CROMWELL, Conn. — It has been almost two years since TaylorMade released the Milled Grind 3 (MG3) wedges, so it should not be a surprise that the Carlsbad, California-based equipment maker is ready to come out with new short-game tools for staff players like Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Nelly Korda and Tommy Fleetwood.
Tuesday in the practice area at TPC River Highlands, site of this week’s Travelers Championship, Golfweek spotted Morikawa hard at work with several TaylorMade PGA Tour reps. When the two-time major winner wasn’t testing with Stealth 2 driver heads, he was trying new Milled Grind 4 (MG4) wedges that TaylorMade has brought to the PGA Tour for the first time.
TaylorMade representatives are not sharing details about the wedges yet, but in-hand photos and observations reveal a few things.
- At least three sole grinds. Golfweek saw wedges marked S, LB and HB, which typically stands for standard, low bounce and high bounce.
- New surface roughening. The MG3 wedges were designed with a series of raised micro-ribs in the raw steel hitting area, but the MG4 wedges do not have them. Instead, there are microgrooves running at a 45-degree angle to the main grooves. If a golfer opens the face of the MG4 wedges, the microgrooves square to the target line and likely provide extra friction for added spin.
- Lots of milling. As the name implies, the MG4 wedges have a milled sole from the toe to the heel. Milling requires a computer to direct a fast-spinning bit to pass back and forth across the club, shaving off tiny pieces of material to create the exact shape that designers request. It is the most-precise method of manufacturing and helps TaylorMade ensure that the sole configurations are the same on every club.
Below are in-hand images of TaylorMade’s yet-to-be-released Milled Grind 4 wedges:
