TaylorMade xFT Wedges - The Morgan Cup Staff

Great stuff DD. Those are some great looking wedge and love the gapping you went with.
 
Nice to see 'em boys. No box for me unfortunately. Looks like it will be Tuesday. Biggsy, it's like you're inside my brain with those choices. As a lefty, mine were a little more limited, but when I ordered, it was all about the shots we'll face at Reunion.

Kevin
 
Here are the unboxing vids I talked about in my earlier post....

[YOUTUBE]FXR5m0qy4nY[/YOUTUBE]


[YOUTUBE]sID7IJVPFZI[/YOUTUBE]
 
This afternoon, another beautiful box arrived at my doorstep. For the third time in Morgan Cup preparations, a custom ordered box containing TaylorMade wedges arrived at Casa de Willingham:

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Like with the woods/hybrids before, I really enjoyed seeing the packing slip. Everything was exactly as I had requested:

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As I get into the equipment photos, my wedge selections were as follows.
  1. TaylorMade xFT Wedge, ZTP (Conforming) Faceplate, 54 Degree Loft, 12 Degree Bounce, 2 Degrees Upright, Standard Length, KBS Hi-Rev Wedge Flex Shaft, White Std NDMC Grip +1 Wrap Tape: The 54.12 wedge has a standard sole, and I plan to use it for chip shots where I’ve got a enough roll-out room
  2. TaylorMade xFT Wedge, ZTP (Conforming) Faceplate, 58 Degree Loft, 12 Degree Bounce, 2 Degrees Upright, Standard Length, KBS Hi-Rev Wedge Flex Shaft, White Std NDMC Grip +1 Wrap Tape: The 58.12 wedge has the C-grind sole which allows me to open the clubface on those tough bunker shots and still have the clubhead sit well. I plan on this being my primary sand club as well as for chip shots that have less green to work with.

One of the “tough” things about selecting all this great equipment is having to make the decision about how I wanted my overall set configuration to flow. Since we’re not ordering everything at once, some assumptions have to be made on what I plan to order later irons wise. With the model still up in the air, I’m planning on going with a 5 iron through AW iron set, which left me room for two wedges. Given that the AW is 50 degree, I chose to keep 4 degree gaps at the bottom of the set and go with 54 and 58 degree wedges. I find that higher bounce wedges work best for my game and the types of courses I play.

Anyway, on to the pics…
First of all, I got the White New Decade Multi Compound grips, standard size with one extra wrap of tape. After years of avoiding cord grips, I have been moving exclusively to these. Having the cord only under the glove hand gives me grip and comfort:

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The standard shaft in these is the KBS Hi-Rev Wedge Flex shafts. This is the first set of spin maximizing shafts that I have tried, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what they can do.:

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Here is the face of one of the wedges. These have the ZTP conforming groove faceplate. The replaceable face is something I am really looking forward to:

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Here is the back of the 54.12 wedge. Two screws holding the face securely to the body. The red ZTP face shining brightly to say “You can play the US Open with me!!” The TP logo saying “I’m a serious wedge player”:

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Here is the back of the 58.12 wedge. The visible difference here is the C-grind sole.

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Final picture of the two side-by-side. I was trying to show the C-grind versus the normal sole, but I struggled getting a picture that did it justice

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Given the performance of the putter, driver, woods, and hybrids, I am very excited to get these clubs out to the range and see how they treat me. It is a real privilege to be sponsored by TaylorMade Golf, who is just an incredibly innovative company. I also want to thank THP for the remarkable vision of which we all get to partake in, Callaway Golf for providing incredible equipment to the other eight of us, and Reunion Resort for allowing us to stage this event at your tremendous facilities.
 
Great write up, pics, and vid Biggsy. Looks like we were thinking a like with our selections.


Great stuff DD. Those are some great looking wedge and love the gapping you went with.

Thanks CB. They are some pretty darn good looking wedges. I am interested to see how the 50* performs for me. I should be able to get it 125 yds if I hit it good, but more importantly, I want to use it for 95-115 yard shots. I think this should be the ideal club for these distances with 3/4 and smooth swings.
 
