Golfing News & Blog Articles
TaylorMade Hi-Toe 3 Wedges
The greatest benefit of a high-toe wedge is the result of its greatest liability. That’s certainly true for the TaylorMade Hi-Toe 3 wedge. As TaylorMade’s Bill Price is fond of saying, “form follows function.” And therein lies the rub.
Companies that make high-toe wedges and golfers who play them will tell you that the versatility is unmatched. It’s the advantage that high-toe wedges offer. Unfortunately, that versatility comes at a cost.
For many golfers, the unconventional or “contemporary” (if you’re feeling kind) look of high-toe wedges can be an absolute non-starter before the first ball is even struck.
Look, I get it. If you want to tell me high-toe wedges are unsightly, I won’t fight you on that. Their appeal is not universal but maybe a little bit of ugly is a fair trade for the versatility they can offer.
TaylorMade Hi-Toe 3 Versus MG3
With that in mind, I suppose a good place to start is by comparing the TaylorMade Hi-Toe 3 to the more conventional MG3 (Milled Grind) lineup. To be clear, the Hi-Toe 3 isn’t just a stubby-toed MG3 with a copper finish.
It’s a fundamentally different design. Hi-Toe 3 wedges have a unique sole geometry, including unique grinds. The high toe and full-face grooves may provide additional versatility above and beyond what you get with MG3.
The center of gravity placement is different (the Hi-Toe 3 offers the most centered CG of any TaylorMade wedge) and they fly differently.
Any of that can be either good or bad depending on the player but the point is that, between the Hi-Toe 3 wedge and the MG3 family, TaylorMade offers two distinct performance options in the wedge category.
Mix and match—or don’t—but it’s nice to have options.
As far as your requisite features and benefits are concerned, there’s nothing especially unique in TaylorMade’s Hi-Toe 3 wedge story. The company is trying to do what all of its competitors are trying to do (at least they should be).
It’s a wedge so performance almost invariably boils down to three things: spin, versatility and distance control.
Before we tackle that, I’ll just mention that the TaylorMade Hi-Toe 3 wedge is cast from 8620 steel. As far as the cast versus forged debate within the wedge category is concerned, unless you’re adding something to your metal (as Mizuno does with boron in its wedges), the softer forging material is going to result in a less durable groove.
Slightly softer feel or a more durable groove—take your pick.
TaylorMade Hi-Toe 3 Spin
Where spin is concerned, TaylorMade isn’t deviating much from the MG3 story. Like the more mainstream wedge, the Hi-Toe wedge features a raw face design. What that means is the hitting area is raw and will rust over time but the rest of the wedge is plated and should hold up quite a bit longer.
The idea is that, without any finish interfering with the groove geometry, a raw wedge will produce more spin. TaylorMade flirts with the suggestion that the accumulation of rust will increase spin but it’s the unfinished face that’s really driving your relative spin boost.
The Hi-Toe 3 wedge also borrows its micro-ribbed design from the MG3. The micro-grooves, which manifest as raised bars between the primary grooves, are designed to increase spin on shorter shots around the green and help preserve spin in wet conditions.
Based on the results of the 2021 Most Wanted Wedge test, we think there’s probably something to it.
More Full-Face Grooves
With the Hi-Toe 3 wedge lineup, TaylorMade has added full-face grooves to the 54-degree option. That’s a reflection of changing market conditions. As manufacturers have strengthened iron lofts, the trio of 52-, 56- and 60-degree wedges increasingly is being replaced by 50, 54 and 58. The 54 is a sand wedge and TaylorMade puts full-face grooves on sand wedges.
Versatility
The primary argument for bagging a high-toe wedge boils down to versatility. The idea is that the extra bit of material in the high toe provides more area to work with, especially when you need to open the face.
The design gives you the versatility (there’s that word again) to hit the shot you need to hit whether you’re in a bunker, in deep rough, sitting up on Kikuya grass or on a bare dirt lie.
The high toe is only part of the versatility story, however. A good bit of versatility and, I suppose, forgiveness comes from the sole design.
The key point is that it’s a four-way camber design. Basically, the sole curves in all directions. That gives golfers plenty of bounce when the club is in the square position with the trailing-edge relief and a lower leading edge (TaylorMade says it’s the lowest on the market). With that, the leading edge stays close to the ground while the grind of the sole provides plenty of versatility.
