New for 2020: TaylorMade MG2 TW Grind wedges.

Tiger Woods not only moves the needle in golf…he is the needle. No one in golf history (perhaps sports, for that matter) garners the interest that the 15-time major champion does. So, when a piece of his equipment becomes available to the masses, it’s a big deal.

Introducing the long-awaited TaylorMade MG2 TW (Tiger Woods) Grind wedges.

First off, there is something that all of us need to understand about anything in Tiger Woods’ bag…it’s made for him. P7TW irons are the perfect example. Although they are beautiful in the bag and hold the necessary “wow” factor, they were designed for Tiger, by Tiger…that’s it.

This absolutely is not to dissuade someone from giving these a whirl, the point is, they are unique to him and have details about them that you must understand before sticking it in play.

The TaylorMade MG2 (Milled Grind 2) TW Grind wedge sits in the same box.

In simple terms, they are wedges that simply do it all—but only if you are skilled enough to use them.

More photos and the discussion in the forums.

TaylorMade MG2 TW Grind wedge: 56-12

The grind on the TaylorMade MG2 TW is a dual-sole profile that allows Tiger to play multiple shots in any situation. Probably fair to say that it’s a 56 degree that could masquerade as a 60 in some cases. With quite a bit of heel relief for a 56-degree wedge, the TaylorMade MG2 TW Grind is designed to be both an optimum wedge for full shots and offer a ton of versatility around the greens.

Keep in mind TW is a player that still uses the 56-degree around the greens a good portion more than most on tour. Hence the heel relief and unique sole design. In addition, he doesn’t carry a gap wedge, so the 56 has to deliver the perfect turf interaction for high-speed shots.

Chris Trott from TaylorMade sports marketing had a chance to chat with Tiger about his wedges last year and this is what he said:

“I had the good fortune of talking to Tiger a little about the nature of his wedges and the biggest take away was that he likes to commit to exactly what part of the of the bounce he wants to utilize. Once that’s committed to, it’s time to execute.”

More photos and the discussion in the forums.

TaylorMade MG2 TW Grind: 60-11

The same things apply to the TaylorMade MG2 TW 60-11.

The unique pre-worn leading edge offers a bounce profile that works for shots squared up, while the aggressive heel relief on the back edge allows the wedge to sit close to the ground on open-face shots. To be honest, this 60-degree wedge has a high/med/low bounce profile, not really adding grind profiles to one wedge, more like adding a shot buffet for the player who knows what s/he is doing.

I had a chance to speak with TaylorMade’s Principal Engineer Paul Demkowski who was the project lead on P7TW and MG2 TW, and this is what he had to say:

JW: Walk me through the process of developing the TW wedge from A to Z—including your time and collaboration with Mike Taylor.

PD: The collaboration with Mike T was a download of information from the 15-plus years he’s worked with TW…understanding the evolution of his sole designs and where it currently stood. We wanted to add tech to make it TaylorMade. That’s where Milled Grind technology came in. This allowed us to perfectly duplicate his complex sole grinds every single time.

For the first six months, the grinds were very similar to what he used. In January of 2019, I met with TW at Torrey Pines. He asked for a new 60-degree wedge with more bounce and less heel relief. He felt this would be better for his bunker play. We made the adjustments to the design and got the new sole grind to TW within a few weeks. He won the Masters with it and has been using this new sole grind in the 60 ever since. This is the grind being sold in the MG2 TW.

JW: The MG2 TW Grind has a very unique profile—it’s almost five grinds in one. Can you explain what makes it so unique?

PD: The number of complex surfaces on the sole is what make these wedges so unique. The pre-worn leading edge adds resistance to digging while still allowing the leading edge to sit low. The trailing edge and heel relief make these wedges very versatile for different shots around the green. With different face angles, the leading edge still stays low, which is unique while having a decent amount of bounce and camber. The combination of these features produces a wedge that is good in tight/firm conditions but also good in bunkers and softer conditions.

JW: Eliminating the obvious, what other profile of player would this wedge be good for?

PD: They are for a skilled wedge player that has a shallow-to-neutral attack angle…that likes a lot of versatility with the leading edge sitting low to the ground.

JW: Since the angles are so specific, would bending it weak or strong change the essence of the whole wedge?

PD: Just like any other wedge you will increase or decrease bounce when you weaken or strengthen loft. Plus or minus one degree of loft change would be hard to notice. Strengthening more than a degree will require the player to be extra precise with the reduction in bounce.

Specs: (TW’s specs on the button, FYI)More photos and the discussion in the forums.