TaylorMade's Milled Grind wedges are now in their fourth generation, and they seem to be gaining in popularity year on year with more Tour pros choosing to put them into play.
We've seen TaylorMade's raw face introduced into the wedges over the last couple of years, which have produced some serious levels of grip. What else will they have up their sleeve this time around?
Who Is It Aimed At?
With deep diagonal grooves that make the face feel like sandpaper, the MG4 wedges are for any golfers who are looking for ultimate spin and control around the greens – provided you don’t mind your golf ball getting slightly beaten up in the process!
The Tech
The MG4 edges feature all-new Spin Tread technology, designed to improved spin levels in wet conditions. Deep laser etching between the grooves is said to provide a channel for the water to escape from at impact, allowing the wedge to perform well in any weather.
TaylorMade say that this treatment has been combined with strategically designed grooves and the brand's raw face to produce much better results than in their previous wedges whilst also improving durability.
This year's model also sees enhancements made to the wedge's aesthetics and direct feedback from players to provide a new look and feel.
The wedge features a new finish with a slightly darker tint, to minimise glare and offer a more seamless look with the raw face as it oxidises over time.
There's a new design too, with increased flange thickness said to improve the sound and feel across the face as well as a reshaped topline, leading edge and hosel which blend together for a fuller look.
The wedge is available in two different finishes: the Tour Satin Chrome which has a raw-like finish without rusting, and the new Tour Matte Black which also minimises glare and features a more aggressive look.
There are six different bounces available across seven grinds, including the Tiger Woods Grind which is offered in 56° and 60° lofts.
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TaylorMade MG4 Wedges Review
Looks
In the MG4 wedges we’re seeing very deep diagonal grooves across the face, which is a bit off putting initially when you have the club in hand, but you don’t really notice it much at all when you’re stood at address.
The overall design is very simple with some very small black, green, and white details including the TaylorMade and MG4 logos, as well as ‘milled grind’ in capitals hiding behind the bounce. This light detailing makes for a clean finish overall to the wedges, so I think TaylorMade have done a great job at designing this very classic looking wedge.
The wedges are designed so that the face will rust overtime, which is unique to TaylorMade in that it’s only the face and not the entire clubhead. If you’re someone who likes that rusted effect to your wedges, then the MG4’s could be a winner for you.
Feel
The biggest thing you feel with these wedges is certainly control. With the 52-degree I was getting significantly more spin than I would expect, with the wedge almost seeming to grab a hold of the ball on impact due to those excessive, deep grooves across the face. After hitting a few shots, I could even begin to see the coating of the ball coming off onto the face because of how much spin and ‘grab’ I was getting.
If you’re someone who likes to use very soft golf balls, you might be struggling a bit with the MG4 wedges as it’s likely that you’ll need to replace the ball very often due to that casing being pulled off – which could start to get a little expensive for you!
I couldn’t really tell how hard or soft the ball was coming off the face because of how overwhelming that strong grip was between the ball and the club. It made it hard to notice anything else in terms of feel.
On-Course Performance
I was really impressed with these wedges out on the golf course. With the shorter shots around the green I felt as though I had so much control with these wedges that I could just pick my landing spot, knowing the club was going to do the work for me in terms of checking up quickly and close to the hole. Because of this, I felt lots of confidence standing over the ball, and was even able to hole a few during the testing!
I certainly preferred these wedges across those shorter shots, as the performance dropped ever so slightly as I went further from the hole. I felt as though I was struggling to get consistency in terms of distances from 50 yards+, compared to the Mizuno T24 wedges that I currently have in the bag.
The Data
We took the wedges indoor to Hukd, as after seeing so much spin out on the course, I wanted to take a deep dive into the numbers to see firstly how much we were able to get, and secondly how consistent this was.
Hitting some full shots with the 52-degree wedge saw an average backspin rate of 8800, which was exactly the same as what I was getting with my Mizuno T24 Wedges despite feeling as though the MG4s spun a lot more out on the golf course.
The data at Hukd did also show that on those longer shots, the consistency in both the spin rate and carry distance was slightly lower with the MG4 wedges to the Mizunos, however only by a small amount.
After hitting multiple longer shots indoors, we really started to see the effect of those deep groves with even more of the ball casing coming off onto the club face. This was something we weren’t noticing as much with the Mizuno T24 wedges, even though they were showing the same spin rates.
TaylorMade MG4 Wedges Verdict
If you’re someone who’s looking for wedges with huge amounts of spin and control, I think the MG4s are going to be hard to beat.
Coming in at an RRP of £159, the wedges are around £10 less than you’d be looking to pay for a Vokey.
With this in mind, and given how well the wedges performed across each testing category, I’d say the MG4s are pretty good value for money, especially if you’re looking for maximum spin wedges.
Would I Use Them?
These wedges provided huge amounts of control and stability around the greens, which made it really easy to get the ball close with the shorter shots. I felt as though the MG4 wedges were doing some of the hard work for me with how easy they made it to control the ball, and for this reason I’d happily see them in the bag.
TaylorMade MG4 Wedges Pros and Cons
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