50 Words or Less
The Callaway Jaws Raw wedge is packed with updates and features an exciting new grind option. Stunning looks and exceptional performance make it a special club.
Check out the new Callaway Opus wedges HERE
Introduction
Many readers will know that Roger Cleveland has been in charge of wedge design at Callaway since 1996. Though his namesake company has been under the stewardship of various ownership groups since its 1979 inception, the name “Cleveland” is still synonymous with quality wedges. A lot of that is due to what the man has accomplished at Callaway in the last 25+ years. His latest creation, the Jaws Raw, will only enhance his reputation. It builds on the successes of previous versions by adding tungsten weighting, more aggressively milled grooves, and a raw face.
Looks
The shape is classic – minimal offset, compact face shape, gently rounded leading edge. The lob wedge appears to offer a little more real estate to work with, but it’s still quite compact. The back of the club has an understated, modern look with contrasting textures and two different colors of weight ports.
The face milling adds a bit of distinctiveness to the look, although being “raw” means that over time it will rust and become truly unique. It’s important to understand that it’s only the clubface that will rust. Everything else is coated. I think this will probably look pretty cool as time goes on.
In addition to Chrome, the Jaws Raw is available in a Black Plasma finish. I think it looks super sharp and I love that it fully eliminates glare. Callaway Customs also offers custom paintfills if you want to personalize it.
Sound & Feel
There are so many words one can use to describe the feeling of a perfectly clipped chip or a flushed pitch. Sweet, soft, clippy, nippy, and zippy all come to mind. The Jaws Raw wedge checks all those boxes. It really has exceptional sound & feel.
Around the greens, a premium ball struck well produces a succinct ‘tock’ while full swings from the fairway get a little bit higher pitched with more of a ‘tick’. Both sound great. Feel-wise, this is a Tour-level club and feedback on mishits through the hands is evident.
Performance
My priorities when it comes to wedge performance are: 1a) predictable distance control and lower trajectory on full swings and 1b) sublime sound and feel on shorter shots. The Jaws Raw overdelivers on both counts.
In terms of predictable distance control, the Jaws Raw is excellent. It stops quickly on full swings while chips run out a predictable amount or stop and check with a low open-faced spinner. The Jaws Raw features a slight alteration to its Groove-in-Groove technology by positioning the microgrooves at a 20 degree angle. Callaway says that this increases spin on chips, pitches, and lob shots where swing speed is lower.
Need more help around the green? Check out the Callaway CB wedges HERE
I feel compelled to mention the stock shaft here, as I think it plays a significant role in controlling trajectory. Callaway has gone with the Dynamic Gold Spinner 115 for its stock shaft in the Jaws Raw. I previously used this shaft with the Cleveland RTX Zipcore (review HERE) with great results. By contrast, I recently played another highly touted wedge (not something I reviewed) and felt the stock shaft was causing shots to balloon in the air and get eaten up by the breeze. Hopefully this is old news at this point, but I’ll say it anyway: the shaft matters.
The Jaws Raw is available in 17 loft and bounce combinations, with four grind options. The Z Grind is a new addition to the lineup, and I think it will be useful for many golfers. The Z Grind is only available in 58° and 60°. I found its tri-level sole and low bounce created ideal conditions for playing a variety of shots around the green, especially with an open face.
Conclusion
The Callaway Jaws Raw is a masterful wedge from a master wedge designer. Every aspect has been fine tuned, and it shows on the golf course. The look inspires confidence. The sound & feel of impact is a delightful reward for bombing it down the fairway. If you’re in the market for new wedges, the Callaway Jaws Raw needs to be on your list.
Visit Callaway HERE
Callaway Jaws Raw Wedge Price & Specs
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3 Comments
Nice review. I have these in my bag now (50/10S, 54/12W, 60/8Z) — it was time to refresh my wedges and I had a bunch of Callaway credit I didn’t have an immediate use for, so I figured I’d give them a shot. I wasn’t fitted for them, but I’ve always found that I’m pretty much fine with most of the major brands of wedges as long as I can get a high-bounce 54 and low-bounce 60 with heel and toe relief, can have them bent to my preferred lie angle and can get a 130-ish gram shaft in them.
Just a couple rounds on them so far, but my experience is very similar to what Dylan describes. Roger Cleveland/Callaway have made it very easy to keep pitches low — I assume by moving weight higher in the face but I’m not really sure; whatever they did definitely works. The sound is, as Dylan wrote, higher-pitched and maybe a little clicky. “Clippy, nippy and zippy” is a good way to put it!
I only have two minor criticisms of Callaway on this wedge release: First of all, it’s a shame the black plasma isn’t available for us lefties (though the chrome looks really good too). And second, Callaway’s normally excellent shaft selection is a little odd at the moment. No S400s or TI S400s available on their website for these; no Modus 125 Wedge shaft. I see that other retailers can get S400s for them, but it’s just not listed as an option on Callaway’s website. It’s no huge deal, S400s are cheap and it’s easy to switch them out, but I just don’t quite understand why Callaway wouldn’t have what so many people consider a standard, go-to wedge shaft available to order through their website.
How do these compare to the RTX 6 tour rack wedges?
Jayson,
Dylan has not tested the Jaws Raw, but I have a review of them here: https://pluggedingolf.com/cleveland-rtx-zipcore-tour-rack-wedge-review/
-Matt