The MD3 Milled Wedges have the versatility and selection
for every shot, every course condition, and every swing
If you’re a fan of Callaway’s Mack Daddy line of
wedges, get ready to geek out. The company is
releasing a follow up to the popular and
versatile Mack Daddy 2 in September. The new
MD3 milled wedges will retain the best features
from their predecessors, a tour-proven design
and the aggressive milling pattern, and expand
on the selection with three unique grinds and a
progressive set of grooves that create more
bite as you go up in loft.
Callaway is billing the MD3 as the most
complete wedge line they’ve ever created. The
new clubs will leverage three distinct grinds (S-
Grind, C-Grind and the new W-Grind) and will
be available with even more custom options for
shafts, grips and finishes.
“This is the biggest line that we have ever
come to market with,” says Callaway wedge
designer Roger Cleveland. “We’ve learned a lot
from the MD2 and there was one grind that we
were missing - a wide sole grind that we’re
obviously calling the ‘W’.”
The wide-sole or W-Grind is designed for
play in softer turf conditions or for those golfers
who strike the ball using a steep angle of
attack. The new grind is available on both the
sand and lob wedge models (54 through 60
degrees) with 12 degrees of bounce in the
lofter lofts and 11 degrees on the higher lofted
wedges.
“The ‘W’ is for conditions that are a little
bit softer like the Northeast and for softer
conditions that are wet,” says Cleveland. “[It’s]
really going to be your friend and helpful to you
because the width is going to add effective
bounce.”
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The new wide
sole MD3 wedge
is designed for play in softer turf
conditions |
The two additional grinds on the MD3 are
staples of a Callaway wedge product and have
been available for some time now in the Mack
Daddy lineup. The S-Grind is the most versatile
option. It’s playable in a variety of conditions
and performs admirably for all kinds of shot
types. The S-Grind is available throughout the
entire wedge line including Callaway’s new 46-
degree model (8 degrees of bounce).
As for the C-Grind, Cleveland says the
sole has been modified slightly to be wider
from front to back. It helps the leading edge sit
lower to the ground so that golfers can attack
the ball on firmer conditions, especially when
opening the face for high-lofted shots.
“You have relief in the heel and the toe
which allows you to be creative and open the
face and not add too much bounce, while
allowing the leading edge to still get under the
ball,” says Cleveland. “ The ‘C’ is really for
conditions that are a little firmer; not only turf
conditions, but sand conditions as well.”
Along with the three unique grinds, the
new MD3 wedges benefit from a progressive
groove pattern that Cleveland has been
optimizing with each major release in the Mack
Daddy line. In the pre-existing wedge product,
Callaway used more aggressive and narrower
grooves in their higher-lofted models for
increased spin for shots played closer to the
green. Lower-lofted clubs such as the
company’s pitching and gap wedges had
higher-volume grooves that imparted less spin
on the ball for better consistency on full shots.
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Callaway's
MD3 wedge features
an optimized groove
configuration for a wide range of
shots |
“We had a form of this groove
optimization where we had the most aggressive
groove allowed for our lob wedges,” says
Cleveland about the older Mack Daddy 2
wedges. “And that’s what you want - you want
as aggressive a groove as possible to wick out
as much material when you short side yourself
and get into rough around the green.”
“But that type of groove is not ideal as
you go down in loft through your sand wedge
and gap wedge,” he continues. “What we did
with the MD3 line is we progressively opened
up the sidewall of the groove. So your flow of
spin really matches up well all the way through
your set up to the point where you need the
most spin.”
To clarify the point Cleveland is making,
the new wedges have three new groove
breakpoints to add an even more balanced
transition from the pitching wedge to the lob
wedge. The 30V grooves in the pitching and
gap wedges are built for shots that require a
steep angle into the ball. The sand wedge uses
the 20V grooves for a combination of full shots,
chips and bunker shots, while the 5V grooves
Cleveland described as the most aggressive
groove possible under the USGA limit is
reserved for the lob wedge where you need
maximum spin coming out of green-side rough.
While the modifications to the grooves
and sole grinds naturally deserve the biggest
headlines, the redesigned shape on the new
wedge is also worth noting. It was only a few
months ago that Callaway made their speciality
wedge, the Mack Daddy PM Grind,
widely available for purchase. The special
collaboration between Callaway staffer Phil
Mickelson and Cleveland featured an enlarged
toe with grooves that extended all the way
through the face of the club. To accommodate
the high toe and wide sole, Callaway engineers
introduced weight ports into the back of the
club to save weight. The PM Grind allowed tour
players and recreational players alike to
execute even the most difficult short-game
shots with relative ease.
The MD3 incorporates some of the
engineering concepts introduced in the PM
Grind. The new wedge is designed with a semi-
straight leading edge and a high toe profile,
which while not as pronounced as the PM
Grind, is slightly larger than the MD2. And like
the speciality wedge Mickelson helped design,
the MD3 uses those same weight ports in the
back giving Callaway the freedom to reposition
weight as needed to create a better balanced
wedge.
The MD3 milled wedge will be available
for purchase in store and online starting on
September 4th. It will come in eight lofts from
46 to 60 degrees and retail for an MSRP of
$129.99. Given the expanded selection of
grinds, bounce and loft options available along
with the improved groove optimization, golfers
will have no problem selecting a set of wedges
that are ideally suited for any style of play.