chiromikey Posted August 20, 2013 Report Share Posted August 20, 2013 they sure look pretty when new but the laser milling doesn't last long enough to make a difference throughout the life of the wedge (actually, not even through the first dozen rounds and practice sessions). i'm just not sure how to feel about this "selling point" after my first set of bold wedges. don't get me wrong, the wedges work and work well...i'm just not sure i like paying for something that is advertised as function that really doesn't last more than 2% of the life of the product. as you can see, nothing worthy left of laser milling after a very short period of use... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supo Posted August 20, 2013 Report Share Posted August 20, 2013 this is happenein on mine. however on sunday it didnt make the lisghtese lick of difference the balls topped dead on a dime every time its not as pronounced as this but its def happeeneing to my wedges IF this dies make a differnce to performance after a few games..., u can rest assured i will be the first on the phone to s-yard, in fact ill be down at their office , bec its right opposite one of my fav restaurants. and il lbe demanding satisfaction. this photo of yours doenst look good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiromikey Posted August 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2013 luckily i tend to dial back wedge shots to reduce spin but that doesn't mean i'm not disappointed. do all clubs with laser milling wear this fast? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wmclarenf1 Posted August 20, 2013 Report Share Posted August 20, 2013 Your wedges look like you've hit thousands or shots with it. I would have expected the color to wear off but not the milling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiromikey Posted August 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2013 Your wedges look like you've hit thousands or shots with it. I would have expected the color to wear off but not the milling. if i had to estimate, i'd say 300 balls...2/3rds of which were off my indoor mat with clean prov1's. this is my 56* and while i understand our turf contains more sand than most, it's NOT the wedge i use out of bunkers (my 60* gets that duty). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayDM Posted August 20, 2013 Report Share Posted August 20, 2013 I honestly can't say how I feel about this, its disappointing, but at the same time, all clubs wear and wear out, with milled faces there's just something else that wears off on the face... I remember the first set of wedges I had with a black, the finish started to wear off the face and the sole as the wedges wore out and I felt like I had gotten totally screwed, that's just how it seems to go though, I know a finish and face milling are two different things, but they both seem to wear as the wedges wear for me. 300 balls though seems like nothing, there are days when I hit 100-150 balls with an individual wedge and I've never seen any get that worn after 300 shots, I haven't started to see too much wear on the Bold's I picked up and when I bought them they had been very slightly used, maybe 250 shots out of each wedge so far(52*, 58*) from me and a bit of wear showing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wmclarenf1 Posted August 20, 2013 Report Share Posted August 20, 2013 if i had to estimate, i'd say 300 balls...2/3rds of which were off my indoor mat with clean prov1's. this is my 56* and while i understand our turf contains more sand than most, it's NOT the wedge i use out of bunkers (my 60* gets that duty). The silver lining.... makes you look like a real PLAYAH! :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Posted August 20, 2013 Report Share Posted August 20, 2013 Thats a lot of wear. Pretty significant actually I tend to minimise this by using the entire clubface more, Shanks, blades, thins , and fats and general mis**ts tend to protect the centre of my wedges a lot more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiromikey Posted August 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2013 ^^^ lmao craig!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiromikey Posted August 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2013 i'm trying to justify the wear and i might have more than 300 shots with this...but definitely not more than 400, most still indoors. either way, it still seems premature to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supo Posted August 20, 2013 Report Share Posted August 20, 2013 hahahahhahaahhh, classic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coops1967 Posted August 20, 2013 Report Share Posted August 20, 2013 (edited) I'd say the laser milling has a minimal effect on spin anyway... or to put it another way - the technique and skill of the human swinging the club and their choice of golf ball will have massively more importance when it comes down to how much spin is produced on a shot. (Remember that on a dry, 'clean' shot that a smooth faced wedge... with no grooves at all... produces more spin - the grooves are there to channel away water etc from the rough etc to allow the ball surface to contact the clubface better. Stop and consider a race car... on a dry day, do they use tyres with lots of grooves? no...they use 'slicks' for more grip) If S-yard wanted to have those laser edges to last longer they would/should have plated the club which gives you a harder face which would wear a lot more slowly. Or they could have nitrided the head, giving a very hard very thin surface layer resisiting wear and also unlike plating, not changing the groove dimensions or sharpeness at all. Fourteen nitrided their wedges for a while, rather than nickel-chrome