Guys, the Callaway Opus Wedge is completely different.
I went again so far as 2011 and couldn’t discover a Callaway flagship wedge (CB and SureOut don’t depend) the place there wasn’t some reference to JAWS, Phil Mickelson or Roger Cleveland – usually I discovered all three.
There’s none of that right here. You gained’t discover PM grinds, Mack Daddy grooves or •R• stamped on the hosel. All of this means that, with the launch of the Opus Wedge franchise, comes a big shift in Callaway wedge design.
That’s mirrored within the Opus title which performs to what Callaway says is the wonder and magnificence of the brand new wedges. “Opus” is the place artwork meets science and, whereas that feels like a hall connecting two museums, it speaks to the mixing of Callaway applied sciences with the considerably improved shapes that assist outline the Opus wedge household.
“Tour-Pushed” Opus Wedge Shaping
I’m on file as not being a fan of Callaway wedges. From a shaping perspective, I discover the topline too skinny, the transition from toe to topline too harsh and angular and, regardless of the real-world measurements, the way in which the offset presents all the time appeared to me, anyway, just like the blade and hosel had been in several zip codes.
With Opus, offset, or at the very least the looks of it, is diminished as Callaway has noticeably smoothed transition from face to hosel.
Likewise, the transition from toe to topline is dramatically smoothed. The brand new wedge has a teardrop, nearly rounded, form devoid of harsh traces. I didn’t get the calipers out however the topline nonetheless appears to be like thinner than most however, with the opposite adjustments, it simply appears to be like higher.
To my eye, the form is closest to the Mizuno T-series, a radical departure from previous iterations of Callaway wedges.
It’s higher.
The brand new form was pushed largely by the PGA Tour the place, in contrast to earlier fashions, Callaway says the Opus wedge design was “Tour-driven” versus “Tour-inspired.”
Transferring by way of prototypes, Tour gamers successfully selected the form of the brand new wedge and, whereas we’re simply listening to about it for the primary time immediately, Opus prototypes have been on the Tour for 1.5 years.
Working example: Whereas the cosmetics might have instructed an older mannequin, Opus wedges had been utilized by Yuka Saso and Xander Schauffele of their latest main championship wins.
It’s the explanation Callaway is looking Opus probably the most “Tour-validated” wedge in firm historical past.
Opus Wedge Know-how
Simply my opinion, but when form was the one story, given the place Callaway was, it might be sufficient for me.
However what’s a wedge with no good spin story?
To that finish, Callaway Opus wedges function what the corporate calls SPIN-GEN face know-how. SPIN-GEN is the mixture of three components that don’t simply work to decrease launch and improve spin however present better consistency throughout the real-world circumstances on the golf course.
New Groove Bundle
The primary factor of Callaway’s SPIN-GEN face is an up to date groove package deal. Whereas Callaway nonetheless lays declare to probably the most aggressive groove in golf, they’ve narrowed the gap between grooves and added some. It’s all about creating alternatives for the grooves to seize the ball.
Your profit right here is decrease launch with elevated spin.
Enhanced Floor Roughness
The second piece of the SPIN-GEN face is a brand new face blast. Callaway is utilizing quartz to penetrate the face of the wedge and create further floor roughness.
The advantages, says Callaway, are most obvious in moist circumstances – that would come with tough, morning dew and a correct storm – the place the face blast helps keep launch and spin charges when the ball would in any other case need to slide up the face.
Angled Micro Options
Lastly, you get angled micro options. What we’re actually speaking about is Callaway’s tackle a grooves between grooves design. The angled options work to raised channel moisture when the face is an open place.
From a efficiency perspective, Callaway is claiming decrease launch and better spin than the No. 1 wedge model (Vokey). The purpose of emphasis is admittedly on pictures from the tough in addition to from moist circumstances the place the true advantage of decrease launch and better spin is in the end better consistency throughout all circumstances.
The purpose being that, whereas all of us love the concept of excessive spin and most of us perceive that we must be hitting our wedges decrease, the aim right here is tighter launch home windows by way of better consistency than its opponents’ merchandise present.
