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Titleist Vokey SM4 Wedges: Editor Review

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Pros: Vokey Spin Milled SM4 wedges offer a large variety of off-the-shelf lofts ranging from 46 to 64 degrees in two-degree increments, with as many as three different sole grinds for each model.

On Vokey’s WedgeWorks website, which offers premium customization options, golfers can also choose from Vokey’s TVD and 200 Series wedges, which have different sole grinds.

Cons: Vokey’s really cool wedge finishes — Black Oxide, Bright Brushed Chrome, California Chrome and Graphite Ion — are reserved for WedgeWorks customers.

Also, only the 200 Series and TVD wedges allow for toe engravings through WedgeWorks.

The Takeaway: The most important part of selecting a wedge is finding the right sole grind, and Vokey offers more sole grinds than any of its competitors. The SM4, TVD and 200 Series wedges look good, feel great and have been validated by some of the game’s best wedge players.

Overview

Bob Vokey and his team have evolved their wedge line and services to become a leader in the personalization market, and they’ve updated their groove designs to gain back the spin that most golfers craved after the groove rule change.

vokey wedge

The first generation of Spin Milled wedges had some serious bite, so much that they chewed up golf balls on the course and killed many shag bag balls.

Vokey’s second-generation SM2 wedges were even better, but the market was turned upside down with the introduction of the groove rule change.

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The good news for Vokey fans is that Vokey and his team have had a few years to test and refine their new grooves on Tour and have developed a fourth-generation model (SM4) that closely mimic the performance of the first two generations.

While Vokey’s SM3 wedges lost about 3000 rpm of spin out of the rough when compared to the SM2 wedges, the SM4 wedges only lose about half that much spin.

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WedgeWorks has also expanded its lineup by offering more loft varieties in the in the “M” grinds, and now has added the “K” grind as an orderable option. Check out the full spec sheet for Vokey’s SM4 wedges below.

Screen Shot 2013-03-24 at 12.54.50 PM

Performance

With the SM4s, most of the spin is back. It’s not quite on autopilot though, because after the groove change holding the greens on back hole locations is back in play out of the rough.

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Vokey’s wide variety of models and sole grinds might cause golfers to over-think their wedge setups, but remember that bounce is your friend (click here to read about our editor’s visit to Vokey HQ for a fitting). Whenever you are considering the purchase of any wedge, it is important to visit a demo day or your local professional to determine what’s the best fit for your game.

Our tester was a low bounce player, and the TVD “M” grind was a new choice that produced good results for him. The extra relief of the grind allowed the wedge to be opened up on tight lies, and the medium bounce and camber helped get the ball out of the sand and kept him from digging on full and half shots.

Looks and Feel

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Like their competitors, the SM4 and TVD wedges have a standard teardrop shape and a minimal amount of offset. This makes transitions between wedges, even non-Vokey wedges, very smooth.

The fit and finish of WedgeWork  is also very clean, and every detail of our order was completed to an exacting degree. Our tester requested logo down on the shaft band and grip as well as specified gold ferrules. All came in as requested, which would be the expectation on any premium custom product.

Our tester’s WedgeWorks-only Black Ox finish was beautiful, and also held up well after a few rounds of play. Those who prefer a raw finish should opt for Oil Can, as it wears quicker. Those who want the longest-lasting finish should try Tour Satin, which is slightly more durable than Vokey’s Black Nickel finish.

Although Vokey wedges are cast from 8620 steel, it is difficult to differentiate their feel from those of forged wedges. The most discerning of golfers will notice that Vokeys are a little crisper, but not by much.

Conclusion 

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Vokey wedges are definitely not game-improvement wedges, but they’re forgiving enough for most golfers to learn to use.

For advanced or more serious golfers, WedgeWorks has offerings for those who aspire to have Tour-level service, and visiting a Vokey Fitter or Regional Fitting Van will help them validate their choices.

One thing to remember is that Vokey wedges are not forged. They are extremely soft, however, and while the feel is comparable, forged fans should demo a Vokey before they make the jump. Also, if the current wedge shapes of the SM4, TVD and 200 Series are not to your liking, you might be forced to look elsewhere as well.

