Behind The Grinds

The closer you get to the green, the more shots you have to choose from. Distance, lie, and pin placement can help determine the shot you need to play, but it’s up to you to pick the right wedge for the job. And while many golfers make the mistake of choosing their wedge based on loft, the question you should start asking yourself is “which grind is right for this shot?”

At first glance, this might look like a line from a vision test. But these six letters represent one of the most important choices you’ll make before attempting any wedge shot. Each letter corresponds to a distinct Vokey grind that’s engineered to deliver specific performance for specific types of shots.

The role of a grind is to deliver the clubhead in a way that promotes consistent, solid contact. But as your strategy changes around the green, your technique changes, your delivery changes—and your wedges need to change with you. That’s why different grinds exist. Because no single sole design can handle all the shots and conditions you’ll face in a round of golf.

HOW A GRIND IS BORN

Each Vokey wedge grind has been designed to meet specific on-course challenges. They weren’t engineered on a whiteboard. They were born on the range, in the bunkers, and around the greens where Bob kept hearing Tour players say, “I need something that helps me hit this particular shot.”

A player presents a challenge.

Bob listens.
Bob shapes.
He removes material.
He adds camber.
He adjusts bounce.
He tests.
He listens again.

This cycle repeats until the new grind goes in their bag.

Once a player adds a new grind and begins having success with it, others take notice. Requests start to roll in. And when enough players try it that grind gains enough traction on Tour, the Vokey team knows they have something that’s worth bringing to market.

THE ORIGIN OF EVERY SM11 GRIND

The SM11 grinds represent the culmination of Bob’s decades-long collaboration with the best wedge players in the world. As Vokey loyalists may know, the letter assigned to each grind is usually a subtle nod to the player that Bob developed it for. But to fully understand what each grind solves, who it’s best for, and what it can mean for your game, we need to look back at why they were created in the first place...

THE F GRIND
A Full Sole for Full Wedge Shots

Bob introduced F Grind prototypes on Tour in 1997, and it has been a core Vokey grind ever since. It’s a clean, simple, full-sole design that’s built for stability and consistency. It’s also the most forgiving across the SM11 lineup. When you’re hitting a full wedge shot, predictability is paramount—and that’s where the forgiveness of F Grind really shines.

With a 48°, 50°, or 52° in hand, most players aren’t opening or closing the face like you would with a lob wedge. That’s why Bob kept the F Grind design straightforward. The full sole and higher bounce resist digging, allowing the club to get through the turf quickly. It’s designed to help players be aggressive on fuller swings without fear of the leading edge digging in.

As you move closer to the green, the F Grind can also be a dependable chipping option, especially from challenging grainy lies. If your club tends to stick into the ground on square-face chips, the F Grind can act as a safety net, gliding the club through the grass instead of snagging in it.

Who F Grind is best for:

• Full swings
• Slightly steeper attack angles
• Slightly softer turf conditions
• Chipping on grainy Bermuda

Who F Grind is best for:
Anyone who wants stability, forgiveness, and consistency in their full-swing wedge shots—especially with PW and AW.

THE M GRIND
Multi-Purpose Greenside Creativity

Bob Vokey has often said that everything started with the F Grind. “From there,” he recalls, “all I was trying to do was remove the shape of the sole to let players hit different kinds of shots.” The M Grind emerged from this idea. It was born from the realisation that some of the best wedge players on Tour were already modifying their clubs in ways that the standard lineup didn’t yet account for.

Before M Grind, Bob noticed that certain players wanted very specific grind modifications—subtle changes that gave them a creative edge around the greens. One player asked for toe material removed so he could play delicate, toe-down chip shots. Another player wanted more heel and trailing edge relief, so the club would lay flatter on open-face shots.

Bob’s solution was the M Grind. A single, versatile sole that united these common Tour modifications. By removing material from the toe, heel, and trailing edge, he created a multi-purpose grind that encourages face manipulation, creativity, and fluid turf interaction. Through this, Bob introduced a shotmaker’s wedge grind that could uniquely adapt to almost any scenario.

But there’s even more magic built into M Grind when you consider its ability to perform from the fairway and sand as well. While the shape of the grind promotes precision on short chips, its mid-width sole provides added forgiveness on fuller swings and bunker shots.

Who M Grind is best for:

• Greenside creativity
• Open-faced shots
• Bunker forgiveness
• Variable turf conditions

Who M Grind is best for:
Players who vary their technique around the green. Players who picture the shot in their head and need a tool to play it.

THE D GRIND
The Player’s High-Bounce Wedge

The D Grind is essentially the big brother to the M Grind.

As the season rolled on and conditions softened, some Tour players began to comment that their M Grind was starting to dig too much on chip shots. For Bob, there was a simple solution: add some bounce to it. That extra bounce would keep the club from digging on steeper swings or softer turf while preserving the versatile shape that players love around the greens.

Side-by-side the M and D Grinds look closely related. But the D Grind’s defining feature is its increased forward bounce. This creates a big difference in performance, especially when the wedge makes contact with a square face—making D Grind great for full fairway shots, but highly reliable for chipping shots as well. So, if you notice your square-face chip shots are digging, the D Grind provides a more forgiving bounce option to get the club up and out of the turf.

