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Titleist Vokey SM6 wedges: What you need to know

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  • Vokey SM6 wedges use what’s called a Progressive Center of Gravity, a weighting strategy that positions each wedge’s center of gravity (CG) in a distinct location, depending on loft. It was achieved by altering the shaping of the back of the new wedges.

SM6_Progressive_CG

  • In the low-lofted wedges (46, 50, 52), Vokey SM6 wedges have a CG that’s lower than SM5 models. It’s aligned with the desired impact area, which increases ball speed by an average of 1.5 mph for 3-5 yards more distance, according to Titleist.
  • The mid-lofted SM6 wedges (54, 56) use a mid-CG design that looks similar to Vokey’s SM5 wedges.
  • The high-lofted SM6 wedges (58, 60, 62 degrees) have a high-CG design. Since golfers tend to contact their high-lofted wedge shots higher on the face, the new models will create more consistent launch conditions, and a lower-launching, high-spinning trajectory that can lead to increased stopping power.
  • Along with better feel, the progressive CG design will improve wedge distance gapping, according to Titleist.
  • Vokey SM6 wedges are available in five different sole grinds (L, M, S, F, K), which have been slightly tweaked from SM5 models.

Grinds

Voke_SM6_Family

  • The M grind (available in 54-08, 56-08, 58-08, 60-08, 62-08) has less bounce than SM5 models, and is best for golfers who like to manipulate the face opened or closed to play different wedge shots. In the 62-degree loft, the M Grind replaces the T Grind.
  • The S Grind (available in 54-10, 56-10, 58-10 and 60-10) has increased bounce compared to SM5 models in the 58- and 60-degree models, and is best for golfers who play most of their shots with the clubface in a square position.
  • K Grind wedges (available in 58-12 and 60-12) have 1 degree more bounce than SM5 models, which will help golfers resist digging when used in the square position.
  • The L Grind, most notably used by Jordan Spieth and Jimmy Walker, has increased camber on its sole to help golfers improve versatility. It’s available in 58-04 and 60-04.

Grooves

  • The SM6 wedges use Titleist’s new TX4 grooves, and its clubfaces have a machine-milled, parallel face texture. SM5 grooves had a radial face texture, which cut into the edges of the groove. According to Titleist, the new grooves are more consistent, and create sharper grooves that can increase spin as much as 200 rpm. As in the SM5 line, each groove is 100 percent inspected at the company’ manufacturing facility.

Pricing, Availability, Finishes, and Custom Options

  • The SM6 wedges ($149 MAP) are available in stores March 11 in three finishes: Tour Chrome (plated), Steel Gray (plated) and Jet Black. The Jet Black finish is applied through a QPQ (quench, polish, quench) procedure, and will wear to a raw finish over time.
  • The wedges can be custom ordered in a wide range of custom options (shafts, grips, shaft bands, ferrules, stampings and paintfill) through Titleist’s WedgeWorks program.

Specs

Vokey_SM6_Specifications

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24 Comments

24 Comments

  1. Mark

    Jan 28, 2016 at 12:08 pm

    I doubted Davemac’s £145 RRP for the UK market but an e-mail from Titleist today confirmed it. Our Pro was ringing the rep to ask why a 30% price rise when inflation in Britain is negligible and clubs are struggling to keep members….and cutting his order. Crazy pricing and wholly unjustified.

  2. Gary

    Jan 27, 2016 at 11:09 am

    Basically copying the idea of Dynacraft golf VLS wedges from 2013 in which there are two adjustable weights in their 52, 56, 60 deg. wedges. Move the heavier weight (17 gram) higher in the head for lower launch or put it lower in the head for higher launch.

  3. Bar

    Jan 27, 2016 at 11:00 am

    3-5 yards more with a wedge? is that including half , three quarter , and bunker shots, The lunatics have definitely taken over the asylum.

  4. Ryan

    Jan 26, 2016 at 3:10 pm

    Am I the only person on here that hates a raw finish or a wedge that ends up that way? Why do I want to spend all of that money on something that’s going to rust? I never have glare issues and I don’t think that there is a spin benefit, so can anyone shine some light on this for me?

    • Mike

      Jan 26, 2016 at 4:47 pm

      Love rusty wedges!

