Equipment
Titleist Vokey SM5 Wedges
Titleist’s new Vokey SM5 wedges offer golfers more tour-preferred grind and bounce options, as well as more spin from their larger third-generation Spin Milled grooves.
The new “TX3” grooves have a 7-percent larger groove volume in two different configurations. The grooves are deeper and narrower on the 46-to-54 degree wedges than the previous generation to deliver better distance and trajectory control, reducing the chance of flyers from the rough.
“On tour these guys have to aim to a lot of small targets,” said Aaron Dill, who builds and grinds Vokey wedges for PGA Tour players. “They need to trust that their golf ball will travel the exact distance they need it to, even from a tough lie in the rough. The deep and narrow TX3 groove helps push the grass down better, which gives you that increased edge radius contact for more spin and consistent distance.”
Above: A Vokey SM5 56-degree wedge with 10 degrees of bounce, an “M Grind” and a “Raw Black” finish.
On the 56-to-62 degree SM5 wedges, the grooves are the same width as the previous generation, but they have a greater depth that adds roughly 400 rpm more spin on full shots from the rough, according to company testing.
“The groove configuration changes with the [56-degree] model because this is where testing showed that the player makes a more oblique impact versus a more direct impact in the lower lofts,” said Master Craftsman Bob Vokey. “The wider TX3 groove on the higher lofts will sheer away the grass, rather than pushing it into the groove, and perform better on partial shots.”
The SM5 wedges are cast from 8620 carbon steel, and are available in lofts from 46 degrees to 62 degrees in two-degree increments. They come in six tour-inspired sole grinds (L, T, S, M, F and K), with each model sorted into low-, mid- and high-bounce categories. That creates a selection of 21 different loft, bounce and grind combinations.
The wedges will be available in stores March 14 in three different finishes — Tour Chrome, Gold Nickel and Raw Black — and will sell for $129. The Tour Chrome and Gold Nickel are plated finishes, while the Raw Black finish will rust over time.
SM5 Sole Grind Descriptions
- L Grind: Narrow crescent sole with small forward bounce surface and minimal camber. Swing type: Slider. Condition type: Firm.
- T Grind: Dual bounce sole with wide trailing bounce surface. Swing type: Slider/Neutral. Condition type: Firm/Medium.
- S Grind: Full sole with straight trailing edge ribbon and moderate heel relief. Swing type: Slider/Neutral. Condition type: Firm/Medium/Soft.
- M Grind: Crescent sole with narrow forward bounce surface and moderate camber. Swing type: Slider/Neutral. Condition type: Firm/Medium.
- F Grind: Full sole with moderate camber and small trailing edge ribbon. Swing type: Slider/Neutral/Digger. Condition type: Firm/Medium/Soft.
- K Grind: Wide sole with increased bounce and enhanced camber. Swing type: Neutral/Digger. Condition type: Medium/Soft.
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...
Leglikewood
Feb 15, 2016 at 3:16 pm
What would be the standard bounce/grind setup for a 56 and 60?
Curtis
May 1, 2014 at 12:52 pm
Can’t wait for my wedgework sm5’s this weekend!!
Brian
Mar 22, 2014 at 1:33 pm
What’s the difference between tour chrome finish and gold nickel finish? Durability wise? Purely cosmetic?
Gary Lewis
Mar 22, 2014 at 3:04 pm
I think it is pretty much cosmetic. The Gold might not reflect the sunlight as much as the chrome.
Brian
Mar 23, 2014 at 11:29 am
Thanks! I have black nickel irons and was hoping for a return of that in the wedges but I don’t mind the gold nickel.
Gary Lewis
Mar 2, 2014 at 9:57 am
Nice looking wedges and Vokey is continuing to try to improve on a winning formula, and I would bet they will kick ass on the marketplace. Sounds like Vokey has been able to increase the performance with the grooves. Kudos on that. I have just bought a few of the Cally Mack Daddy 2’s, which I like very much, but the SM5 looks like another winner too and it appears he likes Mizunos idea on the grooves. Can’t wait to see these in person.
Jericho
Feb 5, 2014 at 3:13 pm
just had a set of mp-4’s built matched with x100’s played Monterey on my birthday for the first time with these was 4 under through 14 then gave it back away for an even par 71 ..I’ll take it.. with that said..do I get mp t4 wedgeswith s400 to keep the same feel or wait for sm5’s..kinda leaning towards mp t4 ?
Rich
Jan 22, 2014 at 4:14 pm
Never been excited about a Vokey line before but I’m very keen to see these. I’m getting sick of my ’09 X Forged wedges (even though the original MD grooves were cavernous!) and these look nice.
simon
Jan 22, 2014 at 3:01 pm
Very much like my Mizuno’s design only with less feel.
There does seem to be more options with the SM 5 but the lack of forging keeps the Mizzy’s in my bag.
sam Brooks
Jan 22, 2014 at 1:31 pm
Yea sounds like they have use mizunos quad cut idea.. Mizunos have some crazy bite on partials even when chipping you can control the spin really well.. Hmm yea think I’ll stick with mizzys
Chris S
Jan 22, 2014 at 7:35 pm
absofreakinlutely. I bought two Vokey wedges for a total of nearly $400 last year and they won’t be in the bag this year. I would be willing to pay more for forged versions because the grinds are great. Just wish the feel was there.
sam Brooks
Jan 22, 2014 at 1:30 pm
Sweet..
Mark Burke
Jan 22, 2014 at 9:28 am
When I was living in the Tubes in Palm Springs. I never thought I would see a day when vokey would offer so many options on their stock wedges. Now if I can only get my shot on tour, I can maybe use these wedges to get me to the promise land. My caddy New York is coaching me up right now, this year is the year I clear my name.
Harry Dorton
Jan 21, 2014 at 10:25 pm
Look like every other Vokey of past 15 years.
Chris G
Jan 21, 2014 at 9:12 pm
So excited for these. Has noticed a big drop in spin on partial shots with SM4’s. glad to see they fixed that issue. Raw Black in 46,54 and 60 for me please.
Harry Dorton
Jan 21, 2014 at 10:24 pm
I am sure it is the club.
Troll
Feb 24, 2014 at 9:16 pm
Harry’s taking out his 18th hole frustrations on everyone else
Phil
Jan 21, 2014 at 2:44 pm
Sounds like Mizuno design with the different grooves.
Kimmy
Jan 21, 2014 at 1:39 pm
Does Raw Black mean it will rust?
Deaus
Jan 21, 2014 at 2:31 pm
Yes, it will rust. Rust can provide extra spin some say. If you dont like the rust you can use an oil that Vokey has, or stuff I use called SCHUTZ, I have a set of PVD irons that rust really easy but this oil prevents it.
Dave
Jan 21, 2014 at 3:16 pm
Does the oil mess with spin? More of a question of whether oil residue stays on the club, which I would expect to impact spin / crisp contact.
John Aiello
Jan 21, 2014 at 12:30 pm
These look great. My only wish was that they did not add the bounce number in red below the loft number on the toe of the club. I think it looks cheesy.
Jeremy
Jan 21, 2014 at 9:56 am
Will all of the SM5 finishes be offered in Left Hand?
Cole
Feb 5, 2014 at 4:37 pm
The tour chrome and raw black are available in LH but I am not sure about the gold nickel