Staff WriterIf your short game has been held together by hope, habit and a wedge that’s seen more seasons than a rain-soaked links, Titleist believes the new Vokey Design SM11 line is the tidy-up job you’ve been avoiding.
The brand’s latest Spin Milled family arrives with a clear brief: more controlled trajectories, tighter distance windows, and more reliable stopping power — plus enough loft, bounce and grind options to make your fitting session feel like a serious appointment, not a quick browse.
The Vokey SM11 wedges make their Tour debut this week at The American Express and the Dubai Desert Classic, with fittings available from Jan. 22 and worldwide retail availability from Feb. 20. They’ll be offered in Tour Chrome, Nickel, a NEW Jet Black finish, and a custom-order Raw option for those who like their wedges with a bit of Tour attitude.
The SM11 design idea: contact first, then flight and spin
SM11 is built around Bob Vokey’s familiar three keys to wedge play: contact, flight and spin. The order matters. If you don’t strike the right part of the face consistently — the press material is very specific about grooves two through five — nothing else behaves the way you want.
“Everything starts with contact,” said Corey Gerrard, Director of Marketing for Vokey Wedges. “The right bounce and grind help you find a clean strike between grooves two and five. Nail that, and the flight and spin follow — lower, more controlled trajectories with the stopping power great wedge players depend on. That’s built into every Vokey wedge.”
That’s the theme running through SM11: remove variables, sharpen consistency, and let the correct sole do the dirty work at impact so the face can do what it’s supposed to do.
Grinds: 27 configurations and six familiar sole shapes
The SM11 lineup is a full-blown menu: 27 unique configurations across six tour-proven grinds — F, S, M, D, K and T. In plain terms, that means you’re less likely to settle for “close enough”, and more likely to land on a wedge that matches your delivery, the turf you play on, and the shots you actually hit.
“Wedges need to be versatile, and every player is different,” Master Craftsman Bob Vokey said. “It’s never one size fits all for wedges. That’s why we have many grind options. There is a wedge for every player.”
What’s changed in the SM11 lineup?
Three updates stand out because they answer real-world gaps:
- .06K Grind joins at launch: The 58.06K and 60.06K offer a low-bounce lob wedge alternative to the in-line T Grind (58.04T, 60.04T). Titleist notes the .06K was used to win the PGA Championship and The Open Championship in 2025.
- New 44.10F: For golfers who want the profile and performance of a Vokey pitching wedge but need stronger loft than 46 degrees to gap properly.
- K Grind bounce adjustment: The higher-bounce 58.12K and 60.12K now feature 12 degrees of bounce, having measured at 14 degrees previously. Titleist says the .12K has the same effective bounce as the .12D, but the soles are shaped for different styles and conditions.
Flight control: the CG story is the quiet headline
The most fitting-relevant change is this: in previous generations, centre of gravity (CG) could vary slightly across grinds within the same loft, because sole widths and geometries shift weight. With SM11, Titleist says the CG is identical within a given loft, independent of grind.
That matters because it means you can pick the grind that fits your turf interaction without accidentally changing the way the ball launches and flies.
“With SM11, all the CGs within a loft are now at the same exact point,” said Kevin Tassistro, Titleist R&D’s Director of Wedge Development. “So when golfers get fit into the right grind — whichever grind that is — and they’re finding grooves two through five [with their strike], the ball will meet the CG in the correct spot.”
Progressive CG through the set (what it’s meant to do)
- 44–52 degrees: CG is lower and closer to face centre for a smoother transition from irons and to reduce excessive draw movement on full swings.
- 54–56 degrees: CG sits between the two extremes.
- 58–60 degrees: CG is higher and more heel-ward, producing a lower flight and a squarer face.
In other words: the bottom end blends with your iron set, the top end behaves like a proper scoring tool rather than a ballooning panic wedge.
Spin and stopping power: new texture, more volume, three groove shapes
SM11’s spin story has three main pieces:
- Three shot-specific groove shapes
- 58–60: wider, shallower grooves for partial shots and greenside work where debris management matters.
- 44–52: narrower, deeper grooves for full swings.
- 54–56: bridging profile between the two.
