Hi Joseph, I had been playing my SM5's since they originally débuted. I recently have replaced them with a new set of SM6's this past September.

Titleist has a guide on wedge performance and some things to consider when contemplating wedge replacement. It is a guide to assist players and golfers with wedge replacement.

Here is the Titleist Channel link on You Tube:

https://youtu.be/U0vthLItO-Q

Hi Joseph, I had been playing my SM5's since they originally débuted. I recently have replaced them with a new set of SM6's this past September.

Titleist has a guide on wedge performance and some things to consider when contemplating wedge replacement. It is a guide to assist players and golfers with wedge replacement.

Here is the Titleist Channel link on You Tube:

https://youtu.be/U0vthLItO-Q

I hope you find it helpful.

If you need stop or spin, you should replace within a year. If that doesn't matter to you, then whatever feels right. Personally, I find that my grooves on my 60* wear out quickly (like 6-8 mos)since I use that club so much but I don't always buy a new one that quickly.

I would say, if you are a low handicap and rely on accuracy and stopping power of your wedges, yes, the grooves wear out pretty quickly and will effect your shots. There are also some great advantages to SM6 and now SM7 grind options that you might want to take advantage of. I seem to change my wedges out annually, more than any other clubs in my set.

I play twice a week typically and practice maybe an hour a week, mostly wedge work on our pitching area. I usually change wedges yearly. I'll buy a new set for gaming and then keep the old set for practice. Hope this helps.

Though Vokey recommends about every 75 rounds, I would go broke way too quickly. I do like to replace my wedges on a fairly short schedule, but not 75 rounds. Last year, I played my SM6 wedges 197 rounds, plus practice---lots of practice---and about 130 rounds in 2016 after receiving them shortly after they were launched in late winter. I use my 58 and 54 much more than my 50. I will be replacing only the two most used when the SM7s are actually available in the coming weeks, but will stick with my 50 for a good part of the upcoming season, as I use it most often as a full-swing iron, as opposed to pitching, chipping and bunker play, which are 95% covered by the 54 and 58. So it is in much better condition than they are. At least it seems to be. I can see the 54 and 58 are due.

However, even though the Vokey site shows a robot test comparison between new wedges and those used 75 rounds and 125 rounds, the results they get are not indicative of what I have found with my own wedges. I get far less rollout than their robot did, at least on 100 yard shots. I can still spin back my wedges on occasion, but with a good shot, I rarely get more than a yard or two release. Certainly it would be better with fresh grooves, but what I get after 300-350 rounds is not a whole lot worse than what I got when they were new. There is definitely a difference though, just not as much as they got with the wedge robot.

Unless the greens are frozen a 1/2 inch below the surface as they have been in January here in Maryland, rarely do I get much rollout from a good wedge shot from inside 100 yards. That all being said, I am sure when I put the two new SM7s in the bag and see the added spin and stopping power I get from fresh grooves, I will wonder why I waited so long, and will likely run out and buy a new 50 too!

Search the web. There are tools out there to keep the grooves sharpened up without making the clubs illegal. Use mine all the time. just takes a little work to keep the grooves sharp.