Callaway Jaws Raw Wedges Review – Are They Forgiving & Good for High Handicappers?

Callaway Jaws Raw Wedges Review – Are They Forgiving & Good for High Handicappers?

Whether you are a high or low handicapper, you need control from your wedges. Forgiveness certainly helps; but a wedge that is easy to hit won’t mean much if your ball goes sailing over the green.

The Callaway Jaws Raw wedges are said to offer a good balance of forgiveness and short-game control. Naturally, we were intrigued by these claims but also a bit skeptical  at the same time.

The only way to slake our skepticism was to go out and test the Callaway Jaws Raw wedges for ourselves and that’s exactly what we did. Are the Callaway Jaws Raw wedges a viable play for beginners and high handicappers? Let’s find out.

Callaway Jaws Raw Wedges Overview

The hallmark feature of the Callaway Jaws Raw wedges is the raw design.

Any time a wedge is designated as “raw” it means that the face has been left unplated. An unplated face will be subject to oxidation and rusting. That’s usually a bad thing but in the case of golf wedges it actually adds texture and spin control.

So over time, the Callaway Jaws Raw will “cure” and the face texture will improve. Not that these wedges need it. The Callaway Jaws Raw wedges feature offset groove-in-groove design that allows for amazing spin control.

The grooves are widened as the side walls sit at angles that stretch away from each other. This allows for amazing grip and feel. Another benefit of a raw face is that without plating, groove edges are sharper.

The Callaway Jaws Raw wedges also have a centralized CG. It’s not too low and it’s not too high so it will be perfect for players who tend to open up or close the face at impact. This CG placement also makes for a middle of the road launch.

Your shots won’t balloon out of control; but don’t expect your balls to come down with snow on them either. The Callaway Jaws Raw wedges also have limited offset but the expansive hitting area makes up for that.

Are Callaway Jaws Raw Wedges Forgiving?

The middle CG and weighted toe pads help to increase forgiveness on full swings.

When you move the Callaway Jaws Raw wedges a little further from the green, you don’t lose much forgiveness at all. Our high handicap testers noted that on full swings, the Callaway Jaws Raw CG helps to square the face up and nail the sweet spot.

The forgiveness was especially prominent on toe-side strikes. The weighted toe pads increase stability on errant strikes so your shots fly straighter. However, ball speed was compromised on these kinds of misses.

Overall though, distance should not be your main priority with your wedges – accuracy is much more important and the Callaway Jaws Raw wedges certainly help with short-game accuracy.

And because the CG has been shifted towards the center of the club head, topping the ball isn’t as much of an issue with these wedges. Overall the forgiveness was very impressive.

Are the Callaway Jaws Raw Wedges Good for Beginners & High Handicappers?

One of the things we noticed about the Callaway Jaws Raw wedges was that the swing weights were a little on the light side.

While that might not please lower handicap players seeking more feel from top to bottom, it is certainly a boon to beginners and high handicappers with slower swing speeds.

The sand and lob wedges in this set also feature tungsten weighting which is used to place the CG in a more beneficial area for pretty much all golfers. At address, the Callaway Jaws Raw wedges look reassuring with wider faces.

Should you Buy the Callaway Jaws Raw Wedges or the Callaway Mack Daddy CB Wedges?

The Callaway Mack Daddy CB wedges are a pretty stark contrast to the Callaway Jaws Raw wedges.

First of all, the “CB” stands for cavity back. These are cavity back wedges that were designed to make the transition from your irons to your wedges a little less jarring.

These are also plated wedges so they won’t oxidize over time.

It was clear that the Callaway Mack Daddy CB wedges were designed purely with higher handicap players in mind while the Callaway Jaws Raw wedges would accommodate both high and mid handicap players.

Spin in the Mack Daddy wedges was much less controllable and the turf interaction wasn’t as smooth as the Callaway Jaws Raw wedges.

Loft, Lie & Bounce

Loft	Lie	Bounce
48	64	10
50	64	10
50	64	12
52	64	10
52	64	12
54	64	10
54	64	12
56	64	10
56	64	12
58	64	8