Tom’s personal go-to wedges review: The Titleist Vokey SM8 Wedges.
During my last trip to the golf course I decided to keep track of the percentage of my shots that were inside 125 yards. To my surprise, over 65% of my total shots hit during my round were with a wedge in my hand!
This experiment made me realize that my best scores are almost entirely determined by having good performance with my wedges!
After years of experimenting and trying various brands, no wedge has performed better for me than the Titleist Vokey SM8! If you’ve ever been curious about what makes Vokey Wedges have such a stellar reputation in the golf equipment world, stick around and let us explain why we feel Vokey’s can help almost every golfer’s game!
Purchase the Titleist SM8 Wedges HERE before they’re gone!
Titleist Vokey SM8 Wedges Review: What To Expect Out Of The Bag
Key Features
- 6 sole grind options for a variety of shot-making capabilities and course conditions.
- Newly repositioned Center of Gravity (CG) placement for improved consistency.
- 100% inspected and Heat Treated Spin-Milled Grooves for double the durability.
- Five unique Finish Colors.
Best For These Golfers
- Golfers looking for a penetrating and controlled trajectory with their wedges.
- Players wanting to maximize their performance and consistency with their wedge game through advanced sole grinds.
- Better golfers that are confident with their wedge game and smaller wedge club heads.
Reconsider If
- You need a very high level of forgiveness with wedges for good performance.
- You don’t like to hit creative shots with your wedges.
About Bob Vokey and Titleist Vokey SM8 Wedges
Beginning in 1996, Bob Vokey was hired by Titleist to bring new life and ideas to their Wedge design. The following year, “Titleist Vokey Wedges” debuted amongst PGA Tour players and have since remained the most popular and commonly used wedges amongst all professional golfers.
Bob Vokey is famously quoted saying, “For every shot, every lie, every course, there’s a grind fit for your swing.”
Vokey has been instrumental in developing “Sole Grinds” for wedges, which describes the removal of material from the sole of the club to improve contact consistency with the turf. Wouldn’t it be nice to know an incorrect wedge grind might’ve caused those chunked or skulled shots over the green?
Performance and Features
Below, we’ll discuss the 6 unique sole grinds the Vokey SM8 Wedges are offered with, as well as the awesome technology advancements the SM8 line has seen that helps us stick more wedge shots close!
Sole Grinds
For starters, the 6 unique sole grinds you’ll get to choose from are called:
- L Grind
- F Grind
- M Grind
- S Grind
- D Grind
- K Grind
Bob Vokey categorizes golfers by three swing types: “Sliders,” “Diggers,” or “Neutral Swings”
Both the Sole Grind and amount of Bounce (the amount of curve the sole of the wedge has) you choose should be catered toward your specific swing type and the course conditions you face most frequently. For example, soft conditions generally require more bounce for improved consistency through the turf, while firm courses generally require less bounce for the same level of accuracy.
- L Grind: Lowest Bounce grind option designed for firm course conditions and extremely precise wedge players.
- F Grind: The most played grind on Tour (including Justin Thomas) and designed for all shots but particularly full shots hit with a square club face.
- M Grind: Bob Vokey’s favorite grind and considered “multi-purpose” for players that have a “sliding” or “sweeping” style swing.
- S Grind: A popular “middle-of-the-road” grind designed for neutral to firm course conditions and for players that like to control loft with their hands ahead or behind the golf ball. (Played by Adam Scott and Jordan Spieth)
- D Grind: Ideal for golfers with a steeper angle of attack (digger) and for golfers that often play softer turf golf courses.
- K Grind: The highest bounce option and described as “the ultimate bunker club.” It offers the most forgiveness on a variety of sand and course conditions and suits high handicappers all the way to Justin Thomas and Adam Scott.
I was fortunate enough to get fitted for my Vokey SM8 Wedges through a trained Titleist Staff Specialist in my area. After trying many different grind and bounce options, I ended with a 52° Gap Wedge with an F Grind and 8° of Bounce, a 56° Sand Wedge with an S Grind and 10° of Bounce, and a 60° Lob Wedge with an S Grind and 10° of Bounce.
If you don’t have the resources near you to have a true “Wedge Fitting,” Vokey has developed an online “Wedge Selector Tool” that will ask you questions about your game and the golf courses you play most frequently to give you a precise recommendation for what wedges you should play.
