WORLDWIDE GOLF INSIDER

June / July 2017

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ver.indd 1 12/1/1 ver.indd 1 12/1/1 ver.indd 1 12/1/1 ver.indd 1 12/1/1 YOUR GAME the daily Grind Wedge wear can wreak havoc on your short game – here's one way to remedy that t here's a world of difference between a PGA or LPGA tour professional and the rest of us. But every golfer's game is greatly affected by the qual- ity of their wedges – particularly in terms of the wear and tear on the grooves. If you want the ball to spin to a stop on the greens, the need for fresh grooves is imperative. But grooves tend to wear out – particularly the more you play, which is why tour players generally re- place their wedges as many as four times a year. While few golfers play or practice as much as tour pros, the reality is that every wedge will wear down over time, and it's always a good idea to think about replacing those wedges – or finding wedges de- signed so that the grooves don't wear out as often. Otherwise, you may be sacrificing valuable game performance. That is why Titleist's pioneering wedge designer Bob Vokey unveiled his groundbreaking SM6 wedges in 2016. Vokey oversaw a study that found after 75 rounds golfers could be losing up to 1,000 revolutions per minute of spin on their wedge shots, resulting in nearly double the roll out. And oftentimes, it is the most consis- tent wedge strikers who will see the most wear and tear on those grooves. "Because you're hitting it in the same spot on the same face and the same grooves every time, you're wearing out those grooves in the same spot," said Jeremy Stone of Titleist's Vokey Wedge Division. In an effort to help mitigate worn-out grooves, which affect launch, spin and roll out, Titleist sug- gests the Vokey SM6 wedge, which produces more spin, lower launch angles and half the roll out of a wedge that has been used 75 times. It's not like the SM6 grooves won't ultimately wear out – it's just that they're designed to wear out slower over time. It's also important to real- ize that not all golfers will see the same depreciation in their wedges. If you play once a month and your practice regimen is sporadic, your wedge grooves are going to last longer. Stone says it is important to under- stand how your wedges perform if you want to play your best. "Make sure you have a trusted ad- visor, someone you can go to," he said. "If you're in a Worldwide Golf Shops store on their launch monitor, test the spin so that you understand what's going to happen." Â Â Over time and with repeated use, the grooves on your wedges start to wear out. Titleist's line of SM6 wedges feature grooves that are designed to wear out slower over time. listen now! CliCk here for a podcast with Jeremy Stone of the Vokey Wedge Division at Titleist. ............................. shop here! CliCk here to view a full selection of Vokey wedges. Chip shots

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