How to find the right Vokey SM11 wedge for you (with helpful tips!)

Vokey officially launched the new SM11 wedge last monthand PGA Tour approval happened almost immediately. Why? This answer is simple.

SM11 was created with a brand new CG story. The T Grind seemed to be a widespread favorite among players on the PGA Tour, especially because of the flight it produced. But T Grind wasn’t necessarily the best single shape for every player. This meant PGA Tour reps needed to custom grind wedges, or create specials, to give players that nice low T-Grind flight with the only shape that fits their game. This brings us to SM11.

The entire SM11 family was fitted to that SM10 T Grind CG location. In the same loft, each grind has an exact CG location that is identical to each other. However, it changes progressively as you change lofts with a lower CG to wedge-wedge lofts and with a higher CG to sand-wedge lofts. This helps to encourage an easier full swing release option on the longer clubs, with lower height and more control and a lower flight on the shorter, higher offerings.

So with all the CG locations now exactly matched, the only question you have to answer is what grind works best for your game. The first step? Click here and do some research on the new lineup and who the various groups are designed for. Vokey does a great job explaining their lineup and you’ll likely learn something new too. Once you feel confident and armed with some knowledge, head to the PGA Tour Superstore and start investigating.

Title Vokey SM11 Tour Chrome Wedge

Titleist Vokey Design’s new SM11 wedges feature a new precision CG position on every wedge in a loft, meaning every wedge will now perform the same way with the same shot.

When testing wedges, it’s important to play around with different grinds. (I suggest hitting about a 50-yard putt, or something similar. You’ll quickly notice the ones that just don’t work for your delivery.) The key here is to work on eliminating the ones that don’t. What you’re looking for is the ability to consistently hit with a new sound and feel out of your face. The leverage between channels 2 and 5 is really the sweet spot we’re looking for. At this point, choose the three that felt best to you and move on to the next test.

Once you’ve picked your three favorites, now it’s time to start hitting differently The types of shooting. The most important thing a good lob wedge can do for you is unlock creativity around the greens. However, that level of creativity is determined by the player. Some will have different types of shots in their arsenal and it’s important to test everything you have locked and loaded. For example, an important shot for me involves a 45-degree open face, which I cut. This adds an effective bounce to the wedge and can be a difficult shot to match with the right grind. It’s one of the reasons I got into an M Grind when fitting for the SM11. Take the three options you have chosen and hit a lot of shots. Go back and forth between different options and hit the same shots. Hit a couple in a row with one and then switch to another, then go one for one. You will quickly realize that one of these three is no longer as good for you as the other two. With the final two selected, we can conclude the battle for the bag.

With the last two in the selection process, you need to make sure you can hit 75-80% of the swings you will be using on the course. For me, with a lob wedge, that’s about a 90 yard shot. Depending on the options you’ve chosen for yourself at this point, you may notice a significant difference in impact in these fuller poses. As you translate this into play on the course, we are talking about the differences in clean contact and heavy or thin contact due to different sole designs. A steeper player might feel more comfortable in a higher bounce offering with a bit more relief on the leading edge, something like the 14º K grind from Vokey. Shallow players, or players who have really good control of their low point, may find themselves working better on something like the 6º T grip.

Some golfers will grumble about taking this step off the tee, but take it as a blessing in disguise. Matt is consistent. It’s giving you the same lie on every swing. When you test these last two options against each other, you’ll be able to feel the difference in contact between them in these fuller photos. It may also be time to ask an employee to borrow an impact tape and see exactly where you are hitting each club. If you’re noticing that the contact sticks to the face a bit, you may be in a grind that’s too sharp or doesn’t allow you to move smoothly through impact. Remember, we want that point of contact between channels 2-5.

This process should take no more than about 50 swings from start to finish. My best advice is to be tough with your comments. All you are doing here is choosing the right option for YOU. There are so many options available from Vokey right now that spending some time in a PGA Tour Superstore bay and digging around to find the right one for you is not only worth the time to shop, but it can be really fun. Bring a friend and set up together, or take the opportunity to bring your own bag and get some practice in too.

To learn more about the Vokey SM11 and its pre-order, click here.

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