MEMBER REVIEWS: TaylorMade Milled Grind 2 Wedges! Read What They Are Saying!

[knudson81]

TaylorMade gave a few lucky members a set of the all-new Milled Grind 2 wedges before you could buy them! They are putting the new wedges through their paces and will be reporting back with their thoughts on the new wedges! The testers are....

 

@harleydavis

@rbilramz

Maybe a guest tester from Instagram as well?

 

Be sure to ask these members any questions you might have and we want to give a big THANK YOU to TaylorMade for putting on this testing event!

[agood3putt]

Congrats to the winners!

[OspreyCI]

Congrats! Can’t wait to hear the reviews.

[harleydavis]

First off thanks to Taylormade and GolfWRX for selecting me as a tester!

 

We didn't have any choice on the set up, but hey beggars can't be choosers. I received a chrome finished 52, 56 and 60 degree wedge. All have the standard bounce (SB) designation, S200 shafts and the standard Lamkin Crossline grip (which I really like, the red accents are a cool touch). I have never played a 3 wedge set up so this is a bit of an adjustment. Currently I have a 52 and 58 Vokey SM7 in black. I haven't had a chance to play a round yet, but have spent some time on the practice area. My initial thoughts for now and I'll update after a full round this weekend.

 

**Aesthetics**

I am very particular about the shape of my wedges. I can always place a wedge at address and immediately know if I will end up liking them or not. I am VERY used to my Vokeys, but the shape of these fit my eye immediately! I will say at first I was a little taken back by the raw (grey for now) area in the center of the face. Like with most things it grows on you. I am a little concerned at how it will look rusted out with the rest of the wedge shiny chrome. I guess only time will tell. The side by side photos below are comparing each 52 degree wedge to make sure differing lofts wouldn't trick the eye.

 

**Around the Green**

Like I mentioned before I have just had some time in the practice area, but I'll get out on the course this weekend. So far I am impressed! The feel off the face is great. Before actually hitting them I thought they might end up feeling "clicky" but I didn't notice any of that at all. My current wedges are about a year old so they still have some life left in them, but nothing beats FRESH grooves! The amount of spin they were generating around the greens was about as high as I've ever seen (no real data to back that up though). I spent more time with the 56 and 60 as a 52 is more of a 100+ yd club for me, I don't really use it around the green.

 

So far I see no reason why these won't end up in the bag. The amount of spin I was seeing, the versatility of having more options than before, the overall feel and the results thus far have been great. I am looking forward to getting them out for a full round and posting results. Until then, if there is anything anyone wants to know about or see a photo of just let me know and I'll post accordingly!

 

Cheers!

 

[getair23]

What lofts did you go with?

[sheppy335]

Congrats to the winners

[harleydavis]

More thoughts and photos added above.

[TIM929]

Congratulations!!

 

Wow, they look really different at address.. little busy but might be a good thing.

 

Looking for to more reviews..

[harleydavis]

> @TIM929 said:

> Congratulations!!

>

> Wow, they look really different at address.. little busy but might be a good thing.

>

> Looking for to more reviews..

 

One thing to note in the address comparison. The top line of the MG2 looks much bigger than the Vokey, but if you look closely they are about the same. The Vokey matte black top line is just hiding in the shadows.

[TIM929]

> @harleydavis said:

> > @TIM929 said:

> > Congratulations!!

> >

> > Wow, they look really different at address.. little busy but might be a good thing.

> >

> > Looking for to more reviews..

>

> One thing to note in the address comparison. The top line of the MG2 looks much bigger than the Vokey, but if you look closely they are about the same. The Vokey matte black top line is just hiding in the shadows.

 

Ahhhh thank you for pointing that out.. From the picture, I thought TM was bigger or was higher in the toe section.

[belephant]

Congrats! These sound awesome.

[Titleist84]

I'm really happy with my Vokey TVD's but these are calling my name.

[russian7]

I got mine on release in black, they look sick! All around great, not as much spin as my bronze hi toes but great. My only complaint is the 58* grind is good but the blade length is long and not enough heel and toe relief for hitting open face shots, less versatile IMO. Im gng game them 4 a bit and report back...

[Mwils29]

How do they feel at impact?

 

[harleydavis]

> @Mwils29 said:

> How do they feel at impact?

>

 

I took them out for a quick 9 last night. I think they feel great at impact. The may not be as soft as Vokeys (my only recent comparison point) but it’s hardly noticeable at all.

 

One thing I will add is the amount of spin on fill shots is high, very high. Which is a whole lot of fun, but it chews up ProV1s very quickly!

 

I did snap a quick photo of the 56 after sitting for a few days after a practice session. You can barely see a little rust forming on the face.

 

[Mwils29]

> @harleydavis said:

> > @Mwils29 said:

> > How do they feel at impact?

> >

>

> I took them out for a quick 9 last night. I think they feel great at impact. The may not be as soft as Vokeys (my only recent comparison point) but it’s hardly noticeable at all.

>

> One thing I will add is the amount of spin on fill shots is high, very high. Which is a whole lot of fun, but it chews up ProV1s very quickly!