- 5% larger groove volume than SM10
Titleist says improved manufacturing and tighter tolerances allow a 5% increase in groove volume versus SM10, designed to clear more debris and retain spin, particularly from rough or wet lies. - New directional face texture
SM11 adds a directional face texture intended to increase friction and prolong ball contact, helping spin delivery remain consistent on touch shots. Titleist also says the texture is angled towards the leading edge to protect scorelines and keep groove edges cleaner.
Durability: heat treatment where it counts
All grooves wear — that’s golf’s version of gravity. SM11 keeps Vokey’s high-frequency heat treatment applied directly to the impact area, with Titleist stating it doubles groove-edge durability compared to untreated grooves.
“The heat treatment is applied to the scorelines, right in the impact area,” Tassistro said. “We want to preserve those groove edges to the best of our ability so that SM11 players can prolong the life of their wedge and play their best golf for longer.”
Titleist also says SM11 scorelines are 100% inspected to maintain tight tolerances and quality control.
Vokey wedges on Tour: the numbers Titleist wants you to remember
Vokey’s development loop has always leaned heavily on Tour player feedback, and the company’s credibility rests on usage. The press material cites a long run at the top: Vokey wedges have been the most played wedge on the PGA TOUR since 2004.
For 2025, Titleist highlights:
- 56% of all gap, sand and lob wedges played on the PGA TOUR were Vokey — more than all competitors combined.
- Players who game at least one Vokey wedge won 26 PGA TOUR events in 2025, including the PGA Championship and The 153rd Open Championship.
- Six of the top 10 players in the OWGR at the end of the 2025 season were gaming a Vokey Design sand and lob wedge.
SM11 finishes, shafts, pricing and release dates
Finishes
- Tour Chrome
- NEW Jet Black — with increased lustre, greater colour consistency and the same FPP treatment found in Nickel finish
- Nickel
- Raw (custom only)
Stock shaft and grip options
- Steel: True Temper Dynamic Gold
- Lightweight steel: True Temper Dynamic Gold 105
- Graphite: MRC MMT MCA Red (Regular, R3, R4)
- Grip: Titleist Universal 360
UK SRP
- £179 (Steel)
- £194 (Graphite)
- £219 (Raw)
Availability
- Fittings from Jan. 22
- In shops worldwide beginning Friday, Feb. 20
Full Vokey SM11 loft, bounce and grind matrix
- 44.10F
- 46.10F
- 48.10F
- 50.08F, 50.12F
- 52.08F, 52.12F
- 54.08M, 54.10S, 54.12D, 54.14F
- 56.08M, 56.10S, 56.12D, 56.14F
- 58.04T, 58.06K, 58.08M, 58.10S, 58.12D, 58.12K
- 60.04T, 60.06K, 60.08M, 60.10S, 60.12D, 60.12K
The Vokey Wedge Fitting App: 15 swings, less guesswork
If wedges are the scoring clubs, wedge buying shouldn’t be a coin toss. Titleist is pushing the Vokey Wedge Fitting App, developed with Titleist R&D and the Vokey Tour team, using launch monitor measurements across full shots and greenside pitches. The claim: it can recommend an optimal wedge setup in 15 swings, replicating the best elements of an outdoor fitting indoors.
If you take anything from SM11, take this: the tech is designed to reward being properly fit. The grinds are there for a reason. Pick the right one, and the rest of the story tends to read a lot better on the scorecard.
FAQs
Are Vokey SM11 wedges more forgiving than SM10?
SM11 focuses on consistency through identical CG placement within each loft, plus updated face texture and groove volume for steadier spin outcomes.
What’s the biggest change in Vokey SM11?
The quiet but important upgrade is consistent CG positioning across grinds within the same loft, simplifying fitting and stabilising flight/feel.
When can I buy Vokey SM11 wedges in the UK?
Fittings start Jan. 22 and retail begins Feb. 20, with UK SRP from £179.
What is the new Jet Black finish on Vokey SM11?
It’s a new finish option with increased lustre and improved colour consistency, alongside Tour Chrome, Nickel and custom Raw.
How do I choose the right Vokey grind?
Start with turf interaction and delivery (steep vs shallow), then bounce needs, then typical shots. A fitting (or the Vokey Wedge Fitting App) reduces expensive guesswork.
