TaylorMade built the Hi-Toe 5 for shots most wedges make nervous: the face laid wide open, the ball sitting down in sand. This year it is fully forged, and around the green it feels better for it.
What's new
TaylorMade now forges the whole head from soft carbon steel, which puts it alongside the Milled Grind 5, and it wears a copper finish over a RAW face with Spin Tread Technology. Saw-milled grooves run all the way from heel to toe.
The high-toe shape is expanded for more face area. Lofts run from 50 through 60 degrees across ATS, ATV, ATW and ATX grinds, and a KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 115 Black in stiff comes stock, with graphite also offered. Pricing sits in premium wedge territory.
How it plays
Partial shots are where this wedge earns its place. Feel scores 9.0, and testers kept describing the soft, responsive contact on half swings, where the ball seems to sit on the face a moment before it leaves with spin.
Open the face and the extra toe area pays off, since grooves still sit under the ball when contact drifts high on the face. Forgiveness at 8.5 and workability at 8.8 back that up, so bunker shots and flop shots feel less like a gamble.
Where it lacks
Full swings show the limits. With the longer wedges, a larger footprint makes stock full shots feel a little one-dimensional, and testers found it slightly less precise there than the Milled Grind 4 or 5. Distance, at 7.8, trails the rest of its scorecard.
Then there is the price. It costs as much as other premium wedges, and a golfer already happy with a Vokey may struggle to justify a high-toe specialist on top of it.
“Hand me this one when the ball is buried and the pin is tucked, not for a stock full swing.”- The Club Stand gear team
Reasons to buy
- Fully forged now, and partial shots feel soft and responsive as the ball grips the face
- A taller toe and grooves from heel to toe make open-faced shots feel less risky
- A spread of sole grinds covers a wide range of swing types and turf conditions
Reasons to think twice
- Full swings with the higher lofts can feel one-dimensional because of the bigger footprint
- Full shots are less precise than with its Milled Grind 5 sibling
- Costs premium wedge money, which a Vokey buyer may not want to spend
Specs
| Lofts | 50-60 degrees (ATS, ATV, ATW, ATX grinds; five grinds total) |
|---|---|
| Construction | Forged soft carbon steel |
| Face | RAW face, Spin Tread Technology, saw-milled grooves heel-to-toe |
| Profile | Expanded high-toe shape for extra face area and confidence |
| Stock shaft | KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 115 Black (Stiff) |
| Best for | Players who want a confidence-inspiring, high-spin wedge for open-face and bunker shots |
More wedges we've scored
- TaylorMade Milled Grind 5 2025 - 8.4/10. TaylorMade finally forges a Milled Grind, pairing real feedback with spin that holds up in the rain.
- MacGregor Tour Grind 2025 - 8.4/10. A milled, tour-shaped carbon steel wedge priced at a fraction of what the big brands charge.
- Titleist Vokey SM10 2024 - 8.4/10. Titleist's flagship wedge led the 2024 wedge test in strokes gained, with six grinds to fit most swings.
- Tour Edge Exotics Milled 2026 - 8.3/10. A milled stainless wedge with three bounce options that keeps its spin on wet turf, at value money.
- Callaway Opus SP 2025 - 8.3/10. A hollow pocket behind the face moves weight up, so wedge shots come out lower and spin harder.
- Cleveland RTX Full-Face 2 2024 - 8.3/10. Grooves run heel to toe, so an opened face still bites, and it spins harder when wet.