Over the past ten years, there’s been a bit of a revolution brewing in the world of golf equipment. The trusty old pitching wedge has undergone a transformation, becoming something distinctly different—stronger, longer, and increasingly out of sync with the rest of your wedges.
If you haven’t been paying close attention, you might have missed this evolution. What was once the standard 48-degree pitching wedge has now been beefed up to 44, 43, or even 42 degrees, acting more like a confused 9-iron than the trusty club it used to be.
And this shift has left a gap that wedge manufacturers are only now starting to bridge.
Picture this: I’m a strong advocate for well-crafted, strong-lofted irons, but even I haven’t been immune to the challenges they pose.
After diving into an analysis of set wedges versus specialty wedges, I decided to switch out my set-matched pitching wedge for a 46-degree Vokey SM9. Not only did it look better at address, but it offered a flatter, spin-heavy trajectory that was lacking with my previous club.
I was in golf heaven—until a new set of irons entered the picture. With stronger lofts, the gap between my 9-iron and my pitching wedge was unworkable.
During a fitting session with Titleist, I ended up with their T350 irons. It was an obvious choice to replace my beloved Vokey with the set’s matched pitching wedge.
That solved the gap between the 9-iron and the pitching wedge, but it created a 20-yard chasm between the pitching wedge and the gap wedge. Essentially, we fixed one issue, created another, and ended up having to shelve a club I truly enjoyed.
Is that really a win? Not quite.
The launch of the SM10 brought some relief when I traded my 50-degree wedge for a 48, which closed the gaps nicely but left me missing my Vokey.
Enter the Vokey WedgeWorks 44F, which is now back on my radar, offering both me and you some much-needed flexibility.
For a long time, Vokey’s wedges started at 46 degrees with the F Grind—a logical starting point if you’re using Titleist’s T100 irons or anything else in that player’s iron range. The transition was smooth, the spacing impeccable.
But, if you play with T150s, containing a 44-degree pitching wedge, or T200s or T350s, with their 43-degree PWs, moving to a Vokey wedge was like leaping across a canyon—not quite the one-step Bill Armstrong envisioned.
Vokey has finally addressed this gap with the WedgeWorks 44F.
“The 46-degree Vokey has been a game changer for many, both in the Tour and amateur circles,” says Vokey Tour Rep Aaron Dill. “But with stronger lofted iron sets becoming the norm, we realized the necessity for a lower-lofted model to bypass the drawbacks of strengthening a 46.”
These drawbacks? More significant than you might think.
Altering the loft of a club doesn’t just make it stronger—it changes the club’s balance. Stronger lofts increase offset while reducing bounce, which can alter its performance.
Most players might not notice a single-degree change, but any more significant modifications could affect the club’s playability.
So, what should modern golfers with juiced-up irons do?
This is where the Vokey WedgeWorks 44F comes into play. For those preferring specialty wedges over set-matched ones, this could revolutionize your hashing out between irons and wedges.
Even seasoned pros like Wyndham Clark have wrestled with this dilemma.
Clark needed wedges that could consistently handle soft, grainy terrains. “When bounce is insufficient, shots tend to strike higher on the face than ideal,” explains Dill. “Clark’s original 46.10F was bent strong, reducing bounce. In softer conditions, his hits were higher on the clubface.”
Clark experimented with the new 44F, modifying it slightly to 45 degrees. This unusual tweak increased bounce and minimized offset, delivering exactly what he was after.
“It upped the bounce and lowered his flight, all while keeping the wedge profile familiar to him,” Dill states. “This assurance allowed him to strike the ground confidently, knowing the desired outcome was within reach.”
Clark wasted no time in putting the 44F into play at the Sentry, kicking off his 2025 season.
Equipped with 10 degrees of bounce, similar to the SM10’s 46.10F and 48.10F models, the WedgeWorks 44F assures proper turf interaction while bridging the gap for those with stronger-lofted irons.
While you could stick with your set’s matching pitching wedge, those inclined towards specialty wedges now have an option to replace their enhanced pitching wedges effectively.
Now available in Tour Chrome or Raw finish, the WedgeWorks 44F caters to both right- and left-handed golfers. True to the WedgeWorks philosophy, customization is abundant, from unique engravings to custom stamps.
The stock shaft is a True Temper Dynamic Gold S200, paired with a Titleist Universal 360 grip. Of course, a variety of alternative shafts and grips are available for those seeking something different.
Priced at $225, it’s slightly pricier than the average wedge, but that’s the cost of finally finding a fitting solution for your club set—and bringing a streamlined specialty wedge back into your game.
The Wokey WedgeWorks 44F can be found at golf shops and through Vokey.com.