For those who demand the ultimate in Titleist customization options, WedgeWorks blazes the ways. Initials, stampings, limited finishes and grinds are available for the premium buyers. Meticulous and exacting standards set the Vokey brand at a level most aspire to and will try hard to keep up with.

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GolfWRX is the world's largest and best online golf community. Expert editorial reviews, breaking golf tour and industry news, what to play, how to play and where to play. GolfWRX surrounds consumers throughout the buying, learning and enrichment process from original photographic and video content, to peer to peer advice and camaraderie, to technical how-tos, and more. As the largest online golf community we continue to protect the purity of our members opinions and the platform to voice them. We want to protect the interests of golfers by providing an unbiased platform to feel proud to contribute to for years to come. You can follow GolfWRX on Twitter @GolfWRX and on Facebook.

13 Comments

13 Comments

  1. Pingback: Le sac de Victor Dubuisson | CduGolf

  2. Alex

    Jan 27, 2014 at 1:00 pm

    I’ve just got my set of Vokeys 54/8 and 58/9. Man, I can’t be more satisfied. After years, I changed from Cleveland CGs to Vokey and I can’t complain. Most verstile wedges I’ve ever had. Great combination head+shaft, they feel heavier than Clevelands, and from tight lies they perform better I believe.

  3. Pete

    Oct 15, 2013 at 9:58 am

    I love these wedges dont get me wrong I have a full set of them. But the downside is i can tell that there going to wear out very quickly i will probably be purchasing a new set of these within the year.

    • bud wilson

      Dec 13, 2021 at 1:47 pm

      Work hitting greens so you don’t you so many short shots.

  4. Erik

    May 19, 2013 at 9:08 am

    TVD series of wedges are masterful in every regard! The workmanship and quality of Vokey wedges are unbelievable. The abilty to get a tour quality product from your local retailer is a huge benefit to the everyday golfer!

  5. Metrybill

    Apr 17, 2013 at 10:03 pm

    After a great deal of expensive (buying) trial and error and research, at least for me, I bought the Titleist SM4 58/12* and 54/11* C grind wedges, satin chrome finish. These are extremely versatile wedges in Bermuda territory: for me, winter and early spring, tight lies, Bermuda SportTif fairways (dry, wet tight lies) and Bermuda 419 rough.

    Given the current “condition of competition” USGA rules for grooves, the spin is above average for “new” wedges. For many of us, the Cgrind rules. Let’s see what the summer (full, wet fairways )brings.

    If you like to “nip it” but with a descending blow (I am a “digger”) you must give these at least a try. Good for chipping and pitching, both.

  6. Mark Bishop

    Apr 10, 2013 at 12:45 am

    Can anyone help me with this please? I am researching all sorts of wedges to buy but am not sure if I really need 4 or 3 or whatever?
    It gets confusing when I read all the choices. I am a 22 index so no star but love around the greens. What two should I get that would cover the sand as well? Thanks Mark

    • Mike

      Apr 10, 2013 at 12:04 pm

      ^^ 56* with 11 bounce. Vokeys is what I am using. It works well chipping, sand and etc.

    • Metrybill

      Apr 17, 2013 at 10:06 pm

      Until you break 90 or better, you only need and should use two wedges: your set P and a 56*. THE best thing you can do for your game is to get some lessons and have your lies set for your irons and wedges.

      • Izzat

        Apr 18, 2013 at 3:23 pm

        i second Metrybill. As ball striking and distance control improves then maybe you should consider more than two wedges but its best not to over complicate things. If u are looking for a wedge for all facets of the game (sand, fairways etc) maybe a higher bounced 56 degree option is best but then again u can always get yourself fitted and with the variety of wedges vokey put out im sure u can fine one suited for u. hope that helps.

    • Adam

      Apr 19, 2013 at 3:08 pm

      depends on the loft of your pw. If it’s a traditional loft of 47/48*, then I’d go with a 54* 60* combo with bounce that fits course conditions (pro or salesman at shop can help with that as long as they are familiar with the courses you most often play). If it’s a strong pw 44*/46* of loft, then I’d go with a 52*/58* combo. I’d go with 3 wedges, because sticking 4 wedges in your bag will probably leave you a large gap at the longer end of your bag; and with just a 56* it might be disoncering trying to open it up as much as you’d have to in certain situations. I like Vokey’s, play the sm4’s. Can’t go wrong with them once you figure out the loft/bounce grind situation, as they have the most off the shelf options.

