Golf can be the most frustrating game at times.
There are instances when you have driven the ball really well, but your wedge play has let you down and you’ve not been able to capitalise on the good drive.
You’ve maybe been putting a good round together, but a loose shot has led to the requirement to make a good up-and-down to keep momentum going, which is ruined by a poor chip shot, leading to at least taking another couple of shots to get the ball in the hole.
Our wedge game is so important and often underestimated in favour of a new driver or putter to improve our scoring abilities.
A big part of improving our wedge game is having the right golf equipment in your bag, and if you are in the market for new wedges, you are spoiled for choice from the current crop available.
Arguably, at the head of the table sits Vokey wedges. Bob Vokey’s designs act as the benchmark that all wedges are measured against, thanks to extensive tour use and a sole dedication to producing the best wedges available.
However, the competition is getting stronger.
Mainstream manufacturers are entering the segment with highly engineered and crafted wedges designed to challenge Vokey at his own game.
And it’s with this in mind that we’ve decided to pit Vokey’s current SM10 wedge against two strong rivals, TaylorMade’s MG5 and Mizuno’s Pro T-3 wedges.
Can either of these two competitors be viable alternatives to the Vokey SM10s?
To answer that question, we’ll delve deep into the following areas for some answers:
- Wedge Tech - What Lies Behind the SM10, MG5, and Pro T-3s?
- Do Each Of These Wedges Offer Different Bounce and Grind Options?
- Considering New Wedges - How To Understand What You Need To Make The Right Choice
- The Path To A Better Wedge Game
Wedge Tech - What Lies Behind the SM10, MG5, and Pro T-3s?
We mentioned that one of the reasons why Vokey wedges are consistently ranked so highly is down to the tour validation that goes into creating each generation of wedge.
Bearing this in mind, what powers the current generation of SM10 wedges, and do they offer us something we can’t get from other wedge producers?
The SM10 range ushered in an optimised progressive centre of gravity to each loft, which means that with a more precise centre of gravity location, it’s easier to control trajectory by actually lowering it for tighter shot dispersion.
At this juncture, you might be asking why you would want to lower trajectories on a wedge. The reality is that it's easier to hit the distances you need consistently with a controlled lower ball flight.
Go to a professional tournament and watch players warming up on the practice ground. You’ll be amazed at how much lower they hit their golf wedges than you imagine when you watch them on television.
Trajectory control equals distance control and a more predictable outcome. Don’t worry, you’ll still be able to get the necessary stopping power thanks to Vokey’s Spin Milled technology.
Spin Milled grooves aren’t new for the SM10s, but improved from the previous generation to provide that all-important control from the fairway and around the greens.
Each golf wedge has its grooves cut to the maximum radius at its edge to ensure more grip on the ball.
On the lower-lofted wedges (46-54 degrees), the grooves are cut deeper, and on the higher-lofted wedges (56-62 degrees), the grooves are cut wider to create consistent spin levels.
Outside the groove, Vokey employs Parallel Micro texturing to enhance purchase on the ball and preserve the groove for longer. To add longevity to the grooves, the face is heat-treated as a final step.
Lastly, the shaping of the SM10s alters slightly depending on the loft. The lower-lofted wedges feature a smaller head shape and straighter leading edge to aid ball-turf interaction, while the lofted wedges have a bigger profile and a more rounded leading edge to help players who like to open the face for pitch and chip shots.
The big story for TaylorMade’s MG5 wedges is that, for the first time, the heads are forged from soft carbon steel to provide the softest feel for maximum feedback.
The MG5s also feature the latest iteration of Spin Tread Technology and RAW face finish.
Spin Tread Technology is small micro-grooves cut in the face, which help to move moisture that can get trapped between the ball and clubface, leading to more consistent shot control between dry and wet weather.
The RAW face works in unison with Spin Tread Technology by gaining as much purchase on the ball for more consistent results.
TaylorMade’s groove design features aggressive spin-milled cutting, with steeper walls and sharper radii, meaning you get predictable results whether you are playing a full-out wedge shot or executing a delicate chip shot.
Mizuno has created a potential masterpiece in the form of its Pro T-3 wedges.
Mizuno is renowned for their forged golf irons, and the forging process extends to the T-3s, which feature grain flow forged 1025 carbon steel to create a consistent feel from irons to wedges.
The Mizuno T-3s are the only wedges in this head-to-head which feature a small cavity back to increase forgiveness on off-centre hits.
Picking up on a similar theme to TaylorMade, Mizuno is offering golfers consistency of performance in all weather conditions thanks to its Quad Cut+ and Hydroflow Micro grooves.
As the name might imply, Hydroflow Micro grooves are designed to move excessive moisture away from the face at impact to create consistent spin control in all weathers.
Do Each Of These Wedges Offer Different Bounce and Grind Options?
Being a good wedge player is aided by having the right bounce and grind options selected for each of your wedges.
If you’re not familiar with what bounce and grind mean, let’s provide you with an explanation.
Bounce refers to the angle created between the leading edge and the lowest point of the sole or trailing edge.
The more bounce on a wedge, the higher the leading edge sits off the ground. Getting the right bounce depends on the types of courses you play and your swing characteristics, which we’ll look at in more detail shortly.
