Equipment

What is it about that Titleist Vokey T-grind? You won’t believe how many top-100 players use it

Published

3 years ago

Jun 2, 2023

On Wednesday at the 2023 Memorial Tournament, I looked into Sam Burns’ staff bag, and I was surprised to see that he recently switched into a new Titleist Vokey WedgeWorks T-Grind prototype 60-degree lob wedge.

Shame on me for being surprised, I guess.

According to a Titleist representative, and confirmed by GolfWRX’s “What’s in the Bag?” database, 31 players inside the OWGR top-100 currently use a Vokey T-grind – or, at least, they carry a T-grind weekly as an option depending on course conditions (tour players often carry a higher-bounce option and a lower-bounce option, then make a game-time decision).

As we found, the list of T-grind users includes Xander Schauffele, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Cameron Smith, Will Zalatoris, Jordan Spieth, Tony Finau, Sam Burns, Justin Thomas, Cameron Young, Tyrrell Hatton, Tom Kim, Jason Day, Tommy Fleetwood, Russell Henley, Tom Hoge, Billy Horschel, Chris Kirk, Adam Scott, Patrick Reed, Keith Mitchell, Min Woo Lee, Taylor Montgomery, Harold Varner III, Kevin Kisner, Nick Taylor, Brendan Todd, Davis Riley, Gary Woodland, Davis Thompson, Trey Mullinax and Sadom Kaewkanjana.

Yeah, that’s an extensive list of players using a very specific wedge grind.

Also of note, LPGA stars Jin Young Ko and Nelly Korda use a Vokey T-grind wedge, and Fred Biondi won the 2023 Men’s NCAA Golf Championships with one, too.

So, what is it about that T-grind?!

Back in 2020, GolfWRX.com spoke with Titleist Vokey rep (and master wedge stamp artist) Aaron Dill to understand more.

“The T-grind started with the collaborative efforts of both Bob Vokey and Tom Pernice,” Dill said. “Tom has an incredible short game and ability to articulate feedback that Bob trusts when designing and studying soles. Together they created the T; today one of the best low bounce offerings we have.

“The T is a great low bounce option that caters to players wanting the ability to slide under the ball in the open position. The wedge fits firm conditions and firm bunkers, or players with impeccable technique who want the most versatility.”

“Both Jordan and JT [and a slew of others] love this grind because it sits so close to the ground when open. This visual inspires confidence and gives them the freedom to be aggressive in every short game situation.”

Thanks to a bit of sun glare on Spieth’s wedge at the 2023 Waste Management, you can really see the shaved areas of a T-grind.

And here’s another angle…

And here’s a look at Justin Thomas’ T-grind wedge from the toe perspective…

So, what does this mean for everyday golfers??

For amateur golfers, in my opinion, the T-grind movement simply means that you should absolutely get a wedge fitting!

Pro golfers turn to the T-grind wedge because that’s what suits their delivery pattern and the typical course conditions on the PGA Tour. The reality of the situation is that most golfers do NOT play golf on the same type of closely mown, tight fairways that professional golfers do. Most amateur golfers also aren’t as savvy when using a lob wedge in an open-faced orientation, and they don’t have the same precision level of ball striking, in general – most golfers are a bit steeper, or have less consistent low points in their swing arcs, thus making them more prone to hitting skulls and chunks.

The T-grind is a niche offering that became available to the public in early 2023, but it should simply be used as an option to try during testing.

In an article posted by Titleist itself, the company writes:

“Wedge grind is the manipulation or removal of material from the sole of the club, helping to improve contact with the turf. Grinds allow for more creativity and consistency around the green, letting you play with ball spin, flight, power, and other factors…

“It’s important to use the right wedge grinds for your swing type and course conditions, so you can be prepared to hit every kind of wedge shot. Vokey offers many wedge grind options for different situations.

“For instance, the L grind is ideal for firm conditions and sweeper swing styles, the M grind offers the most playability, and for some players, the best Vokey grind for sand is the K grind, with the highest bounce.”

My translation for that is that every golfer should try different wedge grinds to see what suits them best.

Buying a random wedge with a random grind and bounce is a surefire way to get random results from your wedge game.

Take back control of your wedge game by picking the RIGHT grind, instead!

Typically, lower-bounce grinds are better for firm conditions, or for those who take little-to-no divot on pitch shots. Higher bounce wedges, on the other hand, benefit golfers who play in softer conditions, or have steeper swings.