    • Marty New Zealand

      Apr 20, 2013 at 3:07 am

      Hi Mark
      Here is what I did. I actually lost my pitching wedge which made me think about what to do.
      I wanted to keep a similar distance apart with my wedges but also have one for soft conditions one for hard conditions and one I could open up for a high shot. So I chose 46-08 50-10 54-08 and a 58-12 for sand.
      I can use my 50 for long sand shots and I can open up my 54 for high shots. All are 4 degrees apart so I can adjust my layup on par 5s to between the 100and 150 to still hit a full hit into the greens.
      It all works for me shot 2 over on the front 9 today. No comment on the rest. But it works cool.
      Regards Marty

  7. Matt

    Apr 7, 2013 at 1:55 pm

    I have the retail 54 58 in lack nickel. Love these wedges. Wish I had the cash for the TVD. So good!

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Accessory Reviews

Insider photos from Tiger Woods’ launch event for his new “Sun Day Red” apparel line

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On Monday evening, inside the swanky, second-story “Coach House” event center in the Palisades Village, just minutes down the road from the 2024 Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club, Tiger Woods and TaylorMade officially announced their new apparel/footwear/accessory line, called “Sun Day Red.”

The Sun Day Red website officially launched on Monday night during the event, and the products are set to go on sale starting May 1.

The “Sun Day Red,” or “SDR” name will be self-explanatory for most golf fans, since he’s been wearing a victory-red shirt on Sunday’s for his entire professional career, but Woods explained the meaning of Sun Day Red at the launch event:

“It started with mom. Mom thought – being a Capricorn – that my power color was red, so I wore red as a junior golfer and I won some tournaments. Lo and behold, I go to a university that is red; Stanford is red. We wore red on the final day of every single tournament, and then every single tournament I’ve played as a professional I’ve worn red. It’s just become synonymous with me.”

The Sunday Red outfit has worked to perfection for his 82 PGA Tour victories, including 15 majors, so why not make an entire apparel line based on the career-long superstition?

As I learned at Monday’s launch event, the new Sun Day Red line includes much more than just clothing. To go along with a slew of different golf shirt designs and colorways, there were also windbreakers, hoodies, shoes, hats, headcovers, ball markers and gloves on display.

The upscale event was hosted by sports media personality Erin Andrews, with special guests David Abeles (CEO of TaylorMade) and Tiger Woods himself.

As explained by Abeles, the Sun Day Red brand is an independently-run business under the TaylorMade umbrella, and is based in San Clemente, California (rather than Carlsbad, where TaylorMade headquarters is located), and it’s run by a newly-formed, independent group. Brad Blackinship, formerly of Quiksilver and RVCA, is the appointed president of the new brand.

As for the logo itself, obviously, it’s made to look like a Tiger (the animal), and is comprised of 15 tiger stripes, which correspond with Woods’ 15 major championships. While the logo may need a 16th stripe if Woods adds a major trophy to his collection, it makes perfect sense for the time being.

The golf/lifestyle line is meant to combine premium precision and athletic comfort, while still having plenty of wearability and style off the course. Like Woods said on stage at the event, he wants to be able to go right from the course to dinner wearing Sun Day Red, and that was exactly the aesthetic on display at the event on Monday.

Following the official announcement from Woods and Abeles, they revealed multiple pieces of clothing, accessories and footwear for the event-goers to ogle (and photograph). Check out a selection of product/event photos below, or head over to our @GolfWRX Instagram page for video coverage…OR, head into our GolfWRX Forums for even more photos and member discussion.

Enjoy this exclusive look at Tiger Woods’ new Sun Day Red apparel lineup below.

See more photos from the Sun Day Red launch event here

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Equipment

Titleist launches new Vokey WedgeWorks 60 “A” grind wedge

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The menu of grind options just got more expansive for Titleist Vokey WedgeWorks consumers, with the addition of a “60A” wedge to the lineup.

