TaylorMade Milled Grind 3 Wedge Review

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The 2021 TaylorMade Milled Grind 3 wedge is one of the best wedges currently available.  Elite spin, great feel, and sharp looks.

Check out the TaylorMade Milled Grind 4 wedges HERE

Introduction

TaylorMade is most commonly thought of as a driver company, but their Milled Grind wedges have been sleepers for the last few years.  TM introduced the Milled Grind in 2018 [original review HERE] and added the raw face with the MG2 [review HERE].  For the Milled Grind 3, TaylorMade maintains the milled sole and raw face while adding micro ribs to the face for your short game pleasure.

Looks

Let’s start with the best part: the back of TaylorMade MG3 wedge is beautiful.  There are no sharp edges, just a smooth depression that gets wider as your eye moves from toe to heel.  The branding is minimal with a “T” icon on the toe and the “MG3” logo near the heel.  Though it’s busier, I also like the look of the milled sole.

At address, the Milled Grind 3 wedge is a good looking players wedge without any real surprises.  This is a slightly compact teardrop wedge with a fairly straight leading edge.  The raw face will rust over time creating more contrast with the toe and heel.

As you can see in the pictures above, the MG3 is offered in two finishes: Chrome and Black.  The Black finish is available in every loft and bounce offering except for 46 degrees.

Want all this in a high toe?  Check out the new TaylorMade Hi Toe 3 wedge HERE

Sound & Feel

The combination of 8620 carbon steel and a raw face creates a truly enjoyable sensation at impact.  On center, the MG3 wedge feels soft and solid.  It feels like a strong, gentle hand picking up the ball and sending it on its way.

This feel is complemented by an impact sound that’s very quiet.  Pure shots aren’t quite a “thud,” but they’re closer to that than a “click.”

My favorite thing about hitting the Milled Grind 3 wedge is the precision of the feedback.  With each small move away from the center of the face, impact feels a little less satisfying.  It’s a smooth gradation that allows you to enjoy a near-perfect shot while still knowing that it could have been better.

Performance

While there is a lot to talk about with the TaylorMade MG3 wedge, I’ll start with spin.  In my testing, the Milled Grind 3 produced high, consistent spin on all types of shots.  It is unquestionably in the elite class for wedge spin.  This is thanks to a variety of features on the MG3 including the RAW Face Technology, Raised Micro-Ribs, and the ZTP-17 Groove.  The ZTP-17 Grooves have steeper walls and a sharper edge radius to put more bite on the ball.  We’ve probably all heard groove talk before, but the Raised Micro-Ribs – designed to make the face more abrasive for shorter shots – are a unique feature.

Now let’s move to the namesake feature, the Milled Grind.  The sole of each MG3 wedge is milled so that there’s maximum consistency from club to club.  If you’ve ever found “that wedge” that simply feels perfect to you, you can appreciate the value of being able to get a replacement that’s identical.

With the new MG3, TaylorMade is offering a wide but manageable array of sole options.  “Standard Bounce” is offered in every loft (46 to 60 degrees), and ranges from 9 to 12 degrees of bounce.  “Low Bounce” of 8 degrees is available at 56, 58, and 60 degrees.  Finally, a “High Bounce” option (12 to 14 degrees) is offered from 52 to 60 degrees.

It’s also worth noting that there’s a MG3 Tiger Woods Grind wedge available, too.  These wedges cost slightly more ($199/club), but they feature Tiger’s personal grind at 56 and 60 degrees.  The 56 degree wedge is described as having a “dual sole with heavy heel relief.”  The 60 degree model has “extremely high bounce on the leading edge with a shaved heel.”

I tested one wedge with standard bounce (Black Finish, 60 degrees, above) and one with Low Bounce (Chrome Finish, 56 degrees).  As you might have noted in my discussion of the specs, the difference in measured bounce between the Low, Standard, and High Bounce models is not huge.  What stands out more is the strong heel, toe, and trailing edge relief on the Low Bounce model.  This fits my preferences to a T as I like having some bounce for insurance, but I also want the ability to open the club face.  I found both soles to be versatile and high performing, but I prefer the Low Bounce for the ease of hitting soft, open-faced pitch shots.

Finally, an impactful feature that may fly a bit under the radar is the Thick-Thin Design.  This is TaylorMade’s name for the way the back of the blade varies in thickness to precisely locate CG.  Wedge CG may not be as sexy as groove technology, but it has a huge impact on spin creation and launch angle.  I found these wedges to have a versatile CG that allows for flighting the ball down and launching high pitches.

Conclusion

TaylorMade took a solid wedge in the Milled Grind 2 and made it better in every conceivable way.  The MG3 wedge has elite spin, great sole options, wonderful feel, and a beautiful look.  Once you find the right sole for your swing, these wedges will have you on your way to a jealousy-inspiring short game.

Buy the TaylorMade Milled Grind 3 Wedge HERE

TaylorMade Milled Grind 3 Wedge Price & Specs

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Matt Saternus

Editor In Chief at Plugged In Golf

He's worked in nearly every job in the golf industry from club fitting to instruction to writing and speaking.

Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.

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