Love the unboxing. You all have me wanting a C-grind so bad right now.
 
Love the unboxing. You all have me wanting a C-grind so bad right now.

Been reading alot about that and its making me think alittle harder on my wedge choices for sure!
 
Been reading alot about that and its making me think alittle harder on my wedge choices for sure!

I have been planning on adding a c grind wedge, though I've never played one before.
 
Great vids and pics fellas.
Those TM bags certainly are filling up aren't they.

Congrats and good luck guys.
 
Great stuff guys. I'll eventually be adding another wedge to my bag.
 
Great video's DD, the first video wasn't crap at all, but I did really like the close up one as well. AD, great pics man, it is a tough call picking wedges when you don't know what your iron choices will be, especially when you are a lefty.
 
Great pics and vids there guys! I am looking forward to your thoughts after you get some time with them.
 
Great write up and pics AD. Good wedge choices partner! That makes 3/3 with a c-grind wedge.
 
Great write up and pics AD. Good wedge choices partner! That makes 3/3 with a c-grind wedge.

That streak will end when Esox and I unbox our wedges, no C-grinds for lefties!
 
That streak will end when Esox and I unbox our wedges, no C-grinds for lefties!

Lefties don't need C-grinds to be artistic with wedges in our hands.

Kevin
 
Agreed we get our short game skills from phil. C grooves seem unnecessary

Tap tap taparoo
 
NO SLEEP TILL BROOKLYN....I MEAN ORLANDO!

[video=youtube;q8b5LX-v3HY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8b5LX-v3HY[/video]

Specs on the wedges:
54 degrees, 12 degrees of bounce, standard grind, 0.25 inches over standard length, standard lie, KBS Hi-Rev wedge flex shaft, Golf Pride VDR Red grip.
58 degrees, 12 degrees of bounce, C-grind, 0.25 inches over standard length, standard lie, KBS Hi-Rev wedge flex shaft, Golf Pride VDR Red grip.

I went with 2 wedges because I'm playing 54 and 58 degree wedges in my bag right now. Like adwillingham, it was a little tough to make the decision not to go with a gap wedge from the XFT line, but I'm using a 50 degree wedge from my current set of TaylorMade R9 irons now, so I'll be going with a 50 degree wedge in the irons that TaylorMade makes available to us.

With the wedges I've selected, I went with the only bounce option in the 54 degree wedge, which was 12 degrees. I use my 54 degree wedge from the sand a fair amount, so having a good amount of bounce on that club is important. As I said in the video, my 54 degree wedge is my 100 yard club right now, so I'm looking forward to getting it out on the course and working on shots from that distance.

In the 58 degree wedge, I currently play a 58 degree wedge with a C-grind and 8 degrees of bounce. I really like that wedge from 80 yards and out, but sometimes have problems with the wedge digging. Also, I've started to play more shots out of the sand with that wedge, but again, the lower bounce on that wedge sometimes make the club get stuck in the sand. So with the new XFT wedge, I'm hoping that going up to 12 degrees of bounce will make it more effective out of the sand and on full shots from the fairway. However, it is also my highest-lofted wedge, so being able to hit high lob shots is going to be essential, especially on the fast greens at Reunion. I think that's where the C-grind is really going to come into play, to let me really open up the club and not have the heel dig into the turf.
 
NO SLEEP TILL BROOKLYN....I MEAN ORLANDO!

[video=youtube;q8b5LX-v3HY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8b5LX-v3HY[/video]

Specs on the wedges:
54 degrees, 12 degrees of bounce, standard grind, 0.25 inches over standard length, standard lie, KBS Hi-Rev wedge flex shaft, Golf Pride VDR Red grip.
58 degrees, 12 degrees of bounce, C-grind, 0.25 inches over standard length, standard lie, KBS Hi-Rev wedge flex shaft, Golf Pride VDR Red grip.

I went with 2 wedges because I'm playing 54 and 58 degree wedges in my bag right now. Like adwillingham, it was a little tough to make the decision not to go with a gap wedge from the XFT line, but I'm using a 50 degree wedge from my current set of TaylorMade R9 irons now, so I'll be going with a 50 degree wedge in the irons that TaylorMade makes available to us.

