TaylorMade Hi Toe 3 Golf Wedge Review
TaylorMade Hi Toe 3 Golf Wedge Review
The TaylorMade Hi Toe 3 wedge is a new addition to the brand’s wedge family. It combines two proven technologies into a single wedge and aims to increase spin, precision and feel whether you’re taking full swings on your approach or playing finesse shots around the green.
The raised micro-rib technology adds friction and helps produce extra spin. The hitting area on the face is a raw steel that will rust over time, but TaylorMade says it increases spin compared to plated faces.
Milled Grind Sole
Designed to offer increased spin, precision and feel for a variety of shots around the green, TaylorMade's Milled Grind sole maximises consistency on every wedge they make. They use a soft 8620 carbon steel and then machine the sole of each club to ensure tolerances that are difficult for a human to replicate.
The resulting wedges are built for optimum launch and spin conditions, while a weight pad positioned in the upper toe portion of the club shifts the centre of gravity closer to the center, allowing players to maintain a consistent trajectory. This design also enables more mass to be positioned behind the hitting area, which transfers more energy from your swing and promotes more accurate trajectory control.
In addition to a higher CG, Hi-Toe 3 wedges feature a lowered leading edge, and relief milled into the sole's trailing edge for improved trajectory control. This design also helps the wedge maintain its premium feel when you hit it hard, especially in tighter lies.
There are three bounce options available with the Hi Toe 3 - LB (low), SB (standard) and HB (high). The low option is best suited for firmer turf, bunkers with harder sand, and players who take a sweeping, shallow angle of attack. The standard and high bounce options are extremely versatile, with the standard option favored by players with neutral swing styles who play on medium to softer turf.
Using the same technology as the MG3 wedge, Hi-Toe 3 wedges include raised micro ribs between each groove that add texture to the face and improve spin on partial and lower speed shots. The ribs create more friction at impact for higher spin, while also increasing the durability of the face.
In terms of traction, Hi-Toe wedges also include ZTP RAW grooves that allow golfers to maximize their control when the lie is less than perfect. These grooves have larger radii to deliver optimal spin on longer shots, while milled ribs increase friction between each groove for enhanced performance on partial and greenside shots.
Hi-Toe RAW
The Hi Toe 3 wedge is one of the most versatile wedges TaylorMade has ever offered. It can be used as a gap wedge, a sand wedge or even a lob wedge.
It also comes with a lot of forgiveness in spin control around the greens, which is a big benefit for mid and high handicappers. The Hi Toe is available in lofts of 50 to 60 degrees and features standard, low and high bounce options.
Hi-Toe RAW is a new wedge from TaylorMade that merges the full face scoring lines and expanded toe area of Hi Toe with their new ZTP Raw Face Technology and ZTP RAW Groove Design. It's engineered for increased greenside spin, especially in wet conditions, with sharper, narrower and deeper grooves on the face.
When paired with its Tour-proven raised micro-ribs, the Hi-Toe RAW generates saucy spin on open-faced shots. Its higher center of gravity is designed for a lower launch and more spin on full swings, while the larger face allows players to creatively place the ball on different lies around the green.
In addition, the Hi Toe RAW features an added weight pad on the back cavity to help manipulate the club's center of gravity. This helps to create more spin on flop shots and makes it easier for golfers to use the wedge around the green.
Combined with the Milled Grind sole, Hi Toe RAW is engineered to maximize precision where it matters most. The sole is crafted from soft 8620 carbon steel and it's been milled to achieve tolerance levels difficult for humans to repeat. This ensures that Hi Toe RAW is a premium product for every player, maximizing the consistency of each wedge and maintaining the best turf interaction on the market.
This wedge can be customized through the MyHi Toe 3 program, allowing you to choose the finish, grip, shaft length and paint fill for an additional PS50. It will go on sale September 9th and is available in the following lofts:
This wedge is a great option for any player who needs a more versatile wedge. It's not a high-toe, so it might take some practice to get used to it, but the turf interaction and high spin will definitely make it a good addition to your bag.
Trailing Edge Relief
The TaylorMade Hi Toe 3 Golf Wedge is one of the latest wedges to hit the market from one of golf's top equipment manufacturers. It focuses on versatility and performance, helping you unlock creativity and save strokes on shots closest to the green.
The versatile design of the Hi Toe 3 wedge includes a four-way cambered sole which helps to promote turf interaction around the green and improves clubhead interaction in the rough and bunker. It also allows you to clip your ball off tight lies.
It also features a progressive centre of gravity, which raises its CG height as lofts increase to help you control your trajectory. This increases the spin and stopping power of the club, which can be crucial when trying to hit the green from tight lies or short distances.
For better players, this design can really make a difference. For the average player, however, it may not be the best choice as it can produce different flight profiles and spin rates compared to MG3 wedges.
Regardless of your personal preference, you should take the time to try out the Hi Toe 3 wedges before making a final decision. You can do so by visiting our affiliate company True Spec Golf, where you can find a fitting location near you and a knowledgeable pro.
In addition to a four-way cambered sole, the Hi Toe 3 wedge also features a wide sole for forgiveness and high bounce. It also includes trailing edge relief to enable you to open the face for flop shots and manipulate your loft, trajectory and spin on shorter shots.
The Hi Toe 3 wedge also features a milled face that has raised micro-ribs between the full grooves to provide additional texture for increased friction and spin. This adds an element of feel to your shot, which can help you to improve your confidence and make a better connection with your putt.
You can also customize your Hi Toe 3 wedge with a range of options, including three finishes and personalised stamping via the MyHi-Toe 3 program. You can also pick your own colours, grip, shaft, loft and bounce for an even more customized look.
Milled Ribs
The milled ribs on the Hi Toe 3 wedge are designed to increase friction and improve performance on partial shots. This increases the spin you get off the face, especially on damp shots, and helps you gain more control over your trajectory, which makes these wedges a great choice for players who want to maximize their short game.
To create the milled ribs, TaylorMade used a high-speed, computer-controlled milling bit that runs back and forth over each wedge sole to cut a thin line of steel. Each pass shaves a small amount of steel, and the resulting pattern ensures that each wedge sole is designed precisely for repeatable performance on every shot.
In addition to the full face grooves, Hi Toe 3 also features raised micro-ribs between each of these grooves, which increase friction on a variety of shots. These ribs are very small, just 0.02mm tall and 0.25mm wide. They’re designed to lift off the face and provide more surface roughness, increasing friction on shorter chips and pitch shots, as well as boosting spin performance on partial swing shots, such as half swing approaches.
Another feature of the new Hi Toe 3 wedge is that it’s taller in the toe section (66mm), which helps move the center of gravity closer to the middle of the face. This design is similar to the MG3 wedge, which has been designed to increase spin and promote more control on full swings by pushing the head’s center of gravity a little higher.
As part of their ongoing R&D process, TaylorMade’s team studied data from tens of thousands of impact shots and found that nearly two-thirds of wedge impacts were hit from the toe side of the face. That’s a 15mm toe strike leading to five yards of distance loss and 2.5mph ball speed difference, so TaylorMade engineers wanted to give wedges a more aggressive design to help golfers increase spin and get more control on these type of hits.
As with all TaylorMade wedges, the Hi Toe 3 is made from soft 8620 carbon steel and the Milled Grind sole is machined to incredibly tight tolerances, obtaining levels of precision that would be difficult for a human to replicate. The milled grind sole is also engineered for improved turf interaction and bounce application for certain types of swings and playing conditions, ensuring that Hi Toe 3 will perform exactly as it was intended.