Callaway Opus and Opus Platinum Wedges Review

No matter our skill levels we all want the same thing from our wedges.  We want control, spin, consistency and feel.  A serving of forgiveness is always welcome as well.

And the new Callaway Opus and Opus Platinum wedges not only deliver in each of these performance categories.  Opus also makes legitimate improvements over previous generations of Callaway wedges that add up to a simple reality.

If you've loved Callaway wedges in the past you're going to flip head-over-heels for Opus.  And if you've been on the fence about Callaway wedges?  Opus will make you take the leap over and never look back.

 

I've tested the new Opus and Opus Platinum wedges for three rounds.  I hit them from different locations on the course, from different lies.  From the bunkers and rough I took Opus through the ringer.  And this review will focus on how Opus played for me in those all important performance categories mentioned above.

I'll compare Opus and Opus Platinum to the previous generation Jaws RAW wedges, as well as point out differences between Opus and Opus Platinum.  There's new technology in Opus that I'll touch on as it relates to performance.  But as always if you want to know more about the new tech details you can always read about that on the Callaway website.

What's in a Name?

The name Opus is on point.  Callaway spent years developing and designing these new wedges and they are clearly the crown jewels in Callaway wedge history.  A catchy name?  For sure.  Callaway says the name harkens back to the days of Beethoven, Mozart, their  magnum opus, their greatest achievements.

 

And I can't argue with Callaway on that.  The Opus name makes sense and is fitting in that Callaway wedge performance is now in line with the extraordinary performance of Callaway drivers, woods and irons.  Opus are something really special.

Even When I Look Away I'm Still Looking

Granted this one's subjective driven.  But to my eyes Opus are hands-down the best looking wedges Callaway has ever released.  Opus are a bit of a new look and Callaway calls them elegant.

To me it's Opus clean and simple lines that just give off a matter of fact "I have a job to do and I'm going to do it well" kind of vibe.  I will concede the finishes are rather luxurious.

Brushed Chrome never looked so good.  And Black Shadow looks like a limited edition finish we normally have to pay extra for (Opus Platinum also comes in a Blue finish).

There are differences in shape between Opus and Opus Platinum versus the previous gen Jaws RAW (pic below shows Jaws RAW above Opus).  The Opus toe is slightly higher and more rounded than Jaws RAW.  And Opus also has a more radiused lead edge.  To my eye Opus is a slightly smaller head than Jaws RAW but don't let that intimidate you (I'll get to more on that later).

The Opus higher toe, more rounded shape isn't so conspicuous that I'd call it a high-toe wedge.  And it certainly retains the unmistakable Callaway wedge shape many of us adore.  Truth be told I liked the Jaws RAW appearance with holes drilled in the back of the heads (apart from the minor inconvenience of extra cleaning when sand or debris found its way in).

But Opus is just a more classic, traditional looking wedge.  It's the kind of wedge you look at and think TCB baby (just taking care of business here).

Eat, Sleep, Spin, Repeat

Callaway has always designed wedges that spin like tornados.  And Opus?  Well it spins like end-be-all tornados.  Without a doubt Opus and Opus Platinum create higher spinning, quicker biting, and more controllable shots than any of Callaway's previous wedges.

 

I won't go into the tech details a lot here but the greater spin is accomplished in three ways.  Callaway calls it Spin Gen Face Technology.  First, Callaway has basically given us more grooves on the Opus face by lessening the distance between each groove.  And this puts more grooves on the golf ball,  More grooves on the ball means more spin (pic below Opus on left, Jaws RAW on right).

Second, Callaway changed the way they blast the wedge face to create greater surface roughness with Opus.  Textures or roughness on the face (aside from aggressive groove technology) also creates more friction on the ball which creates more spin.  And Callaway is now using a quartz blast that penetrates the face to create this added roughness.

 

And finally, Callaway is using angled micro-grooves.  This also helps create more spin particularly when you open the face and come across the ball.

 

I was hitting full shots, half shots, pitches, chips, and open face shots from the same fairway, rough, and bunker locations with my Opus (and Opus Platinum) and my Jaws RAW for comparison.  And to a shot Opus was biting faster, rolling out shorter, and even spinning back more than Jaws RAW.  And one of the fascinating things about Opus is how much spin retention I saw on shots from the rough and sand compared to Jaws RAW.

It wasn't merely Opus outperforming Jaws RAW from the rough and bunkers.  It was also Opus generating spin that more closely approximated spin from the fairways.  Opus clearly delivers a more consistent and similar spin than Jaws RAW even from these different lies.

 

This should also translate to more consistent and high spin in wet conditions with Opus as well (however I've only played and tested these in dry conditions so far).  But whatever Callaway has done with this design it's obvious more debris is moved away from the contact zone and more friction has been achieved with Opus than with Jaws RAW.

Go Where You Feel Most Alive

Opus and Opus Platinum feel a tad softer and more solid feeling (like there's more mass behind the sweet spot) than Jaws RAW.  They are both less clicky feeling and sounding at impact as well.  On chips you probably have to hit shots one after the other with the old and new models like I did to tell the difference.  Callaway wedge feel has always been soft and solid.  However this improved Opus feel is most pronounced on full swings.

 

Even with design construction differences between Opus and Opus Platinum (more on that in a bit). it was almost impossible to distinguish feel with both styles.  Rock solid awesome with both.  I was surprised however by a difference in feel throughout the swing between Opus and Opus Platinum, and will get to that more down below.

The Opus F + C = A Formula

This probably isn't a real Callaway engineering formula.  But it could and should be.  Because Opus forgiveness and consistency is nothing short of wedge performance alleluia.

