokey designs a wedge to maximize that.

  3. Moses

    Nov 19, 2019 at 6:47 am

    I love Ping Glide Wedges.

  4. Srksi

    Nov 19, 2019 at 6:23 am

    The progressive center of gravity technology from the 6 and 7 series is gone? Is there an explanation? Odd.

  5. M

    Nov 19, 2019 at 4:25 am

    Epic fail in the looks department.. No tech for wet spin… time to buy Ping

  6. CrashTestDummy

    Nov 18, 2019 at 9:52 pm

    I have had pretty much every version of the SM series. The SM7 they made it more of mid-size wedge. Not fond of it. With the bigger head, it has very different feel and doesn’t swing as freely as the older smaller headed versions. Hopefully, they made these ones with smaller head and get back to more of a player’s wedge size.

  7. Big Donkey

    Nov 18, 2019 at 9:46 pm

    M Kuchar sucks.

  8. JThunder

    Nov 18, 2019 at 7:03 pm

    “Feel comes from sound” … “Feel is sound”.

    Both statements are FALSE. This is a complete lack of understanding in the golf world, likely related to poor education and the inability to understand words properly.

    Feel and sound ARE related – it is difficult to separate them.

    SOUND is the vibration of an object that causes compression and rarefaction in the air – sound waves / acoustic energy – which is picked up by our ears and sent to our brains through our sense of hearing.

    FEEL is the vibration of an object that is picked up by the nerves in our hands (in the case of a golf club), transmitted to our brains through our sense of touch.

    Deaf people can feel vibrations. We can hear pitch without touching an object.

    The two things are separate – let’s not dumb down the world any more by saying they are the same thing.

  9. jgpl001

    Nov 18, 2019 at 6:47 pm

    Don’t agree with any of the comments
    They look fresh and modern with a smaller more rounded profile like the ping glide forged.
    I’ll be the first in the queue when released
    I do hope there is a raw or black option

  10. Tom Long

    Nov 18, 2019 at 6:15 pm

    I hope they change style. They look like Taylor Made p-790 irons, the ugliest irons out there. Say it ain’t so Bob.

  11. Jerryal Ingram

    Nov 18, 2019 at 4:59 pm

    Thy look too much like Taylormade wedges

  12. DJ

    Nov 18, 2019 at 4:48 pm

    vokey needs to bring back the black nickel.

  13. [email protected]

    Nov 18, 2019 at 4:36 pm

    UGLY

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Equipment

Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/18/24): Titleist Blackout T100s irons

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At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a set of Titleist Blackout T100s irons.

From the seller: (@Eric05): “Titleist T100 S IRONS 4-W standard length and lie blackout grips, blackout amt S300 White Shafts These are in the LIMITED JET BLACK finish  $975+Shipping.

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Titleist Blackout T100s irons

This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules

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Mitsubishi Diamana putter shaft review (P105 1.0 flex) – Club Junkie Reviews

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When you hear the Diamana name, you immediately think of the current, or legendary, wood shafts that have been winning on tour for 20 years. However, few die-hard club junkies would think of a Diamana putter shaft, but Mitsubishi Golf is always pushing the limits and are delivering just that.

Graphite putter shafts have been a growing segment in the equipment world with companies noticing that they can create ultra-stable putter shafts that keep the putter on target through the stroke. Graphite also gives engineers the ability to adjust the performance, stiffness, and weight so golfers have more options to dial in the feel of their putter.

To get the full, in-depth review of the Mitsubishi Diamana P105 putter shaft check out the Club Junkie podcast on all podcast platforms or on YouTube.

 

Out of the box, the Mitsubishi Diamana P105 might be the best-looking putter shafts I have ever seen. The carbon weave at a 45-degree angle just reflects the light well, and then the shaft fades down into black near the tip section. A Diamana staple, the flowerband, is located just a little way under the grip but high enough up where it isn’t a distraction when looking down at the putter.

