TaylorMade's Tour Preferred EF wedge
combines classic looks with high spin grooves.
The casual golf fan shouldn’t be expected to
know who Clay Long is. The same cannot be
said for Jack Nicklaus. His sterling record
included 18 majors, none more iconic than his
age-defying victory at the 1986 Masters. Clay
Long was there. Not directly, of course. But his
oversized MacGregor Response putter helped
Nicklaus post a final round 65 to take home his
last Green Jacket.
That famous putter was one
of many creations Long had a hand in building.
The legendary club-maker had a storied career
designing equipment for numerous companies
including Cobra, Nickent, Wilson, KZG and
Titleist. TaylorMade hired Long in 2014 to work
on a wedge project three years in the making.
The end result of that collaboration was the
Tour Preferred model which has found its way
into the bags of most TaylorMade tour staffers.
The new Tour Preferred EF
wedge, the next iteration in that line, took
less than a year to introduce. It features
technological advancements that produce
consistent grooves that stay sharp longer than
their predecessors.
The ability to deliver long-lasting, high-
spin performance on a wedge is made possible
by TaylorMade’s use of a proprietary
electroformed (EF) nickel cobalt face. The face
insert (only .25 mm thick) is created by way of
a process that ionizes nickel and cobalt in an
electrolytic solution. The charged ions are then
deposited directly onto a master plate
containing the design of the grooved and
microtextured surface.
“The Tour Preferred EF wedge is the
perfect blend of craftsmanship and innovation,”
says Long, TaylorMade’s Director of Product
Creation, Putters and Wedges. “Electroforming
delivers a consistent high-performance groove
pattern that delivers incredible spin over the
course of thousands of shots.”
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Electroformed Nickel Cobalt
grooves on the TaylorMade EF wedge provide
long lasting spin. |
It might take someone with a chemistry
degree to scientifically explain how
electroforming yields a better wedge, but a
simple description will suffice. Since the insert
on the EF wedge is made from a master mold,
each of the grooves are consistently sharp and
won’t dull as fast as milled or cast grooves.
Additionally, nickel cobalt is remarkably wear-
resistant and durable; approximately 50
percent harder than Carbon steel. To preserve
a softer feel on the Tour Preferred EF wedge,
TaylorMade combines the harder face insert
with a head forged from 1025 Carbon steel.
The Tour Preferred EF wedge made it’s
debut on tour in February. TaylorMade staff
professionals Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia
began playing them at the Northern Trust
Open. Two weeks later, Johnson carded a
victory at the WGC-Cadillac Championship with
three of them in his bag.
TaylorMade began selling the EF wedge to
the general public on April 10th for $159 which
is slightly more expensive than the existing
Tour Preferred model from which this new
edition is derived from. When I asked Long if
TaylorMade planed to replace the original Tour
Preferred wedges with the new model he said,
“The TP and ATV [grinds] are being sold for the
time being. As such, these are an addition to
the current lineup. The EF models are offered in
the same shapes because they’re the shapes
we’ve received the most feedback on from both
our tour players and consumers alike. Plus,
wedge shaping hasn’t changed all that
significantly in recent years and we’re not
looking to stray from the shapes we do best
here.”
When Long was brought into the fold a
year ago, TaylorMade was looking to introduce
an update to the ATV “All-Terrain-Versatility”
wedge, which is often credited to the shape of
Jason Day’s wedges at The Masters in 2012.
What ultimately became known as the Tour
Preferred wedge made from 304-stainless steel
and offered in two grinds was a by-product of
researching multiple wedge designs throughout
history as well as looking in the bags of current
tour players.
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The dark
PVD finish reduces glare on the new Tour
Preferred EF wedges. |
TaylorMade ended up developing a
classically designed wedge with a very
traditional shape in a raw Tour Satin finish. The
Tour Preferred wedge, and now the EF model as
well, are available in two sole options. For
players who prefer a traditional sole design, the
tour grind features a refined shape with
progressive camber and generous heel relief.
It’s a wedge that employs the versatility of a C-
grind on open-faced shots but retains the main
sole surface for better performance on full
swings. The second option, the ATV grind, has
a sole that’s slightly narrower promoting less
bounce on chips and full shots, while
maintaining higher bounce on open-faced shots
around the green and from the sand.
While the similarities between the wedge
lines are evident, the differences are more
subtle. The Tour Preferred EF wedge comes
stock with a KBS Tour shaft (wedge flex) and is
polished in a very cool looking, glare-reducing
dark smoke PVD finish. It will also be come in
additional loft / bounce configurations not
currently offered in the TP line: 47 degrees (9
bounce), 56 degrees (15 bounce), 58 degrees
(13 bounce), 62 degrees (8 bounce), 52
degrees (12 bounce, ATV Grind) and 60
degrees (7 bounce, ATV Grind).
Will sharper grooves and a wider selection
of lofts compel enough amateurs to select the
more expensive EF wedges over the Tour
Preferred models? Long seems to think so.
“In the end, it comes down to feel and
performance, but we’re confident the EF is the
best wedge we’ve ever made and will perform
for both amateurs and tour players alike,” he
says. “It offers a more precise groove
technology that produces more spin and won’t
wear out as quickly as a TP wedge. So, while
more expensive in cost, it will last the amateur
player much longer than a previous wedge.”