And just like the M Grind, the D Grind features trailing-edge relief that keeps the leading edge tight to the ground when the face is opened. It’s a strategic evolution of the M Grind that gives D Grind a versatile sole design, with added protection against digging.

Who D Grind is best for:

• Steeper attack angles
• Soft turf conditions
• Preventing deep divots
• Combining forgiveness and versatility

Who D Grind is best for:
Players who experience digging chip shots or deep divots and want greenside versatility with added forgiveness.

THE T GRIND
For Sharper Shotmaking

The T Grind is another direct descendant of the M Grind. At the time, the M Grind was already wildly popular on Tour. But as players started competing on tighter and firmer conditions, Bob noticed that the leading edge wasn’t sitting quite low enough when players fully opened the face. To solve for this, he decided to remove even more material off the M Grind.

By reworking the shape to feature an extremely narrow sole with low bounce and a removed trailing edge, Bob crafted T Grind to sit as flush to the ground as possible. This gave Tour players an ultra-clean setup that unlocked the confidence to play a wider variety of high-precision shots.

Who T Grind is best for:

• Ultra-tight lies
• Firm turf conditions
• Open-face shots
• Maximum versatility

Who T Grind is best for:
Golfers who are comfortable playing a variety of different shots around the greens. Players who value precision over forgiveness.

THE K GRIND
Shaped for Greenside Forgiveness

The K Grind didn’t directly evolve from an existing grind. It emerged from an existing need.

Bob has always maintained that no amount of testing can replicate “Sunday afternoon pressure.” And as Bob studied those back-nine battles unfolding on Tour, he noticed that bunkers tend to be one of the spots where nerves show up the most. Especially in soft sand, the margin for error tightens and, suddenly, a slightly missed strike could lead to a missed championship.

The game needed a more forgiving bunker wedge, and the K Grind was his solution.

In SM11, the K Grind is available in two distinct bounce options. The high-bounce 12 K Grind is best for bunker play and soft conditions, while the low-bounce 06 K Grind delivers forgiveness off tighter, firmer lies.

What 12 K Grind is best for:

• Soft sand
• Soft turf
• Deep rough
• Added forgiveness

Who 12 K Grind is best for:
Any player who wants the largest margin for error in their highest-lofted wedge.

What 06 K Grind is best for:

• Firmer sand
• Firmer turf
• Added forgiveness

Who 06 K Grind is best for:
Players who want the forgiving greenside performance of K Grind, adjusted for firmer conditions.

THE S GRIND
Narrow and Versatile

The S Grind was first developed as players prepared for The Open Championship—where firm, wind-hardened links turf demand a completely different kind of wedge performance. On these conditions, wedges with a wider sole and higher bounce can work against a player. Instead of offering forgiveness, the sole can ricochet off the turf too quickly, leading to shots that launch extremely low—or come out thin.

To address this problem, Bob crafted a grind with more trailing edge relief and a noticeably narrower sole. This allowed the club to cut through firm turf and make solid contact more consistently. It delivered exactly what players needed for Open-style conditions, and it led to S Grind earning a permanent place in the Vokey lineup.

Since then, Bob has noticed a pattern in his fittings. The S Grind is almost always one of the final two or three wedges players are seriously considering adding to their bag. And when a player is torn between options, Bob often recommends the S Grind because he knows it will perform, especially on the square wedge shots golfers rely on every round.

But there’s even more magic built into M Grind when you consider its ability to perform from the fairway and sand as well. While the shape of the grind promotes precision on short chips, its mid-width sole provides added forgiveness on fuller swings and bunker shots.

In the words of Bob, “The S Grind is one of those wedges that just works.”

What S Grind is best for:

• Square shots
• Faster feel through the turf
• Variable turf conditions

Who S Grind is best for:
Players who want maximum consistency and smooth turf interaction on square-face shots.

KNOW YOUR LETTERS

Finding the right wedges is all about creating consistent, solid contact across all the shots you play. But that’s almost impossible if you default to the same grind throughout your wedge set. Tour players know this, which is why nearly all of them use a variety of grinds—each chosen for a specific purpose.

Before building your wedge set, you have to consider the conditions of your course, the types of shots you like to hit, and the most challenging shots you commonly face. Once you understand how you plan to use each wedge, you can begin to identify which grinds support your strengths and provide forgiveness where you need it most.

THE GRIND CONTINUES

For decades, Bob Vokey has set the evolving standard for wedge performance. Technologies have advanced, grooves have sharpened, and precise machining has transformed the modern wedge. But through every generation, Bob’s principle has never changed: the right grind is a player’s best path to better wedge play.

The accumulated insight from Bob, Aaron, and the Vokey Design Team culminates in the six legacy grinds that define SM11. Paired with expanded loft and bounce configurations, they give every golfer the ability to build a wedge setup that uniquely matches their delivery, their course conditions, and the shots they rely on most.

And even now, after decades of industry-defining work and an overwhelmingly positive response to SM11, Bob’s still grinding at 86 years old.