CALLAWAY JAWS MD5

Like much of the company’s product range, Callaway’s wedges have come along in leaps and bounds in recent years. The primary impetus? Chief Designer and master wedge maker Roger Cleveland.

Cleveland is widely known in the golf industry for the modernisation and improved performance of the wedge category and his team’s JAWS MD5 is the latest in a long line of outstanding contributions.

Constructed from soft 8620 mild carbon steel, the new model offers a more precisely located centre of gravity (CG), refined shaping, versatility and improved performance from every lie, as well as three finish options and five sole grinds.

Designed with increased spin as the chief focus, the JAWS MD5 features what the company calls “the most aggressive grooves in golf”.

Featuring sharper edges, with the walls, edges and angles milled into the face for precision and tighter tolerances, the new grooves are supported by milled ‘Micro-Positive’ grooves lying between them on the face as part of Callaway’s ‘Groove-in-Groove’ technology.

Creating increased surface roughness and 84 different contact points, the groove combination greatly heightens spin and control.

RRP: $249.99.
Website: www.callawaygolf.com.au

CLEVELAND RTX ZIPCORE

Cleveland Golf made its name in wedges. And the latest addition to its storied history certainly lives up to the company reputation.

Designed to offer enhanced performance through innovative technology, coupled with sleek yet classic looks, the RTX ZipCore represents one of the largest technology shifts in the category for one its best exponents.

Already in the bags of Tour players, like reigning Open champion Shane Lowry, the unique, low-density ‘ZipCore’ lies at the heart of the new wedges offered in three varied sole grinds, a wide range of lofts and two finishes, with a raw finish to be added later in 2020.

The core shifts the CG and increases moment of inertia (MOI) from top to bottom of the wedge to increase the number of strikes on the sweetspot for improved and more consistent performance.

Along with the new core, ZipCore wedges feature an all new groove iteration to increase spin and control, that has also been heat treated for greater durability.

The new ‘UltiZip’ grooves are 11 percent sharper, 7.3 percent deeper and 7.4 percent closer together than the previous Cleveland grooves to increase contact area and spin from every lie for more consistent performance.

RRP: $209. (Available October).
Website: www.clevelandgolf.com.au

CLEVELAND CBX FULL FACE

Not every golfer wants or needs a wedge designed for and used by the world’s best players. Enter Cleveland’s CBX Full Face.

Specially engineered for forgiveness, the model – available in 56°, 58°, 60° and 64° – features a hitting area covered entirely by grooves to increase spin regardless of where contact occurs, especially on the toe, where bunker and other open faced shots typically make impact.

Incorporating ‘Rotex’ face milling and ‘Tour Zip’ grooves for increased spin, the CBX wedges contain a half cavity design, with weight removed from the heel portion and the CG shifted towards the toe to further enhance performance on open faced shots.

A C-shaped sole offers versatility and performance form a variety of lies, while the high toe design is yet another example of this wedge’s forgiveness driven design.

RRP: $219.95.
Website: www.clevelandgolf.com.au

CLEVELAND SMART SOLE 4

Another wedge option for the rest of us, Cleveland’s Smart Sole 4 is offered in three heads for three specific shot types.

The 42° C is built for chipping, 50° G for approach and 58° S designed for simple and straightforward bunker play.

Aggressively milled grooves provide greater spin, while the extra wide sole with three tiers and increased leading edge bounce deliver forgiveness in spades for those with little time to practise and less than perfect technique.

Rounding out the technology on offer in what is far more than a ‘Chipper’, ‘Feel Balancing’ has been used to move the CG away from the hosel and improve feel.

RRP: $159.95 (steel); 169.95 (graphite).
Website: www.clevelandgolf.com.au

COBRA MIM

Precision and wedges go hand-in-hand and that is Cobra’s primary focus with its MIM wedges that are unlike any other featured in this guide.

Constructed through the use of Metal Injection Moulding (MIM) the model is made from a mixture of 304 stainless steel metal powder that is heated before injection into a mould. The heating temperature is higher than that of a forging process, resulting in smoother grain flow and extremely soft feel.

Further adding to the precision of the MIM wedges, that are now also offered in a durable black finish, is a industry first fully robotic polishing process. Programmed to produce wedges to exact specifications, the process replaces the need for skilled technicians to put the final touches on a wedge, with human error avoided by Cobra.

Also available in One Length for golfers following Bryson DeChambeau’s lead, the MIM wedges feature CNC milled faces and progressive grooves offering refined loft specific performance and greater spin and control, as well as been offered in three Tour inspired grinds, with performance tracking Cobra Connect Powered by Arccos included.

The ‘Versatile Grind’ is for medium to firm course conditions, ‘WideLow Grind’ is magic out of soft bunkers, turf conditions and medium rough and the ‘Classic Grind’ is for neutral to steeper swings and a variety of course conditions.

RRP: $249.
Website: www.cobragolf.com.au

KRONUS GOLF FORGED JK-1

Designed by industry legend Jim Kronus, creator of The Iron Factory, these are built for short game players with a love of feel and classic looks.

Forged in America from 1025 Mild Carbon Steel, the JK-1 wedges are finished in either a Bright Tour Chrome or Satin Tour Chrome that Kronus has been applying to major winners’ clubs for decades when refinishing their favourite iron sets.

The forging process produces outstanding feel that elevates these slightly less known option among the big names to a quality choice for anyone who has experienced the joy of a purely struck forged iron, while CNC machined faces and individually engraved grooves add modern performance to the simple and stylish look.

As a renowned club builder and technician, it is no surprise that Jim Kronus’ wedges feature hand ground leading and trailing edges on the sole to tackle any lie or ground condition as well as any golfer’s personal needs and preferences.

RRP: $259 (one); $439 (two); $579 (three).
Contact: Email paulkerin1@hotmail.com or call 0419 551 509.