Equipment
Vokey releases SM6 V Grind on WedgeWorks
Last July, I had the opportunity to be fit for wedges by Bob Vokey, the wedge guru behind Titleist’s Vokey wedges. It was an incredible learning experience, which I detailed in my in-depth review of the Vokey’s SM6 wedges. Vokey decided the best lob wedge for me was a V Grind, which I had to custom order through Titleist since it wasn’t part of the retail SM5 line. So Vokey’s decision to release a V Grind SM6 wedge through WedgeWorks has personal significance.
Like other SM6 wedges, the SM6 V Grind has the company’s new progressive center of gravity design to improve consistency. As I’ve learned since my fitting, there’s legion of golfers who prize their V Grind wedges more than any other club in their bag — both amateurs and Tour players. What makes the V Grind work so well for them and me is its dual-bounce design, which has a high measured bounce forward on the sole. On square shots, it keeps the leading edge from digging, which is great for golfers with steeper attack angles. On open-face shots, however, a V-Grind plays like a much lower-bounce wedge, with a heavily relieved heel, toe and trailing edge areas to help golfers hit lobs and flops from tight lies.
“The forward bounce of the V Grind is essential in helping players lower ball flight on full and square faced shots,” says Vokey Tour Rep Aaron Dill. “The grind in the back of the wedge allows players to open the wedge and hug the ground a little easier for tight lies around the green. Tour players are always looking for lower flight, but still need to have options around the green when hitting off of firm, tight turf.”
According to Bob Vokey, the decision to release the V Grind to the public was prompted by requests from the Tour. Many players like the shape of the M grind, which is a stock option, but desired more bounce.
“It got me thinking about one of my original grinds, Vokey said. “The V Grind is one design that provides more bounce forward on the sole, with enhanced relief in the heel, trailing edge and toe. It’s a really versatile wedge around the green.”
Whether you’re a V Grind candidate or not, keep in mind that added bounce on a wedge tends to lower impact point on the face, which lowers trajectory and increases spin. For drivers, that’s usually a bad thing, but for better players, it’s a great thing for their wedge game.
The V Grind wedges ($195 each) are available in two finishes (Brushed Chrome and Oil Can) and lofts of 54 (RH only) 56 (RH only), 58 and 60 degrees. As part of WedgeWorks, the V Grind wedges can be customized with personalized stamping up to eight characters and one of 12 paint fill colors. Golfers can choose from four toe engravings with custom paint fill options, as well as a wide selection of custom shafts, grips, shaft bands and ferrules. Learn more at vokey.com.
Titleist Tour players currently using the Vokey V Grind include Robert Streb, John Peterson and Ben Crane.
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- Kris Kim what’s in the bag accurate as of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. More photos from the event here.
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees @7)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 60 TX
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour (15 degrees @13.5)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana WB 73 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P770 (2, 4), TaylorMade P7MB (5-PW)
Shafts: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX (2), Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 120 X
Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (50-09SB, 56-12SB, 60-11TW)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 WV 125
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Check out more in-hand photos of Kris Kim’s equipment here.
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TaylorMade is continuing its UDI/DHY series with the successor to the Stealth UDI and DHY utility irons: PUDI and PDHY (which the company styles as P·UDI and P·DHY). TaylorMade is folding the designs in with its P Series of irons.
TaylorMade outlined the process of developing its new utilities this way. The company started with the data on utility iron usage. Not surprisingly, better players — i.e. those who generate more clubhead speed and strike the ball more precisely — were found to gravitate toward the UDI model. DHY usage, however, covered a wider swath than the company might have expected with six-to-18 handicappers found to be bagging the club.
TaylorMade also found that the majority of golfers playing UDI or DHY utilities were playing P Series irons at the top of their iron configurations.
Can you see where this is going?
Matt Bovee, Director of Product Creation, Iron and Wedge at TaylorMade: “As we look to the future, beyond the tech and the design language, we are excited about repositioning our utility irons into the P·Series family. P·UDI is an easy pair for players that currently play P·Series product and P·DHY is an extremely forgiving option for players of all skill levels. It is a natural fit to give these players the performance in this category that they are looking for.”
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TaylorMade PUDI
TaylorMade PUDI technology cutaway (via TaylorMade)
Crafted with tour player input, TaylorMade sought to develop a confidence-inspiring utility iron that blends with the rest of the P Series irons. Also of note: Interestingly, the PUDI has a more compact head than the P790.
In comparison to past UDI products, the PUDI has a more traditional iron shape, slimmer toplines, and less offset with a little of the backbar visible at address.