If that pans out, it’s sort of an enormous deal.
Callaway Opus Wedge Grinds
With the launch of the Opus wedge, Callaway is dialing again the grinds a bit, at the very least at launch. Whether or not it’s by way of limited-edition choices or a full-line extension, I might count on we’ll finally see the grind depend improve however, for now, 4 grinds out of the gate make for a good begin.
Callaway Opus W Grind
No surprises right here: the W grind is Callaway’s widest sole wedge. Out there with 12 or 14 levels of bounce, the textbook story is that it’s for steep swingers who take deep divots or those that play in mushy circumstances.
In wedge design, forgiveness comes from the only real, and extensive soles are usually probably the most forgiving. The W Grind ought to offer you a bit wider margin for error from the golf green whereas additionally being a wonderful possibility for golfers who wrestle from bunkers.
The Callaway Opus W Grind is out there in 50, 52, 54, 56, 58 and 60 levels.
Callaway Opus S Grind
Billed as a grind for each state of affairs, the S Grind is the center of the lineup, mid-bounce (10 and 12 levels) workhorse. It’s the wedge you purchase as a result of it suits your sport or as a result of you haven’t any concept what suits your sport.
Callaway says it really works effectively for all swing varieties from quite a lot of course circumstances.
The Callaway Opus S Grind is out there in 48, 50, 52, 56, 58 and 60 levels.
Callaway Opus C Grind
Callaway’s C Grind is a mid-ish bounce possibility that gives extra versatility than the S Grind and extra forgiveness than the T Grind (see beneath).
A lob-wedge solely possibility, the C Grind strikes a superb stability between versatility and forgiveness. That makes it a fantastic on a regular basis possibility in addition to an alternate for T Grind gamers when the course will get mushy.
The Callaway Opus C Grind is out there in 58 and 60 levels with eight levels of bounce.
Callaway Opus T Grind
T Grinds, significantly these made by Vokey, have turn out to be the preferred lob wedge possibility on Tour so it’s not a shock that Callaway would provide up its take.
The defining function of the T Grind is aggressive aid within the heel, toe and trailing edge. It helps the T sit tight to the bottom in almost any orientation for max versatility across the inexperienced.
As I’ve famous earlier than, the tradeoff for versatility is a comparative lack of forgiveness. In the event you sometimes hit your wedges on the chunky facet, the T grind goes to exacerbate the issue whereas one thing like a W Grind will mitigate it.
The Callaway Opus T Grind is out there in 58 and 60 levels with six levels of bounce.
Callaway Opus Wedges – Inventory Choices and Pricing
The inventory shaft providing for the Callaway Opus wedge is the Dynamic Gold MID 115g in metal and UST Recoil DART HDC (65 and 50 grams) in graphite.
End choices embrace Brushed Chrome and Black Shadow.
Left-handed choices are restricted to:
S Grind: 50-10 (Brushed Chrome), 52-10 (Brushed Chrome, Black Shadow), 54-12 (Brushed Chrome), 56-12 (Brushed Chrome, Black Shadow), 58-10 (Brushed Chrome), 60-10 (Brushed Chrome, Black Shadow)
W Grind: 54-12 (Brushed Chrome), 56-14 (Brushed Chrome), 60-12 (Brushed Chrome)
C Grind: 58-08 (Brushed Chrome), 60-08 (Brushed Chrome)
T Grind: 58-06 (Brushed Chrome, 60-06 (Brushed Chrome)
A Uncooked possibility is out there by way of Callaway Customs (for right-handed golfers solely).
Retail worth is $179.99
However Wait, There’s Extra!
Callaway Opus Platinum Wedge
As a part of its Opus launch, Callaway is launching the Opus Platinum Wedge. It’s billed as a kind of what if there have been no limits on value sort of merchandise however the bit that issues is that it’s the results of Callaway engineers, who usually are not Tour gamers, asking how they might design a product that might make themselves higher.
