What the pros play: Justin Thomas

Titleist Vokey Design SM9 46.10F with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shaft, SM9 52.12, 56.14F and 60.06K wedges with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts

Price: From $179 each

Titleist launched the SM9 wedges to the public in January, but Aaron Dill, Titleist’s Vokey wedges tour rep, flew in December to Jupiter, Florida, and met Thomas at Grove XXIII, Michael Jordan’s ultra-private golf club, to show Thomas the new line.

“I really needed to be there in person so we could talk about the differences and what Justin was seeing and feeling,” Dill said. “Part of the process is him learning what the clubs are about, but the other part is me learning what he thinks, both the good and, more importantly, the bad. What do we need to take back and improve.”

The pair hit a lot of shots, ranging from approach shots from the fairway to chips in grainy Bermuda grass to bunker shots, taking about three hours.

“To be fair, a lot of the things that we changed were based on bits of feedback we got from Justin,” Dill said. “He focuses on the flight, the spin and the shapes, but he didn’t want us to change the parts like the soles, the grinds, the bounces because that is his connection to the ground, the ball and the sound.”

Several of Thomas’ wedges have a stated loft that is different than the playing loft. His 46-degree pitching wedge really has 47.5 degrees of loft, the 52-degree gap wedge has 52.5 degrees and the 56-degree sand wedge is really at 57 degrees. Those differences may seem tiny, but after working with his launch monitor, Thomas has learned those specific lofts produce the distance gaps and trajectories he wants.

Thomas’ pitching wedge, gap wedge and sand wedge all have Titleist’s F grind, an all-purpose sole configuration that is relatively straight and ideal for golfers who like to hit from a square position. As the lofts increase, the amount of bounce increases too, with Thomas’ 56-degree sand wedge having 14 degrees of bounce.

Interestingly, Thomas brings two lob wedges to tournaments.

Typically, he plays with a 60-degree K grind wedge with 6 degrees of bounce, but starting at the 2018 Presidents Cup in Australia, he began using a 60-degree T grind wedge on firm golf courses. The K grind (named for Tom Kite) has a very wide sole, so it excels in soft conditions and fluffy sand even with a low bounce angle. The T grind (named after Tom Pernice) has a low-bounce angle and narrow crescent shape with heel and toe relief. It is ideally suited for hard ground and courses with very tight lies, such as at a links.

Titleist Vokey Design SM9 F Grind: $179 at PGA Tour Superstore / $179 each at GlobalGolf