>

> I did snap a quick photo of the 56 after sitting for a few days after a practice session. You can barely see a little rust forming on the face.

>

>

 

I certainly appreciate your thoughts and review. I may pick one up and give it a shot. I’ve been playing Vokeys for years so it nice to know that is your most recent comparison.

[rbilramz]

First off, THANK YOU GolfWRX and TaylorMade for such a cool opportunity. I've always only entered giveaways that I really want to win, and this is one of the best ones I've even seen on this site. As I mentioned in my entry, TaylorMade had never really sparked my interest in wedges before these. Historically I've played Callaway, then a few sets of Vokey and mostly recently Ping. I currently play Ping Glide 2.0 Stealth in 56SS & 60ES. I use my Ping i25 U (gap, 50 degrees) instead of a 52 degree wedge currently.

As @harleydavis mentioned above, we were not given any options of which wedges or specs. I received the same 52 / 56 / 60 degree wedges with SB (standard bounce), standard specs in chrome. Upon receipt, I took them to my local PGA Superstore to have them built to my specs (+1/2" and 1 degree upright). Without that, it wouldn't have been a fair evaluation. While there, the store manager told me I could swap them for any specs they had in stock at no charge. I didn't end up changing any lofts or bounce, but did swap the chrome for the black. An man, they are PURDY. Luckily, I was able to take this afternoon off work and headed out to my local course to give them a whirl. A breakdown of my initial impressions below.

 

Looks:

These are SHARP looking. I've always been a sucker for black & red and these don't disappoint. I love the finish and there isn't any glare. Right out of the package the raw finish looks clean, but I am looking forward to it rusting a little. As for the head shape, they are nearly identical to my Ping SS. Perhaps slightly less round, but not much. I also LOVE the milled grind on the sole. I don't know if it actually does anything, but it looks AWESOME.

 

Performance:

I spent about an hour between the driving range and chipping green giving these a spin. The first thing I noticed was the feel; its great. It looks like this have a TPU insert similar to my Pings and it works. I'd put them up against anything I've hit from a feel stand point. Soft & quite with a lot of feedback. Around the green one thing was obvious; these things SPIN. New grooves are amazing, but I couldn't remember anything checking up like these since the old, pre-groove-rule Callaways. I'm sure the grooves will lose some bite over time, but right now they are impressive.

I typically use my 56 for everything 120 and in, saving the 60 for tricky flop shots and out of the sand. The TaylorMade 56 performed great; it handled everything from full shorts, to pitches of varying length and even delicate chips.

The 60 also performed great and the sole was versatile enough that I could hit basically any shot that I wanted. I did struggle quite a bit in the sand though. The shape of my Ping ES is pretty unique and I've definitely gotten used to it in the sand. I am sure with a little more practice I'd be fine, but for now the ES grind out performed the TaylorMade in the sand.

The 52 is a challenging club for me to review. I use my i25 U wedge for almost nothing but full shots (~140 yards). The TaylorMade just doesn't offer the same level of forgiveness on full shots of that distance. Around the green I actually really liked using the 52, it's something I don't do currently. The ability to hit a slightly lower chip that runs farther was nice.

 

After some time on the range I went to play the short 9 hole course, with most holes in the 75-100 yard range, the longest being 125. While short, this course is not easy. There is a lot of undulation to the greens, bunkers galore and some tricky angles. It would be a perfect place to test the wedges. I went out with just the 3 new ones and my putter. Overall, I was impressed. The 56 proved to be just as versatile and my current one, with great feel and that new groove spin. I actually found myself using the 52 in a few occurrences and liked the result. I also found myself in a few tricky spots where I needed the 60 and it performed great. Sadly (or luckily?), I never found myself in the sand so I don't have any in-round feedback for that yet.

 

Conclusion:

TaylorMade has a winner on their hands. The 56 is basically perfect. I wish the 60 came in a shape / grind similar to the Ping ES. That might be the only thing from keeping it from going in the bag. I think once I adjust to the sole, it'll be my go to. My bag doesn't have a spot for the 52 right now, but I am going to carry it with me and swap it in if the course set-up allows. I think the club does what it was designed to do perfectly, my current set-up just doesn't have a spot for that club. That's one problem with new irons hitting so far, I would love to have room for 3 dedicated wedges, but we are only allowed to carry so many clubs.

I didn't know what to expect from TaylorMade wedges, but they really blew me away. I knew they would look good, but I was just as happy with how they performed. I'll keep everyone updated...

 

[AUTIGER07]

Congrats to both winners!

 

The MG2 wedges look fantastic but I have to say that I'm a little surprised / disappointed the winners couldn't at least **pick** their own specs (i.e. loft / lie / length / bounce or sole option) in order to give a fair comparison against their current gamers.

 

*Updated to clear up comment.

[rbilramz]

> @AUTIGER07 said:

> Congrats to both winners!

>

> The MG2 wedges look fantastic but I have to say that I'm a little surprised / disappointed the winners couldn't at least start with their own specs (i.e. loft / lie / length / bounce or sole option) in order to give a fair comparison against their current gamers.