I installed the P105 into the new Bettinardi BB1 Wide putter, and it looked perfect with Bettinardi’s diamond black finish. The duo is definitely one of the meanest-looking combos in my rotation of putters. Both the P105 and the P135 are built using premium carbon fiber with a low amount of resin for added touch and feel. Mitsubishi utilizes 24t and high-strength intermediate modulus carbon fiber to build up the strength and stability, while the visible 6K woven fabric helps reduce torque.

The first question I get with this shaft is about the 108-gram weight. People areasking if it is too light. Honestly, if the shaft had no markings on it, I don’t know if I could tell that is was lighter than a traditional steel shaft. Now the head might feel a touch heavier and the balance of the putter slightly lower but I didn’t really notice the overall static weight of the putter being too light.

The P135 shaft comes in two flexes, 1.0 and the stiffer 2.0, but the P105 only comes in the 1.0 flex. To me, the P105 might be one of the softer graphite putter shafts I have tried and you can see a little bit of wiggle when you waggle the putter. Some players like a slightly softer putter shaft for additional feel and it can work with the tempo of their putting stroke.

On the course, the Diamana P105 offers the consistent stability that you expect from aftermarket putter shafts. On short putts the shaft stays right with your stroke and the putter head is always where you expect it, aligned with your hands and grip. Shorter strokes don’t show off the slightly softer flex of the shaft and you experience the added control of the low torque design.

When you hit longer lag putts you can notice a little flex in the shaft but the head never waivers from being square to your target. Speed control didn’t change at all from the traditional steel shaft in the Bettinardi to the Diamana. On the practice green hitting multiple putts at the same hole, it was easy to feel like you hit the correct speed and then see the results. Balls ended in the same area, as well as my skill would allow, and I never hit a ball the felt like it came up far shorter or longer than I expected it too.

Feel is such a subjective thing and each golfer is going to react differently to it. For me the Diamana had a slightly firmer feel than some of the other graphite shafts out there. If you are looking for responsiveness out of your putter shaft, the Diamana offers just that. To me the Diamana has more of a steel feel to it when it comes to getting the vibration from impact to your hands. You will feel exactly where you made contact on the face, giving you the ability to adjust your stroke and get back to making more center contact. I have found that most other graphite shafts mute the vibration a little and offer a softer feel, but the Diamana keeps the feel and sound exactly as they are.

 

Mitsubishi’s Diamana putter shaft is a great option for the golfer who wants to add some stability and consistency to their stroke without sacrificing feel. Players who love a specific putter face material or milling pattern to enhance their feel will be excited to not lose that with the upgrade to the Diamana.

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Equipment

Jason Day on his recent switch into Srixon ZX5 and ZX7 Mk II irons

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Over the past year, equipment free agent Jason Day has played a number of different iron sets looking for his right match.

In May 2023, he was using a TaylorMade P770 4-iron to go along with a set of P7MC irons (5-PW).

In August 2023, he had switched to a set of TaylorMade P7TW irons (5-PW) to go with his P770 4-iron.

Then, in February 2024, he was into a full set of P760 irons (4-PW).

Now, Day has switched it all the way up, and he’s currently using a new set of Srixon ZX5 MK II long irons (3 and 4), and Srixon ZX7 MK II mid-to-short irons (5-PW).

On Tuesday at the 2024 RBC Heritage, Day told GolfWRX.com that he made the switch before the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open, because he was looking to reduce spin.

“For me, they spin a little bit less,” Day said. “They’re very good out of fairway bunkers, too. I haven’t played too much in the rough yet, so I still need to get an understanding of how the come out of the rough, but for me, it was all about spin control.”

“I had tested the previous model to these [Srixon ZX7’s], but I only had one club. And I was getting some inconsistent spinny with my previous irons, so I just decided to at least give them another shot. My biggest thing was to take spin off, because I was spinning it like crazy.”

The Srixon ZX7 MK II irons are known for producing low spin numbers, and pairing them with Day’s typical ultra-stiff True Temper X7 shafts make them certified spin killers.

If it’s spin he wanted to reduce, then Day may have found his match with the new Srixon irons.

See what else Day has in the bag at the 2024 RBC Heritage here

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