- Staff
- #226
Hahaha, hey, I want MD4's with gull face grooves while we are wish listing it!
Callaway MD4 Wedges
Hahaha, hey, I want MD4's with gull face grooves while we are wish listing it!
That would be the best of all worlds for me - MD4 head, grooves to toe, PM grind - shouldn't be difficult. Would probably be a best seller.
I thought the same thing. The new design of the W grind looks like a perfect mid wedge for all types of shots.
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Damn, that would be cool.
- Staff
- #230
When I was out at the Grandaddy in '15, they had a prototype that I got a peak of in one of the guys offices, had hopes it would become something more, but alas...
- Staff
- #233
The new 50 Degree MD4 was a spinning machine this weekend. Hit this from 115 out, pin high (divot half way up ridge to the left) and spun all the way back. I am absolutely love these things around the green. This one didn't have the best result but I blame the slope that gave this a little extra speed off the spin.
Your conditions are so much more lush & green this time of year than mine are....
- Staff
- #234
Callaway MD4 Wedges
Here is my review of the Mack Daddy 4 Wedges, since there are a lot of lurkers out there, let me give you some background. I was fit into the 54 degree S Grind & 58 degree C Grind, with KBS C-Taper Lite Shafts. The grinds were picked out after discussing the grind options with Roger Cleveland (yeah that happened). I didn’t get a full short game lesson like Pringles, but he did take a look and tell me what grinds to get. Since I'm a picker and get shallow with my wedges, the X grind was strongly discouraged.
About me:
Handicap- GHIN 11.1
Swing Speed- 98-100 MPH (Driver Average)
Normal Ball Flight- Mid-High
Normal Miss- Left (I'm right handed), Sometimes left of Walter Mondale
Wedges that I've Gamed in the Past- Cleveland 588, Nike VR, Cleveland 588 (revamp), Mack Daddy 2, Cleveland RTX-3
Looks: This wedge is very good in the looks department, I have the matte black finish on these wedges and the look inspires confidence. The red trimming around the silver weights is a good combo; I think that it is a better look than the MD3 wedges. Through 13 rounds and some range sessions, the black finish is holding up well so far, no worse than the black satin finish of the RTX-3 wedges after the same number of rounds. The finish is holding up way better than the slate finish of the MD2 wedges that I gamed in the past.
Data Averages: 54 Degree- Full Swing (Foresight Sim)
Club Head Speed- 64.4 MPH
Ball Speed- 78.6 MPH
Launch Angle- 33.05
Spin- 10,125 RPMs
Peak Height: 25 yards
Carry Distance- 89 yards
Total Distance- 94 yards
Data Averages: 58 Degree- Full Swing (Foresight Sim)
Club Head Speed- 53.5 MPH
Ball Speed- 65.3 MPH
Launch Angle- 35.9
Spin- 8,000 RPMs
Peak Height: 19 yards
Carry Distance- 70 yards
Total Distance- 75.5yards
Distance/Forgiveness: Like any blade style wedges, mishits are punitive, that is no different than any other wedge. Well struck shots feel really good, and shots not stuck as well give feedback so you know where you missed. Full swing distances are almost exactly what I have come to expect from my previous RTX-3 wedges. Partial swing distances are also in line with expectations too. The one area that I would rate my previous wedges better is in the area of turf interaction. That is not saying the MD4 doesn’t do a good job at turf interaction, I just think that the V-sole on the RTX-3 wedges make them a little stronger in this area. The turf interaction of the MD4 is crisp, but they don’t rip through lies in the rough like the RTX-3s can.
Feel/Spin: Feel is relative, but the feel of these is great. I like the feel a little better with the MD4s than the RTX-3 wedges. At times the feel of my previous wedges was a little harsh and gaging distances became a challenge. The spin that these wedges produce is the best of any of the wedges that I have ever put in my bag. You can get aggressive with these wedges on pitches and chips and not have to worry about the ball not biting or too much run out (of course this could also be ball related too). I think where this wedge really shines is in pitches from the 30-40 yard range, it out performs my previous wedges in this area by a wide margin. You can open the face and thrown it close to the hole and just spot the ball, it has taken me awhile to get used to this aspect. The grooves on grooves are legit, as Callaway continues to improve with each update to the Mack Daddy line. Pairing this wedge with the new Chrome Soft ball has produced more one hop and spot type of shots than I was accustom to seeing before.
