Equipment
Vokey adds SM5 raw wedges to WedgeWorks
Titleist has expanded its Vokey SM5 wedge line with the addition of a new raw finish, which is a favorite of many PGA Tour players.
[quote_box_center]“Raw means there is no additional finish applied to the wedge, which is made of 8620 carbon steel,” said Bob Vokey, the company’s master wedge craftsman. “It has what I like to call a satin appearance that will start to rust after some use.”[/quote_box_center]
The raw-finished wedges were only available through the Titleist Tour Van or the Vokey Tour Department in the past, but they’re now available to the masses for purchase through the company’s WedgeWorks program on Vokey.com for $180 and up, depending on custom options.
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- Photo Courtesy of Titleist
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- Photo Courtesy of Titleist
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- Photo Courtesy of Titleist
Raw wedge heads are used on the PGA Tour to give club makers the ability to customize the sole, shape and weight of the club to a specific player’s needs, but they’re also preferred by players because of their look and feel. Because there is no finish on the clubs, they will rust over time, creating a unique, glare-free look.
Jordan Spieth uses four raw SM5 wedges. 46F, 52F, 56S and 60L.
[quote_box_center]”Some players like it even more as it rusts, kind of like a trusty hammer or another tool,” Vokey said.[/quote_box_center]
The raw SM5 wedges are offered in four lofts (54, 56, 58 and 60) and three of Vokey’s most popular sole grinds (S, M and K) creating 10 different configurations. Through WedgeWorks, golfers can also customize the wedges with personal stampings and up to six characters, as well as one of 12 paintfill options. A selection of custom grips, shafts, shaft bands and ferrules are also available.
Like Vokey’s retail SM5 wedges, which are offered in three finishes (Tour Chrome, Gold Nickel and Raw Black), the SM5 raw wedges have the company’s Spin Milled TX3 grooves.
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...
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Jul 15, 2015 at 6:34 am
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Ightsero’s Essential Tool
Insurance
Jul 10, 2015 at 6:53 pm
Just. No. The price point for this club is way off the mark. High-volume cast-stamped steel with an upcharge finish? The std wedges are already way overpriced for what they are and now this? Come on Titleist. Gives us tour-grade forged wedges and charge $180, we might just take it.
I will say it looks cool. So they got that part right.
Clemson Sucks
Jul 10, 2015 at 9:37 am
They’ve actually started offering many different bounce/grind combinations in the SM5’s. And they’re wedges.. What do expect?
John Daly
Jul 10, 2015 at 12:41 am
No thanks on $180 wedge that is a rusting pos.
Rwj
Jul 8, 2015 at 8:50 pm
Wedge that is $180 a piece. Cast 8620 steel that size is very cheap, the labor price is high, but hand grinding a wedge is not a two hour process, so not significant. The price comes from the titleist name and brand. The company has a large number of senior vp, then vp’s, then directors, then managers, etc. the overhead is outrageous
Matto
Jul 9, 2015 at 6:18 pm
Doesn’t explain the fact that all (now) 4 Sm5’s are made from the same steel. 3 get get a final process, Chrome, Nickel, Black.
The last of the 4 gets no final process yet somehow costs $50 more.
It’s a rort, pure & simple.
This is a wedge that people can have and now think, “yeah, I got one like Adam Scott & Spetih.” (Looks great though!!!!)
Matto
Jul 8, 2015 at 7:42 pm
Or you could buy mine, all listed online at the moment. 46,50,54,58.
Ping Glides for me now. ????????
Brian T
Jul 8, 2015 at 6:14 pm
Pay an extra $50 for them to not apply an extra manufacturing step? Am I missing something? If anything they should cost less.
Rich
Jul 9, 2015 at 7:31 am
+1
jgpl001
Jul 8, 2015 at 5:11 pm
DAMN I just bought 2 Gold Nickel Vokeys last week because I got tired waiting for a raw version…
How could Titleist not offer the raw version retail from day one???
Clemson Sucks
Jul 8, 2015 at 3:10 pm
Or, you could save $50 by buying the wedge in raw black, then strip the finish off…
Chuck
Jul 9, 2015 at 2:08 pm
Have you actually done that? I recall the process for easily stripping the “Oil Can” finish off Vokeys some years ago, with household products.
But isn’t the black some sort of anodizing? How do you get that off, if it is electroplated on? Of course one way to get it off would be to hit 5,000 bunker shots with it. And the side benefit is that you’d be the best bunker player in your Saturday morning foursome.
But seriously, how do you strip the black finish off?
Clemson Sucks
Jul 10, 2015 at 9:33 am
http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/1042473-vokey-sm5-removing-black-finish-down-to-raw-a-how-to-pic-heavy/
Chuck
Jul 10, 2015 at 12:22 pm
How did I ever miss that thread? It’s brilliant; thanks for posting the link.
Steve
Jul 8, 2015 at 2:05 pm
Never liked vokeys, just always felt harsh.
Rusty
Jul 9, 2015 at 11:45 am
Try hitting the ball in the sweetspot. Then they feel like butter 😉
Andrew
Jul 8, 2015 at 1:30 pm
Why no 46/48 or 50??
John Aiello
Jul 8, 2015 at 12:55 pm
You didn’t say when the were going to become available.
Clemson Sucks
Jul 8, 2015 at 2:57 pm
Says they are coming soon, on the website.
Terry Shell PGA
Jul 8, 2015 at 12:53 pm
Finally raw wedges without hand ground price. Now we need the “j” and “e” grinds.
me
Jul 8, 2015 at 12:52 pm
So the standard SM5 are $130, but the “process” of NOT adding a finish to the club adds an additional $50 to the price tag?
Matt
Jul 8, 2015 at 3:20 pm
Supply and demand, baby. Supply and demand.
Rwj
Jul 8, 2015 at 8:47 pm
Doubt fits into supply demand concept. I imagine there are plenty who want finished wedges as much as raw, so demand is probably the same. Supply, the raw wedges are every wedge, finish is added to the raw state, so supply is constant
BustyMagoo
Jul 8, 2015 at 10:37 pm
Yah so we’re paying more for less. It does suck but that is indeed supply and demand. Either way, I’m over paying high prices for clubs.
Chuck
Jul 9, 2015 at 2:12 pm
It’s a fair point! Why pay more, for less?
I haven’t bought a Wedgeworks wedge yet; are there things offered with Wedgeworks clubs that can’t be had with other Vokeys? Shafts? Grinds? Stamping?
Chuck
Jul 8, 2015 at 12:48 pm
Looks like Vokey is reading GolfWRX.com, and I propose to reward Vokey with the purchase of a raw SM5!
Next up; new Vokey remakes of the 400 series wedges. Let’s do this!
Jon443
Jul 8, 2015 at 7:52 pm
The new sm6 look very similar to the 400 series. You will love them if your a 400 lover.