Simplified, it’s designed to exit the turf quickly and smoothly with no diggy diggy.
TaylorMade has also increased versatility of its Hi-Toe 3 offering through expanded bounce options. The previous iteration of Hi-Toe was limited to a single mid-bounce (10-degree) option in the lob wedge lofts (58 and 60 degrees).
By adding a low-bounce (seven degrees) and a high-bounce (13 degrees), TaylorMade can offer the versatility of the Hi-Toe 3 wedge to a significantly higher percentage of golfers.
As a low-bounce lob wedge guy, I’d be lying if the 60/07 didn’t have me a little bit curious.
Distance Control
The final piece of the TaylorMade Hi-Toe 3 story is distance control. It should go without saying that being able to dial in your distances and then hit them repeatedly is kind of a big deal with a wedge.
To that end, TaylorMade is using a progressive center of gravity design. Like some others, it raises its CG heights as lofts increase. That leads to a flatter, higher-spinning trajectory with more stopping power.
That’s pretty much ideal in the short game.
The weight pads on the back cavity provide even more ability to manipulate the center of gravity. On close inspection, for example, you’ll note that on the higher-lofted designs, more weight has been pulled out of the heel and shifted towards the toe.
That’s in recognition of the fact that average golfers hit a significant percentage of their wedge shots towards the toe. It’s a distance killer.
How Many TaylorMade Hi-Toe 3 Wedges Do You Need?
If you’re considering taking a chance on Hi-Toe 3 wedges, how many you need? Should you replace all three of your wedges? Two? Maybe just a single 60-degree wedge?
That may come down to your percentage of full shots from the fairway with a given loft but it’s a safe bet you don’t need one at pitching-wedge loft for approach shots.
On the PGA TOUR, most players who carry a high-toe wedge carry just one and, typically, it’s the lob wedge.
Some, like Colin Morikawa, move the TaylorMade Hi-Toe wedge in and out of the bag depending on the tournament and course.
Tommy Fleetwood is an outlier of sorts. He carries a single Hi-Toe wedge but it’s his 52-degree gap wedge. It’s a perfect example of the performance contrasts between MG3 and Hi-Toe.
For whatever reason, Fairway Jesus prefers the feel and the turf interaction of the Hi-Toe over the MG3. He also likes the way the offset presents and feels that the ball flies through a more optimal window for him.
So how many you should put in your bag? There isn’t a right or wrong answer.
Hi-Toe 3 Wedge Fitting
As far as fitting goes, TaylorMade’s perspective isn’t much different than what we’re hearing industry-wide. While wedge fitting is gaining momentum, most wedge fittings still happen on the back of iron fittings.
It’s the difference between “as long as you’re here” and “Why don’t you clear a couple of hours in your schedule so we can do this right?”
Accessibility remains an issue as well. Not every golfer will have the opportunity to visit TaylorMade’s Kingdom for a full wedge fitting.
TaylorMade understands that, which is why the company is working to provide its green grass accounts and professional staff with the tools necessary to fit every golfer who wants to be fitted for wedges.
How many that is right now, who can say?
The long-term goal is to shift consumer habits away from wedge buying as a selection process (“Hey, this one looks good”) to a proper fitting experience.
As with most anything else worth doing, it’s going to take some time.
Specs, Pricing and Availability
TaylorMade Hi-Toe 3 Wedges are available in standard bounce (50, 52, 54, 56, 58 and 60 degrees), low bounce (58 and 60), and high bounce (58 and 60).
The stock shaft is a KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 (115 grams). The stock grip is a Lamkin Crossline 360 Round.
The retail offering features a brushed copper finish.
Retail price is $179.
Availability begins Aug. 9.
MyHigh-Toe 3 Wedge
The Hi-Toe 3 wedge will also be available under TaylorMade’s My (insert product name here) program.
Golfers can choose from four different finishes including brushed copper, chrome, black and raw.
Custom text, logos and paintfill are also part of the offering.
A complete list of customizable options includes:
Finish Grip Shaft Length Personalized text Loft and bounce Custom paintfills: Logos, icons, carbon steel, hosel rings and textMyHi-Toe 3 is available through TaylorMadeGolf.com. Retail price is $229.
For more information, visit TaylorMadeGolf.com.
The post TaylorMade Hi-Toe 3 Wedges appeared first on MyGolfSpy.
