TaylorMade reveal EF Spin Groove wedge

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TaylorMade’s latest wedge features a face plate not that much thicker than a razor blade, and as bendable as a credit card. It’s made of nickel cobalt, and designed to make your short game spinnier for longer.

The face plate is just a hundredth of an inch thick, but is extremely tough and very durable. The plate – which is bonded into the head with polymer – is the result of TaylorMade’s research into Electroforming – a method of shaping metal. “It’s the process they use to create those intricate medallions on the back of clubs,” says wedge creator Clay Long. “Using the process to create a wedge face has allowed us to create sharper grooves which will retain their angles for longer – slowing the drop in performance all wedges experience as their groove edges break down.” TaylorMade are conducting tests to see just how much life this new face will add.

The EF Spin Groove wedge enjoys the same classic shape of the brand’s TP wedge, though its head is made from soft carbon steel (304 stainless in the TP) and it sports a darker Smoke PVD finish.

There are two grind options. The more specialised ATV has a little less bounce, a concave sole, thicker leading edge and is ideal for firm fairways and soft sand; Tour Grind has a narrower leading edge, a slight camber and a little bit of heel shaved off to add versatility on open-face shots. 

Details: RRP £119. KBS Tour Wedge shaft.  54º, 56º, 58º, 60º.

www.taylormadegolf.com

 

 

EF Spin Groove technology explained
Designer Clay Long describes how design affects performance

How does the face plate increase spin?
The grooves are a little bit sharper because they are not machined. When you machine grooves you have to build in manufacturing tolerances so you don’t go over the groove limit set by the R&A. Our grooves are not machined. Instead, the electroforming process lays nickel cobalt substrate down on a mold, made to the negative of the groove geometry, and layered like any kind of plating process. Because of this, there are sharper edges to the grooves and greater definition in their shape.

How much spin is added?
Initial tests show an increase of about 150 rpm from our old grooves on a 30-yard pitch. That’s worth having, but it sits alongside the second chief benefit, which is longevity.

How have you increased the wedge’s life?
The face plate may be very thin at one-hundredth of an inch, but it is also very tough and durable. This means its grooves are going to last a long time before the edges start to break down. So they are sharper to start with, and won’t wear as quickly. This is great for amateurs as it adds value, but also for all levels right up to tour pro because you get to know a wedge, get a feel for how far it goes. No one likes having to change wedges.

Won’t a very hard face plate affect feel?
First, there is a difference between tough and hard. Yes, the plate is durable, but its thinness and structure mean it has not compromised feel. Second, This very thin face plate is bonded with polymer into a body of carbon steel, one of the best materials for feel and sound you can get in a wedge.   

Doesn’t that bonding process affect performance or feel?
One of our design goals was to ensure any golfer using this wedge would not even notice the face was a separate piece. So far we haven’t had anyone who could tell the difference between this and a solid face.

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