ORLANDO -- Chief tinkerer.
That ought to be the job title listed on Bob Vokey's business card. The Titleist club designer has spent decades fine-tuning wedges to help tour pros and average golfers alike, a task that never seems to end.
Case in point: the newly released Titleist Vokey Spin Milled 5 wedges that debuted Jan. 21 during the PGA Merchandise Show Demo Day at Orange County National. To maximize spin and improve trajectory and distance control, the Vokey SM5 incorporates a deeper groove design that channels away grass and sand. Company officials boast that each groove (with seven percent larger volume than previous models) is individually cut using its proprietary spin milled technology to the maximum dimensions allowed by the Rules of Golf.
As with his other designs, Vokey worked in consultation with tour players, leaning on the like of Adam Scott, Steve Stricker and Jason Dufner ("I've always said I have the best R&D facility in the world -- the PGA Tour," he quips). The trio helped offer feedback on bounce and grind options; the Vokey SM5 line is available in 21 different loft/bounce/grind combinations and six "tour-inspired" sole grinds. The wedges also feature a more compact profile with three finish options: tour chrome, gold nickel and raw black.
The wedges with be available in retail shops starting March 14 (suggested price: $145 each). They have already found their way into the bags of several tour pros. Jordan Spieth put them in play when he finished second at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions.
Other players who are using them, according to the company, are Stricker, Bill Haas, Scott Piercy, Brendon de Jonge, Scott Stallings, Marc Leishman, John Merrick, Geoff Ogilvy, Morgan Hoffmann, Bud Cauley, Greg Chalmers and Charley Hoffman.
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