Tour pros & their Vokeys

[NIKESTAFF23]

The single best golf experience I ever had was a fitting at TPI two years ago with Voke , getting a custom grind fit to how I hit wedges and work around the green was priceless.......even better is being able to email off when I need a new set. Voke also gave me the 4/3/2/1 rule as well. Having a wedge grind on my 60 around the green has changed my life

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[Krt22]

What is the 4/3/2/1 rule?

[grm24]

> @Krt22 said:

> What is the 4/3/2/1 rule?

 

It concerns wedge replacement frequency.

 

[crazygolfnut]

> @grm24 said:

> > @Krt22 said:

> > What is the 4/3/2/1 rule?

>

> It concerns wedge replacement frequency.

>

I have enough problems explaining to my wife why I need a new sand wedge & gap every other year. Of course the pro's get free ones.

 

 

[jgpl]

I have always played Vokey wedges but recently tried the new Mizuno and Ping Glide forged and both of these really do fell better on some shots, no doubt, but Vokeys have never let me down

I do find however, they are a little on the big side, especially the 50 Deg options, I think this was mentioned by a few other contributors

I am really taken with the new Ping glide forged and might put the in the bags for a few weeks....watch out Vokey

[ReidThompson]

I recently added a forged gap to a set because I wanted to match the shafts, best decision I have ever made. Feels sooooo much better than the vokey cast crud been playing for years.

[aliikane]

Vokey wedges are still the best with so many options of bounce and sole configurations. However, what I'm not fond of is how Vokey clubheads have gotten bigger since their Spin Milled Vokey wedge. It changes the feel of the club and how the club swings. I have an older Spin Milled wedge that I just put in the car to practice chipping with and the difference is night and day. The smaller head swings more freely.

[mocokid]

> @Forged4ever said:

> > @3whacker said:

> > most on here are too young to know who Joe Philips was, but when Wilson Staff was the schnizzle the wedge grinds were JP grinds....then in the 80s-90s is was Roger Cleveland, now its Vokey

>

> Hey 3W, I hope the season has been kind to you?

>

> Joe Phillips and his wedges(JP) on Tour blew away Bob Vokey and his. One, while Staff was, as you so eloquently stated, the “schnizzle,” with just under 70%, and even into the mid-90’s, when Staff had started their unfocused bullish•t downward spiral, they still had over 50%, where as Vokey’s top penetration ever was a shade under 40%, 39 point somethin, though it’s been a few years since I saw numbers.

>

> Secondly, and this reminds me of a funny story with Sam and the wedges, other than given em free custom clubs, fittings and wining & dining em when they were in ChiTown, they didn’t pay em to Play em in the 90’s, cuz even if they wanted to, they were hemorrhaging capital

> And didn’t have the $$ to throw around, unlike Titleist(Pre-Vokey) and then the emerging OEMs, which outside of Mizzy on a limited scale, didn’t impact the landscape till post-2000.

>

> Though I got to meet Mr. Phillips a few times through Pete & Sam(Pete actually was really good friends with him, much more so than Sam, which was the case with most of the mutual acquaintances in their lives).

>

> So it’s the mid-70’s and obviously on the closing holes of the back nine of his competitive career however he still had the ego, mentality and psyche of the 30yo Sam Snead, and he still had some amazing finishes in PGA Tour events, like his recent three year run in the deepest Major of them all, while at the ages of 60, 61 & 62yo(1972-1974), he had finishes of T4, T9 & T3!!!

>

> At T3 in THE Deepest Major(I was back then just as it is today?) at SIXTY TWO FRIGGIN YEARS OLD!!!

>

> He figured, and said this repeatedly that had he been able to putt, ole Trevino and the boys wouldn’t have even known who “pasted” em, it woulda been so bad.

>

> Don’t tell me how great hogan was??

>

> He couldn’t even walk on a green for sh•ts & giggles in his 60’s, much walk on em in a Major!!!

