Bob Vokey, Titleist’s master craftsman for wedges, has spent more than 20 years listening to tour players put forth their preferences, then get on the grinding wheel in the tour truck and produce what they wanted.
Now he wants to hear from you.
Vokey, who got his first wedge in play on the PGA Tour in 1997, is now offering a tour grinding experience to everyday golfers through Titleist’s new HandGround program via vokey.com.
Vokey, who will oversee the entire HandGround process and occasionally hand-grind orders himself, has spent the last year personally training two grinders on all the performance and profile adjustments he has produced over the last two decades.
“This takes me back to my roots,” said Vokey in a statement released by the company. “One player at a time, one wedge at a time, crafting the sole to the player’s exact specifications.”
Whether it be additional heel relief, a squared up leading edge, or one of Vokey’s tour grinds, consumers now have an avenue to choose from a variety of performance and profile adjustments, with a maximum of two adjustments. The head will be the SM7 Raw, the most popular finish among tour players using Vokey wedges.
So what can you do to your wedge? Pretty much anything. A pre-worn leading edge, heel or trailing edge relief? No problem. Or perhaps a semi-square leading edge, thin topline or a tour grind that smooths profile lines and slightly reduces profile size is more your thing. There’s also the ability to turn one grind into another for those who prefer a specific head shape, but perhaps want a different grind. Consumers can turn an F grind to an S grind; K grind to a J grind or L grind to an A grind.
SM7 wedges currently go for $195, including BV “wings” grip and 10-character stamping. The HandGround service is an additional $75.