Ping S159 vs Titleist Vokey SM10 Wedges: Read Our Head-To-Head Verdict

Ping S159 vs Titleist Vokey SM10 Wedges: Read Our Head-To-Head Verdict

Titleist Vokey is the name widely considered to be the gold standard when it comes to wedges, offering premium looks, exceptional performance and market-leading versatility. It's little wonder that these are the most used wedges in professional golf. Last year on the PGA Tour more than half the wedges put in play every week were Titleist Vokey Wedges. The new SM10 builds on the stellar reputation of the SM lineage and is one of the best wedges we've tested this year.

When most golfers think of Ping, wedges are probably not at the forefront of their mind. Forgiveness is usually the first thing you think of when it comes to Ping, specifically with their longer clubs such as their drivers and fairway woods. Ping certainly deserves a lot more love for their wedges than they currently receive. In our view, Ping has released some of the best golf wedges in recent times and the S159 wedges certainly continue this trend, following on from the superb Glide 4.0 and Glide Forged models.

Which should you choose though? Both the Vokey SM10s and the Ping S159 wedges are among the best clubs to be released this year and I have tested both of them. Here's my head-to-head verdict which will hopefully help you choose which one to buy.

Technology

While the Vokey SM10 wedges appear to have seen only minor changes cosmetically when compared to the SM9s, under the hood Bob Vokey and the engineers at Titleist have been hard at work to make these the best performing wedges they have ever created. The end result is that they fly a touch lower and spin more to help with distance control.

The added spin is likely down to individually cut TX9 grooves, which differ in depth and width based on the loft of the wedge. Micro-texture between the grooves creates added friction on the face which helps to generate more spin and provide more control around the greens. Heat treatment is applied after the grooves have been cut to actually firm up the face and make the grooves much more durable than previous versions.

Another technical advancement Titleist has introduced with the SM10 is progressive CG placement throughout the range of lofts available. The CG has been moved towards the center of the blade and away from the heel of the club, as well as further forward to help bring the flight of the ball down. 

While the topline is slim and, relatively speaking, they're fairly compact, the profile of the Ping S159 is a little larger than the SM10 wedges which for most golfers should inspire more confidence when faced with more challenging approach shots. That was certainly my experience when stood over the ball. 

The cleverly spaced progressive grooves help to produce more friction on the face which leads to better spin, particularly when playing in conditions where moisture is likely to get between the ball and clubface. 

While these wedges don’t provide the full forgiveness on offer like some of the most forgiving wedges or best wedges for beginners, that isn’t what they were designed for. The S159 wedges are targeted towards the mid-low handicapped golfer and more confident ball striker who is looking for a classic looking wedge with the addition of some of the latest technology to help with performance.

There's not much splitting these two fantastic wedges when it comes to technology.

Looks

After the recent release of the Blueprint T and Blueprint S irons - both already considered some of the best irons for low handicappers, Ping has treated us to the blade-style S159 wedges. which I have to say look amazing. When they arrived and I took the wrappers off these heads, I stood and marvelled at them for a good five minutes. A clean, simplistic design is something I look for in a wedge and the S159 wedges certainly deliver on that front. The 'wow' factor is there in abundance. 

The S159 wedges come in what Ping is calling Hydropearl 2.0 chrome finish as well as a 'midnight' darker finish. I opted for the chrome and you'd be hard pushed to find a better looking wedge. The black banner on the rear highlights the classic Ping logo and there is a subtle ‘S159’ stamp down on the hosel. While these wedges look good in the hand as well as in the bag, they also look great down behind the ball too, which is as important to me as it is most golfers. If you love how inviting a club looks behind the ball it goes a long way towards helping you make a confident swing.

The aesthetics of the SM10s have actually changed very little in relation to their predecessor. At least at first glance, but when you look more closely there are a few subtle differences, such as progressive shaping which I think gives these wedges a superb look at address in all loft options. 

The stronger lofted wedges, such as the 46° through to 52°, are a little smaller in head shape compared to the higher lofts and they feature a straighter leading edge compared to the sand wedges and lob wedges in the line-up. The straighter leading edge is something I really like the look of when it comes to wedges and so the progressive shaping design is something I’m a big fan of. 

The SM10 wedges are available in three different finishes - a traditional chrome, the matte black that was available on the SM9 wedges plus a new nickel finish, which is my personal favourite.

Both the S159 and SM10s are exceptional looking wedges but if I have to choose which looks better than the Ping just shades it.

Performance

Starting with the Ping this time, and when I got out on the course the first thing I noticed was the soft feel from the face, particularly with fuller shots. Despite a vibration dampening slot placed on the back of the head, these wedges still offered plenty of feedback, which I feel is important. The Ping S159 wedges produced a really consistent, mid-high trajectory, which allowed me to attack pins and be really aggressive with my short game. 

The greens were fairly soft on the day I tested the Ping S159 wedges, but despite the soft conditions they produced a ludicrous amount of spin on chip and pitch shots (more than any other wedge I've tried in the last year), and thankfully didn’t over-spin when it came to fuller wedge shots. I couldn't have been more impressed, especially around the greens.

These wedges are easily some of the best wedges for chipping I have used in the past few years. I was able to predict exactly how my ball was going to react when chipping and pitching which allowed me to send the ball further up the green in the knowledge the ball would stop almost immediately.

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Onto the Titelist Vokey SM10 now. These wedges performed differently to their predecessor the SM9 and I could really see how the new technology was impacting the ball flight on longer shots. There wasn't a great deal of difference on 50 yard shots or when chipping, but the SM10 showed increased levels of spin on 75 yard shots. When hitting shots from this distance out on the course I could really notice the significantly lower ball flight on offer from the SM10 wedge. Titleist say the SM10 has been designed to fly slightly lower, spin more and have improved feel and in my testing I saw all of that.

The performance of both of these wedges was top notch and I can't honestly say one is better than the other. There is a difference in spin and flight though so you'd need to select which best suits your requirements. 

Which One Should You Choose

Choose the Ping S159 if…
- You want more spin around the greens
- You want a clean, simplistic design
- You want a mid-high flight on full shots

Choose the Titleist Vokey SM10 if...
- You want more loft, bounce and grind options
- You prefer a lower ball flight on full shots
- You want a more compact head shape