According to Master Craftsman Bob Vokey, the three keys to great wedge play are shot versatility, distance and trajectory control, and maximum spin. With the introduction of the new Vokey Design SM9 wedges, Bob has developed the “ultimate in optionality” across all three categories with his most complete lineup of loft, grind and bounce combinations. Vokey Design has been the most played wedge on the PGA TOUR every year since 2004.
“It sounds simple, but having the correct wedge and knowing when to use it has a direct impact on scoring performance,” said Vokey. “The most important thing for golfers at every level is to know when and where to use the variety of wedges in their bag. That can be achieved by being properly fit based on swing and style of play, and understanding the roles for each.”
The new SM9 wedges are Vokey’s most versatile, accurate and forgiving yet, offering six grind options and a total of 23 different models ranging in lofts from 46* to 62* for precision fitting. The wedges are available in three finishes – Tour Chrome, Brushed Steel and Jet Black – with Raw as a custom option.
FINDING THE CORRECT GRIND FOR BEST CONTACT | Through years of research and design, Vokey has determined that the optimum strike position on a Vokey Design wedge is between grooves 2 and 5. This produces a lower, more consistent flight with higher spin. Shots struck above this area tend to launch higher and fly shorter with less spin.
“It is important to fit your wedges to your swing type, style of play and course conditions,” added Vokey. “That selection process should begin by determining the proper grind for the shots you hit most. The correct grind provides the best turf interaction, contact and shot performance.”
FORWARD CENTER OF GRAVITY PROGRESSION | Improving upon the groundbreaking Progressive Center of Gravity (CG) design concept originally introduced with the Vokey Design SM8, the new SM9 pushes the envelope again - with even more innovation.
• The new SM9 maintains the innovative forward CG – a position that actually hovers in front of the wedge face - to produce a solid feeling wedge that squares up at impact for more consistent results.
• The CG has been raised vertically by adding weight to the topline design, where a tapered pad at the back of the toe helps align the CG properly without being visible from the playing position.
• Progressive hosel lengths are also used to help raise the CG in the higher lofts, particularly 58°-62°.
• The result is improved distance and trajectory control, and increased stability for more consistency.
REFINED SOLE GRIND OPTIONS | The ultimate in optionality, SM9 continues to feature the most complete lineup of grind, bounce and loft options, allowing for more creativity and consistency, and giving players of any level the ability to create multiple shots into and around the green.
• Developed through decades of work with the best shot makers in the game, Vokey’s six Tour-proven sole grinds – F, S, M, K, L and D – allow golfers of all skill levels to be precisely fit for their swing type (steep, neutral, shallow), shot making style (sweeper, digger) and course conditions (firm, neutral, soft).
NEW PATENTED SPIN MILLED PROCESS FOR MAXIMUM SPIN | A new Spin Milled cutting process in the SM9 models – which includes tightening our allowable tolerances - produces consistently sharper grooves wedge after wedge, resulting in higher, more consistent spin.
• Spin Milled Grooves are the Gold Standard in groove cutting precision - meticulously engineered and cut to the edge to maximize spin and shot control. Each groove on every head is 100% inspected for conformity to the rules of golf.
• Micro-grooves are individually cut in between grooves, which maximizes spin on partial shots. A proprietary heat treatment is applied to the impact area to double the durability of the groove without impacting feel – making it the most durable groove in golf.
• Each groove is individually cut based on loft and finish with the Lower lofts (46°-54°) designed with narrower, deeper grooves and Higher lofts (56°-62°) with wider, shallower grooves.
VOKEY WEDGE SELECTOR | The Vokey Wedge Selector tool on Vokey.com helps golfers select the proper loft, bounce and grind options for their swing and course conditions. Vokey recommends that golfers visit their local Titleist fitter to confirm the results. Experience the Vokey Wedge Selector tool at: https://www.vokey.com/tools/wedge-selector-tool.aspx.
ADVANCED PERSONALIZATION AND CUSTOM OPTIONS | Vokey Design SM9 wedges feature a modern, clean look, which provides a canvas for customization. The WedgeWorks custom options include:
• Six unique toe engravings
• Stamping options | 10-character Straight/Freestyle stamping; 15 characters around the toe; and two lines of 10 characters each
• SM9 wedges can also be custom ordered with an industry-leading selection of shafts, grips, shaft bands and ferrules. For a complete list of options, visit www.Vokey.com
STOCK SHAFT and GRIP | Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold S200 | Grip: Tour Velvet 360 White
AVAILABILITY AND PRICING | Vokey Design SM9 wedges are available for pre-order through golf shops worldwide and Vokey.com beginning Feb. 17 | They arrive in golf shops on March 11, 2022 | MAP $179
VOKEY DESIGN SM9 ON TOUR:
• FIRST WEEK, FIRST WIN: Cameron Smith earned the first victory for the NEW Vokey Design SM9 wedges as the new models debuted at Sentry Tournament of Champions – the first PGA TOUR of the 2022 calendar year. The reception was immediate, as there were more SM9’s in play than any other.