TaylorMade PDHY
TaylorMade PDHY tech cutaway (via TaylorMade).
Larger in profile than the PUDI, the PDHY seeks to position center of gravity (CG) lower in the club for ease of launch. The toe height is larger and the profile is larger at address — roughly five millimeters longer than PUDI — the sole of the club is wider for improved forgiveness.
Club Junkie’s take
Golfers who feel like they are missing something at the top of the bag could find the PUDI or PDHY a great option. The look of the PUDI should fit the most discerning eye with a more compact look, less offset, and a thinner topline. If you want a little more confidence looking down the P-DHY will be slightly larger while still being a good-looking utility iron.
For being small packages both models pack a pretty good punch with fast ball speeds, even off-center. The feel is soft and you get a solid feel of the ball compressing off the face when you strike it well. Your ears are greeted with a nice heavy thud as the ball and club come together. The PDHY will launch a little higher for players who need it while the PUDI offers a more penetrating ball flight. Both utility irons could be the cure for an open spot in the top end of the bag.
PUDI, PDHY, or Rescue?
TaylorMade offers the following notes to assist golfers in filling out their bags:
- PUDI has mid-CG right behind the center face to create a more penetrating mid-to-low ball flight
- PDHY has a lower center of gravity to produce an easier-to-launch mid-to-high ball flight.
- Both PUDI and PDHY are lower-flying than the company’s hybrid/Rescue clubs.
- PUDI is more forgiving than P790.
- PDHY is the most forgiving iron in the entire TaylorMade iron family
Pricing, specs, and availability
Price: $249.99
At retail: Now
Stock shafts: UST Mamiya’s Recoil DART (105 X, 90 S and 75 R – only in PDHY)
Stock grip: Golf Pride’s ZGrip (black/grey)
PUDI lofts: 2-17°, 3-20°, 4-22° in both left and right-handed
PDHY lofts: 2-18°, 3-20° and 4-22° in both left and right-handed
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Equipment
Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (5/3/24): Scotty Cameron Champions Choice 2.5+ putter
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 Scotty Cameron Champions Choice 2.5+ putter
From the seller: (@wwcl): “Has been gamed as pics show. 33.5 includes original h/c and grip. $575 includes shipping and PP fees.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Scotty Cameron Champions Choice 2.5+ putter
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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mitch
Jun 16, 2016 at 2:21 pm
I will stick with edel!
Joshuaplaysgolf
Jun 16, 2016 at 12:19 pm
I’m not really understanding. It’s pretty frustrating that they are slow-releasing grinds when they already had them at their disposal. Probably would have been a really good fit for me, but I already dropped $500 on 3 new vokeys this year. No way I’m about to run around and drop $195, plus custom shafts to get this grind. Why is it $45 more than the other grinds? Does it cost more to produce this grind?? (Honest question, not rhetorical) I’ve been a Titleist guy for years, but this doesn’t make much sense to me. Not a lot of people are shopping for golf clubs in the middle of the season.
Rand
Jun 15, 2016 at 5:56 pm
Cheap, hard 8620 cast by the thousands for way too much money. Unfortunately callaway feel into this with the MD3 line. If the fan boys wouldn’t buy vokeys for the name they would lower the price.
Chuck D
Jun 15, 2016 at 4:47 pm
+1 Nolanski!
Juan Carlos
Jun 15, 2016 at 11:24 am
Looks like the Clevelands that were leaked last week.
leon
Jun 15, 2016 at 11:04 am
Way over priced and feels harsh. The wedges from mizuno, bridgestone or other forged ones from Japan feel much much more softer, aliveness and responsive. And they perform exactly as good as Vokey’s
Jafar
Jun 15, 2016 at 10:50 am
So which grind does the v grind compare to ?
Zak Kozuchowski
Jun 15, 2016 at 11:06 am
It’s similar to an M Grind, but with more bounce and more aggressive relief.
Jafar
Jun 15, 2016 at 12:25 pm
Is it a good club for sand shots? or would I be better off with a k grind rather then a V.. Thanks for the response
CW
Jun 15, 2016 at 10:09 am
Oil can for the love of all that is sacred!
Squirt
Jun 16, 2016 at 9:56 am
That’s what I’m talkin about!
matt_bear
Jun 15, 2016 at 9:34 am
nice job leaving the lefties out…again. :-\
Grinding
Jun 15, 2016 at 9:30 am
$195? Whatever. Just re-release the oil can and get this to the public for the same price as all the other grinds. Give the people what they want!
Nolanski
Jun 15, 2016 at 8:30 am
Cool but pricey. I play super soft fairways so the S grind will suffice for my game.