This is how you find the right Vokey SM11 wedge for you (with useful tips!)

Vokey officially launched its new SM11 wedges last month, and PGA Tour adoption was almost immediate. Why? That answer is simple.

SM11 is designed with a brand new CG story. The T Grind seemed to be a widespread favorite among PGA Tour players, mainly because of the flight it produced. But the T Grind wasn’t necessarily the best sole shape for every player. This meant that PGA Tour representatives had to grind custom wedges, or create special offerings, to give players that nice low T-Grind flight with the sole shape that really suits their game. That brings us to the SM11.

The entire SM11 family was linked to that SM10 T Grind CG location. On the same loft, each shingle has a precise center of gravity location that is identical to each other. However, it changes gradually as you change lofts with a lower center of gravity in the pitching and gap wedge lofts and a higher center of gravity in the sand and lob wedge lofts. This helps encourage an easier-to-launch full swing option in the longer, lower-lofted clubs with more control and a lower flight in the shorter, higher-lofted offerings.

So now that all the CG locations are precisely aligned, the only question you need to answer is which grind will work best for your game. The first step? Click here and do some research on the new lineup and who the different grinds are designed for. Vokey does a great job explaining their lineup, and you’ll probably learn something new as well. Once you feel confident and armed with some knowledge, head to your local PGA Tour Superstore and start researching.

When testing wedges it is important to play with different grinds. (I suggest you take a pitch shot from about 50 yards, or something like that. You’ll quickly find that the ones that go straight up won’t work for your throw.) The key here is to work on eliminating the ones that don’t work. What you are looking for is the ability to hit the wedge consistently with a new sound and face feel. Impact between grooves 2 and 5 is really the sweet spot we’re looking for. At this point, choose the three that felt best to you, and move on to the next test.

Once you’ve picked your three favorites, it’s now time to play differently typing of shots. The most important thing a good lob wedge can do for you is unleash creativity around the greens. However, that level of creativity is determined by the player. Some will have different types of shots in their arsenal and it is important that you try what you have locked and loaded. For example, an important shot for me is about an open face at 45 degrees that I kind of cut into. That adds a lot of effective bounce to the wedge and can be a tricky shot to match with the right grind. It’s one of the reasons I got into an M Grind when I got fit for SM11. Take the three options you selected and take lots of shots. Go back and forth between the different options and make the same shots. Hit a pair in a row with one and then switch to another, then go one at a time. You will soon notice that one of these three is no longer as good for you as the other two. Now that the last two have been selected, we can end the battle for the bag.

For the last two in your selection process, you need to make sure you can achieve the 75-80% swings you will use on the course. For me, with a lob wedge, that’s about a 90 yard shot. Depending on what options you have chosen for yourself at this point, you will find that there is a significant difference in impact on these more complete recordings. If you translate that to court play, we’re talking about the differences in clean contact and heavy or thin contact due to different sole designs. A steeper player may feel more comfortable with a higher bounce offering with a bit more leading edge relief, something like Vokey’s 14º K-grind. Shallow players, or players who have really good control of their bottoming, may find that they work better in something like the 6º T-gravel.

Some golfers will complain about the use of these step-off mats, but consider it a blessing in disguise. The mat is consistent. It gives you the same lie every swing. If you test these last two options together, you can feel the contact difference between them on these fuller shots. It may also be the time to ask a staff member to borrow some impact tape so you can see exactly where you are hitting each club. If you notice that the contact moves up the clubface a bit, you may be in a grind that is too sharp, or isn’t allowing you to move through impact smoothly. Remember, we want that contact point between grooves 2-5.

This process takes no more than about 50 swings from start to finish. My best advice is to be tough with your feedback. All you are doing here is choosing the right option for YOU. There are now so many options available at Vokey that spending some time in a PGA Tour Superstore bay and searching for the right choice for you is not only worth it, but it can also be a lot of fun. Bring a buddy and decide together, or take the opportunity to bring your bag and practice as well.

For more information about the Vokey SM11 and more To order in advance, click here.

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