Equipment
New WedgeWorks 456.14 commemorates a very special Vokey anniversary
In July 1997, Bob Vokey’s first wedge went into play on the PGA Tour at the FedEx St. Jude Classic. In the 20 years since, his wedges have become the most popular models on the PGA Tour. They are now dozens of Vokey wedge configurations available to golfers, but it all started with the one wedge that Vokey has recreated for a very special WedgeWorks launch.
At the time, the special wedge that went in the bag of PGA Tour player Andy Bean in Memphis was just a prototype — the only markings on Bean’s wedge were the Titleist script and loft — but the wedge became known as the 456.14. The leading number (4) indicated that the wedge was a part of Vokey’s 400 Series, while 56 noted the loft and 14 noted the bounce (both measured in degrees).
”I had two in my bag, and let Andy try it,” Vokey says. “He canned the first one and lipped out the second one, and he says to me, ‘Voke, I’ve got to put this in play!'”
After confirming with Titleist’s R&D team that the wedge was conforming, Vokey obliged and Bean became the first PGA Tour player to use a Vokey wedge in competition.
The new, limited-edition wedges have the same rounded shape and increased offset as the original 456-14, and they’re currently available for purchase through Vokey.com or by custom order for $250. They have a polished-chrome finish, as well as Vokey’s new TX4 groove configuration, which are inspected for maximum sharpness and have a parallel face texture that the company says delivers more backspin and control. They’re also customizable with different stampings, characters paintfill, shafts, grips, shaft bands and ferrules.
Vokey says the added bounce of the 456-14 makes it best for golfers who play in soft conditions and soft sand, as well as those with steeper angles of attack.
Another important day for Bob Vokey this summer will come at the RBC Canadian Open, where the Verdun, Québec, native will be inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. Vokey was born in Montreal and joined Titleist in 1996.
“This is something I would never have dreamed of as a young boy growing up in Verdun, working in my Dad’s machine shop,” Vokey says. “I’ve never forgotten where I came from, so to see my name on the same list of Canadian golf legends is overwhelming. I have always been surrounded by passionate, hardworking people who love the game as much as I do. This honor really is a reflection of everybody that has provided me the opportunities to live out my passion over the past 50 years in golf.”
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Equipment
A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic
Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.
Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.
We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.
Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).
See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here
Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge
Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.
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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.
See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here
Turning Back the clock
Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.
But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.
For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.
Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.
The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.
The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.
Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter
Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.
Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.
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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.
If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.
Brilliant.
See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here
Stricker’s unrecognizable putter
Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.
Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.
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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates
Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.
Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.
It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.
Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines
Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.
Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.
FitzMagic teams back up
Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.
See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here
And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.
We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!
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Whats in the Bag
Alejandro Tosti WITB 2024 (April)
- Alejandro Tosti what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic.
Driver: Srixon ZX5 Mk II LS (9.5 degrees @10.5)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS T1100 75 6.5
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Black 80 TX
Hybrid: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour Rescue (22 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX 6.5 100
Irons: Srixon ZX7 Mk II (4-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Cleveland RTX6 ZipCore Tour Rack (50-10 MID, 54-10 MID, 58-10 MID, 60-06 LOW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid Tour Issue X100, S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron
Grips: Golf Pride MCC Plus4
Check out more in-hand photos of Alejandro Tosti’s WITB in the forums.
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Whats in the Bag
Drew Brees WITB 2024 (April)
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Driver: TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus (10.5 degrees)
Mini driver: TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper (13.5 degrees)
5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (19 degrees)
Irons: TaylorMade P790 (4-8, PW), TaylorMade P760 (9)
Wedges: TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09, 56-10, 60)
Putter: Scotty Cameron Select Newport 2 Prototype
Check out more in-hand photos of Drew Brees’ clubs here.
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Mad-Mex
Jun 13, 2017 at 5:11 am
Nah,,,, I’ll stick with Cleveland 588’s ,,,,,,
Dave R
Jun 8, 2017 at 5:05 pm
Ya but aren’t you supposed to change you’re wedges every year? I think I read an article about that somewhere oh ya it was here.
Warrick Lawrence
Jun 8, 2017 at 5:27 am
$250 for a single wedge does seem a bit steep, but then it is a commemorative piece. I don’t think you would actually play with one, but rather have it over the bar or displayed in your “Man cave”
Ideal father’s day gift..from dad, (me)… to dad(me).
But wait , I see he also has a signature series??? Which is more collectable?
Duk Koo Kim
Jun 8, 2017 at 5:00 am
Huh, whaaaa only $2500 for a wedge?! That’s peanuts!! Oh wait, I thought I was in year 2080!
$250!!!! Ahahahahahahahahaha!!! Come on Voke, dude, really……..2 fiddy, for a hunk ‘o steel?
Please!!! Get ‘th kuhp (backwards) outta here!!
Com
Jun 8, 2017 at 3:07 am
Spoken like a person who truly knows nothing, again. Well done. Congrats.
KC
Jun 7, 2017 at 3:59 pm
$250 for a wedge is insane. Love my Vokeys but I got both of mine for $250 and they perform exactly the same as this one.
coastieyaker
Jun 7, 2017 at 11:56 am
I am so fed up with overpriced gear. Vokey/Titleist should be ashamed for gouging the consumer the way they do.
C
Jun 8, 2017 at 1:42 pm
It’s not gouging if you have a choice.
Xav
Jun 7, 2017 at 11:38 am
Why not play the original release if one can be found in mint condition?
Tom1
Jun 7, 2017 at 7:08 pm
“if” this design is over twenty years old ya would have better luck finding a hooker with all her teeth.
C
Jun 8, 2017 at 1:43 pm
Doubt the grooves would be conforming.
Tom1
Jun 7, 2017 at 11:10 am
one of the best wedge design. I will gladly try em’