TITLEIST VOKEY SM7
YOU NEED TO KNOW
SM7S have a progressive vertical centre of gravity (where Cleveland focus on centring CG horizontally across the face) as they say when loft increases, golfers tend to hit shots higher on the face. Lower lofts have narrower, deeper grooves whereas higher lofts are wider to maximise spin and control. Every groove is inspected, which Vokey reckons along with a parallel face texture (between each groove) and tighter tolerances gives 100rpm more spin. Like the RTX 4, the SM7S are cast heads, not forged.
LOOKS 9/10
Wedges are really personal bits of kit. It’s worth taking time to find the model which fills you full of confidence at address. We traced the profile of the wedges, to see how much difference there really is in shape and it boils down to nothing more than a pencil lead’s width, yet there’s a difference at address. We reckon the SM7S just about have the edge because the flow of offset and leading edge shaping between lofts is a bit more natural.
SPIN, FEEDBACK AND FEEL 8/10
Titleist insist we’re fitted before testing. Simon’s wedges were fitted with a shaft matched to his preferred iron model (True Temper XP-95) which could have impacted spin performance; Ben used the stock S200. Both testers struggled to match the RTX 4 for backspin (averaging 500-1500rpm less). You shouldn’t make a decision based on our spin numbers alone, but where feel and feedback were first class with the Vokey, as you’d expect, we reckon it’s worth paying close attention to spin if you end up looking at custom shafts to match your irons.
TECH 9/10
Make no mistake, there’s plenty of tech in the SM7S. Bob Vokey has worked with countless tour players over the years to perfect his clubs. The milled face, milled grooves, parallel face texture between the grooves (to improve traction between club and ball) and progressive centre of gravity (moves the CG up to 2mm) are all great, but we reckon Cleveland just about edge the tech battle as they also protect every groove during the finishing process.
OPTIONS 9/10
Titleist say that thanks to six sole grinds they can fit all skill levels of golfer to an SM7, so there’s no need to offer a cavity back model. It’s a solid argument, yet we can’t help thinking compact blade style wedges might not be the best fit for all club golfers out there. Titleist’s claim of “offering the game’s most complete selection of lofts, bounces and grinds” is inescapable and mightily impressive when backed up by a huge selection of custom shaft and grip options, too.
VERDICT 35/40
If you have the ability to have the choice between SM7 and RTX 4s you really can’t make a bad decision. You won’t miss out whichever way you turn. Vokey wedges, like Scotty putters, are seen by many as the pinnacle, and Titleist never shy away from telling you “we’re No.1 on Tour”. With so many options make sure you get a proper fitting.