Previously, Vokey offered seven main grind options for players with various needs:

  1. T Grind: The narrowest sole option, which is widely used by PGA Tour players, and has low bounce
  2. L Grind: The lowest bounce option, with heel, toe and trailing edge relief for maximum versatility
  3. F Grind: An all-purpose grind that’s best for full wedge shots played with a square face
  4. S Grind: A neutral grind, best for full shots played with a square face
  5. M Grind: A versatile grind that’s for players who want to open and close the face for various shots
  6. D Grind: A higher-bounce wedge that’s for players with a steep swing angle, but want to play shots from various club orientations
  7. K Grind: The highest-bounce wedge option, with heel, toe and trailing edge relief for versatility

Titleist has now added the “A” grind, which has actually already been played on the PGA Tour by golfers such as Tom Kim, who used an A-grind to win three times on the PGA Tour, Wyndham Clark, who won the U.S. Open using an A-grind, and Max Homa, who used an A-grind at the 2023 Open Championship.

According to Titleist, the Vokey WedgeWorks 60A wedge is a low-bounce option that’s for golfers with a shallow angle of attack, and who play in firmer conditions. It has a “smoothed-out” sole for a faster feel through the turf, helping some golfers slide under the ball easier at impact.

“The most important club for me, probably in my bag, is this A grind,” Clark said, according to a Titleist press release. “I use the SM9 60-degree A grind, which is a low bounce 60 that is very versatile. I’m able to – on tight lies, rough, wet lies, firm lies, whatever it is – hit the shot I want, and with the amount of spin I want, trajectory and everything.”  

Apparently, Geoff Ogilvy played a large part in the A-grind coming to life.

“I spoke with Geoff (Ogilvy), and we got on the topic of Australian golf courses and how they compared to courses in America, and around the world,” said Vokey Tour Rep Aaron Dill, in a press release. “I asked him some specific questions, which resulted in an idea to design another lob wedge grind option that complemented the firm links-style conditions that players face – not just in Australia and Europe – but globally. Geoff has always been a low bounce player in his 60-degree, so I took his 60.04L wedge and removed the ribbon, resulting in a grind that moves through the turf quickly with very little resistance.” 

The new Vokey A-grind will be available on Nov. 7, selling for $225 each. Custom options include up to six toe engravings, 10-15 character stamping options, the Flight Line alignment feature option, and custom shafts/grips/ferrules are available.

Click here to read more about why the bounce/grind of your wedge actually matters

 

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Equipment

GolfWRXers put the Full Swing KIT’s accuracy to the test

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Last month, four GolfWRX forum members traveled to The Grand Golf Club at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar in San Diego, California, to test the Full Swing KIT launch monitor and to see how it stacks up against other launch monitors. If you’re not familiar with the Full Swing KIT, development began when Tiger Woods requested a launch monitor he could trust on the range as much as he trusted his Full Swing simulator in his own home. Later, the KIT earned Tiger’s seal of approval and has been seen with him at every tournament he’s played in since its release.

Check out the video below to see if the KIT can earn the seal of approval from our four WRXers — @zap311, @double or triple?, @hatrick11, and @SwingBlues — just like it did from Tiger Woods himself.

GolfWRX members on the KIT’s accuracy

zap311: “The Full Swing team seems obsessed with accuracy when it comes to the KIT – The team talked about how this product officially shipped about 18 months ago and they are already on firmware release #20. They said they are regularly releasing updates (overnight via WiFi) to continuously improve accuracy and performance. That is pretty awesome and it’s nice to hear that they are not a company that “ships it” and moves to the next thing. I think they are on the right track since I saw virtually no differences in the data when testing vs. GCQuad and Trackman today.”

double or triple?: “In some cases the difference was less than half a degree on launch and less than 50 rpms on spin.”

hatrick11: “The differences were statistically nonexistent. I think it’s hard to believe for a lot of people when you think about the huge price disparity, but I can’t state enough how close the Full Swing was to trackman every single time, for each of us.”

