Vokey SM8

[manima1]

This goes to show how wedges are so unique to the player - M grind's poor sand performance for me is mainly what drove me away from it in the 60 spot. On the flip side, I feel like the D grind is cheating out of the bunker.

 

We can agree though that the D grind is great, it has been my best equipment "find" in a long time. It's been a huge plus for me in the soft conditions we experience in Chicagoland, particularly early in the year.

[bevans0222]

Has anyone tried asking Wedgeworks to custom grind them a V-Grind? Seems like it would be possible to do.

[tigerfan23]

 

 

yes sir. I play a ton in michigan. usually soft and wet - the D just clips it so perfectly.

 

 

[chisag]

 

... After playing the EGG grind from Scratch for many years, I started playing the M Grind here in Chicago. Not the best in the Spring when it is so wet with thick rough around the greens OR when the tight lies are very soft from water run off and moving it forward and using the bounce helps get thru the soggy ground without digging. I switched to the D Grind and absolutely loved it. Took it to Phoenix and it was basically worthless, especially out of bunkers with little to no sand and the tight hard lies around greens so I bought another M Grind. I also find the M Grind works better if we get drought conditions here in Chicago late in the summer and fall, so I keep both on hand with the same specs. Normal to lush conditions I am playing D, but dry and hard I am playing M.

[manima1]

Couldn't agree more with this assessment. I loved the M-grind, but in the conditions I play in 98% of the time it just lacks forgiveness the D-grind offers. I felt I had to make perfect contact for it to be useful. I also found even when opened, it digs readily in bunkers. Haven't yet taken it to Scottsdale or had it out in hardpan/drought conditions here in the Midwest, but for now I've found the perfect 60 in the D-grind. Frankly, those conditions are so rare in the Midwest I can use another lower bounce wedge for those rare shots. Keep the D-grind in bag for the bunker forgiveness.

After reading your comment however, I will definitely be keeping the M-grind around for future Scottsdale and Florida trips where the ground is much more firm around the greens.

[HappyGilmore22]

Played jet black SM7s and liked them but liked the newer more matte look for tour chrome in SM8 so bought those. Liked them until I was blinded for the first time ever with a wedge and that was enough of those for me. The tour chrome also look larger at address than the jet black for some reason. Going to put in a new order for jet black SM8s. Set with the 50.12 F grind I really like that. Tried 54.14 F but that's getting replaced by a 54.10 S because the F grind was horrible for anything inside of 50 yards for me. Had the 54.10 S SM7 and liked the versatility around the greens and it was good with full shots too. Lob wedge is still up in the air I can't seem to find a grind that I've liked and tried K, D, and S. 60 deg D grind bent 2 strong down to 10 deg bounce might be what I try out next as I think that would work well for me. Side note tried PX 6.5 shafts soft stepped in my wedges and it was okay in the 50 deg but I hated for the 54 and 58. Going back to S400 54 and 58 and straight in PX 6.5 50 deg. Hopefully I don't have to wait a month for these to come in since I'm not getting them stamped or grinded down.

[XHoop24]

My SM8's were ordered on April 30th and still haven't received. I did get S400 Onyx shafts...I wonder if that is the delay. No worries as I still love my SM7's and plan to play them through the summer. These were a lockdown purchase :)

[North Butte]

It's a little bit embarrassing overkill for a hack like me but I carry a SM7 60.12D and a 58.04L grind, of all combinations. The 58L is (for me) a surprisingly good all-around wedge because I play my full swings with the face opened a bit. But in soft sand it's just a no-go, no amount of opening the face will keep it from digging.

Our bunkers range from near-hardpan at times to soft and fluffy at others. Sometimes even a mix within the same round. The packed sand requires the 58L and the normal to fluffy stuff demands the 60D. Of course those are mostly when short-sided. For longer bunker shots my 54.12F seems to work fine whether the sand is hard or soft.

At the moment I only have 14 clubs even including the two-lob-wedge thing. At times when I've had one less slot available I leave out the 60D and just hit shorter bunker shots from fluffy sand with a wide-open 54F.

It's an enduring mystery to me why this L-grind wedge is even usable. Much less being my favorite wedge. It just ought not to work for my dodgy swing. I have it bent 2 degrees flat and 1 degree weak so it's really a 59.05L in effect. I think it has to do with the fact I almost never have any forward shaft lean, either at address or at impact. I used to lean it so far forward (trying to nip the leading edge under the ball) that my swing coach suggested I go to a more neutral setup similar to my full swing.

When I wear out the SM7's and need to go with SM8's it's going to be a bummer they don't have 58.04L any longer.

