Titleist Vokey feel-I know I'm in minority.

[rainkingjr]

Played a round with them yesterday. Hit some really good shots. Only hit one shot out a of a green side bunker with the 56. I can't knock the performance at all. The feel issue is still there for me though. It's all about personal preference so I'll be moving on from them and throwing them up on the BST soon.

[fixurpitch]

Vokeys have held a spot in my bag since I started playing years ago. Other wedges have felt better. But the results always favored the Vokeys. The current SM7s are as good as any I’ve had.

[JD3]

Love the SM5 smaller heads and grinds like S and F that really work for me. But they don't feel so good compared to my Mizuno blades and JDM wedges I have used like Miura. But the limited Miura grinds weren't the best for me, and since I prioritize grind over feel I went with Vokeys. At this point I feel like I'm pretty much used to the feel and don't really notice it anymore.

Edited October 14, 2024 by JD3

[SwingBlade]

5 years since thread relevancy.  

[Pepperturbo]

I had been a diehard forged wedge user from the 90s to 2016 when I moved to Vokey SM6.  It took me a long time to get used to the different feel at impact.  Played that series until moving to SM9, and now SM10.  IME, SM10 is the best of the lot; they feel more like forged, and better COG location closer to the face, still not as soft as forged at impact but nice just the same.

 

I like SM10 so much, recently replaced 46' set PW with SM10 F46.10 PW, and had it bent to F47.11.  Combined with DG Tour Issue wedge shafts, they feel sweet and spin is plenty. 

 

Yesterday, second hole, Par 4, 2nd shot fell short in front of the green.  Uphill green with pin in the back, using Vokey F47.11 and Chrome Tour ball slightly back in my stance, threw a low pitch to 8' short, one hop, bam and stop, pin high 3', tap in save par.  

 

The biggest noticeable difference between my SM6 and my SM10 is COG on SM10 46 is lower and more centered in the face, flighting the ball similar to 9i, and moves up the face as loft increases, bringing the ball down. 

 

Add F47.11, F52.12 and M58.08 or T58.4 depending on the course.  IMO SM10 is the best of the lot.

Edited October 22, 2024 by Pepperturbo
edit

[mikes919]

I think people are over-stating the differences in feel. I recently swapped an SM5 for an SM10 and there’s barely any difference.
 

IMO wedges are mostly about finding a grind/bounce you’re comfortable with.

[Glock917]

I believe people are subjecting their feel based upon certain assumptions that they automatically think it is better or worse. 

 

Has anyone said that the forged wilson wedge or ping glide forged feels significantly better than a vokey or cleveland wedge?

 

I am guessing not many or none. Well maybe it is the fact they all use the same 8620 metal on them. 

 

So let's eliminate that notion of a forged wedge feeling better than a cast one when they use the same material. That is straight nonsense. That billet that is used to forge is from a foundry that casted the metal into a billet lol.

Yes I know forging can soften the metal when struck at high temps but the same grain structure can be achieved by a simple heating too so its negligible. 

 

Thus, the geometry and shaping of the wedge has more to do with the feel of a wedge than anything. 

[Pepperturbo]

Yes, @Glock917 people may be feeling and thinking better or worse.  That's what we do as humans. 

 

In my learning, the value of forged or cast club head materials is subjective when it comes to feel.  I played forged irons and wedges from the mid-90s to 2016 when I switched to Vokey wedges.  I am anal about how my clubs feel mainly because I still rely on vibrations to my hands to tell me what happened at impact.  All my sets of irons are forged and have many sets of forged wedges too, made with different soft materials, including 1018, but only Vokey 8620 wedges.

 

There are some significant differences in sound and feel when compared to materials like used in Vokey wedges or cast CB irons vs forged club heads.  Whether a person can identify the feeling difference has little to do with the materials, but more to do with sound and the person's hand pressure receptors being able to take in subtle vibrations or need more forceful vibrations.   

 

I am not aware of any OEMs researching vibration or how receptors in hands affect how a club feels at impact.  It's not a subject certain people want to have out there because it could derogatorily affect sales, and some people don't want to feel inferior. 

OEMs use a robot, Iron Byron, to test clubs and technology to hear sound.  When they do studies using a range of actual golfers, they don't bother to test hearing or insure pressure receptors in the hands are healthy.  So, it could be some people testing can't feel or hear much and don't especially want to admit either.  

