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NEWS FROM THE TOUR VANS
BROUGHT TO YOU BY GOLF PRIDE, THE #1 GRIP ON TOUR
Who was the first PGA Tour player to use a 60-degree wedge in competition?
The answer is Tom Kite, who first implemented the club in 1980. Before that point, the highest loft any player would use was a 56-degree wedge.
“I put it in the bag and I instantly became a better player,” Kite said in an interview with Golf.com. “I didn’t know anything about clubs, except I knew what I needed in terms of loft and length to get the ball to go the distance that I wanted it to go. So I put that in the bag in June of 1980, and in 1981 I was the leading money winner. I didn’t finish out of the top-10 for years. So it was a good run based on that wedge.”
Kite’s immediate success made fellow players reconsider the norms of wedge play. It’s now rare to find any player willing to make their highest lofted wedge lower than 60 degrees, largely due to increasing green speeds that make higher trajectories and softer landings more vital.
“So immediately guys started copying it and putting a 60-degree wedge in – well, not immediately, it took them a couple years to catch on,” Kite said. “But, it was pretty (well) received. I mean now, some guys have 64-degree wedges. Only 60 is kind of passé now. It’s not a big deal. But back in the ’80s, a 56-degree club was the most anybody ever used. When I stuck (the 60-degree wedge) in, it was weird. It was cutting edge. Some people were anxious to see what happened, and other people were saying, ‘Ah, this is the stupidest idea ever.’ ”
The now-popular K-grind option among Titleist Vokey wedges is named after Kite, who influenced the gear game throughout his career. The K-grind, first developed in the early 2000s, is known for being the highest bounce grind available among Vokey wedges and features a particularly wide sole that makes it one of the most forgiving of all of Bob Vokey’s wedges. Kite requested the club be made so it would replicate an old Hogan wedge he had used.
That makes it even more useful in bunkers, thick rough and softer conditions. The K-grind is known as a friendly club for recreational players, but notable pros have enjoyed success with the style of club as well. Adam Scott won the 2013 Masters using a 60-degree K-grind Vokey SM4 TVD lob wedge.
Sean Fairholm