New Spin for Vokey

2009-02-19

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By Steve Pike

The Vokey name has become synonymous with wedges these days, so it’s with that mind that the Acushnet Company is introducing its new Titleist Vokey Design Spin Milled wedges (suggested retail price $119) with nine lofts ranging from 48 degrees to 64 degrees with multiple bounces and sole grinds in three finishes. These options, according to Steve Pelisek, General Manager for Titleist Golf Clubs, create a matrix of performance characteristics to fit a wide range of players, course conditions and shot-making requirements.

Pelesik said Titleist Master Craftsman Bob Vokey has created new Spin Milled pitching, gap, sand and lob wedges that represent an ideal blend of technology and craftsmanship. Each of the wedges, according to Pelisek, features a progressive toe shape, a head with a rounder profile as the lofts increase, and progressive top lines that install visual continuity. The leading edge of each wedge, Pelisek  said, is squarer in the lower lofts to achieve better alignment. In the higher lofts, according to Pelisek, the leading edges are more curved to reduce the likelihood of thin shots.

During the tooling process, the sole and back of each wedge was handcrafted on the bench by Vokey and his team. The line features wedges with Tour inspired sold grinds, based on prototype M, T, E and TK grinds that Vokey created for PGA TOUR players.

Vokey said the grinds were previously only available to PGA TOUR players.

“We are now able to bring a full line of hand-crafted, Tour inspired wedges to all golfers,” Vokey said. “In a manner of speaking, the sole is the ‘soul’ of the wedge. Over the years we have developed different grinds and identified them by a letter or letters as a kind of shorthand for the most common player preference that we encounter.”