Equipment
Spotted: TaylorMade Milled Grind wedges
GolfWRX spotted new TaylorMade wedges on the range at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. The wedges appear to be named “Milled Grind,” which seems to refer to the milled surface of their soles (see below).
A TaylorMade move to milled wedge soles would be significant, and to explain why let’s quickly dive into an overview of wedge manufacturing.
Generally, wedges are produced by a forging or casting process, which gives them their general head shape. Most wedges do undergo a finishing process that includes milling, but it’s generally their club faces and grooves that are milled, not their soles.
The milling process is used on wedge club faces because of its precision. It can ensure a flat club face, highly specific groove geometries and friction patterns that maximize consistency and spin around the green.
Most wedge soles, on the other hand, are finished by hand. A wedge’s sole is known as a “grind” for that reason; it’s often ground by hand. Equipment manufacturers have improved their casting and forging processes in recent years and reduced the amount of hand grinding necessary, but there is always some hand shaping required.
A move to a 100-percent milled wedge sole could help eliminate the inconsistencies of hand grinding, giving golfers confidence they are purchasing an identical grind each time they buy a new wedge. It could also automate the wedge-replacement process for PGA Tour players, most of whom replace their high-lofted wedges at least every few months. Once a Tour player’s favorite grind was created by a craftsman, its shaping could be digital rendered and produced again and again by a milling machine.
PXG is currently producing 100-percent milled wedges for Tour players Ryan Moore, Chris Kirk and others. The wedges are called the 0311T, and they’re shaped entirely by a milling machine. It’s similar to the way high-end putter manufacturers create their putters to ensure exact weighting and precise shaping, which is a very expensive way to make wedges. Bruce Sizemore is also in the process of releasing a fully milled, multi-piece adjustable wedge that will sell for about $400.
See the milling marks? Ryan Moore’s PXG 0311T wedge is 100 percent milled.
To keep costs down, it’s likely that TaylorMade will cast its wedges from carbon steel as it has previous models, and then simply mill the wedge soles.
It’s unclear from our photos whether the new TaylorMade wedges use the EF Grooves featured on the company’s current Tour Preferred EF wedges, which are part of an insert formed by a chemical process called electroforming. TaylorMade says its EF grooves are consistently sharper and more durable than those made from carbon steel.
Related: See what GolfWRX Members are saying about TaylorMade’s new wedges in our forum.
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- Kevin Chappell what’s in the bag accurate as of the Valero Texas Open. More photos from the event here.
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Project X Denali Black 60 TX
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 HL (16.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Cobra King LTDx Prototype (21.5 degrees @20.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9 X
Irons: Srixon ZX (3), Cobra King CB (4-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM6 (52-08F, 56-10S), Cobra Snakebite (60)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron SB-2, Scotty Cameron TourType TG6.2
Grip: SuperStroke Traxion Flatso 1.0
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Grips: Golf Pride MCC
Check out more in-hand photos of Kevin Chappell’s clubs here.
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We have seen an uptick in longer putters out on the professional tours with players gravitating toward either counterbalanced or broomstick styles. As a refresher, A “broomstick” putter is a long putter that is usually built to a length that goes up to your chest. If you have seen Adam Scott putt in a tournament recently, he uses what is classified as a broomstick putter.
Axis1 might not be the most common brand in the world of putters but they have been around a while, most notably in Justin Rose’s bag.
Axis1 is known for a putter that doesn’t look traditional but a design is used to get the center of gravity to the center of the club face, aligned with the shaft. This technology keeps the face aligned with the ball throughout the stroke. More traditional putters rotate around the shaft axis, which doesn’t align with the center of the putter, making it easier for the putter face to not be square to the target at impact.
This week at the Valero Texas Open, we spotted a prototype Axis1 putter in a long broomstick version. The head shape looks very similar to the current Axis1 Tour-HM putter that the company currently makes, which is a more squared-off mid-mallet. The prototype looks to have a similar multi-material head with a 304 stainless steel face mated to a composite back. Twin site lines run together, on the topline and on the flange, to create a longer line for aligning the putter. The steel face has a fairly shallow milling to it, and the flowing heel hosel connects to the aggressive shaft bend.
A matching black shaft is installed, and at the grip end is Super Stroke’s Zenergy Tour 1.0 two-piece in white and black. No word on if or when this will come to retail yet.
- Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 Valero Texas Open
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Equipment
Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/4/24): Mint set of TaylorMade Qi 10 irons
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a Mint set of TaylorMade Qi 10 irons.
From the seller: (@ch1985): “Mint set of TaylorMade qi 10 irons 5-PW, AW (used 1 round and some range balls) with factory stiff steel shaft – $925 shipped.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Mint set of TaylorMade Qi 10 irons
This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules
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Chuck
Jan 7, 2017 at 2:48 pm
The spot seen on the heel is of course not a real “bore-through.” Bore-through always referred to the shaft bore going all the way through to the sole.
The old Wilson Fluid Feels were not bore-throughs. The filled hole in the heel is just a relief hole. Intended to move weight out of the heel so that the weight can be move elsewhere. The plastic that fills the hole is much lighter that the steel that is removed.
Sort of surprised that the original story did not devote more attention to that issue. Personally, I feel as though I can always (even as a hobbyist) bend and grind my own wedges as I wish as long as the OEM’s give me enough material/bounce to begin with. But I could never do the kind of deep heel relief we see in these wedges, or like the Fluid Feels.
The reasons for TM doing this would be very interesting to read about.
Gary
Nov 3, 2016 at 1:58 am
The new Taylor Made wedges look good,but they are a copy of the old Wilson wedges.
The colour of the red circle on the heel of the shaft is even the same.
The golf industry goes round iin circles,these are Wilson wedges from the 70 s.
Taylor Made is a great company but their wedges don’t match up to the rest of the clubs.
Thought they could come up with something original.
Rimjob
Nov 3, 2016 at 3:07 am
The EF wedges are the best wedges ever made in the history of golf.
Mad-Mex
Nov 2, 2016 at 11:47 pm
They look like Wilson Fluid Feel
rymail00
Nov 2, 2016 at 9:13 am
They do look pretty good from the pics, and little no offset.
Dave r
Nov 1, 2016 at 6:35 pm
R & D costs lots so does the material and don’t forget pay to pros for playing them . And then there’s advertising . But. I agree the costs of all products are almost out of reach for the average guy. But what I can’t understand how is the younger generation going to get into the game . Where I play it is mostly seniors and I mean old guys no young ones at all . If the game is to grow the market has to be affordable what with green fees, golf clubs ,golf balls it has to end somewhere.
Barry Weller
Nov 1, 2016 at 4:07 pm
I’ve around this game for 30 yrs and I really feel that the equipment that’s out there is so closely made and has improved my game greatly. But iam sorry I really can’t believe that because this man has got a name and the money. But that being said I don’t care if he brings God in to make those clubs for him I don’t feel there worth the money he’s asking regardless of what there made of or who uses them.
FNM
Nov 2, 2016 at 2:35 am
Had one too many, mate? Because you’re blethering nothings and making no sense