There’s no perfect wedge fitting system, though, because every golfer is slightly different. The only fact is that wedge grinds truly matter, and the best way to ensure you have the right wedge grinds in your bag is trial-and-error under the supervision of a professional fitter or instructor.

Related Topics:featured recommended Titleist Vokey wedges

Up Next

Bettinardi x Hasbro launch all-new Transformers collection

Don't Miss

Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (6/2/23): SkyTrak launch monitor

Andrew Tursky

He played on the Hawaii Pacific University Men's Golf team and earned a Masters degree in Communications. He also played college golf at Rutgers University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

4 Comments

Scott

Jun 4, 2023 at 7:41 pm

Disagree completely about this being just for pros or elite amateurs and especially about not being for the local muni. Our local muni is a goat track with hard packed areas around the green, sometimes bare dirt in spots, and firm bunkers. Many times I’ve needed to open up a wedge and have skulled it on that hardpan. I need it much more there than at lush well manicured & watered courses.

While certainly no pro I actually learned how much easier that is to do with the T-grind. Don’t let conventional wisdom dictate your bags. I’ve got a 9 wood and a T-grind in my bag. Conventional wisdom says I’ve got plenty of swing speed to not need a 9 wood yet am not accomplished enough for a “pros” t-grind wedge. Both couldn’t be more wrong. Probably my 2 favorite clubs that save me strokes every round.

Reply Report comment
Bob

Jun 3, 2023 at 5:47 pm

This wedge is only for a handful of golfers on a handful of courses.

Reply Report comment
g daddy

Jun 2, 2023 at 1:15 pm

The reason is simple, bounce is really not needed for all short game shots. In fact for many short game shots, bounce is the enemy. Many pros have an option with little bounce – like the T grind on a 60* and then they also have an option with more bounce (usually in the 56*) for when they want to use it. They’re covering their bases – it’s just smart. Amateurs should use this method too.

Reply Report comment
Jbone

Jun 2, 2023 at 12:56 pm

If pros were competing at the local muni they would probably be opting for a different grind. Great club for playing nicely manicured courses.

Reply Report comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Whats in the Bag

Christiaan Maas WITB 2026 (June)

Published

3 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D LS (8 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9 TX

Irons: TaylorMade P770 (3), TaylorMade P7CB (4), TaylorMade P7TW (5-PW)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 10 X, True Temper Dynamic Gold X100

Wedges: TaylorMade Prototype (50-SB09), TaylorMade MG5 (56-HB12, 60-LV07)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S400

Putter: TaylorMade TP Juno

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

Check out more in-hand photos of Christiaan Maas’ clubs here.

Equipment

TaylorMade MySpider Tour and Tour X: More customizable build options now available

Published

3 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Alistair Cameron

TaylorMade Golf’s MySpider program underwent a substantial overhaul over the last month. Firstly, the company launched the option to customize the Spider ZT model, and now the program has returned with the MySpider Tour and MySpider Tour X.

The revamped page now gives golfers complete control over every visual and functional detail of their putter on the popular Tour and Tour X head, with every cosmetic idea thought of. In MySpider Tour, golfers can choose from four head finishes, 16 paint fill colors, nine Surlyn face insert colors, three aluminum insert options, six sightline configurations, and four hosel options — L-neck, small slant, double bend, center shaft. Six sightline options are available in MySpider Tour, including the optically engineered True Path alignment system. MySpider Tour X gives builders the option of four head finishes, four hosel configurations, and five sightline options, also including True Path alignment.

One of the more interesting features of the new MySpider program is the availability of three distinct face insert options. Along with the usual Surlyn Pure Roll insert trusted by Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, which can be customized from nine colors, golfers can now also select firmer options. Two are offered with the black aluminum Pure Roll insert, slightly firmer than the traditional insert, or for the firmest feel, golfers can choose from two colors of milled aluminum inserts.

Another fun addition to the MySpider Tour is the ability to use the “Tommy Sightline.” The custom alignment aid design, which was first drawn onto Tommy Fleetwood’s putter by PGA Tour Rep James Holley, is based on the milled sightline on his Spider ZT head. There are five shorter lines on the left and right of a longer central line serving as the traditional short line alignment aid.

See below for the full specifications sheet for MySpider Tour and Tour X:

MySpider Tour

MySpider Tour X

Equipment

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

Published

6 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.