[ThinkingPlus]

Vokey seems to be abandoning the low bounce wedge configurations. Good low bounce options have been hard to find lately and now become even more difficult. I am transitioning to Jim Kronus wedges. They are a nice forged wedge that feels great and Jim will grind it how you want it. Since he starts at 8° of bounce stock, getting to 5° or 6° is very doable. My current 54° is a JK and my next 58° will likely be a JK as well.

[cw1209]

Cleveland also discontinued their X-low 3* bounce wedge with their Zipcore rollout. From the spy "Our sole grinds have always been Tour-driven, but X-Low was too low even for the Tour guys,” says Schielke. “And if it’s too low bounced for them, then it’s way too low bounced for the rest of us.”  Even the pros want bounce.

Also a big fan of the D grind, but I prefer it in the sand wedge slot. Glad Vokey expanded the D options with SM8. D grind at 56* and M grind at 60* gives me a higher and lower bounce option to play a variety of shots. Has worked pretty well so far

[ThinkingPlus]

Low bounce wedges aren't as much about proficiency as they are about conditions. Most pros will never play super firm conditions/hard pan that can be found in some parts of the country. They commonly play tour style venues with lush turf where bounce is beneficial.

[tagermo]

Selected the Vokey SM8 56.12 D Grind to replace my SM7 Wedgeworks 54K grind and my SM7 58.12 D grind. After only 4 rounds went back to the SM7's as they feel softer. I found the 56 made a "tinny" sound and the face felt dull and no feedback on where on the face I hit the ball. In their quest to produce a more forgiving wedge they lost the feel. Good news is that I can pick up some new SM7's at a steep discount.

[BostonWRX]

T Grind Vokey adds low-bounce T-Grind to WedgeWorks

[jons1]

I have the L grind at 4 degrees and use it for 90% of shots around the green. The new T grind sounds interesting in maybe a 58

[XHoop24]

I ordered on April. 28th and am still waiting for my custom order. I'm wondering if the Tour Issue Onyx shafts might be the issue. Will contact DD in a few days if I haven't heard anything by then.

[jons1]

Turn around on orders is 2-3 weeks. So you either have a component that isn't available, or it's been lost in the shuffle. You should follow up for sure.

[XHoop24]

DD confirmed it was the black onyx S400. Switched to chrome S400s and they should be out in 7-10 days.

[sanjaygolf]

Can anyone comment on the D grind vs F grind for 54 or 56? I'm probably guilty of just pulling out my 60 now for any and all pitches whereas I feel like a lower loft is better. I'd rather my SW be the work horse and the 60 be for bunkers and specialty shots. Will the F grind still provide that flexibility? Reason I ask is I'm considering going with SM7s due to the cost and delay but there is no D grind in the SW.

[odshot68]

IMO d grind trumps the f grind in sand wedge. Way more versatile. I game it in both 54 and 60.

[manima1]

You should also look at the S Grind in the SW spot. It's an F grind with more versatility. Great on full shots but still can be manipulated slightly with the trailing edge relief, I love it.

 

D grind is awesome and love it in my 60 spot, but always good to have some different grinds in the bag between the SW and LW in my opinion.

[jons1]

S grind is fantastic. Plenty of meat in that grind to be great from the sand, but it's much better at full SW shots than something like an M grind. IMO, the F grind isn't very versatile and it's really better suited for a PW or GW and used for mostly full swings.

[XHoop24]

I also think the S Grind is overlooked. Has been an absolute game changer for me once I got fit into the S Grind with the SM7s. I'm an S Grindr for life now :)

[carrier street]

I ordered a 60T last night. I ordered a 52F and 56S from WW a couple of weeks ago, and was holding out for the T before ordering a 60. Honestly, I've been holding out for the 60T since last summer.

[Arlin964]

What lofts do you use the S in?

[XHoop24]

I used the S in 54 and 58. For years, I chased wedges with a M like grind including two SM5's in 54/58 M grind, followed by Cally's in C, X grinds. But when the SM7's came out, I wanted the Jet Black color and got fit at a location that had a outdoor short game area. I didn't expect the S grind to be the fit, but I knew at the first shot it was the one. I could feel the bounce working for the first time.....game changer.

[SJP1]

Love the 54K. My go-to around the green.

[BostonWRX]

Wonder how a 58/4T bent 2 weak to 60/6T would play?

[eyeeye]

Thinking about ordering 58T right now to replace my SM7 58M. Is the T that great? For you to hold out a year?

Just on the fence, since I can grab a new SM7 for half the price right now..

[carrier street]

I’ve really liked the 60L, the T just sits a little flatter when it’s open. I don’t think it’s a magic wand, I just knew what I wanted and was happy enough with what I had to wait it out.

[bevans0222]

I had an SM5 62T. That had 7* bounce on it, but played like it had less. It was a great wedge, and I wondered why the T grind got dropped. Good to see it available again.