>

> Ole benny had better have gotten rid of those tan slacks he loved so much cuz the p•ss stain woulda been a dead five away, lol

>

> I’ll always take Sam over hogan?

>

> Ok, mental meltdown over?

>

> So it’s Sam, Pete & Joe Phillips our to dinner in ChiTown and they’re talkin clubs and Sam, who apparently had had a few rough weeks with his scoring irons(this was 1976-77 according to Pete) and he said that he’d been “approached” by hogan about playing his wedges, as Sam loved his Tour Blade Irons more than anyone in his life, and he mentioned that a financial “incentive” could be arranged, if Sam made the switch.

>

> Well, no one, and I mean NO ONE, was payin anyone to Play their clubs, except for Jack, though a few OEMs gave out stock, Mac being one to Jack, and Joe looked at Pete while Sam chirped on about being “appreciated by a Legend” more than the company that he had “given my life to,” ???

>

> I’ll always remember that quote cuz Pete could

> never ever tell this story without cracking up when he thought back to Sam sitting there saying that, when Sam was possibly one of THE most Narcissistic athletes in ANY sport, and outside of his wife and one son, he put himself before everyone, and gave to himself before all others.

>

> Well, there were two problems with this scenario that Sam spoke of~

>

> As I said, no one was payin anyone, at least nothing of substance and more importantly, hogan was stone cold, one of the cheapest financial misers, if not THE most miserly, Player on Tour, and there was no friggin way that he was Payin ANYONE to play his clubs, especially just TWO CLUBS, cuz that’s all the wedges anyone carries back in the day.

>

> Secondly, and both men knew this, especially Pete, though Sam always played the foil when Hogan had made cutting mean and sh•tty comments regarding his intellect and especially course management skills, and though Sam laughed it off publicly and up to his dying day spoke of hogan as his “big brother,” he carried a deep seeded resentment for hogan, and I witnessed a few derogatory comments over the years, for the thing that Sam was most sensitive about was the image when he first hit the Tour of him being a “back hills hay seed,” and hogan Played off of that, more as a way to move Sam off of his game mentally for the times when they would end up head to head on Sunday afternoon. Early on Pete would remind Sam of this ad nauseam before he dealt with it appropriately.

>

> The bottom line to all of Sam’s bloviating about benny, benny’s wedges and this supposed money was that Sam was full of sh•t and both men knew it, lol

>

> Joe said that he would take their conversation back to ChiTown, talk to the powers that be and then get back to Sam, and the evening went on.

>

> As was usually the case, and both men knew this, Sam would forget about the conversation, and life would go on, and he would Play Staff wedges(and irons) through his last swing(which I happened to have been present for)

>

> Another worthless story??

>

> Yep, JP’s wedges were THE Sh•t!!

>

> Thanks for posting 3W?

>

> Fairways & Greens 4ever My Friend⛳️

> RP

 

that hayseed thing was Fred Corcoran promoting a barely surviving tour during the depression. Sam took one for the team!! Fred couldn't use Bennie with his zero personality and limited golf skills in the 1930's (not to be confused with his post 1940 record). Sam was actually wiinning in the 1930s.

[Pepperturbo]

I understand the theory behind 4,3,2,1 alleged rule but not convinced LW face wear patterns will support the rule, even with Pro usage similar to VJ. Though I believe what Vokey says actually happens, it's a rule largely guided by the fact, wedges are essentially contract stipulated therefore free, so why not take advantage. It's also a good way to sell more wedges, is it not?

 

 

[GolfChannel]

You play what you grew up with since size, shape, and feel are so important to inspiring confidence. I grew up with Cleveland wedges. The only non-Cleveland wedges I have owned in the last 20 years were still designed by Roger Cleveland (MD3’s). I’m about to roll back into some RTX4’s.

 

I wish the industry did a better job with wedge fittings, but people want distance not lower handicaps.

[Shankapod]

I miss soloman1