Let’s talk about the sexy stuff: Wedge grinds!
While it may be an unheralded corner of the bag, there’s an interesting trend happening with wedges, as many pros seem to be opting for wider soled grinds on their lob wedges. A wider sole typically adds forgiveness but reduces versatility, so why would the best in the world consider this sacrifice?
Because they don’t really have to anymore.
In the past year, Titleist’s Vokey team has made moves reflecting this trend, releasing the Vokey K*-Grind to the general public last fall and then adding the .06K Low Bounce K-Grind to their regular retail lineup in January. The .06K is a super wide-sole, high-bounce wedge designed for players with steep swings and those who may struggle from the sand. The more unique K* has been around for a while on Tour and available through the WedgeWorks program, but allows more shallow players to take advantage of the full, wide sole of the K-Grind. It includes pre-wear — which helps keep the leading edge from digging — and trailing edge relief, which helps the leading edge sit lower to the ground.
How’s it working on Tour? It’s the same wedge Scottie Scheffler used for three of his four major titles.
Both of these Vokey wedges have become super popular in the pro game, with a K-grind variant — .06K or K* — lob wedge winning the last four PGA Tour events. Other manufacturers are on the same track. Just last week, TaylorMade fully released their new MG5 wedges, which offer a new SX-Grind for lob wedges, the widest sole the company has ever offered, adding versatility for different face positions.
Wide soled wedges are certainly nothing new to golf, but there’s a certain level or interest piquing on Tour right now. They might be right for you, too, as more options arrive in the retail market. The only way to know for sure hasn’t changed. Get fit for wedges just like you would for any other part of your bag.
3 things I’m thinking
Gotta be the shoes: Justin Rose just became the first player to win on the PGA Tour wearing Payntr shoes. It’s worth repeating because of how he won, with long drives that had broadcasters calling him ageless. Was it because of Payntr’s proprietary propulsion plate to help with efficient energy transfer? We won’t necessarily make that jump but we do find it interesting!
Or is it the driver?: Speaking of Rose, he won with a driver he hadn’t used on the course until Thursday’s opening round! Some guys will take weeks grinding through the feel of a club — particularly the longest one in the bag — before they commit to a new club. Not Rose, apparently.
‘V’ stands for Very Good: Dean Burmester won LIV Golf Chicago using Srixon Z-Forged II blades. It’s been a huge year for Srixon as they’ve picked up several wins, including J.J. Spaun’s U.S. Open. Don’t be surprised when you see more companies offering something akin to Srixon’s V-shaped sole design.
