Equipment
The surprising backstory of Callaway Jaws Full Toe wedges
Officially, Callaway engineers began working on the Jaws Full Toe wedge design following the 2019 PM Grind launch. The full story of the Full Toe, however, goes back to the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla.
Callaway’s maestro of wedge design, Roger Cleveland, was on site that week in Kentucky. And when Cleveland spotted the company’s most highly visible staffer with a classic competitive wedge with a high toe peak in his bag instead of a Callaway model, he was — needless to say — less than thrilled, maybe even uttering a four-letter word that wasn’t “Phil.”
Cleveland inquired as to why the venerable left-hander had elected to configure his high-lofters in such a fashion. Mickelson told Cleveland he loved the center of gravity and toe peak of the club and was particularly enamored of the sole interaction and the magic he could work with an open face.
Rather than getting mad, Roger decided to get even, telling Phil “let me see what I can do.”
Cleveland called the team in Carlsbad with a unique demand: “Make me a Frankenstein wedge.”
Regarding the finished product, Cleveland told us, “It’s actually two Mack Daddy 2s. They cut the top off and welded on another piece to create this Full Toe wedge. And they got it done in one day — it looks like a regular wedge!”
The prototype “Frankenstein” Mack Daddy 2 wedge.
Mickelson put the wedge in play at Valhalla, and he ultimately finished second behind Rory McIlroy in the “let’s play the 18th hole together to finish before dark” weirdness that punctuated the 2014 PGA Championship.
From Frankenstein to PM Grind
Callaway CEO Chip Brewer caught wind of the birth of the “Phil Grind” and suggested once the look and the grooves were ironed out, the company should bring a PM Grind wedge to retail.
In 2015, Callaway launched the Mack Daddy PM Grind. According to Callaway’s Senior Director, Brand & Product Management, Dave Neville, the club attained a sort of cult classic status with many non-staffers putting it in play, in addition to Mickelson. The company also found it worked very well for high handicappers who needed more forgiveness and a larger hitting area in their wedges.
Callaway Mack Daddy PM Grind
However, the PM Grind was pigeonholed as something of a specialty club with many players liking it in their highest-lofted wedge but preferring something more traditional in their 56 or 54 degree.
Roger Cleveland worked closely with Phil Mickelson to design the next generation PM Grind — the PM 19 — which features many of the same innovations that appear in the Jaws Full Toe: offset groove-in-groove technology, a higher toe for better performance on full and knockdown shots, a refined sole grind, and more.
PM Grind 19
With competitors entering the PM Grind space, Callaway saw an even greater opportunity.
Enter Jaws Full Toe
According to Neville: “With Jaws Full Toe, we wanted to take the best of what the PM Grind had to offer — amazing around the green, money from the bunker, flop shots, knock-down shots — but have a face that is palatable to tour pros and those who want it in the 54 and 56 and on full shots.”
The effort to bring Jaws technology to the PM Grind blends together the Jaws MD5 and PM Grind, Neville said, but the company didn’t want the wedge to merely be perceived as the next iteration of the PM Grind. Instead, Callaway chose the name Full Toe as a reference to both the full grooves across the face and an allusion to the fact that the wedges can be used comfortably on full shots with full control. In other words, Full Toe is not just a specialty club.
Callaway Jaws Full Toe
Jaws Full Toe wedges feature full-face Jaws grooves, offset groove-in-groove technology, and a raw face, along with a specialized C-grind.
The Full Toe shape noticeably features a higher toe peak to offer more surface area and control on every type of wedge shot — hit the high flop and the bunker skip-and-stop with confidence.
Additionally, the toe height and toe pad raise the club’s CG for lower ball flight and a more controlled trajectory. Working in concert, the Variable Weight Port System moves the CG away from the heel for more solid-feeling strikes in the hitting area.
Neville also mentioned bringing a raw face to the wedge was important to maximize spin. However, research revealed a lot of golfers don’t like the look of a fully rusted wedge, so the R&D worked hard to come up with a solution that would meet both needs. Raw up front, chrome in the back.
Offering a final word on the Jaws Full Toe, Roger Cleveland said
“We’ve very proud of how it all came out. Couldn’t be happier. It was a total team effort between Tour and R&D.”
He could have added it was an effort seven years in the making.
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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will
Sep 30, 2021 at 6:20 pm
They really should send a payment to Wilson for making a copy of the HT wedges..
Steve
Sep 28, 2021 at 10:23 pm
Wow, they got through the entire article without saying “it took us a long time to work around Ping’s patents”
Rob M
Sep 28, 2021 at 9:31 pm
Congrats, you made a Ping Eye 2 sand wedge. Comical.