The Grind Series: Episode #1 The “Z” Grind

Believe it or not, the work we do on the Callaway Performance Trailer will benefit you/us the avid golfer more than you think. Take the 💎💎💎 drivers for example or the Apex TCB irons. These tour tested parts were so well designed that they not only suited the best players in the world ALA Xander, Rahmbo and Burns but also you.

To take that idea a step further, we introduce you to the new Jaws Raw Z-Grind, which I covered in a broad stroke in the article you can read below.

Click the link to see Episode #1 of the Grind Series (Z-Grind):

Now I want to get a bit more granular on this unique design, and I’ll start with how it was developed from the mind of Legendary Wedge Master Roger Cleveland.

Here is what he had to say:

“The most important aspect of the Z-grind is the leading edge chamfer which is not new to golf. We introduced a Bobby Jones wedge many years ago with a huge chamfer.“

For those that dont know what CHAMFER is:

cham·fer/ˈ(t)SHamfər/Learn to pronounce verb

1. (in carpentry) cut away (a right-angled edge or corner) to make a symmetrical sloping edge.”a neat chamfered edge”

noun

1. a symmetrical sloping surface at an edge or corner.

In simple terms, it’s adding a bit of bounce to the leading edge of a club. I call it a skid plate.

“It is important to note how this works as opposed to a bull nose (rounded). A chamfer is a flat cut on the leading edge, thereby allowing it to skid, not dig.

This is Critical! The standard leading edge is a tight radius and thus wants to dig because there is less area to resist the turf. The bigger the radius, the better, but not as good as a chamfer. I have seen the chamfer being utilized sparingly with a few players and started to begin testing variations several years ago.

It is essential to realize that the ideal short game technique in pitching (40 yards and closer) is to encourage the sole to contact the ground before the ball and allow the sole to skid thru. So you are actually contacting the ground before the ball.

With Jaws Raw, the chamfer was put on all the lofts that are critical in pitching 54, 56, 58, 60, and 62. It’s a TOUR request that makes a ton of sense for every player. We think it’s a game changer. A low bounce TOUR shape with forgiveness? That’s a winner.

The finishing touches were solidified in a session I had last fall with Jon Rahm. He wanted to try some new options in the 60 and was always a fan of our MD5 LB W grind. It was kind of the sleeper of that line. After seeing him hit some shots, I went on the wheel and added some chamfer to the front edge, shaved some of the back heel area and we were off to the races. The only reason that didn’t go in the bag permanently was the CG location. There wasn’t enough weight up top; the ball would ride up the face on certain shots.

With the Z-Grind, we have a ton of weight up top and added tungsten out towards the toe to allow players to have that low bounce/forgiving wedge with a very high CG.”

-Roger Cleveland

Tech Specs of the Jaws Raw Z-Grind

Metal: 8620 High Carbon Alloy Steel Casting (High B on the Rockwell Scale, AKA It’s SOFT)
Head Weight: 304G
Stated/Actual Bounce: 8 degrees
Chamfer Bounce: 30 Degrees

In a nutshell:

What Roger describes here with the Z-Grind is the perfect example of where technology meets craftsmanship. I am in month 4 with the Z-Grind, and I am convinced it’s the best better player wedge design we have ever made. WHY? Well, for me, it starts with simply being able to keep the ball down at will. I don’t have to lean the shaft way forward to hit it low (with spin) from 60 yards and in, which is a huge plus. Secondly, off of tight lies, this design buys me another glancing blow of forgiveness. When I spoke with Kevin Kisner while testing the Z-Grind, he loved how forgiving it was when he mis-hit it. He judges the performance of a wedge on the mis-hits, not the flushers.

FOR ME?

I put the 60/08Z in the bag in March and was able to play with it at my Dad’s Member/Guest. It did not disappoint. However, out of the bunkers I wanted just a bit more bounce. Testing ensued and over the early Summer I was able to dig a little deeper and I found what is probably the best LW wedge set-up I’ve ever had.

I took a 58/08Z, bent it to 60 for a bit more bounce and now I’m in love. Just a little extra bounce with that sole made a huge difference and I sacrificed nothing otherwise. It just got better out of the bunkers.

The other nugget I found was what I did with my 54…but I’ll save that for the W-Grind article.

Specs of my Jaws Raw:

Jaws Raw 58/08Z@60/10 w/ True Temper DG Tour Issue S400, 35 inches, 64 lie, D4.5, GP TV 58R. Boom.

This is a good one folks and you can buy it TODAY in stores or…RIGHT HERE

Stay Tuned for more WOW content on JAWS RAW and Episode 2, 3 and 4 of the Grind Series where we will cover the S, X and W grinds. Stay Tuned!

Happy Hunting.