Equipment
TaylorMade Tour Preferred EF wedges
TaylorMade’s Tour Preferred EF wedges use chemistry to offer golfers longer-lasting, higher-spinning grooves.
Instead of milling or casting the grooves, like most wedges on the market, TaylorMade uses a chemical process called electroforming — thus the “EF” — to make a face insert with grooves that are consistently sharper and more durable than their predecessors.
The science is complicated, so I’ll do my best to simplify it.
Nickel and cobalt materials go through an ionization process in an electrolytic solution, then ions get plated onto a master model. The “master” is a mold that forms the grooves and micro-milling of the face insert. When the nickel cobalt solution lifts off the master, what’s left is a sheet of material that has taken the shape of the mold.
Think of a loose leaf piece of paper, but the lines are grooves.
The material is 0.25 millimeters thick — about the size of a piece of paper. Face inserts are then laser-cut from the sheet, and adhered to the 1025 carbon steel body.
[quote_box_center]”The insert material feels like a credit card,” says Clay Long, TaylorMade’s Director of Product Creation for TaylorMade Putters and Wedges. “You can bend it with your fingers.”[/quote_box_center]
The electroformed nickel cobalt insert is about 50 times harder than carbon steel, but according to Long, the increased hardness doesn’t mean a harder feel than the TaylorMade’s previous wedge models.
[quote_box_center]”The feel of the face when hitting a shot is no different than carbon steel,” he says. [/quote_box_center]
Since the insert is made from a master mold, each of the grooves are consistently sharp and won’t dull as fast as milled or cast grooves. The dark PVD finish will show signs of wear, but the grooves will last “for what seems like forever,” Long says.
While PGA Tour players like Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia don’t have a problem getting their hands on fresh new wedges whenever they want, both players have put the new wedges in the bag. Johnson won the Northern Trust Open with three Tour Preferred EF wedges (52, 56 and 60 degrees).
The shapes and sole grinds of the EF wedges are consistent with the original Tour Preferred models. They’re offered in two sole grinds, “Tour” and “ATV,” although the ATV grind has a slightly more narrow sole than the original. Also, a few more loft and bounce combinations have been added.
Tour Grind
The Tour Grind will be available in eight lofts (47, 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, 60 and 62 degrees) with bounce options ranging from 8 to 15 degrees.
ATV Grind
The ATV grind will be available in five lofts (52, 54, 56, 58 and 60 degrees).
The Tour Preferred EF wedges ($159) come stock with KBS Shafts, and will hit stores on April 10.
For more information, click on the spec sheet below.
See what GolfWRX members are saying about the wedges in the forums.
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Driver: Ping G430 LST (9 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Accra TZ Six ST
3-wood: Ping G430 Max (15 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green 80 6.5 TX
7-wood: Ping G425 Max (20.5 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green 90 6.5 TX
Irons: Srixon ZX (2, 3) Buy here, Srixon ZX7 Mk II (4-9) Buy here.
Shafts: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 6.5 90, 6.5 100 (2-3), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Cleveland RTX 6 Tour Rack (46-10 Mid, 52-10 Mid, 56-10 Mid, 60-9 Full) Buy here.
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Putter: Odyssey Jailbird Versa Buy here.
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Flatso 1.0
Grips: Golf Pride MCC
The winning WITB is presented by 2nd Swing Golf. 2nd Swing has more than 100,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
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Driver: Titleist TSR3 (9 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 8 X
Hybrid: Titleist TSR3 (19 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue HB 9 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4, 5), Titleist 620 CB (6-9)
Shafts: Project X 6.0
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (46-10F, 50-12F, 54-12D, 60)
Shafts: Project X 6.0
Putter: Scotty Cameron P5 prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Check out more in-hand photos of Ben Kohles’ clubs in the forums.
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- Kris Kim what’s in the bag accurate as of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. More photos from the event here.
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees @7)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 60 TX
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour (15 degrees @13.5)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana WB 73 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P770 (2, 4), TaylorMade P7MB (5-PW)
Shafts: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX (2), Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 120 X
Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (50-09SB, 56-12SB, 60-11TW)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 WV 125
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Check out more in-hand photos of Kris Kim’s equipment here.
