Equipment
Vokey SM9 wedges begin tour seeding this week
Update 7:00 p.m.: Max Homa and Garrick Higgo posted shots of SM9 wedges in their Instagram stories.


Titleist announced today the Vokey Design SM9 will begin tour seeding this week at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Maui.
While the company hasn’t provided any tech details, a release indicated, “Master Craftsman Bob Vokey and Vokey Tour Rep Aaron Dill, working alongside Vokey’s team of engineers, have spent the last two years designing prototypes and testing them with the world’s best players, pushing forward in their relentless mission to craft better performing and better feeling wedges.”
We’ll be sure to get you a list of players who are putting the SM9 in Hawaii this week as well as any additional player feedback we can round up.
Titleist tweeted the following.
Aloha, #SM9. ?
New @VokeyWedges #SM9 models make their PGA Tour debut this week at the @Sentry_TOC. ?
Follow along as players get their first opportunity to game the new models in competition at Kapalua.#AlwaysGrinding pic.twitter.com/GDClSZUB4T
— Titleist (@Titleist) January 3, 2022
A blown-up version of the photo Vokey provided makes the shaping differences — softer, more rounded a bit more SM7-like — between the SM8 and SM9 clear, as well as adjustments to the graphics.
Most noticeably, gone is the recessed bar in the middle of the rear of the wedge. Whether it’s a thin slot in that position on the club or a stamped line paintfilled black remains to be seen.

For reference, Vokey’s SM8 wedges, below.

Read our SM8 launch piece here.
Let us know what you think about this photo of the Vokey SM9, GolfWRXers, and stay tuned once the pros put it in play.
Equipment
Neal Shipley, AKA, the “Big Fridge’s,” custom stamping
Neal Shipley was the first to admit that he enjoyed his food while in college. But since his days at Ohio State, he’s slimmed down and earned a PGA Tour Card.
That hasn’t stopped him from having fun with his wedge stampings, though it’s led to some misunderstandings.
On the 54 (degree), we have ‘Big Fudge,'” Shipley told GolfWRX. “It was supposed to be ‘Big Fridge,’ so this happened a little while ago. ‘Big Fridge’ was a nickname between my college teammates and I, with ‘fridge’ meaning stomach, a big stomach.

“We told the Ping guys to put … ‘Big Fridge’ on it, and I think maybe some bad cell service or something, and they thought I said ‘fudge,’ so they put fudge on it.”
On Shipley’s 50-degree he also continues the food theme, this time with his go-to order at the “Golden Arches,” and his stamping “DONS 7.”
“The number 7 meal, the two cheeseburger meal, that was my McDonald’s order, back when I would have McDonald’s frequently,” Shipley shared.
Equipment
From the GolfWRX Classifieds: L.A.B. Purple DF3 with Masters cover
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @raw10628 has a L.A.B. DF3 putter and Masters putter cover up for grabs.

From the listing: “Some great items here today, time to thin out and make room for next set of gear. All prices include shipping.
LAB DF3 Purple 33.5” 68° lie with TPT – $725. LAB Masters release DF3 cover – $150.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules
Whats in the Bag
Maria Torres WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: Ping G440 LST (9 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 5-M4

3-wood: Ping G440 Max (15 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4

5-wood: Ping G440 Max (19 degrees @18)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4

Hybrid: Ping G440 (23 degrees)
Shaft: Oban Isawa Red Hybrid Shaft 04 Flex 70 Gms

Irons: Srixon ZXi7 (5-P)
Shafts: Aerotech SteelFiber Private Reserve i80

Wedges: Cleveland RTZ (50-MID, 54-FULL, 58-MID)
Shafts: Aerotech SteelFiber Private Reserve i105

Putter: L.A.B. Golf OZ.1i
Shaft: ACCRA Putter Shaft

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

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Jeff
Jan 3, 2022 at 6:45 pm
How many bloody Gs are there?
-Ozzy Osbourn