His wedge setup consists of SM10 46.10F (@ 47.5 degrees), 52.12F (@ 52.5), 56.14F (@ 57) and 60.04T (@ 60.5).
Why the unusual lofts? Because by weakening each wedge to a precise loft, down to a half-degree, Thomas gets the exact yardages he is seeking. I’m not saying every player needs to have their lofts dialed to half a degree, but throwing out the numbers on your clubs and making sure they carry the distance you need need them to fill is something you can definitely take advantage of in your own game.
“I’ve used four wedges since college,” Thomas told Titleist. “This is something I feel like it’s very important for me to have this area in my bag, and be very precise in terms of gapping. It’s not like I try to get 15 yards here or there, but it’s just more of I want to be able to feel like there’s not a yardage, say under 145 that I can’t hit with all my wedges, and I have full faith and trust in Vokey and AD to get me the bounces and everything that I need.”
Why does Thomas weaken all of his wedges as opposed to strengthen them? Because when you weaken a club, you add bounce, and when you strengthen, you take bounce away. And almost always, and especially with wedges, it’s key to add bounce rather than take it away to help with strike location.
For every shot, every lie, every course, there’s a grind fit for your swing. Finding the right grind to match your swing and playing conditions will give you the best turf interaction, contact and shot performance. Master Craftsman Bob Vokey has spent decades crafting, developing and improving his tour proven grinds to fit players of all levels.Anyone can manufacture a wedge, but it takes a master to turn a piece of high-performance technology into an instrument of creative control. Bob’s six tour-proven grinds are designed to offer maximum creativity, versatility and consistency, all meticulously developed through years of working with the best players in the world.
PROGRESSIVE CENTER OF GRAVITY
SM9 features a progressive center of gravity (CG) throughout the lofts, which optimizes ball flight, accuracy and forgiveness. Using tapered top lines and varied hosel lengths, the Vokey R&D team has raised the height of the CG in the higher lofts, which promotes a lower, more controlled flight.The CG is also forward of the face, resulting in increased MOI, exceptional feel and a club face that simply wants to square up at impact.
SPIN MILLED GROOVES
SM9’s patented Spin Milled grooves are meticulously engineered through a new cutting process to maximize spin and durability. The process starts by cutting the face perfectly flat with a high-speed saw. Then every groove is individually cut based on loft and finish; low lofts (46°-54°) are designed with narrower, deeper grooves, while higher lofts (56°-62°) have wider, shallower grooves.Micro-grooves are individually cut in between grooves, which maximize spin on partial shots. A proprietary heat treatment is applied to the impact area which doubles the durability of the groove without impacting feel, making it the most durable groove in golf. The process is only complete when every Vokey wedge is 100% inspected for utmost quality and performance.
Thomas uses either a 60T (which comes at 4 degrees of measured bounce) or 60K* (which doesn’t have a stated measured bounce, but starts as a 6-degree low bounce K grind) grinds for his lob wedge, so he adds only half a degree of loft — and therefore half a degree of bounce — to maintain a club that can cut through turf quickly off tight lies.
With his set of wedges at the RBC, Thomas gained more than six shots combined on approach and around the green, leading to his first win since the 2022 PGA Championship, in a playoff against Andrew Novak.
Thomas’ SM10 wedges feature optimized CG locations based on loft and new TX9 grooves, which are cut narrower and deeper on stronger lofted wedges and wider and shallower on the higher lofts. There are also five finishes and an industry-leading 27 loft/grind combinations to pick from, with four more Vokey WedgeWorks grinds available on Fairway Jockey as well.
If you order on Fairway Jockey, you can customize every spec down to the ferrule, meaning you can get your lofts and bounces dialed just like JT.
Jack Hirsh is the Associate Equipment Editor at GOLF. A Pennsylvania native, Jack is a 2020 graduate of Penn State University, earning degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his high school golf team and recently returned to the program to serve as head coach. Jack also still *tries* to remain competitive in local amateurs. Before joining GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a TV station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as a Multimedia Journalist/reporter, but also producing, anchoring and even presenting the weather. He can be reached at jack.hirsh@golf.com.