Versatility: In the RTX-3 wedges, I had a 54 3 dot & a 58 2 dot, and they were both very versatile. The MD4 are just as versatile in different ways. The MD4 54 degree S grind is in a 10 bounce, and it makes it a little harder to pull off some of the shots that I could hit with ease with my RTX-3 54 that had 14 degrees of bounce. If you are someone that likes to use higher bounce wedges, take a look at the W grind. There are times that I miss the wider sole of the RTX-3 wedge that I had in the 54 degrees. I might even get a W grind, to test out. With that being said, the S grind 54 that I have it is easier to open the face and hit open faced chips and pitches. The rock star of versatility is the C grind on the 58 degree. The C grind reminds me a lot of the T grind that was available in the MD2 line, but wasn’t available in the MD3 line. The C grind allows you to open the face with ease and hit a variety of different types of shots around the green. I like this grind on my 58 more than the RTX-3 2 dot grind that I had on my previous 58 degree wedge.
Bunker Play: These wedges perform very well out of bunkers (as did the RTX-3 wedges); I think that the key differentiator between the 2 different wedges (MD4 & RTX-3) is how well the C grind performs out of short sided bunkers. On longer bunker shots, the 54 degree wedges of both lines perform well. The MD4s seem to produce more spin from the bunker, while the 3 dot grind of the Cleveland performs better in harder sand and imbedded lies (that is more bounce related than wedge related in my opinion).
Conclusion: Callaway took what they learned from their previous wedge iterations and have improved their Mack Daddy line with each new release. These are the best wedge that they have produced yet, light years better than the last Callaway wedge that I had in my bag, the MD2. They have taken a lot of new tech, and put it in really great looking package. It is no surprise that I like these wedges, because the shape and aesthetics are in a very familiar looking package, that I have a lot of confidence in (I’ve gamed a lot of wedges over the years designed by Roger Cleveland). Although, I was gaming some really good wedges in my bag pre-Grandaddy, these are better in so many ways especially the improved C grind. I think many THP’ers will be surprised with how good these wedges perform especially the type of green side spin these wedges produce (30-40 yard pitches are the area where this wedge becomes a real short game weapon). The fact that you can get real aggressive with chips from around the green, takes a lot of guess work out of wedge play, and that is what makes these wedges a winner in my opinion.
If y'all have any questions, please ask.
Here is my review of the Mack Daddy 4 Wedges, since there are a lot of lurkers out there, let me give you some background. I was fit into the 54 degree S Grind & 58 degree C Grind, with KBS C-Taper Lite Shafts. The grinds were picked out after discussing the grind options with Roger Cleveland (yeah that happened). I didn’t get a full short game lesson like Pringles, but he did take a look and tell me what grinds to get. Since I'm a picker and get shallow with my wedges, the X grind was strongly discouraged.
About me:
Handicap- GHIN 11.1
Swing Speed- 98-100 MPH (Driver Average)
Normal Ball Flight- Mid-High
Normal Miss- Left (I'm right handed), Sometimes left of Walter Mondale
Wedges that I've Gamed in the Past- Cleveland 588, Nike VR, Cleveland 588 (revamp), Mack Daddy 2, Cleveland RTX-3
Looks: This wedge is very good in the looks department, I have the matte black finish on these wedges and the look inspires confidence. The red trimming around the silver weights is a good combo; I think that it is a better look than the MD3 wedges. Through 13 rounds and some range sessions, the black finish is holding up well so far, no worse than the black satin finish of the RTX-3 wedges after the same number of rounds. The finish is holding up way better than the slate finish of the MD2 wedges that I gamed in the past.
