Jonathan Wall
Forgive us for the pun, but Callaway’s new Jaws Full Toe wedges pack some serious bite — combining proven technologies from the past with new design concepts in order to help a wide range of golfers achieve greater spin and better control from various lies.
The company’s previous PM Grind 2019 wedges, popularized and co-designed by Phil Mickelson, were great for specialty shots around the green. Due to their uniquely high-toed designs, large amount of offset and aggressive leading edge radii, though, the PM Grind 2019 wedges weren’t as effective on fuller shots. For its new Jaws Full Toe wedges, which are meant to replace the PM Grind wedges in its lineup, Callaway has pulled some of the effective ideas from the PM Grind wedges and honed them for broader use.
Inspired by the PM Grind head shapes, the new Jaws Full Toe wedges have high toe sections to help raise CG (center of gravity) for lower, more controlled trajectories. Compared to the previous PM Grind wedges, however, the toe sections aren’t as raised, and they’re “closer to a more traditional wedge shape,” according to Peter Dawson, Senior R&D Manager of Wedges at Callaway Golf.
Golfers will also notice a new thick portion on the upper toe section on the back cavity. Callaway calls this a “Jaws Toe Pad,” and it’s designed to raise CG for a lower trajectory and greater spin.
The new Jaws Full Toe wedges, like the previous PM Grind designs, have full-face grooves that stretch out to the edge of the wedge faces. Since wedges are often played with an open face around the greens, the extended grooves help golfers maintain spin even on shots hit well out on the toe.
For greater spin on all shots, Callaway combines a number of different spin-inducing technologies onto the faces. Firstly, the main grooves, which are called Jaws Grooves, are right up to the USGA limit with sharp 37-degree wall angles.
“The Jaws Groove itself, yes, it’s the most aggressive groove in golf, right up to the edge of the USGA limitations,” Dawson said. “We read the rules back and forth. We really tried to make something that’s right there at the legal limit.”
The faces also have “Offset Groove-in-Groove” technology, which features angled, micro-positive grooves that provide additional friction and spin on partial shots.
“In combination with grooves across the face, as you get into sand shots or shots around the green, you tend to open up the club; your impact location starts to migrate toward the toe,” Dawson explains. “Then the offset groove-in-groove is actually intended that it’s at an angle so that when you open it up it’s now still perpendicular to your shot direction.”
Additionally, while the wedges come in either black or chrome finishes, the wedge faces themselves are raw. That means the faces will rust and add surface texture over time.
For increased playability from various lies, such as flops and bunker shots, the wedges come with C-grind soles that feature increased heel and toe relief. They also have a new Variable Weight Port System – by way of four circular ports of different depths in the back cavity – helping to push weight away from the hosel for increased feel.
Compared to the PM Grind 2019 wedges, the Jaws Full Toe wedges have less offset and straighter leading edges, making alignment easier on full shots.
Callaway’s new Jaws Full Toe wedges will come stock with True Temper Dynamic Gold Spinner steel shafts, or Project X’s Catalyst graphite wedge shafts, and come equipped with Lamkin UTX grips. The heads (54, 56, 58, 60 and 64 degrees) will be available in Raw Face Chrome or Raw Black finishes, and are set to hit retail on September 9, selling for $169.99 per club in both right- and left-handed versions.
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