 

Really? I gave my club (Ping Glide 2.0 Stealth), length (+1/2”), lie (1 degree upright), loft (54 & 60) and bounce (SS & ES). Did you even read it first?

[HappyGilmore22]

The black wedges look so good brand new in pics and in person but the fact that only the faces rust is very concerning and the sole reason I wouldn't buy these. Really like the shape and look at address without a rusted face though.

[AUTIGER07]

> @rbilramz said:

> > @AUTIGER07 said:

> > Congrats to both winners!

> >

> > The MG2 wedges look fantastic but I have to say that I'm a little surprised / disappointed the winners couldn't at least start with their own specs (i.e. loft / lie / length / bounce or sole option) in order to give a fair comparison against their current gamers.

>

> Really? I gave my club (Ping Glide 2.0 Stealth), length (+1/2”), lie (1 degree upright), loft (54 & 60) and bounce (SS & ES). Did you even read it first?

 

I meant it as it was disappointing that you had to take the club yourself to get the MG2 up to your current gamer specs, not that you didn't include it in the write-up.

 

"I currently play Ping Glide 2.0 Stealth in 56SS & 60ES. I use my Ping i25 U (gap, 50 degrees) instead of a 52 degree wedge currently. **As @harleydavis mentioned above, we were not given any options of which wedges or specs. I received the same 52 / 56 / 60 degree wedges with SB (standard bounce), standard specs in chrome. Upon receipt, I took them to my local PGA Superstore to have them built to my specs (+1/2" and 1 degree upright). Without that, it wouldn't have been a fair evaluation**."

[harleydavis]

> @AUTIGER07 said:

> I meant it as it was disappointing that you had to take the club yourself to get the MG2 up to your current gamer specs, not that you didn't include it in the write-up.

 

That may be true, but luckily I have always played wedges at standard specifications. So they fit me just fine.

 

I will say I do REALLY like the way the black finish looks over the chrome. That's a personal preference though. One thing after a few more rounds I have noticed is that I am not sold on the grind on the 60. Maybe I am just not used to it, but I seem to be struggling with it a bit. I have a feeling that its an "Indian not the arrow" problem.

 

 

 

[BostonWRX]

> @russian7 said:

> I got mine on release in black, they look sick! All around great, not as much spin as my bronze hi toes but great. My only complaint is the 58* grind is good but the blade length is long and not enough heel and toe relief for hitting open face shots, less versatile IMO. Im gng game them 4 a bit and report back...

 

What grind SB or LB?

[WoodHeads]

Those look pretty awesome. I wonder if all the extra chatter actually causes a tiny bit of side spin to be imparted...

[Big A HG]

I really like the head shape of these SM2's. I'm not ready to switch yet as I like my RTX 4s and just got 'em not that long ago, but will definitely take a look at these when the time comes to replace.

[rxk9fan]

Would like to hear a few more details:

Were these tried from soft sand, hard sand, wet, dry, and where did it excel and where did it seem to struggle.

How was distance control across the set...could you hit them high and knock them down....how did they perform from the rough....and what did you think of turf interaction in different conditions. How do they respond to opening them up for flops and hooding them down for a punch with roll or that 5 more yards you need?

I understand that testers may not have the ability to cover every scenario and condition, but the details of what you tested and what you saw and felt would be fun to read about if time allows.

[ckay]

Great reviews, will read again!

[harleydavis]

> @rxk9fan said:

> Would like to hear a few more details:

> Were these tried from soft sand, hard sand, wet, dry, and where did it excel and where did it seem to struggle.

> How was distance control across the set...could you hit them high and knock them down....how did they perform from the rough....and what did you think of turf interaction in different conditions. How do they respond to opening them up for flops and hooding them down for a punch with roll or that 5 more yards you need?

> I understand that testers may not have the ability to cover every scenario and condition, but the details of what you tested and what you saw and felt would be fun to read about if time allows.

 

I only tried a few shots out of the sand. Wasn't the greatest quality of sand at the local muni. I made a disaster out of the situation, but I cannot blame the wedge.

 

Distance control seems to be great. It has taken some time to get used to the differing lofts from my old wedges, but once again can't blame the club. I can easily saw them off and hit some knock downs with crazy amounts of spin. I haven't had much luck "stepping on one" to get that extra 5 yards, but that isnt something I really do too often with wedges. I would rather hit the bigger one and control the trajectory and spin. I will have them out again this weekend for 36 and will try to update some more.

[russian7]

> @TrueWRX said:

> > @russian7 said:

> > I got mine on release in black, they look sick! All around great, not as much spin as my bronze hi toes but great. My only complaint is the 58* grind is good but the blade length is long and not enough heel and toe relief for hitting open face shots, less versatile IMO. Im gng game them 4 a bit and report back...

>

> What grind SB or LB?

I was told theres only one bounce and grind so i am not sure...

[Treyball344]

Pretty lame of taylormade to not let testers choose their specs...it’s free, I know beggars can’t be choosers but come on. What kind of reviews do you think your product will get if it’s not in the tester’s specifications?