Smith didn’t get his hands on his new SM9’s until the Monday morning, when he found them sitting in his locker at Kapalua, a delivery from Vokey Tour Rep Aaron Dill. Smith carried both his SM8’s and SM9’s during the practice rounds, but stepped to the tee Thursday morning with four new SM9’s in the bag – 46.10F, 52.08F, 56.08M and 60.10S. Smith finished the week third in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green (+8.404) and hit 86 percent greens in regulation (62 of 72) with an average proximity to the hole from 50-125 yards of 12 feet, 11 inches. (He averaged 16 feet, 2 inches from that range last season.)
“Cam is super talented with his wedges and has just has this natural ability of being shallow when he needs to be shallow, to flatten out things and make good, clean contact,” Dill said. “When you look at his new SM9’s, starting with his 46 and 52, those are essentially just distance clubs off the iron set. With the 56, he uses an M grind and he’s really good with it. He uses it all around the greens. He especially used it a lot in Hawaii because of grain. That grainy Bermuda is some of the most treacherous chipping conditions I think we see throughout the season, and he just understands the value of how to use a sand wedge in the right way. He also brings two lob wedges with him every week – a 60.10S and a 60 T Grind – and switches back and forth based on the turf conditions. He knows that playing golf courses like Sony, like Fort Worth, Colonial, those kinds of golf courses – they’re going to be really grainy and hard to chip on, which is why he relied on more bounce in that loft.”
• NEW VOKEY SM9 IS MOST PLAYED WEDGE IN FIRST WEEK ON TOUR: The NEW Vokey Design SM9 wedges made their debut at the Sentry Tournament of Champions on the PGA TOUR, with more players putting SM9 models in play at Kapalua than any other wedge:
– SM9 was the most played model with a total of 35 pitching, gap, sand and lob wedges in play, 15 more than the nearest competitive model (20).
– There were 31 new SM9 gap, sand and lob wedges in players’ bags, more than the nearest competitor’s total gap, sand and lob wedge models combined (29).
– Fourteen players – including winner Cameron Smith, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay and Max Homa – made the immediate switch to SM9 models. Smith, Spieth, Thomas and Homa all switched to four new models (including pitching wedges).
– Three of the top four finishers – Smith, Matt Jones (3rd) and Cantlay – had NEW SM9 wedges in their bags. Jones, playing a NEW SM9 58.08M (@ 60) led the field in scrambling percentage this week at 91% (10 of 11), and was second in Strokes Gained: Around the Green (+2.925).
• WHAT THE PLAYERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE NEW SM9 WEDGES:
• JUSTIN THOMAS: “When I was testing SM9, it was nice to see the low controlled flight. For me, for someone who likes to flight my wedges and control my spin a lot, I need to be able to see that ball hit the windows. And I’m looking both low and high, but especially low. Because for me, it’s nice to be able to feel like I hit it and I don't look up and it’s coming high and floaty. It’s hitting the flight that I want, the spin that I want and reacting how I want.”
• PATRICK CANTLAY ON SM9: “You’re always looking for a little edge on controlling distance and I was able to control the flight and distance really well with the SM9. And so, it went straight in the bag. When you’re testing a new wedge, you want to see that it’s interacting with the turf the right way and able to perform no matter what kind of shot you’re hitting. And I feel very comfortable that this wedge does that.”
• MAX HOMA ON SM9: “I put [the SM9’s] right in just because, honestly, I trust Voke and I trust (Aaron) Dill a lot. But I got here and could tell right away it was just something that was going to be a little bit easier to flight in the breeze, which is always good. The extra control is just taking out a variable. If the ball’s flying into the wind, and sometimes it puffs up there and sometimes it doesn’t, that’s just another guess you have to make. So, with [SM9], knowing what it’s going to do, it just brings a lot of comfort. Especially if you got one for quite a bit of FedExCup points, you want to know what’s going to happen and not just guess it.”
• JORDAN SPIETH: “I like to really hit my wedges with lower trajectory. I feel like that I can control my distances a lot better when I do that, so the idea that when I’m hitting three-quarter shots with those clubs on those kind-of-not-full yardages, maybe if you have to flight one in the wind or off an upslope, they seem to be really, really consistent coming off with that nice low-ball flight. So, it was a pretty easy decision for me.”
“I took them to the range with a launch machine to check out spin rate and stuff on more of the full shots. I had the SM8’s and the SM9’s in for maybe two or three days before I was comfortable just saying, ‘Yeah, these are better.’
“All the good stuff stayed the same and then I felt like I could get even a little more dialed in on some of those three-quarter approach shots that a lot of times we have to have into some tuck pins out here. Without jeopardizing any of the full shots or any of the workability that I’ve always liked with my wedges.”
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