Equipment

Bob Vokey hand ground 50 “Vokey Signature” 56-degree wedges

Published

7 years ago

Jul 19, 2017

Before the existence of 60-degree lob wedges, which are now commonplace in the bags of amateurs and professionals alike, golfers relied on 56-degree sand wedges to hit all of the necessary shots around the green. While those days are mostly in the past, Titleist says there are still golfers who prefer to use a single wedge for all shots; bump-and-runs, low spinners, flop shots, bunker shots, and any other shot you may face.

Ahead of the Open Championship, Bob Vokey personally hand ground 50 wedges — they measure 56 degrees in loft and have 12 degrees of bounce — that have heel, toe and leading-edge relief to maximize versatility. That means the soles are designed to work in a variety of setup positions, including square, open or toe down, according to Titleist. There’s also a “pre-worn leading edge” for cleaner turf interaction.

BobVokeySignatureWedge

“It’s the ultimate 56 degree [wedge],” Bob Vokey says. “When I was learning about wedges from some of the best short-game players, they could manipulate the face to execute all the shots they needed. This wedge was inspired by those players, with a sole shape to enable a variety of shots.”

The philosophy of playing a variety of short-game shots with the same club will be especially prevalent this week at The Open Championship. Whereas many American courses lend themselves to high-trajectory shots around the green, Open-style courses often require more lower-trajectory shots that can mitigate the effects of the wind.

The Vokey Signature wedges have a “Diamond LC” finish, and they will sell for $400 each. Custom shafts, grips, ferrules and shaftbands are offered. There are only 50 wedges available in total, and this a U.S.-only release.

Your Reaction?

LIKE68
LEGIT8
WOW7
LOL7
IDHT0
FLOP4
OB4
SHANK96

Related Topics:Vokey wedges

Up Next

PXG adds 0311X driving irons to lineup

Don't Miss

Mizuno teases its MP-18 irons on Nick Faldo’s birthday

GolfWRX Staff

We share your golf passion. You can follow GolfWRX on Twitter @GolfWRX, Facebook and Instagram.

16 Comments

Donald Trump

Jul 19, 2017 at 9:56 pm

I’m waiting for PXG to come out with a $3,000 wedge made of the finest materials……..

Reply Report comment
Lloyd

Jul 19, 2017 at 6:22 pm

Why would anybody pay Titleist $400 for a wedge with Vokey’s name engraved on it. For that price they should engrave my name on the wedge.

Reply Report comment
Bryan

Jul 19, 2017 at 3:38 pm

Honestly, $400 for a 1/50 hand ground wedge by Vokey himself seems like a pretty good deal. OTR already retails for $150

Reply Report comment
JD

Jul 19, 2017 at 2:49 pm

That’s why whenever I buy a new wedge, I drag them on the asphalt on my walk to the car. Gotta pre-wear that leading edge.

Reply Report comment
Roger in NZ

Jul 19, 2017 at 2:10 pm

The comments on only One Wedge for all money shots is realistic.
If your Titleist 681 set had a 50 degree PW then the next club was
the Sand Wedge, likely a 56 that you loved…and likely a 588 Tour Action with a Worn Edge !!!

Reply Report comment
Ben Jones

Jul 19, 2017 at 12:51 pm

I have two Cleveland wedges with leading edges that are really “pre-worn” and look great, so are they worth $400 a piece?

Reply Report comment
Tom54

Jul 19, 2017 at 12:21 pm

I can see several hundred dollars for a putter cause with proper care it’ll last forever but spending that kind of money for a limited edition wedge that will wear out quickly makes not much sense

Reply Report comment
PXG PRO

Jul 19, 2017 at 11:27 am

What a cheap, pedestrian item at $400! Only real pros play PXG! GO PXG GO!

Reply Report comment
Joe

Jul 19, 2017 at 11:06 am

the same ole same ole…. people complaining about pricing. Can’t afford it? That’s ok, really. I would say if you really wanted it you could get another job to pay for it… but that would probably be narrow-minded of me…. kind of like complaining about expensive clubs

Reply Report comment
- LD
  
  Jul 19, 2017 at 12:15 pm
  
  I would say it is narrow-minded stating that everyone complaining about price is unable to afford it.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Matt
  
  Jul 19, 2017 at 1:45 pm
  
  You really expect to put out a $400 wedge and not get comments on the price. Come on dude. Obviously those of us who realize how short a wedges life span is aren’t going to pay that. There’s a reason they only made 50, they know the pool of buyers for it is infinitesimally small.
  
  Reply Report comment
- RG
  
  Jul 19, 2017 at 11:34 pm
  
  I know what you mean! These jokers on here just dont get i
  
  Reply Report comment
  - RG
    
    Jul 19, 2017 at 11:38 pm
    
    it! Oh and by the way I have a brand new limited edition jar of dirt for sale for $200. I know what youre thinking, but this is special limited edition dirt! Oh, to expensive? Well go get asecond job you bum!
    
    Reply Report comment
MikeyB

Jul 19, 2017 at 10:48 am

Gee, ONLY $400 a wedge? Pffft. Obviously meant for the lunch pail hauling, beer swilling Muni course hacker. The guy who would have to hide clubs from his wife, and try to convince her she made a mistake balancing the bank account this month.
Talk to me when you buy Honma ‘Five Star’ clubs that cost $5,400….EACH. Yes a full set of 14 clubs cost $76,000 dollars three years ago!
Varying degrees of cost can be found on mostly Japanese hand made products such as Miura which fall into the same $300/400/500 a club range. PXG, and now creeping up in price Callaway Epic Pro at $250 a club.
Just another boutique club for nothing more than the $ the nameplate generates.

Reply Report comment
ComeyforPresident

Jul 19, 2017 at 8:11 am

Someone should buy all 50 and then sell them for 1000 bucks each.

Reply Report comment
- Teaj
  
  Jul 19, 2017 at 9:49 am
  
  That could work given that it is a US only product you could sell them in different countries. Now if I only had $20,000 laying around.
  
  Reply Report comment

Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

8 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

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.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx)

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.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx)

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.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx)

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!

Your Reaction?