Gear: Callaway JAWS Raw wedges
Price: $179.99 each with True Temper Dynamic Gold Spinner steel shaft and Lamkin UTx Charcoal grip. $189.99 with Project X Catalyst 80 graphite shaft.
Specs: Cast stainless steel with tungsten insert. Available in even lofts between 48 and 60 degrees and in four sole-grind configurations.
Available: July 22
Who it’s for: Golfers looking for extra spin around the greens and wedges that look like they came straight off a PGA Tour van.
The Skinny: With aggressive grooves, a variety of sole-grind options and raw steel construction that will rust with time, the JAWS Raw wedges should help golfers produce more spin around the greens and hit a wider variety of shots.
The Deep Dive: Callaway has several styles of wedges available to the public, including the JAWS Full Toe, Mack Daddy CB and the JAWS MD 5, and most of those clubs are available in chrome and dark finishes. However, golf fans continuously ask the company for raw offerings, meaning clubs without any coatings on top of the raw stainless steel. For those players, Callaway just released the new JAWS Raw wedges.
There are three appealing features to raw steel wedges, with one having to do with spin and two relating to looks.
The grooves in the Callaway JAWS Raw wedges are the same grooves found in the JAWS Full Toe, with steep sidewalls (37 degrees) to promote “hop and stop” action on the greens. To increase surface roughness, Callaway added a series of microgrooves at a 20-degree angle. Working together, they were designed to help golfers generate more spin. With no additional chrome layer on top of the grooves, golfers should see their full benefit.
From a visual standpoint, raw steel creates less glare on sunny days. Over time, with exposure to air and water, the raw steel hitting area will rust, giving the JAWS Raw wedges a look that many players love.
To further improve performance, Callaway added two tungsten weights to the toe area of the lob wedges and one tungsten weight to the sand wedges. Adding more mass in that area helps counteract the weight of the hosel and pulls the ideal hitting area into the center of the face. The gap wedges and pitching wedge do not have tungsten.
The JAWS Raw wedges are available in four sole-grind configurations, with the W Grind (50-60 degrees) having 12 degrees of bounce and the widest sole in the JAWS Raw family. It is the most forgiving out of the sand and thick rough.
The X Grind (58-60 degrees) also has 12 degrees of bounce and a moderate amount of material removed from the heel and toe, making it more ideal for players who tend to have a steep swing and who want more versatility in soft and moderate turf conditions.
For golfers who prefer to play with a square face, the S Grind (48-60 degrees) has 10 degrees of bounce and a narrow, relatively straight sole.
Finally, the Z Grind (58-60 degrees), has just 8 degrees of bounce with significant heel and toe relief. It is designed to appeal to accomplished golfers and players who tend to encounter firm, hard turf.
