What to expect from a wedge fitting

Jeremy Ellwood gets to experience a full Titleist SM6 wedge fitting not just from anyone, but Mr Wedge himself… Titleist’s Bob Vokey

Jeremy Ellwood gets to experience a full Titleist SM6 wedge fitting not just from anyone, but Mr Wedge himself… Titleist’s Bob Vokey

My wedge game really is blessed with a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde persona. Casting aside any technique issues of which I am painfully aware, my full wedge game is distinctly sub-standard for a 5-handicapper, while around the greens I have been known to be quite useful.

So when the opportunity arose for a wedge fitting with the man who quite possibly knows more about golf’s scoring clubs than anyone on the planet – Titleist’s Bob Vokey – I leapt at the chance, eager to see if refining my wedge line-up might reap big dividends.

It was an illuminating and fascinating hour with a man who just exudes enthusiasm and interest, with Bob starting off by enquiring about my current wedge line-up and style of play. Armed with that info, Bob then set about getting me to test a variety of wedges in all the various bounce and sole grind options now available in the striking new SM6 series.

Bob watched me hit shots, observed my technique and even examined my divots in the relentless pursuit of just the right line-up for me, stressing that he likes 4˚ gaps between wedges.

When I headed up the equipment coverage in the magazine some years ago now, I remember writing on several occasions that, depending on course conditions and style of play, having a variety of bounce options at your disposal was as important, if not more important, than having a variety of loft options. Somehow, it would seem that I was right, with Bob enlightening me that only one tour pro he knew of has the same sole grind in all his wedges.

After much experimenting on full shots, chip shots and bunker shots it transpired that not only did I need three different lofts (obviously!) – 50˚, 54˚ and 58˚ - but also three different sole grinds – F, M and S respectively, with the amount of check on even short chips around the green an absolute revelation for someone’s whose wedge faces are now long past their sell-by date.

A few weeks later, three little personalised beauties arrived in the post, which I’m hoping might just give me a new edge around the greens.

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My new Titleist Vokey SM6 wedge line-up...

The accompanying video reveals more of the nuggets of wisdom I received from Bob in our time together…

Jeremy Ellwood
Contributing Editor

Jeremy Ellwood has worked in the golf industry since 1993 and for Golf Monthly since 2002 when he started out as equipment editor. He is now a freelance journalist writing mainly for Golf Monthly. He is an expert on the Rules of Golf having qualified through an R&A course to become a golf referee. He is a senior panelist for Golf Monthly's Top 100 UK & Ireland Course Rankings and has played all of the Top 100 plus 91 of the Next 100, making him well-qualified when it comes to assessing and comparing our premier golf courses. He has now played 1,000 golf courses worldwide in 35 countries, from the humblest of nine-holers in the Scottish Highlands to the very grandest of international golf resorts. He reached the 1,000 mark on his 60th birthday in October 2023 on Vale do Lobo's Ocean course. Put him on a links course anywhere and he will be blissfully content.

Jezz can be contacted via Twitter - @JezzEllwoodGolf


Jeremy is currently playing...

Driver: Ping G425 LST 10.5˚ (draw setting), Mitsubishi Tensei AV Orange 55 S shaft

3 wood: Ping G425 Max 15˚ (set to flat +1), Mitsubishi Tensei AV Orange 65 S shaft

Hybrid: Ping G425 17˚, Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro Orange 80 S shaft

Irons 3-PW: Ping i525, True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 R300 shafts

Wedges: Ping Glide 4.0 50˚ and 54˚, 12˚ bounce, True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 R300 shafts

Putter: Ping Fetch 2021 model, 33in shaft (set flat 2)

Ball: Varies but mostly now TaylorMade Tour Response