    • Alex

      Jan 26, 2016 at 5:58 pm

      I think most people just like the look of a raw or “rusted” wedge. If you haven’t had an occurrence with glare from chrome plated wedges I assure you, you will. There is nothing worse than in the middle of the afternoon with the sun right above you, and you have a short sided bunker shot and you open up the face of your wedge and you are literally blinded.

    • Matto

      Jan 26, 2016 at 11:34 pm

      They won’t rust if you treat them well.
      Got my raw SM5’s as soon at they came out. Not a speck of rust on them.

    • KK

      Jan 28, 2016 at 3:46 am

      In all honesty, I think its the idea of playing what the pros play. Look at the wedges in the WITB pics on this site. A ton of tour pros have wedges with rust marks on them. Tour pros practice so damn much, they are literally wearing the protective finish off of the club so inevitablly the wedge is going to rust if not kept dry. Someone should post an article with some science that proves rust on a wedge produces more spin.

  5. Removed

    Jan 26, 2016 at 2:39 pm

    I think the weight CG is the lower lofts is a plus if it increases ball speed, but why would I want lower launch if Im hitting a full 60°? If i wanted to hit a lower shot I would move the ball back or hit my 56° or my 52°. What is the rational behind this?
    Vokey limiting my ability to have a high launch shot with my 60°? You got this wrong Bob. Who’s been in your ear? Its easy enough to shoot a ball in lower with your 60° if you want. Very easy. So dont take away my ability to hit high launch.

  6. davemac

    Jan 26, 2016 at 10:46 am

    I was very keen on these, the changes look exactly what I am after. I have two SM5’s a 54 I love and a 50 that is just so so. I have been waiting to order a 58 / 60 and lowering the CG in the 50 might make all the difference, ideal

    Then I looked at the price hike!

    • Davemac

      Jan 26, 2016 at 3:38 pm

      UK SM 6 Recommended Retail Price £145
      UK SM5 Recommended Retail Price £109

  7. Ian

    Jan 26, 2016 at 9:17 am

    200rpm more – can anyone (unbiased) confirm this?

  8. Kevin

    Jan 26, 2016 at 9:09 am

    No raw finish? Let’s go BV give us what we really want!

    • RH

      Jan 26, 2016 at 9:37 am

      The article says the jet black finish will go raw.

    • Alex

      Jan 26, 2016 at 5:59 pm

      The Jet Black finish is supposed to be able to be removed easily.

      • Kevin

        Jan 26, 2016 at 8:25 pm

        I don’t want black that goes raw. I want raw. I’m confident I’m not the only one. Besides I have the black Sm5 that rusts and it’s still black so unless you work for Vokey I’m not buying what you’re selling.

        • Matto

          Jan 26, 2016 at 11:38 pm

          Yeah I’ve got the black “raw” sm5’s also. Not a speck of rust on them after all this time.

        • mp-4

          Jan 27, 2016 at 1:02 am

          Exactly. Never heard anyone request a ‘steel grey’ finish.
          Why not Tour Chrome, Black and Raw?
          It’s probably because of a potential problem with returns.
          Can imagine people complaining about how their wedge must be defective because it rusted.

          • KK

            Jan 28, 2016 at 3:56 am

            Good point, but I’m not sure it’s returns. I would go with Bob Vokey and Titleist think that if someone has Titleist wedges in their bag that are all rusted and someone who sees them and doesn’t know they are supposed to be that way (only golf dorks like people on golfwrx know this by the way) will think: Titleist wedges cost $120+ and they rust over time, what a rip off. Thus hurting the brand integrity.

            • Mike

              Jan 29, 2016 at 9:20 am

              The SM5 wedges are available in RAW on Vokey’s Wedge Works site. Perhaps he’ll do the same with the SM6?

          • Slowhand

            Mar 7, 2016 at 9:16 am

            I bought the steel gray. It is the first year I think for that color and I like the finish. Chrome is too bright and I don’t like jet black wedges among my set of clubs. I did like the darker finish option on the SM4 but not seen that exact lighter version of dark since then. I don’t like raw wedges.

