• Chris Gotterup what’s in the bag accurate as of the Memorial Tournament. More photos from the event here. 

Driver: TaylorMade SIM2 (9 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Black

3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus (16.5 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS 80 TX

Driving iron: TaylorMade P-790 UDI (2-iron)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS 105 Hybrid TX-Flex

Irons: Mizuno Pro 221 (4-9 iron)

Wedges: Mizuno T22 (45 degrees), Titleist Vokey SM9 (52, 56, 60 degrees)

Putter: TaylorMade Spider X

Ball: Bridgestone Tour B X

• More photos of Chris Gotterup’s WITB in the forums. 

Bettinardi has today introduced its second collaboration with Hasbro with an all-new Transformers collection.

The epic collaboration aims to combine Bettinardi’s detailed eye for design in golf with the iconic heroes and villains of the original 1980s franchise.

The assortment will feature a wide range of products that will launch online over the course of two days, including putters, headcovers, apparel, and other premium accessories.

Speaking on the release, Sam Bettinardi stated:  

“The entire process of this collaboration with Hasbro and Transformers has been a complete walk down memory lane, from the research and design stages to creating the marketing surrounding this partnership, every step has been so nostalgic,” said Sam Bettinardi, President of Bettinardi Golf. “The design emphasizes the original eighties cartoons as we knew we could showcase these exceptional colorways and iconic characters in such a fun reminiscent way.”

This limited-edition collaboration will be launched across two days, with the Decepticons release unveiling on Wednesday, June 7 at 10 a.m. CDT, and the Autobots release unveiling on Thursday, June 8 at 10 a.m. CDT.

Each launch day will present new items available for purchase in the Hive at www.bettinardi.com. This release will also include a small assortment of production items available in Bettinardi’s Studio Store on Wednesday, June 7 at 10 a.m. CDT.

On Wednesday at the 2023 Memorial Tournament, I looked into Sam Burns’ staff bag, and I was surprised to see that he recently switched into a new Titleist Vokey WedgeWorks T-Grind prototype 60-degree lob wedge.

Shame on me for being surprised, I guess.

According to a Titleist representative, and confirmed by GolfWRX’s “What’s in the Bag?” database, 31 players inside the OWGR top-100 currently use a Vokey T-grind – or, at least, they carry a T-grind weekly as an option depending on course conditions (tour players often carry a higher-bounce option and a lower-bounce option, then make a game-time decision).

As we found, the list of T-grind users includes Xander Schauffele, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Cameron Smith, Will Zalatoris, Jordan Spieth, Tony Finau, Sam Burns, Justin Thomas, Cameron Young, Tyrrell Hatton, Tom Kim, Jason Day, Tommy Fleetwood, Russell Henley, Tom Hoge, Billy Horschel, Chris Kirk, Adam Scott, Patrick Reed, Keith Mitchell, Min Woo Lee, Taylor Montgomery, Harold Varner III, Kevin Kisner, Nick Taylor, Brendan Todd, Davis Riley, Gary Woodland, Davis Thompson, Trey Mullinax and Sadom Kaewkanjana.

Yeah, that’s an extensive list of players using a very specific wedge grind.

Also of note, LPGA stars Jin Young Ko and Nelly Korda use a Vokey T-grind wedge, and Fred Biondi won the 2023 Men’s NCAA Golf Championships with one, too.

So, what is it about that T-grind?!

Back in 2020, GolfWRX.com spoke with Titleist Vokey rep (and master wedge stamp artist) Aaron Dill to understand more.

So, what does this mean for everyday golfers??

For amateur golfers, in my opinion, the T-grind movement simply means that you should absolutely get a wedge fitting!

Pro golfers turn to the T-grind wedge because that’s what suits their delivery pattern and the typical course conditions on the PGA Tour. The reality of the situation is that most golfers do NOT play golf on the same type of closely mown, tight fairways that professional golfers do. Most amateur golfers also aren’t as savvy when using a lob wedge in an open-faced orientation, and they don’t have the same precision level of ball striking, in general – most golfers are a bit steeper, or have less consistent low points in their swing arcs, thus making them more prone to hitting skulls and chunks.

The T-grind is a niche offering that became available to the public in early 2023, but it should simply be used as an option to try during testing.

In an article posted by Titleist itself, the company writes:

“Wedge grind is the manipulation or removal of material from the sole of the club, helping to improve contact with the turf. Grinds allow for more creativity and consistency around the green, letting you play with ball spin, flight, power, and other factors…

“It’s important to use the right wedge grinds for your swing type and course conditions, so you can be prepared to hit every kind of wedge shot. Vokey offers many wedge grind options for different situations.

“For instance, the L grind is ideal for firm conditions and sweeper swing styles, the M grind offers the most playability, and for some players, the best Vokey grind for sand is the K grind, with the highest bounce.”

My translation for that is that every golfer should try different wedge grinds to see what suits them best.

Buying a random wedge with a random grind and bounce is a surefire way to get random results from your wedge game.

Take back control of your wedge game by picking the RIGHT grind, instead!

Typically, lower-bounce grinds are better for firm conditions, or for those who take little-to-no divot on pitch shots. Higher bounce wedges, on the other hand, benefit golfers who play in softer conditions, or have steeper swings.

There’s no perfect wedge fitting system, though, because every golfer is slightly different. The only fact is that wedge grinds truly matter, and the best way to ensure you have the right wedge grinds in your bag is trial-and-error under the supervision of a professional fitter or instructor.