 

"So if it's not the forging process that leads to the soft feel, what is it? The properties that really affect the frequency of vibration are mass and the elastic modulus of the material."  There's an identifiable feel difference between 1025 forged Carbon steel used in my 620 MB or Miura Wedges S20C soft carbon steel, as opposed to 8620 steel used in my Vokey wedges, sound is different as well.  Vokey 8620 is much harder, and not as easily shaped as the aforementioned forged materials because 8620 includes chromium, nickel, molybdenum and iron. 

 

[SwingBlade]

Feel, sound, and spin are noticeably different between my Vokey 6's, 8's, and WW 10's, most of which are raw.   Even more noticeable is the difference between those Vokey wedges and my Miura K grinds and my old now illegal TM tour issue red and yellow flags.  Not a big deal on any issue, but yeah, the K grinds are pretty sweet 52, 56, 60 & 64. 

[TUCKITIN]

I've got the SM9 and I like them just fine but I will probably going with something else next.

[LinkLow]

19 hours ago, SwingBlade said:

Feel, sound, and spin are noticeably different between my Vokey 6's, 8's, and WW 10's, most of which are raw.   Even more noticeable is the difference between those Vokey wedges and my Miura K grinds and my old now illegal TM tour issue red and yellow flags.  Not a big deal on any issue, but yeah, the K grinds are pretty sweet 52, 56, 60 & 64. 

 

I posted this in another thread, but I'm still playing the black TVDs from 2014 (56 and 60). The spin is obviously suffering some, but I like the way they feel so much better compared to the SM9s I tried. Not sure what changed from 2014 to 2023, but I didn't like the SM9s. I either need to try the 10s or see about having these TVDs replicated.

 

[Glock917]

16 hours ago, Pepperturbo said:

Yes, @Glock917 people may be feeling and thinking better or worse.  That's what we do as humans. 

 

In my learning, the value of forged or cast club head materials is subjective when it comes to feel.  I played forged irons and wedges from the mid-90s to 2016 when I switched to Vokey wedges.  I am anal about how my clubs feel mainly because I still rely on vibrations to my hands to tell me what happened at impact.  All my sets of irons are forged and have many sets of forged wedges too, made with different soft materials, including 1018, but only Vokey 8620 wedges.

 

There are some significant differences in sound and feel when compared to materials like used in Vokey wedges or cast CB irons vs forged club heads.  Whether a person can identify the feeling difference has little to do with the materials, but more to do with sound and the person's hand pressure receptors being able to take in subtle vibrations or need more forceful vibrations.   

 

I am not aware of any OEMs researching vibration or how receptors in hands affect how a club feels at impact.  It's not a subject certain people want to have out there because it could derogatorily affect sales, and some people don't want to feel inferior. 

OEMs use a robot, Iron Byron, to test clubs and technology to hear sound.  When they do studies using a range of actual golfers, they don't bother to test hearing or insure pressure receptors in the hands are healthy.  So, it could be some people testing can't feel or hear much and don't especially want to admit either.  

 

"So if it's not the forging process that leads to the soft feel, what is it? The properties that really affect the frequency of vibration are mass and the elastic modulus of the material."  There's an identifiable feel difference between 1025 forged Carbon steel used in my 620 MB or Miura Wedges S20C soft carbon steel, as opposed to 8620 steel used in my Vokey wedges, sound is different as well.  Vokey 8620 is much harder, and not as easily shaped as the aforementioned forged materials because 8620 includes chromium, nickel, molybdenum and iron. 

 

 

Well first that I only compared wedges that use specifically the same metals used from domestic OEMs cause they usually source them from the same vendor and foundry. 

 

I choose those examples cause 8620 is one metal that can be cast and forged into a club. Hence the argument there. 1020 and s20c are the same metal. 8620 is more less the same with the last two digits indicating a ~.2% carbon content. It has some alloying elements but very minimal with only ~.4% Cr and ~.6% of Ni. Those are anti corrosion elements used in stainless steel but 8620 has so little of it that it is just as prone to rust than 1020 or s20c. 8620 mechanical properties are not too different from a s20c especially when you have the option to temper or anneal it to make it harder or tougher (relates to the softness) but not both. 

 

That is why I specifically did not include any japanese club maker because they are just plain better and more meticulous in their metal treating processes and run tighter tolerances in their foundries. Like you said Muira s20c "soft" carbon steel. S20C is not necessarily a soft metal its a mild carbon steel not a low one. But they way they forge it and more importantly the way they temperature regulate the heating and cooling times is what brings the soft to it.

 

19 hours ago, Pepperturbo said:

There are some significant differences in sound and feel when compared to materials like used in Vokey wedges or cast CB irons vs forged club heads. 

