My first title Vokey Wedge Fitting

A few months ago, I was able to make every hard golf dream come true: I had the opportunity to go to the Titleist Performance Institute to test the new Title Vokey SM11 wedges and go through my first official Vokey wedge mount.

With my fitter, Brandon, by my side, I ended up on a set of four new Vokeys, from wedge lift to 60 degrees. The final picks were wedges that I probably wouldn’t have picked for myself, but I am excited with the result. With that in mind, I want to explain exactly what went into that testing and how you can replicate the process for your own game.

Starting with the full priorities

Before the shoot, Brandon and I hit a few shots with my 9-iron to establish carry distances and give it a baseline for what I needed from full swings with my wedge. Vokey’s SM11 comes in 44-, 46- and 48-degree options in this range, and we settled on the 46-degree at a higher bounce to prevent the club from digging in too aggressively at impact. The 46-degree split correctly from my 9 iron, while the 44-degree produced a lot of speed. Because I play a steep angle of attack – and the 46-degree loft only comes in one shot – the decision came to jump alone. The lower bounce option dug into the ground harshly and was hard to get out cleanly. The higher inflation option accommodated my slanted delivery consistently without stalling.

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.

We ran the same process with the 50 degree wedge until we found the right match. For my game, the 46-degree and 50-degree should perform identically – both are full, square-faced shots with no real difference. Matching the 50 degree to the 46 degree we had already dialed in made this segment fast, and that brings us to our first delivery.

Sometimes it’s okay to let good be good. Going into your local PGA Tour Superstore and testing every loft and grind combination sounds appealing — and I’d be a hypocrite to say it isn’t — but you can spend your time more efficiently when building a set. If two clubs serve the same purpose in your bag, one fitting session covers both. Some players use their gap wedge for bump and run shots or special pitches that require keeping some options around, but that’s not my game. My 50-degree should do exactly what my 46-degree does, so we switched to the sand wedge loft.

Be realistic about what your wedges need to do

As we moved into 56 degrees, we decided to stay in the full lap area of ​​the complex, which was certainly unusual. Full swings aren’t necessarily the point of using the 56-degree, but I get full swings with it all the time – whether my coach likes it or not. It’s also a pretty big differentiator in my grind selection. Which brings us to my first fitting surprise…

After the full hitting segment, we were settled into the D fight … for good. No chips or pitch shots needed. Early in the set, I told Brandon that I would split my 56-degree wedge roughly 50-50 between bunker shots and full swings. After coming up with a few options with full shots from the grass, he ended up bringing only the D fight with him.

In the bunker, we hit the D grind a few times and confirmed it was the right 56 ​​degree choice for my game. Left to my own devices, I would never have chosen the D grind. Lesson: understand the role each wedge plays in your set and test them accordingly. Even when you disassemble the wedges in one PGA Tour Superstore or indoor facility, hit the shots you actually need on the course. You will be able to identify which options work for your submission and which do not. Don’t let a doormat fool you into thinking you can’t learn something useful. If you can’t feel confident in a bunker-style shot from a carpet, you won’t have it in an actual bunker either. This sounds counterintuitive, but experience has taught me the difference between feeling confident with a wedge and not – on any surface.

Lobby is everything

Last came the lob wedge, which took the longest, and I would encourage you to plan for the same. This is where you get your money back. Most players need more versatility from their lob than any other club in the group, and for me, it anchors my entire short game. From about 100 yards up, I play almost exclusively at 60 degrees. My coach has feelings about it. One caveat I gave Brandon was that the 40-yard pitch had to be the priority, and I would figure out full swings from there—or, as my coach would prefer, stop hitting entirely. So we started on the side of the green and hit short chips to a flag about 30 yards away.

Vokey places a strong emphasis on blind testing. They give you a wedge before you see it, removing any preconceived preferences before you even start hitting. If you can bring someone with you to handle the clubs during a shop test, try to replicate that process. There is something liberating about not knowing what you have in your hands – just trying to hit. It also speeds up the session because you stop trying to force a score with a club you’ve already decided you want. I gave some options back to Brandon after one swing because I could immediately feel that something else would be better. The main kick at this stage was a low runner with a toe-down setup. From the green side chips, we advanced two options, and at that point it was really close.

We got back to about 40 yards and things got interesting. One of the two remaining options began to produce the kind of trajectory—high, soft, rolling—that you see on the Tour and spend years chasing. I didn’t want to stop hitting. Then the other option started doing it too. For a moment, I thought I had found two legitimate choices. The difference came in speed. One of the options came off the face hotter than I wanted, creating enough hesitation in my movement that I felt less in control. The other let me swing freely with more speed.

We put him in the bunker and M grind won. It was also my favorite option from the greenside chips and 40-yard pitch, which made the decision easy. I left safely in the M 60 degree grind. In the bunker, the M grind allows me to swing aggressively and get the ball out without being precious about it – a big thing for the way I play. One final note: pay attention to how your wedge looks in direct light. Take it outside or have someone shine a phone flashlight on your face while you open it. You may find that you strongly prefer one conclusion over another based on how it is reflected in the address. Personally, the nickel finish is the one for me.

Available now at the PGA Tour Superstore!

Vokey SM11 points are now available at the PGA Tour Superstore. As I said above, don’t be put off by people who say you can’t get a good buy buying wedges at the store. There’s a lot you can do with the resources available at the PGA Tour Superstore, and hopefully between this article and my last one, you’re equipped with the right information to get yourself into a new group and get some lower scores. If you haven’t read the pre-cursor of this article, you can read it here.

Johnny Wunder also went through a proper Vokey experience, which you can watch on the Fully Equipped YouTube channel!

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