Over the last handful of years, one of the biggest trends in the golf industry has been the creation of equipment fit to the needs of the golfer using this. Obviously, where this is most evident is with drivers, where through the use of technologies like moveable weights and adjustable shafts, the golfer can fine tune the club to their swing. Wedges are now starting to follow suit. While there are any wedges with an adjustable shaft or a movable weight (yet) more and more companies are offering a greater variety. Instead of just four or five loft options mixed in with a couple of bounce options, companies are going to more lofts with a greater variety of bounces and grinds.
With the new Vokey SM6 wedges, there are a total of 9 different loft options (everything from 46° to 62° in 2° increments), with each option except the 62° coming in at least 2 two (and some up to 4) different bounce options. In all, there are 21 different combinations of loft, grind, and bounce to choose from, meaning that there is likely a set of wedges to fit your game.
Many may think that these are essentially just the same wedge bent to whatever loft is stamped on the bottom of the club, however, that is not the case as there are significant differences between the pitching/gap wedges, the sand wedges, and the lob wedges. In the lower lofted wedges (46°-52°), the clubs feature a low center of gravity. The SM6 sand wedges (54° and 56° models) have a mid center of gravity, and the lob wedges (58°, 60°, and 62° models) have a high center of gravity. With the center of gravity being progressive though the wedge set, the CG is aligned with he impact position of each loft. This produces precise distance and trajectory control and adds to the feel that Vokey wedges are known for.
The SM6 wedges also come in five different grind options (although not every grind is available for every loft). The grind options are the L Grind (for shallow swing types and firm conditions), M Grind (shallow or neutral swings and firm or medium conditions), S Grind (neutral or steep swing types and medium or soft conditions), F Grind (all swing types, all conditions), and K Grind (neutral or steep swing types and medium or soft conditions). The new wedges uses the company’s TX4 grooves and feature a new parallel face texture. This texture helps create a more consistent groove edge resulting in more spin. In addition to the multiple loft/bounce/grind options, there are three color options: tour chrome, steel grey, and jet black.
While the clubs aren’t available to purchase yet, you can head to your local golf shop to demo them now and to get fit. See below for a table outlining all of the SM6 offerings.
Club Model Loft Bounce Lie Grind
---- ----- ---- ------ --- ------
PW 46.08 46° 8° 64° F
48.08 48° 8° 64° F
GW 50.08 50° 8° 64° F
50.12 50° 12° 64° F
52.08 52° 8° 64° F
52.12 52° 12° 64° F
SW 54.08 54° 8° 64° M
54.10 54° 10° 64° S
54.14 54° 14° 64° F
56.08 56° 8° 64° M
56.10 56° 10° 64° S
56.14 56° 14° 64° F
LW 58.04 58° 4° 64° L
58.08 58° 8° 64° M
58.10 58° 10° 64° S
58.12 58° 12° 64° K
60.04 60° 4° 64° L
60.08 60° 8° 64° M
60.10 60° 10° 64° S
60.12 60° 12° 64° K
62.08 62° 8° 64° M