Seen on tour
New Titleist Vokey SM9 wedges to make tour debut at Kapalua
Titleist’s Vokey wedges are the leading wedges at retail and, according to the company, have been the most played wedges on the PGA Tour since 2004. Starting Monday at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, a new model of its Spin Milled wedges will be unveiled to its tour staff: the SM9.
When you have such widespread use among tour players and everyday golfers, the first rule of thumb with a follow-up product is to do no harm. That appears to be the case here as, visually at least, the SM9 does not appear to stray very far from its predecessor with a very clean back to the club, the hallmark Vokey wings logo in the same location and the words “Vokey Design” and “SM9” located in the heel and toe area, respectively.
The introduction is another aspect of the company’s long-held tour seeding and validation process with the new wedges going into competition after months of trial by tour players of unmarked prototypes during practice rounds. The company used that feedback to help to shape what players will see at Kapalua’s Plantation Course.
According to the company, Vokey PGA Tour wedge rep Aaron Dill will be on site at the upcoming The American Express event to introduce the new wedges to players and help fit them into their preferred bounce/grind setup.
Given the rapid adoption of previous Vokey launches, expect the SM9 to quickly go into the bags of tour players and likely be the No. 1 wedge model on tour soon.