“Outside, the data is just really really accurate. I know my numbers and know this particular range very well and the KIT was spot on all day. I also had some very variable quality golf balls in the bucket I hit and there was really only one spin rate in the whole session that had me raising my eyebrows at all.”

SwingBlues: “The GolfWRX Full Swing/WRX Experience showed Full Swing KIT produce numbers the same as the GC Quad (GC4) and the Trackman4. Dollar wise, both LMs are easily north of KIT, so this is HUGE to stand up there with the bigger boys on the Podium. For me, it seems more “apples to apples” to compare KIT to GC3. My own testing validates what we saw at the Experience. It shows critical data points like spin, carry, ball speeds are dead on or almost dead on for 40 yards and up on both GC3 and KIT.”

More on the Full Swing KIT

zap311: “The versatility of viewing data is impressive – Depending on usage, everyone has different preferences for viewing data. You have on-device, phone, tablet, monitor, smartwatch, or audio/headphones. I’m pleased to say that Full Swing covers all of these. You can use the app on iOS devices (they said Android is planned for the future). This includes viewing your last shot on the Apple Watch with a few options and turning on audio playback of your preferred metrics following each shot. I’ll post screenshots of this later. You can also choose between 4 data points or 1 data point on the device itself. It was easy to use the app to customize the top 4. For example, I was able to quickly change from launch angle on irons to swing path on driver.

“The KIT was very easy to use – Once you spend a few minutes learning the app and settings, it is very simple to select a club, line up the target line, and fire away. You don’t have to use a level or a laser to line up. KIT uses the built-in camera to tell you where to line up within the app or on-device screen. I was also able to boot up the KIT in less than a minute and drop it down on the tee box for our on-course trial today. Because of this simplicity, I can see it being more practical to bring to the course…

“The Full Swing team really thought through usability for the KIT. You can see up to four data points on the device’s OLED screen. You can see all 16 data points on your iPhone/iPad along with a video replay of the shot, you can view one primary metric from your Apple Watch, and you can enable audio playback for any of the 16 data points. For me, this was a dream as a full iOS user. One other feature I like is that you can star a particular shot to save it. You can also send shot data + the video recording to your coach if you want.”

double or triple?: “I was able to meet the teaching pro at the range I’m using for testing – PGA teacher/member Ryan Kolk. He and his team have 4 units amongst themselves and use them both personally and with their students during lessons. Ryan spent time dialing in his knowledge of the range balls vs proV1x (gamer) to better understand the FSK and he believes the consistency is there with the FSK and within trackman and GC/Foresight models. His preference is to use FSK while testing shafts and new product before using them in his personal playing bag which as a GolfWRX member is 100% appreciated. For his better students, he believes the information like Face to Path and Club Path that FullSwing Kit offers is great to help them understand what their swing is doing and use that information to better themselves.”

hatrick11: “It’s nice to know I can get super useful practice sessions in at my house, and can do in in ~20 min stints; with two little kids at home I can’t just go out for frequent or lengthy range sessions, so this is super valuable and I think will help me keep my game from degrading and allow me to spend my limited free time enjoying the occasional round with friends. In particular with the KIT, as opposed to the cheaper monitors or the other “mid tiers” like GC3, seeing path and face-to-path data is the key item that makes my practice sessions useful…when I am grooving it my path is almost always between 0-2* out to in, with face control being the main thing I need to work on. When my game goes sideways I start coming more in to out, and combined with face consistency being an ongoing issue, that brings the bad left miss into play. Previously I have struggled getting real use out of net practice, because the feels don’t always match reality. This data and video evidence really helps keep me honest, so it was great to see that I was eventually able to get that piece dialed in with KIT.”

SwingBlues: “One feature I am really starting to like is how easy to see the video of each shot. My buddy was not hitting it well, we went to the video and we could see the takeway was too far to the outside.”

“Using the app, it will display all 16 data points. Below is an example of one of my iron shots. Pretty impressive data captured by KIT. On KIT itself, the launch monitor display can be configured to show a single data point, or it can show a grid of 4 data points where the golfer choose which ones to display!”

Head over to the thread for more comments, reviews, and future updates as our members continue to test the Full Swing KIT. Don’t forget to become a member today for future opportunities like this, plus product member testing and giveaways!

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