50 Words or Less
The TaylorMade Milled Grind 2 wedge has good feel but only average spin in spite of the raw face.
Introduction
From putters to driver faces to wedges, OEMs are increasingly turning to milling to create precise, consistent golf clubs. TaylorMade’s last generation of wedges, the Milled Grind wedge (review HERE), offered a milled sole to promote consistency in turf interaction. For 2019, they’re offering the Milled Grind 2 wedge which keeps the milled sole but adds “Raw Face Technology.”
Looks
When I first set down the Milled Grind 2 wedge, the word that jumped to mind was “boxy.” The heel appears taller than average, which, combined with the fairly straight leading edge, makes the face look square rather than round or teardrop shaped. Despite the boxy shape, the size of the wedge is a bit smaller than average.
In the bag, the look of the Milled Grind 2 leaves me cold. It’s not overly busy, but the design elements are less than the sum of their parts to my eye. Independently, I do like the shaping of the high toe and the mill marks on the sole.
The TaylorMade Milled Grind 2 wedge is available is two finishes: matte black and satin chrome.
Sound & Feel
The look of the Milled Grind 2 wedge doesn’t excite me, but the feel is quite good. On center, impact feels soft but responsive thanks to the TPU Insert in the wedge’s back cavity. Contact produces a sound that’s best described as a bold “click.”
A downside of the TPU Insert is that it does too good a job dampening vibrations on mishits. When you miss the center of the face, this wedge feels dead. This feel does provide unmistakable feedback and a strong incentive to make better contact.
Performance
“Raw Face Technology” is the headliner for the TaylorMade Milled Grind 2 wedge, so we’ll start there. TaylorMade claims that this raw face provides increased spin, precision, and feel. In my launch monitor testing, I found the spin from this wedge to be average. It creates more than enough spin to stop the ball on a full swing or long pitch, but other current wedges are noticeably higher spinning for me.
The namesake feature, the milled sole, is still the most interesting part of this wedge. TaylorMade states that milling the sole maximizes consistency from wedge to wedge. That means if the sole is supposed to have ten degrees of bounce, it has ten degrees, not nine or eleven. While most amateur golfers don’t have that level of sensitivity in their short game, it’s nice to know your clubs are made to tight tolerances.
In the lower lofts – 48, 50, and 52 degrees – there is only one sole available in the Milled Grind 2 wedge. In the higher lofts – 54, 56, 58, and 60 – there is a standard and low bounce sole. The low bounce sole has eight degrees of bounce at each loft.
Conclusion
Given their average spin, the TaylorMade Milled Grind 2 wedges aren’t the most exciting wedge offering of 2019, but they’re solid short game tools for the TaylorMade fan. The milled sole remains a compelling selling point, but I wish it was paired with more sole options.
TaylorMade Milled Grind 2 Wedge Price & Specs
Matt Saternus
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Matt, nice review! I have a 50 and 54 MG2 in black. I agree with what you have said about wedges. I like the feel and like you said , they have plenty of stopping power.
#SecretGiveaway4 this is awesome. I want these)
I was pretty excited about the MG2’s when I first saw them. To my eye, they’re gorgeous looking clubs, especially in the black. I’ll still demo one when I get the chance, but it’s hard to justify $149-$169 on an average performing wedge. Thanks for the info!
Hmm, I wonder if the face on these is designed with a specific style of strike in mind. I tested a ton of the current market wedges and the spin rate I was able to get from the MG2 clubs was consistently, significantly higher than other top models. My spin rate tended to be 8-10% higher with these than the average Vokey, Glide, or Jaws.
I have the MG2 52 degree bent to 50, 54 degree, and 60 degree TW wedges all with raw faces. Spin and feel are outstanding. Rubber dampening insert prevents any “clanky” feel from off center strikes. I really disagree with your assessment that these wedges are just average. I’ve owned Cleveland, Cobra, Ping, and Vokey wedges in the past–these outperform them all and are way cooler looking.