Grind refers to the manipulation or removal of material from the sole of the wedge, making ball striking more consistent by making the sole easier to glide through turf or sand.
Getting the right grind configuration is critical if you are a player who likes to manipulate the clubface open or closed on pitch and chip shots.
Bounce and grind can differ throughout your wedge set. Lower bounce and standard grinds are more likely to be used for lower-lofted wedges, which are used predominantly for approach shots.
As the wedge loft increases, the bounce and grind options also increase due to the variety of shots that can be played from the greens.
Vokey SM10 wedges score highly with 25 unique combinations of bounce and grind throughout the range.
TaylorMade offers five grind options in its MG5 range, while Mizuno employs three different grinds on the Pro T-3 range.
Another consideration beyond bounce and grind is whether you should opt for a specialist pitching wedge or play with your iron set pitching wedge.
Most tour players prefer the specialist route, and Vokey, TaylorMade, and Mizuno acknowledge this with the lowest-lofted wedges being offered with 46 degrees in the SM10s, MG5s, and T-3s.
If you need maximum loft to execute Phil Mickelson-style flop shots, Vokey will offer you a 62-degree SM10, while TaylorMade and Mizuno go as high as 60 degrees.
Having an array of choices from lofts to bounce and grind angles is great, but it can get a little confusing if you don’t know how to pick the best combination for your game.
Untangling the confusion can begin by asking yourself some basic questions about your golf game.
Considering New Wedges - How To Understand What You Need To Make The Right Choice
The first question you can ask yourself is what type of golf courses do you play regularly?
If you play links courses that tend to get hard and bumpy during the summer months, the ball is likely to sit on some very tight lies that require the perfect strike to nip it off the turf.
In those instances, wedges with lower bounce and something like Vokey’s K-grind (6 degrees bounce), TaylorMade’s LB-grind, or Mizuno’s C-grind.
Parkland courses offer softer lies and thicker rough and sand, necessitating more bounce to aid the ball/turf interaction. Having more relief in the sole, heel, and toe areas of the wedge also helps.
In that case, you would want to look at the SM10’s D-grind, MG5 HB-grind, and the T-3’s S-grind.
Second, to uncover the regular types of courses, is what your angle of attack is like on the ball.
When you come for a custom-fitting, we can easily ascertain what your angle of attack is through launch monitor data. When you’re playing, you don’t have access to a launch monitor, but you can decipher what your angle of attack could be by your turf interaction.
If you take big, steep divots or are prone to the occasional chunk, it’s likely you have a steep angle of attack and would therefore benefit from higher bounce wedges with more grind relief to aid more consistent contact.
If you are a player who barely scrapes the turf with your contact or hits a lot of thin pitches and chips, you have a shallower angle of attack. Taking advantage of lower bounce wedges could help you make better, more consistent contact with the ball.
The Path To A Better Wedge Game
Understanding the typical courses you play and how steep or shallow your angle of attack is provides a solid foundation for creating the right wedge configuration for your game.
The next step is to book yourself in for a custom-fitting wedge session at Nine By Nine Golf.
The fitting session will ascertain what your current wedge setup is, and we’ll build a data set of your wedge game by getting you to hit a number of shots with your existing wedges.
Along with the types of courses you play, our fitter will also ask you about the wedge shots you typically play on the course, whether you prefer half shots with more club or full swing to max out your wedge, whether you prefer playing chip shots with the face open or if you prefer backfoot bump-and-run style shots.
A key element to wedge success comes in consistent distance gapping. As part of our initial data capture, we’ll get you to hit shots with your most lofted iron from your set, whether that be 9-iron or pitching wedge, and see if there is a big distance gap to your next wedge.
We tend to find that consistent distance gapping comes from having four degrees of loft difference from wedge to wedge, so it could well be that we recommend you add a fourth wedge to your makeup to create that consistent distance gapping.
TaylorMade and Mizuno carry the advantage of being forged wedges, which, for some golfers, could help create a consistent feel throughout their bag if they already use forged irons.
Once we find the right setup, we can start to tailor your wedges more deeply by starting with wedge finish preference.
Vokey’s SM10s come in a satin finish, or if you are lucky enough to play regularly in warmer climes, you might opt for the jet black or nickel finishes, which help reduce glare.
The MG5 and T-3 wedges can be chosen in satin finish and charcoal black (MG5) or black ion (T-3) if you want a more striking look to your wedges.
The fitting session will also create the ideal lie and length needed for your wedges, along with the correct shafts, which will help improve shot dispersion and feel.
Lastly, you can select the grips to be fitted, and we’ll ensure that they are built to the correct thickness for your hands.
The gap between wedge specialist Vokey and mainstream producers such as TaylorMade and Mizuno is closing rapidly when it comes to precision-crafted wedges.
The choice of bounce and grinds makes customisation easier than ever before, and all wedges deliver when it comes to spin and control of your shots.
If you’re looking to replace your existing wedges after a long season, why not begin your journey to a better wedge game by going to the Nine By Nine Golf website to check out all customisable options for the Vokey SM10, TaylorMade MG5, and Mizuno Pro T-3 wedges.
Once you are familiar with the extensive range of options we have, book yourself in for a custom fitting session with us, where we can help you build your perfect setup and help you turn your wedge game into a real asset.