Data Averages: 54 Degree- Full Swing (Foresight Sim)
Club Head Speed- 64.4 MPH
Ball Speed- 78.6 MPH
Launch Angle- 33.05
Spin- 10,125 RPMs
Peak Height: 25 yards
Carry Distance- 89 yards
Total Distance- 94 yards
Data Averages: 58 Degree- Full Swing (Foresight Sim)
Club Head Speed- 53.5 MPH
Ball Speed- 65.3 MPH
Launch Angle- 35.9
Spin- 8,000 RPMs
Peak Height: 19 yards
Carry Distance- 70 yards
Total Distance- 75.5yards
Distance/Forgiveness: Like any blade style wedges, mishits are punitive, that is no different than any other wedge. Well struck shots feel really good, and shots not stuck as well give feedback so you know where you missed. Full swing distances are almost exactly what I have come to expect from my previous RTX-3 wedges. Partial swing distances are also in line with expectations too. The one area that I would rate my previous wedges better is in the area of turf interaction. That is not saying the MD4 doesn’t do a good job at turf interaction, I just think that the V-sole on the RTX-3 wedges make them a little stronger in this area. The turf interaction of the MD4 is crisp, but they don’t rip through lies in the rough like the RTX-3s can.
Feel/Spin: Feel is relative, but the feel of these is great. I like the feel a little better with the MD4s than the RTX-3 wedges. At times the feel of my previous wedges was a little harsh and gaging distances became a challenge. The spin that these wedges produce is the best of any of the wedges that I have ever put in my bag. You can get aggressive with these wedges on pitches and chips and not have to worry about the ball not biting or too much run out (of course this could also be ball related too). I think where this wedge really shines is in pitches from the 30-40 yard range, it out performs my previous wedges in this area by a wide margin. You can open the face and thrown it close to the hole and just spot the ball, it has taken me awhile to get used to this aspect. The grooves on grooves are legit, as Callaway continues to improve with each update to the Mack Daddy line. Pairing this wedge with the new Chrome Soft ball has produced more one hop and spot type of shots than I was accustom to seeing before.
Versatility: In the RTX-3 wedges, I had a 54 3 dot & a 58 2 dot, and they were both very versatile. The MD4 are just as versatile in different ways. The MD4 54 degree S grind is in a 10 bounce, and it makes it a little harder to pull off some of the shots that I could hit with ease with my RTX-3 54 that had 14 degrees of bounce. If you are someone that likes to use higher bounce wedges, take a look at the W grind. There are times that I miss the wider sole of the RTX-3 wedge that I had in the 54 degrees. I might even get a W grind, to test out. With that being said, the S grind 54 that I have it is easier to open the face and hit open faced chips and pitches. The rock star of versatility is the C grind on the 58 degree. The C grind reminds me a lot of the T grind that was available in the MD2 line, but wasn’t available in the MD3 line. The C grind allows you to open the face with ease and hit a variety of different types of shots around the green. I like this grind on my 58 more than the RTX-3 2 dot grind that I had on my previous 58 degree wedge.
Bunker Play: These wedges perform very well out of bunkers (as did the RTX-3 wedges); I think that the key differentiator between the 2 different wedges (MD4 & RTX-3) is how well the C grind performs out of short sided bunkers. On longer bunker shots, the 54 degree wedges of both lines perform well. The MD4s seem to produce more spin from the bunker, while the 3 dot grind of the Cleveland performs better in harder sand and imbedded lies (that is more bounce related than wedge related in my opinion).
Conclusion: Callaway took what they learned from their previous wedge iterations and have improved their Mack Daddy line with each new release. These are the best wedge that they have produced yet, light years better than the last Callaway wedge that I had in my bag, the MD2. They have taken a lot of new tech, and put it in really great looking package. It is no surprise that I like these wedges, because the shape and aesthetics are in a very familiar looking package, that I have a lot of confidence in (I’ve gamed a lot of wedges over the years designed by Roger Cleveland). Although, I was gaming some really good wedges in my bag pre-Grandaddy, these are better in so many ways especially the improved C grind. I think many THP’ers will be surprised with how good these wedges perform especially the type of green side spin these wedges produce (30-40 yard pitches are the area where this wedge becomes a real short game weapon). The fact that you can get real aggressive with chips from around the green, takes a lot of guess work out of wedge play, and that is what makes these wedges a winner in my opinion.
If y'all have any questions, please ask.
Last edited:
Jfw345
New member
I know I’m going to get 52, 56, 60. I just can’t figure out what grind for the 56. I’m going 52 s grind and 60 c grind for sure. The 56 I’m torn between the s and c. I’ve ruled out the w for sure. Any thoughts??
- Staff
- #236
It depends what you are using the 56 for, if that if your bunker club, I would get the C...
