Equipment

Vokey adds SM5 raw wedges to WedgeWorks

Published

11 years ago

Jul 8, 2015

Titleist has expanded its Vokey SM5 wedge line with the addition of a new raw finish, which is a favorite of many PGA Tour players.

[quote_box_center]“Raw means there is no additional finish applied to the wedge, which is made of 8620 carbon steel,” said Bob Vokey, the company’s master wedge craftsman. “It has what I like to call a satin appearance that will start to rust after some use.”[/quote_box_center]

The raw-finished wedges were only available through the Titleist Tour Van or the Vokey Tour Department in the past, but they’re now available to the masses for purchase through the company’s WedgeWorks program on Vokey.com for $180 and up, depending on custom options.

: Photo Courtesy of Titleist

: Photo Courtesy of Titleist

: Photo Courtesy of Titleist

Raw wedge heads are used on the PGA Tour to give club makers the ability to customize the sole, shape and weight of the club to a specific player’s needs, but they’re also preferred by players because of their look and feel. Because there is no finish on the clubs, they will rust over time, creating a unique, glare-free look.

Jordan Spieth uses four raw SM5 wedges. 46F, 52F, 56S and 60L.

[quote_box_center]”Some players like it even more as it rusts, kind of like a trusty hammer or another tool,” Vokey said.[/quote_box_center]

The raw SM5 wedges are offered in four lofts (54, 56, 58 and 60) and three of Vokey’s most popular sole grinds (S, M and K) creating 10 different configurations. Through WedgeWorks, golfers can also customize the wedges with personal stampings and up to six characters, as well as one of 12 paintfill options. A selection of custom grips, shafts, shaft bands and ferrules are also available.

Like Vokey’s retail SM5 wedges, which are offered in three finishes (Tour Chrome, Gold Nickel and Raw Black), the SM5 raw wedges have the company’s Spin Milled TX3 grooves.

Related Topics:Vokey wedges

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27 Comments

LukasM

Jul 15, 2015 at 6:34 am

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Ightsero’s Essential Tool

Reply Report comment
Insurance

Jul 10, 2015 at 6:53 pm

Just. No. The price point for this club is way off the mark. High-volume cast-stamped steel with an upcharge finish? The std wedges are already way overpriced for what they are and now this? Come on Titleist. Gives us tour-grade forged wedges and charge $180, we might just take it.

I will say it looks cool. So they got that part right.

Reply Report comment
Clemson Sucks

Jul 10, 2015 at 9:37 am

They’ve actually started offering many different bounce/grind combinations in the SM5’s. And they’re wedges.. What do expect?

Reply Report comment
John Daly

Jul 10, 2015 at 12:41 am

No thanks on $180 wedge that is a rusting pos.

Reply Report comment
Rwj

Jul 8, 2015 at 8:50 pm

Wedge that is $180 a piece. Cast 8620 steel that size is very cheap, the labor price is high, but hand grinding a wedge is not a two hour process, so not significant. The price comes from the titleist name and brand. The company has a large number of senior vp, then vp’s, then directors, then managers, etc. the overhead is outrageous

Reply Report comment
- Matto
  
  Jul 9, 2015 at 6:18 pm
  
  Doesn’t explain the fact that all (now) 4 Sm5’s are made from the same steel. 3 get get a final process, Chrome, Nickel, Black.
  The last of the 4 gets no final process yet somehow costs $50 more.
  It’s a rort, pure & simple.
  This is a wedge that people can have and now think, “yeah, I got one like Adam Scott & Spetih.” (Looks great though!!!!)
  
  Reply Report comment
Matto

Jul 8, 2015 at 7:42 pm

Or you could buy mine, all listed online at the moment. 46,50,54,58.
Ping Glides for me now. ????????

Reply Report comment
Brian T

Jul 8, 2015 at 6:14 pm

Pay an extra $50 for them to not apply an extra manufacturing step? Am I missing something? If anything they should cost less.

Reply Report comment
- Rich
  
  Jul 9, 2015 at 7:31 am
  
  +1
  
  Reply Report comment
jgpl001

Jul 8, 2015 at 5:11 pm

DAMN I just bought 2 Gold Nickel Vokeys last week because I got tired waiting for a raw version…

How could Titleist not offer the raw version retail from day one???

Reply Report comment
Clemson Sucks

Jul 8, 2015 at 3:10 pm

Or, you could save $50 by buying the wedge in raw black, then strip the finish off…

Reply Report comment
- Chuck
  
  Jul 9, 2015 at 2:08 pm
  
  Have you actually done that? I recall the process for easily stripping the “Oil Can” finish off Vokeys some years ago, with household products.
  