plateing. Edited August 20, 2013 by coops1967 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supo Posted August 20, 2013 Report Share Posted August 20, 2013 coops , so it more of an aesthetics issue than performance? thats what ive found so far. mine are still spot on. but def worn a bit . not as much as chiros tho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coops1967 Posted August 20, 2013 Report Share Posted August 20, 2013 looks are a major part... and as a copper chrome epon owner I find looks very important The laser or micro grooves can help in deep wet rough, just as the now outlawed wider grooves helped. With all the modern groove milling abilities... they still have to allow for the plateing thickness with a carbon steel plated head. I'm surprised Fourteen's choice of nitrideing wasn't copied more or at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayDM Posted August 20, 2013 Report Share Posted August 20, 2013 Seems like a very logical way of thinking about it, if you look at the laser milling on the BOLDS its so apparent aesthetically because its just deep enough to show the surface of the wedge beneath the finish, so when the dark finish on the face of the wedge wears off, then so does the appearance of the milling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gocchin Posted August 20, 2013 Report Share Posted August 20, 2013 I think its especially evident on Michael's wedge as he seems to hit only one single spot on the wedge... a testament to his high skill level. Laser milling and micro milling is exactly that... very micro and fine... A big part of the Bold's milling as well was to act as a visual target though that is certainly not helpful once it fades away! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miuramaniac Posted August 20, 2013 Report Share Posted August 20, 2013 (edited) I love a good passive brag! haha, jk I agree, I don't think the milling really does anything as far as performance. My Yamaha Tour irons have this and I can't tell where it makes a difference. Just looks nice until you wear it out. They're just little micro grooves that aren't gonna affect the spin. There are a lot of people that think that grooves don't make a whole lot of difference anyway. I'm not sure. My Miura custom grind wedges don't have much groove left and they spin as well as they did when new. BTW, remember when they said the tour pros were gonna suffer when they couldn't use their square grooves anymore? lol They still suck their wedges like nobody's business. I've always preferred a good, consistent spin over total zippity-doo-da anyways. Edited August 20, 2013 by Miuramaniac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+TourSpecGolfer Posted August 20, 2013 Report Share Posted August 20, 2013 spot on about the rain. wet reduces spin significantly and somehow even when it's not raining the face gets wet from the moisture in the grass. I put a couple of months with tons of play into the bold and I noticed spin is greatest when the micro milling and grooves are cleaned out between shots, If not it just clumps up and imo reduces spin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayDM Posted August 20, 2013 Report Share Posted August 20, 2013 I love a good passive brag! haha, jk I agree, I don't think the milling really does anything as far as performance. My Yamaha Tour irons have this and I can't tell where it makes a difference. Just looks nice until you wear it out. They're just little micro grooves that aren't gonna affect the spin. There are a lot of people that think that grooves don't make a whole lot of difference anyway. I'm not sure. My Miura custom grind wedges don't have much groove left and they spin as well as they did when new. BTW, remember when they said the tour pros were gonna suffer when they couldn't use their square grooves anymore? lol They still suck their wedges like nobody's business. I've always preferred a good, consistent spin over total zippity-doo-da anyways. I totally agree about taking wedge that is has very consistent spin over one that just zips the ball back as much as possible. I do feel that grooves do make a difference though, not a gargantuan amount, but enough to notice, especially out of the rough, and I really feel that's where they wanted to hamper Tour pro's ability to spin the ball and control the spin of the ball, with guys getting longer and longer off the tee they felt that players needed to be penalized more for missing the fairways and shouldn't be able to gouge the ball out of the rough, how much its affected things, I'm not totally sure. The hyper aggressive non conforming grooves that Gold's Factory can do definitely generates more spin than anything conforming. Really don't know if face milling has any affect at all, I've had milled wedges that don't spin very well, and unmilled wedges that spin like crazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kbeasley Posted August 21, 2013 Report Share Posted August 21, 2013 I got totally disgusted with the wear on my with my Bold 52* after no more than 100 balls hit, over a couple range sessions and 2 rounds at my club. So disgusted that I went out and bought one of these to see if it was the me, the price of the club, or the milling. Turns out the laser milling on $99 Cleveland lasted exactly as long as the same work on the 3X priced S-Yard Bold. The Cleveland and the Bold are both out of my bag, because neither one is that special once the nice looks are tarnished. I have other clubs that are equal or better performers, for much less $$. That equals better to me. There is no way I can justify the wear, based on the price of the club. Anyone want my 52* Bold, standard L/L/L with stock Shimada DCR 120 Shaft? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.