One of the crazy paradoxes about this game we love is that improving our short games is the quickest way to improve our scores.  But wedge play can be extremely confounding and difficult to improve upon.  And while I'm not calling Opus hit it all over the face forgiving wedges, I am saying I'm not sure I've hit any blade wedges that perform as well on mishits as Opus.

 

I already told you about how consistent spin is from different lies with Opus.  And I can tell you that spin and control is also consistent when you miss center of the face.  I'm talking a full ball miss in any direction up, down, toe, and heel.  You really have to miss close to the ends of the scoring lines or extreme areas near the topline or leading edge for performance to take a hit.

Callaway says the Opus are lower launching than the Jaws RAW.  I did see this with Opus Premium from every location on the course.  With the Opus I only saw marginally lower launch and trajectory compared to Jaws RAW from the fairways.  However Opus and JAWS Raw clearly differed in consistency of lower launch and trajectory on my misses and from the rough.

Opus misses on the toe, heel, and low still remained in targeted windows almost like pure center strikes.  There was greater dispersion and variance with Jaws RAW misses.  Misses (in the same impact locations on the face) that barreled past pins or came up woefully short with Jaws RAW from the rough stayed on the greens with Opus and Opus Platinum hit from the same locations.

Making clean contact with the ball is always essential for maximizing spin and control.  But with Opus and Opus Premium you can get away with contact that isn't flushed and still wind up near the hole.

Opus Versus Opus Platinum

One of the immediate things I noticed comparing Opus to Opus Platinum to Jaws RAW was head awareness during my swing.  I don't know why this is but it's unmistakable.  I have more head awareness (sensation) with Opus over Jaws RAW from the moment I make my first move back to the top of my swing and then back down into impact.  And with Opus Platinum I have even more head awareness.

 

The Opus Platinum does have a metal injection molding (MIM) construction as well as a 17g tungsten weight in the topline than Opus does not have.  And this allows Callaway to dial in touch, feel, and flight control even more than with Opus.

But there's something about all this that also makes my actual swing feel like it's on auto-pilot.  On the right plane going back, delivered on the right plane coming down.  Opus Platinum makes my full and half swings even more consistent just as a matter of technique.

 

Opus Platinum comes with a stock Tour Issue Dynamic Gold Mid 115 wedge shaft compared to a non Tour Issue with the Opus.  As far as I know the main difference being in weight (something like 115g versus 130g).  That heavier shaft is really to help flight the ball lower rather than swing the wedge more consistently.  Maybe this is just all me and my swing but I wanted to mention that.

One thing that's not just me and my swing however is the Opus Platinum does flight the ball lower than the Opus as previously mentioned.  And this will hold true for everyone.  But somewhat surprisingly Opus Platinum also spins more for me on shots hit low (and even high) on the face compared the same misses low on the face with Opus.

I'd certainly understand how Opus Platinum tungsten in the topline flights shots at lower trajectories than Opus.  But for whatever reason Opus Platinum spins more on low and low-toe shots than Opus.  I would hardly call these areas with Opus dead-areas, spin is still quite high (just not as insanely high as Opus Platinum).  And if you have trouble generating spin with your sand or gap wedges (say your swing speed is low or has gone down) I'd start with Platinum first.

Rise, Grind, and Shazam 

I mentioned earlier that Opus and Opus Platinum have a more radiused lead edge than the straighter lead edge of the Jaws RAW.  Some will tell you the lead edge is purely an aesthetic thing.  Others will say a rounded edge benefits players who take bigger divots with steeper swings than those with flatter approaches or who take smaller divots.

 

I have a flatter approach with my irons and wedges and the Opus leading edge works great for me.  I clip the ball clean from the fairways, cut through the rough pretty much effortlessly, and even on firmer lies or opening the face turf interaction is extremely smooth.

It's really the grinds and bounce that are most important for your swing type.  And Callaway offers Opus in a standard S grind, a wider more forgiving full sole W grind, a versatile C grind designed to keep the leading edge low when you open the face, and a narrow sole T grind that sits low to the ground.  Opus Platinum is available in the S grind and a low bounce Z grind.  You can read more about these grinds on the Callaway site.

 

I'm telling you however the Opus and Opus Platinum S grind should stand for Shazam.  As expected it's amazingly effective from the fairway on square-face shots (both full and half).  But from the bunkers the S grind absolutely blasts through the sand (honestly just as good as the wider soled W grind in my Jaws RAW).  And most surprising was how crisp shots with S grind were on delicate touch shots around the green when I opened the face.

I usually have different grinds for my three different wedges.  But I was able to hit just about any shot with the S grind in my 56 and 60 degree Opus and Opus Platinum wedges.  I'd even go so far as saying S grind will probably let you effectively hit 99-percent of the shots you want or need to hit anywhere you pull out wedge.

 

Full disclosure I'm still going to order a Z grind Opus Platinum as that's just my comfort zone with the 60 degree and theoretically better fits my tendency to take little to no divot (Z grind is also designed more for firm conditions and it's always useful to have wedges for different conditions).  But I can tell you honestly if S was the only grind available in the Opus and Opus Platinum I wouldn't have a care in the world.  It's really that good.

Make it Look Easy

I was having so much fun playing and testing the new Callaway Opus and Opus Platinum wedges I even decided to hit a few with my eyes closed.  Of course I'll continue playing with my eyes open.  But the fact I even thought to do this just shows how good the Opus and Opus Platinum are.

 

Opus and Opus Platinum have given me the capacity to be as aggressive as I can possibly want for any shots on the course.  And maybe even more importantly, they've given me confidence to believe any shot I hit will be executed to perfection.

Be bold.  Be bold.  Everywhere be bold.  This is the Callaway Opus.