I’ve been playing Vokey SM9 wedges since they were first released in early 2022, and other than my lob wedge, I’ve been happy with them. I swapped out the original shafts, but otherwise they remain in the specification I bought them.
My current wedges
I was fitted for these wedges when they were first released and went for the non-glare nickel finish with Modus 115 black special anniversary shafts. These progressed nicely from the SteelFibre i110 shafts I had in my irons at the time. When I later switched to my first set of P770’s, these were fitted with KBS Tour Lite shafts, and I decided to change the wedges to match. Fortunately, when I was fitted for graphite shafts, the progression to the KBS remained fine, so they didn’t need to be done again.
Why have I decided to change?
The main reason is that I don’t think the lob wedge is the right specification for me and the courses I play any more. I have always struggled with it and keep it almost exclusively for thicker rough or the fluffy bunkers. The bounce and grind make it especially difficult to use from tight links turf, so I rarely use it around the green. The 54° also has a lot of bounce, but the different grind gives more flexibility. Talking to my regular instructor, playing partners and Adam at Auchterlonies, I believe both these wedges are costing me strokes.
Why now and why Opus?
One of my regular playing partners switched to Opus when they were first released and has been very happy with them. Before my Vokeys I was playing Callaway Mack Daddy wedges and was always quite happy with them. So, when I saw Auchterlonies selling ex-demo Callaway Opus wedges, I thought it was a great opportunity to upgrade.
Being the golf nerd that I am, I am very aware of other wedges on the market, but other than maybe the TM MG5 or some of the specialist wedge names, nothing else has really piqued my interest. If the Opus options didn’t perform, I was under no obligation to buy them and would continue with my Vokeys.
I was fortunate to get to the shop quickly and was able to choose from a wide variety of different lofts, grinds and bounces. I went with 50°, 54° and 58°, all fitted with Dynamic Gold 115 wedge shafts. There were a few 60° options too, but they all suffered the same bounce/grind issue as my current wedge. With these being demo clubs (some had never even been hit), Ryan said I was welcome to take them away for a couple of days to try them out, which was fantastic. This allowed me to compare a variety of bounce and grind options to determine what worked best for me.
How did I make my choice?
The Duke’s has a couple of good short game areas, so that was my main testing ground. The 50° wedge will mainly be used for full shots and some chip-and-run options around the green, so that was the focus with it. At 10° of bounce, it is quite close to the Vokey with 12°, but it performed very differently. I liked the turf interaction, the flight I was getting, and the extra spin. First decision made.
The other two need to be more flexible. Both will be used for full and partial shots, and the 58° will also be used from bunkers and for lob shots. I needed to find grinds where I was comfortable manipulating the face to play different shots. I had a couple of different options to try, but was able to quickly eliminate some and spend more time with the final two. They were the Opus Platinum model (their premium wedge) in 54°, 12° bounce, S grind and 58°, 8° bounce and Z grind. Both provide more shot-making options than my current wedges, and I particularly liked the Z grind on the 58° from a wide variety of lies (especially bunkers).
Once I had my three choices, I then took them to the short game area at the Jubilee course to try them off links turf. Fortunately, I found they were even better there than the softer parkland turf at the Duke’s. The decision was made.
I have played a few rounds with them now on a variety of courses, and I am really pleased with my choices. The 54° wedge will likely still be the one I use the most around the green, but with the 58°, I finally have a higher lofted option that I am comfortable. With more practice, I can see that being the wedge I will end up using the most. The Z grind offers huge flexibility that allows a wide variety of shots. I’ve even had the confidence with it to hit a couple of flop shots where I’d always have been worried about thinning my Vokey onto the next fairway!
The final choice
