They call the wedge “the scoring club” for a reason.  Put the right wedge in your hands, and you’ll get the ball closer to the hole, saving strokes on your scorecard. No one has put more wedges in the hands of champion golfers than Bob Vokey and the team at Titleist golf.

Here’s what’s new for 2023.

Lightweight shafts

For the first time ever, Titleist is offering lightweight steel and graphite shaft options as in-stock options at retail. Golfers with moderate swing speeds will now be able to gain better control around the greens with a shaft profile that’s more consistent throughout the bag.

“We’re all making our lightweight options easier to access,” says Ryan Andrew, Canadian Product Manager for Titleist Golf Clubs.  “Historically, you could purchase any SM9 wedge by a custom order with graphite or lightweight steel shafts, but this just makes those most popular loft and brand combinations more readily available to the moderate swing speed player that would benefit from the lighter weight graphite or steel option.”

Featured shafts for Vokey SM9 Lightweight include KBS Tour Lite 95 (wedge), designed for players seeking additional spin and precision control, and Tensei AM2 Red (regular, ladies) which is a graphite, high-launching shaft for players looking for more control from their scoring clubs.

T Grind

At the 2022 British Open, the T Grind SM9 was so popular with the pros that the tour van actually ran out of club heads. Cameron Smith won the Open with the T Grind lob wedge in his bag. With its extremely low bounce, the T Grind is the choice for golfers who can work the ball with great imagination off tight lies.

“All the heel toe and trailing edge relief allows you to lay that club open and not expose that leading edge to the golf ball,” says Andrew. “So, it is perfect for those players looking for low bounce narrow shot that hugs the ground. Unfortunately, those same characteristics also make it the least forgiving grind in our retail lineup, so it is not for everyone.”

The T Grind is the seventh stock grind available in the SM9 matrix joining the six previously available tour-proven grinds – F, S, M, K, L and D. Golfers can be fitted for the right grind to match their swing and the turf conditions they play most often.

With literally hundreds of shaft, loft, and grind combinations now available, it is even more vital than ever to be properly fitted for all of the clubs in your bag. With the innovations introduced with the SM9 last year, Vokey wedges continue to be the industry leader.

Center of gravity

Weight has been moved slightly higher on the club face allowing for the CG to be pushed forward.  As a result, high-lofted wedges have a lower launch angle that aids the golfer to be more successful in proximity to the hole.

Spin Milled Grooves

Produces consistently sharper grooves wedge after wedge, resulting in a higher, more consistent spin.

Personalization

Titleist offers any golfer the option to personalize their wedges by using their imagination to design unique graphics on the back of their clubs using several colour and stamping options.

“It’s amazing how creative people have been over the years,” enthuses Andrew. “Personalization requires a whole lot of skill to be able to stamp and not ruin the wedge. Including Bob Vokey, there are only seven people globally trained to stamp wedges.”

Are they for me?

If you’re seeking what many think are the best wedges in the business, Vokey is certainly near the top of the list. Vokey’s blend of different grinds and bounce options makes them an option for basically any golfer. The lightweight shaft introduction opens this up to a new section of golfers that probably didn’t consider Vokey in the past.

Available for pre-order on February 10.