TaylorMade Hi-Toe 4 Wedge Review

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The TaylorMade Hi-Toe 4 wedge is a high spinning, strong performer.  Unique copper finish is a head turner.  Five sole options allow any player to take advantage of the high toe design.

Introduction

When high toe wedges first started appearing on the scene, some people wrote them off as a fad.  Five years later, with major OEMs like TaylorMade making them a regular part of their line up, we can see that’s not the case.  The TaylorMade Hi-Toe 4 wedge is, obviously, their fourth entry into this segment, and it makes a strong case to be your go-to short game tool.

Looks

Typically, when a new club comes out, we trumpet all the big changes that were made.  With regard to the look of the TaylorMade Hi-Toe 4 wedge, my favorite thing is what they didn’t change: the finish.  Just like the Hi-Toe 3 wedge [review HERE], the Hi-Toe 4 has a rich copper hue.  Right off the rack, there’s pleasing variation from dark brown to shiny new penny, and that patina will only deepen with time.

That copper theme – which also brings to mind vintage TaylorMade clubs like the Bubble Burner – is carried through to the custom shaft band and Lamkin Crossline grip.  I love to see OEMs putting this kind of effort into the complete look of a club.

In the bag, the TaylorMade Hi-Toe 4 wedge has a similar look to the Hi-Toe 3, but it’s been cleaned up a touch.  The back of the wedge is blank except for “Hi-Toe” on the toe pad.  The milling is the star of the show, with marks covering the sole, the toe pad, and the inside of the cavity.

At address, the namesake feature is what stands out most.  There is a lot of hitting area, which should embolden players to take on exciting short game shots.  That entire surface is covered in grooves in lofts 54 degrees and higher.  Across the lofts, the shaping of the face changes noticeably.  The 60 degree has the most rounded face and the tallest heel, making it look the largest.  The 56 degree has a straighter leader edge, though it’s still gently rounded.

For players that want a one-of-a-kind look, TaylorMade is offering the MyHi-Toe 4 Wedge program.  This opens up three additional finishes – raw, black, and chrome – as well as the ability to have the wedge stamped and paint filled to your preferences.

Sound & Feel

Another trait that carries forward into the TaylorMade Hi-Toe 4 wedge is the raw face.  This was seen on the Hi-Toe 3 and the Milled Grind 4 wedges, and it helps these clubs to produce a medium-soft impact feel when striking a premium quality golf ball.

The feel of impact is slightly at odds with the sound, which is louder than I expected.  That’s not inherently good or bad – some players like a more responsive audio cue – but the crisp “snap” of impact did surprise me.

Feedback from the Hi-Toe 4 is good through both the hands and ears.  My hands understood where on the sizable face I was making contact, and the sound of impact changes from good to poor strikes.

Performance

With five sole options, TaylorMade has given golfers more reasons to switch to a high toe wedge.  This is a notable expansion of the line – the Hi-Toe 3 had only High, Standard, and Low Bounce options.  Also interesting is that the soles offered in the TaylorMade Hi-Toe 4 wedge don’t match those in the MG4.

The five grinds are labeled ATS, ATC, ATV, ATX, and ATW.  ATS is the only sole offered at every loft.  This is the do-it-all sole made for “all conditions” and “medium divots” according to TM.  The lowest bounce option, ATC, is available at only 58 and 60 degrees.  It’s the thinnest sole, and it’s meant to provide more versatility on firm turf.  The other three grinds are offered at 56, 58, and 60 degrees.  ATV features a concave sole which creates a unique turf interaction.  ATX and ATW are the two highest bounce options at 12 and 14 degrees, respectively.  They’re also the widest soles, though each has some leading edge relief to give them more versatility.

While some might look at the TaylorMade Hi-Toe 4 wedge and say there’s “only” 6 degrees of difference between the highest and lowest bounce soles, I would point to that as evidence of how misleading – or at least incomplete – that specification can be.  There’s huge variety in how these five soles interact with the turf.  The ATW offers a lot of insurance against digging where the ATC has just a little.  On the other hand, players who want to open their wedge off tight lies will appreciate the low leading edge and thin sole of the ATC.  The ATS is likely to perform well for any golfer, but you should try them all if you want to get the most out of your short game.

It’s also worth noting that these soles are all milled.  The reason for that is consistency.  If you pick up two 60 degree ATV wedges, the soles will be identical.  When you wear out a wedge, you can pick up an exact replacement and know it will feel the same in the turf.

Another change in the TaylorMade Hi-Toe 4 wedge is the expanded toe pad.  This further elevates the center of gravity and enhances the stability of the wedge.  A higher CG promotes lower launch and higher spin and is one of the big performance reasons for choosing a high toe wedge.

Speaking of spin, the TaylorMade Hi-Toe 4 wedge produces plenty of it.  The combination of high CG, a raw face, and Spin Tread technology place this club among the highest spinning wedges I’ve tested.  Spin Tread technology – seen also in the MG4 wedge [review HERE] – is a laser etching between the grooves designed to keep spin high in wet conditions.  It proved effective in my testing – I saw minimal spin loss when spraying the ball and club face with water.

Conclusion

Whether you want to go high toe at every loft or just in your highest lofts, the TaylorMade Hi-Toe 4 wedge gives you outstanding performance.  The five different soles will allow players to pull off dramatic shots in any conditions, and the unique copper finish will always look great in the bag.

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Matt Saternus

Editor In Chief at Plugged In Golf

Matt has worked in nearly every job in the golf industry from club fitting to instruction to writing and speaking.

He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.

Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.

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