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Driver: Titleist TSR3 (9 degrees, D1 SureFit setting) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 X 3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (15 degrees)...
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Nevin
May 24, 2015 at 7:39 pm
I played with two friends who have these in their bags now. Both are extremely happy with them and they are clearly spinning it more with these grooves. I think I’ll keep my SCOR’s for now but the do look and feel great.
Desmond
Apr 19, 2015 at 4:13 am
The insert gives it an odd look at address. The grooves should extend more outwards towards the toe so you actually hit a groove when opening the club face. TM can’t hit a home run with wedges… they are always fishing.
Gary
Apr 10, 2015 at 1:26 pm
I am very much into the Cally Mack Daddy 2 wedges and also like the Vokey SM5 very much. If the spin on these wedges is pretty good and the grooves are indeed long lasting, would have to say they would be very much worth a try. Hopefully the feel would be pretty decent too.
MRC
Apr 8, 2015 at 11:22 pm
Sticking w my Mizuno wedges….their forged.
Ken N
Apr 8, 2015 at 6:39 pm
While I like the overall look of the wedge on the back, I can’t help but look at the insert on the face and think “plastic insert.” Maybe it’s because there’s a tiny space between the bottom edge of the face and the insert, but the thing just doesn’t look clean to me. I suppose I expected better execution from TaylorMade. But if it’s good enough for DJ, shouldn’t it be good enough for us (a)’s? I just wonder, if he wasn’t bound to contractual obligations, which wedges would he choose from Titleist, Cleveland, Ping, etc?
Tom Duckworth
Apr 7, 2015 at 4:26 pm
Really like the finish. It sounds like a good idea I’m not a TM guy but not a hater. I would give them a honest try. I like the ATV grind on a 58 or 60.
Tom Stickney
Apr 7, 2015 at 1:05 am
Have them in my bag…flatter trajectory as well.
Jason
Apr 7, 2015 at 11:26 pm
I wouldn’t think most of us average golfers would need a flatter trajectory, especially with a wedge. Is that a good thing in your case?
Dan
Apr 6, 2015 at 9:29 pm
Not that it has anything to do with the wedges, but DJ lost the Northern Trust Open in a playoff to James Hahn.
Jeffrey Trigger
Apr 7, 2015 at 12:56 am
So, you’re saying he has a second place, to go with his first place, and his sixth place, and his top ten world ranking…
Gary
Jun 8, 2015 at 7:11 pm
DJ played great in that tournament but the winner hit two great putts in the playoff.
Gubment Cheez
Apr 6, 2015 at 6:29 pm
These wedges are junk
Might as well be pinemeadow
R
Apr 6, 2015 at 5:20 pm
The science, rather chemistry, is far from complicated. It’s a very simple “positive is attracted to negative” process.
Matt
Apr 6, 2015 at 3:35 pm
Nothing bad to say about these, love the finish and how they seem to sit at address from the pictures. Props TM, thumbs up from me
Chuck
Apr 6, 2015 at 1:10 pm
Very nice looking wedges. Props to TM on some very thoughtful design.
I still wish I knew why TM gave up on its old replaceable-face wedge designs. I never bought one; I never even played with one! But I always admired it as a good design idea. It came and went so fast, I just never found the opportunity to try one.
sgniwder99
Apr 6, 2015 at 4:47 pm
Some of their tour guys still use them, too.
christian
Apr 7, 2015 at 4:38 am
Still? Are they an old model or?
Chuck
Apr 7, 2015 at 3:18 pm
Yeah, an old design. From about 2010-11. I seem to recall their being around for about two years or so. Cleverly built, such that you could use the standard TM hosel torque wrench to replace faces. Here’s the great Wade Liles from the TM tour van way back in 2009(!):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COPH6spfiKw
I always had a sneaking suspicion that both the introduction and the discontinuation had something to do with the 2010 groove rule. If I recall correctly, they came into the marketplace when the groove rule had been passed but had not yet gone into effect. Then there would have been the issue of whether you were using a conforming-groove wedge. Were the replacement faces marked for conformity? I don’t recall. Obviously, that is the whole idea, conforming or not; to be able to keep a wedge whose weight and shape and bounce and shaft were all perfect for you, but the grooves were worn out. So just replace the face. Still seems like a pretty cool idea to me.