I remember filming a video during my time at GolfWRX.com, the video was filmed at ECPC, and it covered the entire line of MD5 Jaws wedges. I left that day extremely curious about one of the grinds in particular. The “X” had everything I loved in a wedge; it had heel and toe relief, a tight radius underneath, and a TON of bounce. In the video, the “Low Bounce W” was the star, but as I mentioned…the curiosity was strong on the “X.”
We warp back to last summer when I put that wedge to the test. Truthfully it was Sam Burns that reminded me to try it; he was one of the only players on our U.S staff using the “X.” I asked him why and this was his response…
“I love the versatility around the greens with the (heel/toe) relief of the grind that allows me to open the face without affecting the look at address.
“On full shots the weighting allows me to hit half shots and flight the ball in the different windows that maximizes spin and control.”
Easy enough right?
What I learned. He hit the nail on the head on both accounts; because of the grind and bounce profiles, it’s almost impossible to stick it in the ground. Especially with a shallow delivery. And it’s NASTY out of the bunkers. Fair to say, it’s the closest thing to my old Copper Eye2 I’ve ever tried.
However, if there was ever anything I wanted to change about “X,” it was this, I wish it came out lower on square-faced shots, AND the address profile (leading edge) needed some more angles to it IE squared off…
Now we get to today…
The new Jaws Raw “X” grind is exactly what I hoped for. To be 100% honest, my delivery has shallowed out a bit over the past year, and the X has just a little too much bounce for ME. That’s why the Z has worked so well, I have a shallow delivery from 60 yards and in, and the wedge optimizes that. But I found a fun case study over the past couple of months; I let my uncle Rob who has struggled with wedges in the past and has a steep delivery, give it a spin. It literally changed his play around the greens. As a player with two shots, squared up and low and the full flop, the X gave him EVERYTHING he needed to hit those shots with SPEED. In the short game, speed is still critical. Speed is spin, and if a player feels like they can be aggressive and not worry if the club will dig, the creative lights turn on, and the road to a new ensemble of shots has begun.
This is what Roger Cleveland had to say on “X”…
In straightforward terms, the “X” is a high bounce “C” grind. If the “C” is for the shallow players the like options, the “X” is its beefed-up big brother. The heel and toe relief allow the steeper delivery players the option to utilize the heel and toe sections, AND with the new leading edge chamfer, the “X” gives you the ability to play those squared-off shots with some pace. Although its actual bounce is closer to degrees, don’t let the numbers fool you, it also has the thinnest radius in the line. What that means is it’s a high bounce wedge that can still be laid open and sit properly in relation to the ground.”
Tech Specs of the Jaws Raw X grind…
Metal: 8620 High Carbon Alloy Steel Casting (High B on the Rockwell Scale, AKA It’s SOFT)
Head Weight: 304G
Stated/Actual Bounce: 12/20
Chamfer Bounce: 27 Degrees
In a nutshell…
If the “Z” doesn’t get it done for the better players, the “X” is the next place to go. It’s that simple. I have tested them all in earnest, and in my opinion, the “X” with its new leading edge, higher CG, and new tungsten weighting is the steeper player’s dream. When I say steep, I don’t mean ditch digger. I’m referring to the players that stand a little closer to the ball, lean their hands forward a bit, and play a lot of shots with an open face. Trust me, the moment my “Z” starts to dig, I know exactly what letter of the Jaws Raw alphabet I’m going to next…
“X” Marks the spot.
Stay tuned for Episode #4 on Jaws Raw (The “W” Grind) and even more content coming to the WOW website in the next few weeks.
See Episodes #1 (Z) and #2 (S) and the respective articles below:
Happy Hunting
JDub
