TaylorMade reveal its next generation Milled Grind 2 wedge

TaylorMade has announced the second generation of its line of Milled Grind Wedges – Milled Grind 2 (MG2). Building upon years of research and working closely with many of the best players in the world, MG2 expands on the success of the Milled Grind franchise while introducing a new raw face designed for optimal spin for precision wedge play.

Similar to its predecessor and also found in the new P7TW irons is the company’s proven CNC milling technology, which allows for the production of wedges to exacting specifications; each leading edge and sole grind is individually CNC milled for accuracy and consistency from club to club and grind to grind.

Raw Face Design

With the new MG2 wedges, engineers have utilised the combination of face and groove design to create the ultimate spin for ultimate performance. Raw Face design produces a more precise geometry designed to optimise spin and feel. ZTP Raw Grooves offer sharper, deeper and narrower grooves and a sharper radius, which further combined with a rougher surface from the laser etching between the grooves, enable the golfer to create more friction between the clubface and the ball generating more greenside spin.

Compared with plated grooves, the raw face design increase in friction reduces the ability for the golf ball to potentially skid up the clubface before it grips the face leading to a more consistent ball flight enabling golfers to get closer to the hole.

“Our Tour Players have long benefited from the performance raw wedges offer and it’s great to now be able to offer these performance gains to golfers of all levels. We’re confident they will enjoy the look, feel and performance that a raw face has to offer,” said Bill Price, Senior Director of Product Creation.

Unique to the MG2, each raw wedge head will feature an air-tight 3M adhesive sticker which has been specially designed for the wedge and is applied on the face to prevent rusting before purchase/use. When the golfer removes the adhesive sticker, the face will immediately begin oxidizing, which in turn, begins the rusting process.

Creating the Best Feel: Thick-Thin Head Design

To create optimal feel, TaylorMade’s engineers have altered the geometry of the clubhead to create a Thick-Thin Head Design using a design optimisation tool previously only used in the metal wood and irons design processes. This tool illustrated that having a thicker backing combined with a thin outer section optimised frequency and duration for the desired sound and feel. The different material thickness in MG2 is highlighted by the movement of weight placement in the clubhead. The face thickness of the head has increased from 5.1mm in MG1 to 6.5mm in MG2. To enable a thicker clubhead without adding weight, engineers were able to move weight by creating a TPU Insert in the back cavity. The TPU Insert is designed to provide vibration dampening to create a solid, positive feel at impact.

Creating the Best Precision: CNC Milling

The implementation of machining technology, first introduced in Milled Grind Wedges but more recently in the new P7TW irons, enables each leading edge and sole grind to be individually CNC milled for accuracy and consistency. By producing wedges not by hand but through CNC milling machines, the CNC tolerances of a milled sole far exceed what a human can do in a repeatable fashion, thus enabling each wedge to be replicated so there is no variance. A low effective bounce (LB) grind provides the least amount of ground resistance and a standard grind (SB) has a median ground resistance.