  But isn’t the black some sort of anodizing? How do you get that off, if it is electroplated on? Of course one way to get it off would be to hit 5,000 bunker shots with it. And the side benefit is that you’d be the best bunker player in your Saturday morning foursome.
  
  But seriously, how do you strip the black finish off?
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Clemson Sucks
    
    Jul 10, 2015 at 9:33 am
    
    http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/1042473-vokey-sm5-removing-black-finish-down-to-raw-a-how-to-pic-heavy/
    
    Reply Report comment
    - Chuck
      
      Jul 10, 2015 at 12:22 pm
      
      How did I ever miss that thread? It’s brilliant; thanks for posting the link.
      
      Reply Report comment
Steve

Jul 8, 2015 at 2:05 pm

Never liked vokeys, just always felt harsh.

Reply Report comment
- Rusty
  
  Jul 9, 2015 at 11:45 am
  
  Try hitting the ball in the sweetspot. Then they feel like butter 😉
  
  Reply Report comment
Andrew

Jul 8, 2015 at 1:30 pm

Why no 46/48 or 50??

Reply Report comment
John Aiello

Jul 8, 2015 at 12:55 pm

You didn’t say when the were going to become available.

Reply Report comment
- Clemson Sucks
  
  Jul 8, 2015 at 2:57 pm
  
  Says they are coming soon, on the website.
  
  Reply Report comment
Terry Shell PGA

Jul 8, 2015 at 12:53 pm

Finally raw wedges without hand ground price. Now we need the “j” and “e” grinds.

Reply Report comment
me

Jul 8, 2015 at 12:52 pm

So the standard SM5 are $130, but the “process” of NOT adding a finish to the club adds an additional $50 to the price tag?

Reply Report comment
- Matt
  
  Jul 8, 2015 at 3:20 pm
  
  Supply and demand, baby. Supply and demand.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Rwj
    
    Jul 8, 2015 at 8:47 pm
    
    Doubt fits into supply demand concept. I imagine there are plenty who want finished wedges as much as raw, so demand is probably the same. Supply, the raw wedges are every wedge, finish is added to the raw state, so supply is constant
    
    Reply Report comment
- BustyMagoo
  
  Jul 8, 2015 at 10:37 pm
  
  Yah so we’re paying more for less. It does suck but that is indeed supply and demand. Either way, I’m over paying high prices for clubs.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Chuck
  
  Jul 9, 2015 at 2:12 pm
  
  It’s a fair point! Why pay more, for less?
  
  I haven’t bought a Wedgeworks wedge yet; are there things offered with Wedgeworks clubs that can’t be had with other Vokeys? Shafts? Grinds? Stamping?
  
  Reply Report comment
Chuck

Jul 8, 2015 at 12:48 pm

Looks like Vokey is reading GolfWRX.com, and I propose to reward Vokey with the purchase of a raw SM5!

Next up; new Vokey remakes of the 400 series wedges. Let’s do this!

Reply Report comment
- Jon443
  
  Jul 8, 2015 at 7:52 pm
  
  The new sm6 look very similar to the 400 series. You will love them if your a 400 lover.
  
  Reply Report comment

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Equipment

Then and now: Comparing Rory McIlroy’s current setup to his record-breaking 2019 Canadian Open victory

Published

2 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Alistair Cameron

In Rory McIlroy’s first appearance at the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, he crushed the record books to earn his 16th PGA Tour title in dominating fashion, winning by seven shots over Shane Lowry and Webb Simpson.

McIlroy’s score of 22-under-par 258 is the lowest 72-hole score to date at the Canadian Open, and his closing 61 is also the best final-round score in the history of one of golf’s oldest tournaments. Finally, with his win in 2019, McIlroy became only the sixth player to win the career Triple Crown, adding to his victories at the U.S. Open in 2011 and The Open Championship in 2014, joining Tommy Armour, Walter Hagen, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Tiger Woods in a coveted list.

So, with that, why not compare his current setup to the clubs he used to break all the records?

Driver

2019: TaylorMade M5 (9 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D (9 degrees @8), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7X (45 5/8 inches)

McIroy led the Tour in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee in 2019; he’s doing the same in 2026. Between now and then, McIlroy has switched from the Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX (a shaft with slightly more feeling in the tip) to the original Fujikura Ventus Black 7X, having just made the change to the heavier version from playing the 60X.