With the wedges I've selected, I went with the only bounce option in the 54 degree wedge, which was 12 degrees. I use my 54 degree wedge from the sand a fair amount, so having a good amount of bounce on that club is important. As I said in the video, my 54 degree wedge is my 100 yard club right now, so I'm looking forward to getting it out on the course and working on shots from that distance.

In the 58 degree wedge, I currently play a 58 degree wedge with a C-grind and 8 degrees of bounce. I really like that wedge from 80 yards and out, but sometimes have problems with the wedge digging. Also, I've started to play more shots out of the sand with that wedge, but again, the lower bounce on that wedge sometimes make the club get stuck in the sand. So with the new XFT wedge, I'm hoping that going up to 12 degrees of bounce will make it more effective out of the sand and on full shots from the fairway. However, it is also my highest-lofted wedge, so being able to hit high lob shots is going to be essential, especially on the fast greens at Reunion. I think that's where the C-grind is really going to come into play, to let me really open up the club and not have the heel dig into the turf.

Nice Wedges ary! I held a 60 degree xFT in my hand today... I want!
 
Good stuff biggsy, very thorough writeup. Interesting you changed the gap wedge numbers, is that a distance gap decision or preference?

Nice shot of the different grinds as well, admittedly I know very little about what that means.

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The C-grind makes it easier to open up the wedge and takes some of the bounce off the club when you do. Should work well with flop shots.

I went with the 50 just to give me a little more distance between that and the PW and I should be able to still close the gap to the SW by opening the face. Just made it a little stronger is all.
 
Nice write-up and videos DD. I think you are really going to like the weight of these. I think you are going to like the shafts too, I'm a fan of them and they've served me well. Hope they suit you well and looking forward to what you think of them. Our selections were identical, right down to the wraps on the tape. Get outta my head! :D

Adwill, enjoyed reading your write-up and the pictures. Right after the Morgan Cup, we are ready for competition with our conforming grooves!

Ary, good stuff and wow, two videos in one week, might make some Hackers heads explode. Nice touch with the scalpel! Looking forward to what you think of them.

Thanks for all of the well wishes everyone. It means a lot to have everyone follow this and post comments on the equipment. If you have any questions, just feel free to shoot them our way.
 
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i love my xft wedges.
Biggsy which grooves do you prefur the Z or the ZTP
I have limited experience with conforming grooves on the wedges. I have not hit the ZTP wedge faces so this will be a new experience. I know what to expect, but it will take me a few days to report back with true feelings on them. Should make it real interesting

I'm assuming they went with conforming grooves on the wedges because that is what is being offered as the only option to the Callaway staffers. Taylormade's wedge set is a little older, so you could have conforming or not with the changeable face plates, whereas Callaway only has conforming and their new wedges came out this year. I think it just makes the playing field level.
 
I have limited experience with conforming grooves on the wedges. I have not hit the ZTP wedge faces so this will be a new experience. I know what to expect, but it will take me a few days to report back with true feelings on them. Should make it real interesting

I'm assuming they went with conforming grooves on the wedges because that is what is being offered as the only option to the Callaway staffers. Taylormade's wedge set is a little older, so you could have conforming or not with the changeable face plates, whereas Callaway only has conforming and their new wedges came out this year. I think it just makes the playing field level.

cool i have the z in my 60* wedge and the ztp in my 56* wedge i change dthem around i prefur the ztp myself i seem to create more spin with it. ill be getting a ztp face for my 60* at some point.
look forward to your thoughts
 
cool i have the z in my 60* wedge and the ztp in my 56* wedge i change dthem around i prefur the ztp myself i seem to create more spin with it. ill be getting a ztp face for my 60* at some point.
look forward to your thoughts
Thanks for that feedback, that is interesting for sure. I don't know anyone personally playing the ZTP face, so I am curious as to how they respond to different shots.
 
truely one damn sexy wedge......can you explain how the face or show how it is interchangeable?
 
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