In addition to the new P770 and P750 Tour Proto irons, TaylorMade Golf also introduced the all-new Milled Grind wedge today. These are TaylorMade’s premium wedges, built upon years of working closely with some of the company’s best Tour players. Find out more in video above featuring Paul Demkowski of TaylorMade R&D as he discusses the details of the milled grind process. The full press release is below:
The new Milled Grind (MG) wedges feature meticulously considered materials, shaping and grinds that cater to the needs of the world’s best wedge players. The new Milled Grind wedge is a refined and finely crafted classic wedge sporting a variety of three high-performance grinds tailored for various playing conditions and player types.
To find the perfect grind geometry, TaylorMade relied on input from Tour players along with extensive iterative testing. Once designed, to produce the wedges to exacting specifications, each leading edge and sole grind is individually CNC milled for unparalleled accuracy and consistency from club to club and grind to grind. This process faithfully reproduces the master design of the surfaces most impactful on the performance of the wedge.
The implementation of machining technology produces high fidelity leading edge symmetry to the score lines, leading edge radiuses, and sole grind geometry, creating a new standard in precision wedge making. A low effective bounce (LB) grind provides the least amount of ground resistance, a standard grind (SB) has a median ground resistance, and a high bounce (HB) grind features a wider sole that offers the most ground resistance.
With lofted wedges, shaping as it relates to leading edge and sole configuration is of particular importance. The shape and thickness of the leading edge must be formed within a narrow range to provide proper versatility from a variety of turf conditions. Likewise the sole geometry, consisting of contour, angle and surface area must be designed and maintained to interact properly with the turf in the desired manner. Different ground and sand conditions also require variations in sole geometries to facilitate play depending on player type.
The new Milled Grind wedges also exhibit a deeper bore and shaft insertion, this year going from 1.0 to 1.5 inches, and visible in the heel of every sole is the precision weight port—a weight relocation feature filled with a soft yet durable red polymer. The deeper bore, while providing an improved shaft connection, also removes weight from the hosel to be relocated into a more centrally located position, which improves the center of gravity (CG), making the club more solid and more forgiving.
A new and improved groove configuration is also incorporated into the faces of each new wedge. The MG’s new groove geometry features a 38.5 % steeper side walls that reduce launch angle and increase spin rate over previous models. The closer spacing also adds one additional groove on the face. These soft 8620 carbon steel wedges promise to be the most precise, balanced and best feeling wedge that TaylorMade has ever produced.
No wedge offering would be complete without a variety of lofts and sole/bounce selections, and the Milled Grind wedge is no exception. The chart above exhibits a full range including the Low Bounce (LB) grind with a “C” type relieved rear section, the Standard Bounce (SB) grind with a relieved heel section for enhanced open-faced shots, and the High Bounce (HB) grind featuring a wide cambered sole for added sole lift.
Pricing and Availability
TaylorMade’s Milled Grind wedges will be available at retail on March 3rd at an MSRP of USD $159.99.
Source: TaylorMade Golf