    • Garrett

      Feb 4, 2016 at 12:06 pm

      Probably will get a 1 year raw release to spike sales. Then SM7 in 2 years without raw option…so on and so forth

  9. A

    Jan 26, 2016 at 8:35 am

    Where can I get fitted for these?

    • Mike

      Jan 29, 2016 at 9:26 am

      Sleepy Hollow Country Club in NY not far from New York City if you live in the northeast. They are a regional Titleist fitting account. You can hit everything Titleist has with any shaft they offer using premium balls and Trackman. I went through a wedge fitting last year with Kevin there director of instruction. And the price is way cheaper than going to the main headquarters. $175.00 per hour I think. And you can do a lot in an hour. Probably driver plus iron fitting or irons and wedges. Whatever you need.

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Equipment

Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/18/24): TaylorMade BRNR mini driver head

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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 TaylorMade BRNR mini driver head

From the seller: (@lasallen): “For sale is a BRNR mini 11.5 deg head only in brand new condition.  $325 shipped.”

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: TaylorMade BRNR mini driver head 

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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Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/18/24): Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made

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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 Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made.

From the seller: (@DLong72): “Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made. ?: $1150. ?? 100% milled collectors item from the limited releases commemorating when Ping putters won every major in 1988 (88 putters made). This was the model Seve Ballesteros used to win the 1988 Open Championship. Condition is brand new, never gamed, everything is in the original packaging as it came. Putter features the iconic sound slot.

Specs/ Additional Details

-100% Milled, Aluminum/Bronze Alloy (310g)

-Original Anser Design

-PING PP58 Grip

-Putter is built to standard specs.”

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made

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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Inside Collin Morikawa’s recent golf ball, driver, 3-wood, and “Proto” iron changes

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As you probably know by now, Collin Morikawa switched putters after the first round of The Masters, and he ultimately went on to finish T3.

The putter was far from the only change he made last week, however, and his bag is continuing to change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage.

On the range of The Masters, Morikawa worked closely with Adrian Reitveld, TaylorMade’s Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, to find the perfect driver and 3-wood setups.

Morikawa started off 2024 by switching into TaylorMade’s Qi10 Max driver, but since went back to his faithful TaylorMade SIM – yes, the original SIM from 2020. Somehow, some way, it seems Morikawa always ends up back in that driver, which he used to win the 2020 PGA Championship, and the 2021 Open Championship.

At The Masters, however, Rietveld said the duo found the driver head that allowed “zero compromise” on Morikawa’s preferred fade flight and spin. To match his preferences, they landed on a TaylorMade Qi10 LS 9-degree head, and the lie angle is a touch flatter than his former SIM.

“It’s faster than his gamer, and I think what we found is it fits his desired shot shape, with zero compromise” Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the RBC Heritage.

Then, to replace his former SIM rocket 3-wood, Morikawa decided to switch into the TaylorMade Qi10 core model 13.5-degree rocket head, with an adjustable hosel.

“He likes the spin characteristics of that head,” Rietveld said. “Now he’s interesting because with Collin, you can turn up at a tournament, and you look at his 3-wood, and he’s changed the setting. One day there’s more loft on it, one day there’s less loft on it. He’s that type of guy. He’s not scared to use the adjustability of the club.

“And I think he felt our titanium head didn’t spin as low as his original SIM. So we did some work with the other head, just because he liked the feel of it. It was a little high launching, so we fit him into something with less loft. It’s a naughty little piece of equipment.” 

In addition to the driver and fairway wood changes, Morikawa also debuted his new “MySymbol” jersey No. 5 TP5x golf ball at The Masters. Morikawa’s choice of symbols is likely tied to his love of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.

Not enough changes for you? There’s one more.

On Wednesday at the 2024 RBC Heritage, Morikawa was spotted with a new TaylorMade “Proto” 4-iron in the bag. If you recall, it’s the same model that Rory McIlroy debuted at the 2024 Valero Texas Open.

According to Morikawa, the new Proto 4-iron will replace his old P-770 hollow-bodied 4-iron.

“I used to hit my P-770 on a string, but sometimes the distance would be a little unpredictable,” Morikawa told GolfWRX.com. “This one launches a touch higher, and I feel I can predict the distance better. I know Rory replaced his P-760 with it. I’m liking it so far.” 

See Morikawa’s full WITB from the 2024 RBC Heritage here. 

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