I touched on it above, however taking consistency in a normal sorta method out of the equation for a minute, one of many largest variations between Tour gamers and common golfers is that the Tour guys hit their wedges considerably decrease than we do.
They make crisp low-face contact and compress the ball the place, for many of us, we are inclined to hit it slightly excessive on the face, leading to increased launch, decrease spin and a much less penetrating trajectory.
Finally, that’s heart of gravity stuff so the true query the Callaway R&D guys tackled was how can we elevate the middle of gravity to advertise superb wedge trajectory in a method that doesn’t lead to a goofy wanting membership?
The reply, because it so usually is within the golf tools world, is tungsten.
So, yeah, barely off matter right here, there isn’t any precise platinum within the Callaway Opus Platinum wedge however there are 17 grams of tungsten anchored within the topline.
MIM Development
Not like the usual Opus wedge, which is forged, the Platinum model is MIM’d. Callaway has used MIM’d components earlier than and others (COBRA) have made absolutely MIM’d heads.
Your requisite refresher: MIM is brief for “metallic injection molding.” The MIM course of entails mixing powered metallic with polymer binding brokers to create a metallic paste that’s injected right into a mould to kind the form of the clubhead.
As soon as every part solidifies, the top goes by way of a sintering course of to soften away the binders, fuse the metallic particles collectively, leaving the ultimate form.
The MIM course of has two benefits over extra conventional manufacturing strategies.
It creates extra exact closing components (aka tighter tolerances).
The ensuing heads are inclined to really feel softer than these created utilizing different strategies.
The “really feel” factor is clearly fascinating in a wedge whereas the “tighter tolerances” factor is all however mandatory when your design requires you to suit two completely different supplies collectively in a exact method. For instance, in case you had been making an attempt to seamlessly mix a 17-gram tungsten weight into the highest line of a wedge, MIM development can be a wonderful alternative.
Within the case of the Callaway Opus Platinum wedge, the middle of gravity chases the tungsten increased into the top, leading to decrease launch and better spin than the usual Opus wedge. And it does it with out wanting goofy.
Callaway Opus Platinum Grinds
With the added tech comes added value and that probably places Opus Platinum into extra of a distinct segment wedge class, so it’s comprehensible that Callaway is providing solely two grinds.
The now-familiar S Grind is out there in 54, 56, 58 and 60 levels (nonetheless with 10 and 12degrees of bounce).
For now, the Z Grind might be distinctive to the Opus Platinum providing. Improved (significantly out of sand) from earlier iterations of Z, Callaway describes it as a pleasant low-bounce possibility, although with eight- and 10-degree bounce choices, I’m going to say it’s extra of a mid-bounce possibility.
The only incorporates a chamfered vanguard with a little bit of trailing-edge aid. Each work so as to add versatility whereas sustaining the forgiveness of the comparatively wider sole.
Callaway Opus Platinum Wedges – Inventory Choices and Pricing
Callaway Opus Platinum wedges come inventory with both a DG MID 115-gram metal with a gunmetal end or UST Recoil DART HDC 65-gram graphite shaft (Blackout end).
The inventory grip is a Golf Pleasure MCC Gray/Black.
The end choices are Platinum Chrome and Platinum Blue.
Left-handed choices are once more restricted to:
S Grind: 56-12 (Platinum Chrome, Platinum Blue), 60-10 (Platinum Chrome, Platinum Blue)
Z Grind: 60-08 (Platinum Chrome, Platinum Blue)
Retail worth is $229.99.
Callaway Customs
Further customization is out there by way of Callaway Customs. Choices embrace Black, Chrome and Uncooked finishes, stamping, customized paint-fill in as much as six zones, customized shaft bands and customized ferrules.
Callaway Opus Wedges – Availability
Becoming/pre-sale for Callaway Opus wedges begins July 19. Retail availability for the Opus wedge begins July 26. Opus Platinum availability begins Aug. 16.
For extra info, go to CallawayGolf.com.
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