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I am certainly not doubting your review @JDax, but it threw me a bit seeing your total distance being 5 yeards further than the carry distance with your 54, especially with spin over 10K?
- Staff
- #238
I’m just giving you what the Sim said as a baseline..
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- Staff
- #239
I say in the review that I’ve seen no issues with stopping the ball, I took my average with the New Chrome Soft, I saw less spin and more carry with other balls. I used the Chrome Soft in all of my other reviews, so I used that number here to be consistent throughout. Use the Carry Yardage because that’s what I’ve seen on the course.
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Jfw345
New member
Thanks JDax!!! C grind it is. Was leaning that way slightly but that put me over the top. Of course I’ll hit them first just to be sure
I know, I guess I just can't get my head round the sim showing that much difference between the carry and total when you consider the spin, because, like you say, you have no problems stopping the ball - certainly not doubting your review :thumb:
Mainly because I have seen/used sims that will show a ball backing up after landing if the spin is high enough
- Staff
- #242
I was just on the regular driving range setting, maybe if I had set it to hit to a practice green it would have been different... I think the ball speed in relation to spin + carry distance is the numbers to look at, I’m normally not a numbers guy when it comes to wedges, but we have a lot of people on the forum that love numbers, so I took them down and provided them as a sorta base line. Also it wasn’t like I had a lot of different wedges available to me to hit against it...
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- Staff
- #243
No problem, but please go look at the different grinds and make sure that you like them first before purchase....
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Looking forward to getting these dirty
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tpluff
I <3 GAWLF
Wish the dang C grind had a bit more bounce. I'm sure options will expand eventually but I'm pretty sure I'm going with C grind. Just steep nature and 8* bounce is scary. Gotta see if I can open new face on W grind though. If I can, winner.
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What loft are you looking at for that? May want to check out the X grind if it's lob wedge territory. More bounce with enough relief to provide versatility.
tpluff
I <3 GAWLF
54*. X Grind would be a shoe in but it's not available.
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Gotcha. Kinda glad I ended up with an S grind in my 54. Thought I was getting a W but it's turned out to work just as good if not better than my MD3 54W. I play mostly square shots with the 54 but with the standard grind if I do want to open it up a little it's not out of the question. Plays better for me on fuller swings too.
I will add my two cents... I had some Glide 2 wedges and a Titleist 917 driver that had been gathering dust, so I traded them in and added a little cash to acquire three new MD4 wedges, a 52 S bent to 51, a 56 S bent to 55, and a 60 X grind. I played them today during a quick 9 and then messed around with them for a bit after finishing the 9.
They do not feel as soft as my MD forged, but they have a very satisfying feel, sort of a soft, dense sensation, if that makes any sense. They are fantastic with full swings. They spin madly, as much as any wedge I have ever played. The yardages are good. They are truly easy to hit with full swings. I have not yet tried them out of the sand, so I cannot speak to them there. I was struggling with the X grind during my round. After the round, I got a feel for it. Here is my warning on the X grind. You CANNOT come at the ball with a steep swing. If you do, you will struggle. The club will dig. If you make sure you shallow out the swing, the club becomes magical. The ball will stop exactly where it lands like it is a magnet and the ground is a big piece of iron.
I think I am going to really like them, but they are not as easy to use out of the gate as my MD forged were. Once I adjust, I think they will be real weapons.
They do not feel as soft as my MD forged, but they have a very satisfying feel, sort of a soft, dense sensation, if that makes any sense. They are fantastic with full swings. They spin madly, as much as any wedge I have ever played. The yardages are good. They are truly easy to hit with full swings. I have not yet tried them out of the sand, so I cannot speak to them there. I was struggling with the X grind during my round. After the round, I got a feel for it. Here is my warning on the X grind. You CANNOT come at the ball with a steep swing. If you do, you will struggle. The club will dig. If you make sure you shallow out the swing, the club becomes magical. The ball will stop exactly where it lands like it is a magnet and the ground is a big piece of iron.
I think I am going to really like them, but they are not as easy to use out of the gate as my MD forged were. Once I adjust, I think they will be real weapons.
- Staff
- #250
Good thoughts tenputt. Enjoyed that post. Agree on the feel compared to the Forged a good bit.
Though I think I'm defying physics then with the X grind as I'm a steep mofo. Haha