Spec Check for the Titleist Vokey SM8 Wedges
Stock Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold S200 Steel Shaft in “Wedge Flex”
Stock Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 White and Black Grip
Pitching Wedge Specifications
| Loft / Bounce (°) | Sole Grind | Length (“) | Lie (°) | Swing Weight |
| 46 / 10 | F | 35.75 | 64 | D3 |
| 48 / 10 | F | 35.75 | 64 | D3 |
Gap Wedge Specifications
| Loft / Bounce (°) | Sole Grind | Length (“) | Lie (°) | Swing Weight |
| 50 / 8 | F | 35.50 | 64 | D3 |
| 50 / 12 | F | 35.50 | 64 | D3 |
| 52 / 8 | F | 35.50 | 64 | D3 |
| 52 / 12 | F | 35.50 | 64 | D3 |
Sand Wedge Specifications
| Loft / Bounce (°) | Sole Grind | Length (“) | Lie (°) | Swing Weight |
| 54 / 10 | S | 35.25 | 64 | D5 |
| 54 / 12 | D | 35.25 | 64 | D5 |
| 54 / 14 | F | 35.25 | 64 | D5 |
| 56 / 08 | M | 35.25 | 64 | D5 |
| 56 / 10 | S | 35.25 | 64 | D5 |
| 56 / 12 | D | 35.25 | 64 | D5 |
| 56 / 14 | F | 35.25 | 64 | D5 |
Lob Wedge Specifications
| Loft / Bounce (°) | Sole Grind | Length (“) | Lie (°) | Swing Weight |
| 58 / 8 | M | 35.00 | 64 | D5 |
| 58 / 10 | S | 35.00 | 64 | D5 |
| 58 / 12 | D | 35.00 | 64 | D5 |
| 58 / 14 | K | 35.00 | 64 | D5 |
| 60 / 4 | L | 35.00 | 64 | D5 |
| 60 / 8 | M | 35.00 | 64 | D5 |
| 60 / 10 | S | 35.00 | 64 | D5 |
| 60 / 12 | D | 35.00 | 64 | D5 |
| 60 / 14 | K | 35.00 | 64 | D5 |
| 62 / 8 | M | 35.00 | 64 | D5 |
As you can clearly see, there are near endless Grind, Loft, and Bounce combinations that Titleist says will improve your performance if you find the right match!
Feel and Playability
I hunted for a wedge fitting because I was unhappy with how my previous Mizuno wedges performed. My peak height with each wedge was far too high, which increased the amount of spin my shots had once they hit the green and caused wind to affect my shots much more.
Vokey SM8 Wedges have a much more “middle” ball flight and feel exponentially more controllable thanks to arguably the biggest technology advancement in the SM8 line, the repositioning of the center of gravity.
Vokey added more weight low in the toe and inside the hosel to reduce the clubs tendency to twist while swinging and making contact (effectively making the SM8’s have greater consistency of strike quality). By adding weight in these crucial areas, Titleist says they’ve created a center of gravity that sits about a millimeter in front of the club face, creating a wedge that wants to square at impact.
I have never had a wedge that spins this much on all shots. Whether it be a simple pitch shot from 15 yards or a full wedge shot from 100+ yards, I now expect my ball to hit the green and stop close to its pitch mark.
Every groove on each SM8 is 100% inspected for maximum spin and consistency. Titleist added a heat treatment to their SM8 grooves that they say doubles their durability and lifespan. On top of that, each groove now has “micro grooves” etched between to increase the amount of spin generation on each swing.
Lastly, every groove is individually cut based on loft; Low lofted wedges (46°-54°) are designed with narrower, deeper grooves that are ideal for full shots, while higher lofted wedges (56°-62°) have wider, shallower grooves that put maximum spin on partial swings.
Overall Looks
Vokey wedges are known for their “Elite Golfer Appearance” and that’s certainly true with the SM8 line. The top-line visible at setup is thin and the club head certainly has a smaller teardrop shape than many competitors.
My favorite feature of the SM8 line is the fact each wedge is offered in 5 unique colored finishes.
I chose “Tour Chrome” since it matched my other clubs the best, but golfers have their choice of “Brushed Steel,” “Jet Black,” “Raw” (that rusts over time for less glare and more spin), and “Blue Slate.”
Each finish was designed to reduce glare, inspire more confidence, and show off a golfer’s personality all at the same time.
2 Alternatives:
- Slightly more affordable
- Four grinds and finish colors to choose from
- Smaller head shape (meaning confident players will love them)
- Equal price point
- Grooves cover the entire face for more spin and more forgiveness on poor strikes
- Larger club face for more confidence
Titleist Vokey Wedges FAQ:
When is it time to replace your wedges?
Vokey and Titleist recommend replacing your wedges after 75 rounds of golf. I have personally used wedges for roughly double that amount of rounds before I noticed a significant drop in performance.
Are the SM8 wedges forgiving?
In my personal experience, the Vokey SM8 wedges are certainly forgiving, but they aren’t the most forgiving wedges on the market by any stretch of the imagination. The SM8’s are designed to make good wedge players great, not bad wedge players good.
What wedge grind does Tiger Woods use?
Tiger’s 56° wedge has a “dual sole” with heavy heel relief, while his 60° has extremely high bounce on the leading edge with a shaved heel. This makes it possible for Tiger to open the face for flop shots, while still providing relief on the leading edge of the wedge for better performance on tight lies.
Bob Vokey calls Tiger Woods one of the four best wedge players he’s ever worked with over his 50+ year long career in the golf equipment space.
The Verdict: Should You Get Titleist Vokey SM8 Wedges
We feel like the Titleist Vokey SM8 wedges are perfect for most golfers of any skill-level that like to be creative with their wedge shots and love to finely-tune their wedge play. While the number of Grind and Bounce options available may make your head spin, we’d rather have too many options to help our wedge game than not enough!
I played Vokey SM5’s during high school golf, and Mizunos for college, and can now proudly say I will likely be a lifetime Vokey player moving forward.
Check out the Titleist SM8 Wedge Now
