The unsuspecting beneficiary of the 64-degree wedge | Bag builders

Today, Titleist released a brand new one Vokey WedgeWorks 64º T grinding wedge in a Black Vapor finish for $275.

But its release comes with a question: who is this actually designed for? Vokey says the new offering is “a high-loft lob wedge designed to help golfers navigate firm conditions, elevated greens and short lies.” But I think there is actually another unsuspecting customer for the high lobber.

The unsuspecting beneficiary

Several times I’ve thrown a 64-degree wedge into the pocket of less skilled friends of mine who all share a similar trait in their short game: a lack of confidence. That lack of confidence leads to shots that blade over the green when they try to force too much speed into the ball, or come up short of their target after a big delay in the swing.

But when I give them a 64 degree wedge, the same pattern always occurs. The first handful of shots everything goes straight up and straight down and about half as far as they think. I usually suggest that these guys don’t have a lob wedge at all, so they compare the 64 degrees to a sand wedge or a gap wedge from their game improvement iron set, causing them to swing at less speed than they should.

The traditional idea is to prevent less skilled golfers from getting the ball in the air. Many legends of the game have said that keeping the ball close to the ground leads to greater success.

And while I think that’s generally true, the 64-degree wedge might be the answer to that. After a few more shots, they realized they could throw the lob wedge behind the ball and it would just come up. By introducing a little more speed, they can hit a single-shot type almost anywhere without worry, knowing that the launch will help stop the ball with gravity. Their confidence increases, speed becomes more consistent and their short game begins to improve dramatically.

You can see here in the data I collected this morning on Foresight that the 64 degrees is doing exactly what it is intended to do. It launches a little higher, turns a little more because of that loft, and stops a little quicker because of those factors and gravity. It’s a user-friendly thing. Can I also hit a spinny 8-yard flop shot that stops where it lands? Yes. But that’s fun, we’ll talk about that another time.

To get your hands on the perfect set of wedges, find a True Spec near you!

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