You cannot compare a CB to a wedge. They have different geometries that significantly changes the feel even out of the same metal. Compare the feel from a mizuno blade to their wedge. Same 1025 metal but different feel all around. When you change hosel length club length heel toe heights sole widths the feel similarity goes out the window.

 

[SwingBlade]

7 hours ago, LinkLow said:

 

I posted this in another thread, but I'm still playing the black TVDs from 2014 (56 and 60). The spin is obviously suffering some, but I like the way they feel so much better compared to the SM9s I tried. Not sure what changed from 2014 to 2023, but I didn't like the SM9s. I either need to try the 10s or see about having these TVDs replicated.

 

Yes.  I have a set of 2010 TVDs that I use in my travel bag.  Nice wedges.  I have Raw 8's and a new raw WW (10?) V grind 60.  I also didn't particularly care for the SM9s.  

[LinkLow]

11 hours ago, SwingBlade said:

Yes.  I have a set of 2010 TVDs that I use in my travel bag.  Nice wedges.  I have Raw 8's and a new raw WW (10?) V grind 60.  I also didn't particularly care for the SM9s.  

 

Are the SM10s much different?

[SwingBlade]

5 hours ago, LinkLow said:

 

Are the SM10s much different?

Hitting them, they seem to be an advancement over the SM9 tech.  But, the only one I actually own and play is this newest custom raw SM10 WW 60 V grind.  
 

Years ago, I had to soak my wedges in Coke for two days to raw them.  Nice that Vokey raw wedges are so easily acquired nowadays and it's a big reason why I came back to Vokeys.  
 

Edited October 23, 2024 by SwingBlade

[cardia10]

It is just surprising the people expect forged feel or anything close from a wedge head cast in China for the price of half a new grip. They make wedges for the masses, not for the quaility.

[NoTalentLefty]

I no longer have Vokey wedges in my bag but love their feel. But I have found that my new Mizuno S23 56 C grind feels even better. 

[JD3]

9 hours ago, SwingBlade said:

Hitting them, they seem to be an advancement over the SM9 tech.  But, the only one I actually own and play is this newest custom raw SM10 WW 60 V grind.  
 

Years ago, I had to soak my wedges in Coke for two days to raw them.  Nice that Vokey raw wedges are so easily acquired nowadays and it's a big reason why I came back to Vokeys.  
 

Does raw effect feel?

[SwingBlade]

3 hours ago, JD3 said:

Does raw effect feel?

Feel and spin both, to some degree, dependent on how one manages rust.   Generally, rust does not enhance spin in any way.  So, keeping raw wedges absolutely rust free is critical.  But raw wedges will often enhance spin from the rough or wet grass.  
 

Depending on the make and type of metal, raw wedges will often feel softer.  Much of this is dependent on how the grooves are designed & the degree to which said grooves have design variances for the type of coating or whether non-coated by the maker as a raw wedge or if a coated wedge is stripped by a  buyer.  The spin differences for all these issues can vary all the way from slightly to a fair amount.  
 

Grooves on raw wedges will deform faster than coated wedges if one plays and practices a great deal.  

Edited October 24, 2024 by SwingBlade

[Mainehacker21]

I wouldn't say harsh, to me they feel solid (compared to soft), which is why I play them. Compared to irons where I like a soft forged feel, I prefer clicky on wedge shots, helps me with feel, distance control, etc. With that said out of the middle vokeys feel as soft as anything you just can stray too far from center imo. 

[nvr3putt]

Both my SM9 and Blueprints are 8620...feel the same to me. 

[Tom7]

On 10/21/2024 at 1:27 PM, mikes919 said:

I think people are over-stating the differences in feel. I recently swapped an SM5 for an SM10 and there’s barely any difference.
 

IMO wedges are mostly about finding a grind/bounce you’re comfortable with.

I've had the same experience, most recently swapping SM6/SM7 for SM9.

 

While I love my SM9's, I wouldn't be able to pick them out from older Vokeys if you blindfolded me. The difference is that I finally found the right combinations of loft/grind/bounce for me. Highly recommend investing time in those areas.

 

They're never going to feel like forged Mizuno blades, which is okay.

[JD3]

This thread got me thinking and I changed my mind ... tried what I think is the original Nike forged wedge. And just fell in love with the "thuddy" feeling where it seems like the ball stays on the face that extra bit longer too. The 53 and 58 kicked the Vokeys out of the bag (but not out of the house yet, lol.) seriously though they are really fine ...probably no info on them now but I wouldn't be surprised if they were forged by one of the Japanese shops like Endo.

Edited October 27, 2024 by JD3