What’s interesting about McIlroy’s 2019 setup is that the weighting on his driver is actually set in the high-draw setting, using the T-Track weighting system, whereas in the Qi4D, he’s currently using a heavily rear-weighted setup. (Two 13-gram weights in the rear and only two 4-gram front weights.)

The TaylorMade M5 driver he played in during his Canadian Open win was the company’s first head that they claimed to design to initially exceed the USGA’s COR limit, and then injected with tuning resin to bring it back in bounds.

Fairway woods

2019: TaylorMade M6 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 80 TX; TaylorMade M5 5-wood (19 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 90 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8X; TaylorMade Qi4D 5-wood (18 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9X

The TaylorMade M6 fairway wood that McIlroy was using during the 2019 season is still in the bag of some of the best golfers on Tour in 2026. Just check out Justin Rose’s winning setup from the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year. This year, though, McIlroy has still been searching for his top-end-of-the-bag setup, having played both the new Qi4D and the Qi10, which he won the Masters with.

The same shaft swap can be seen in the fairway woods as the driver, along with slightly less loft on the 5-wood.

Irons

2019: TaylorMade P750 (4) Buy here, TaylorMade P730 (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0
2026: TaylorMade P760 (4), TaylorMade Rors Proto (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0

The biggest difference between McIlroy’s custom set and the stock P730s is the groove design. While the P730s were constructed with 14 MX-9 grooves on their milled faces, McIlroy’s proto heads instead use the higher-spinning, 16-groove layout of the TW2 grooves. Other big differences between the sets are that McIlroy’s 7- and 8-irons have thinner toplines, are 1 degree stronger in loft, and are 1/4 inch longer than the original P730 builds.

With McIlroy’s 4-iron, the switch from P750 to P760 sees a transition to a two-piece construction with Speed Foam in it, which allows McIlroy to launch the ball slightly higher, with more workability.

Wedges

2019: TaylorMade Milled Grind (48-09SB), TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09SB, 56-09SB, 60-LB09), Shafts: Project X Rifle 6.5
2026: TaylorMade MG5 (46-09SB, 50-09SB, 54-11SB, 60-08LB @61), Shafts: Project X 6.5 (46-54), Project X 6.5 Wedge (60)

Between 2019 and 2026, McIlroy’s focus on his short game has been much more apparent. It was the reason why he switched back to the TP5 golf ball, to help with launch, spin and control with his wedges leading up to his career Grand Slam victory in 2025. The most apparent changes to McIlroy’s wedge setup are his lofts and bounce. He’s slowly delofted his pitching to a sand wedge, but has increased the loft on the lob wedge, bending his current 60-degree to 61. With that, adding more loft to his lob wedge also slightly increases the bounce and leading-edge sit point, so, as a result, he plays a lower-bounce lob wedge compared to 2019. The MG5 wedges are also softer than the first Milled Grind option from 2019. McIlroy also no longer plays the full-face grooves found on the Hi-Toe.

Putter

2019: TaylorMade Spider X
2026: TaylorMade Spider Tour X

Notice anything similar. Yes, the copper finish on Rory McIlroy’s Spider X putter in 2019 is a slightly more reflective finish than the recently released torched PVD finish. McIlroy was using the True Path alignment system, but now uses only a single white sightline.

Ball

2019: 2019 TaylorMade TP5 (#22)
2026: 2025 TaylorMade TP5 (RORS)

As mentioned above, McIlroy had transitioned from the TP5 to TP5x golf ball since his victory in Canada in 2019, but now is black with the same style of golf ball as his victory at Hamilton Golf & Country Club.

Grips

2019: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
2026: Golf Pride MCC

Interesting, McIlroy actually used Golf Pride’s Tour Velvet Cord grips during his victory in 2019 (it was during a 2+ year switch to the corded TV) as opposed to his usual MCC grips, which he has played for most of his career.

Equipment

From the GolfWRX Classifieds: Titleist Vokey Proto Wedges 54M, 60T

Published

5 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Will Schube

At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @Putt4Dough is selling some prototype wedges from Vokey Wedgeworks. These include a 54 degree wedge with the M grind and a 60 degree wedge with a T grind.

From the listing:

(1) Titleist Vokey Proto Wedge 54M with a Tour Issue DGS400 shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet (logo down). Standard length, lie, and loft. BB&F ferrule. Raw wedge in good condition. No initials. Price is $200 shipped. Buy both wedges for $380 shipped.

(2) Titleist Vokey Proto Wedge 60T with a KBS Tour 130X shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet. Standard length, lie, and loft. Raw wedge in good condition. No initials. Price is $200 shipped. Buy both wedges for $380 shipped.

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules.