A Getty Images photo of Tiger Woods’ heavily rusted TaylorMade wedge made the rounds on social media, but it brought more questions than answers. Specifically, why would a player the stature of Woods (or any tour pro for that matter) play a wedge that looked like it was bought from the used-club bin at some low-end golf shop at the British Open at Royal Troon?
Equipment aficionados know the answer, but for the uninitiated, we’ll explain.
There are performance and aesthetic reasons players use raw wedges. Let’s start with performance. A chrome-plated wedge, while attractive, often feels like the ball slides up the face. That feeling is exacerbated in wet conditions. Raw wedges, however, rust over time, adding an extra layer fo surface roughness to the face. Is it a game-changing amount? Of course not. But at the elite level, every little bit helps. However, data from TaylorMade reveals that in wet conditions the loss of spin was cut in half using a raw face versus a chrome face and the launch angle was greatly reduced as well. Both are desirable traits for wedge play.
Raw also helps maintain the integrity of the groove design. By not having chrome plating, there is more of a direct impact between the ball and the groove. Chrome plating, although thin, still alters minimally the intended groove design. With a raw finish, what is produced is what you get. For players who like to grind their wedges, it also makes it easier to do without compromising the chrome plating.
As for appearance, aside from looking tour-pro cool, raw wedges help eliminate the glare that can come on a sunny day with chrome-plated wedges. Although as you can see from Woods’ wedge, the rust can wear off fairly easily from use.
So with these benefits, why don’t we see more raw offerings at retail? Many companies do offer raw options, but from a business standpoint, it’s complicated. Consumers want their clubs to look pretty when they buy them and clubmakers need to protect the heads either by wrapping them or placing a sticker over the face. Nike even went so far with its Engage wedge to wrap each of its three grinds in a different colour wax to prevent rusting before use—which led to it being an epic fail as retailers baulked at having a club on the shelves customers couldn’t see.
Unlike Woods’ rusted wedge, which was seen by many.
Main image: Kevin C. Cox
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Our hole-by-hole drone tour of Royal Troon
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13 things you might not know about the claret jug
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Watch: Warm-up like The Open Champion
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