WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: TaylorMade’s Hi-Toe and Big Foot wedge offerings receive an update with a new raw finish that rusts over time to produce additional surface roughness to maintain spin over the life of the wedge.
THE DEEP DIVE: TaylorMade’s Hi-Toe and Hi-Toe Big Foot wedges have served as a solid complement to the company’s Milled Grind 2 offerings. Now the company has taken another step, offering the Hi-Toe and Big Foot with a raw finish.
The High-Toe maintains the distinctive raised upper corner shape aimed at producing lower-launching and higher-spinning shots around the green. The 8620 carbon steel clubhead, however, boasts a raw finish designed for increased spin and feel with sharper, narrower and deeper grooves in the face, as well as laser etching. The raw face rusts over time providing additional surface roughness to preserve spin.
“We know raw creates great spin, especially in wet conditions,” said Bill Price, senior director of putters and wedges for TaylorMade. “The sole is 26 millimetres wide with a four-way camber. That, combined with low leading edge, makes it very versatile from all types of lies and makes it easy to slide under the ball, even from those tight-lie conditions.”
Also held over from the original are grooves that run completely across the face into the upper toe region – the result of input from the TaylorMade tour staff, led by Dustin Johnson. The thought being that when players open up the clubface that area is where players make contact with the ball, making grooves useful there.
Big Foot, as the name suggests, boasts a very wide sole, providing, in effect, a super-game-improvement wedge option for players who suffer grief around the greens. The centre of gravity has been moved more towards the toe, where most everyday players tend to hit shots with their wedges. The sole design also has an anti-dig leading edge design that is blunter and beveled with more bounce towards the toe apex.
“We have more of a modified C-grind on the Big Foot, with a lot more relief from heel to toe to create more playability in the widest sole that we have at 32 millimetres,” said Price, noting the wedge has a significant 15 degrees of bounce.
The Hi-Toe wedges come in lofts ranging from 50 to 62 degrees in standard bounce; 58 and 60 degrees in low bounce. Big Foot is available in 56, 58, 60 degrees in high bounce. Both wedges come withTop of FormBottom of Form KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 115g Taper shafts and Lamkin Crossline 360 grips.
Stay tuned for more details on Australian pricing and availability.
