Callaway Opus Wedges - 2024 Forum Review

[GolfSpy_APH]

Callaway has launched the Opus and Opus Platinum wedges with advanced SPIN-GEN face technology and refined designs. We are searching for four golfers to test, review and keep these innovative wedges.

About the Callaway Opus line

Callaway says the new Opus and Opus Platinum wedges feature SPIN-GEN face technology, a refined groove package and enhanced surface roughness for improved control and spin. The Opus Platinum model includes MIM construction and bonded tungsten weighting, offering optimized trajectory and consistency. These wedges come in multiple grinds to cater to diverse playing styles and promise significant performance enhancements.

Opus and Opus Platinum options

Opus

Available in W, S, C and T grinds

Loft options from 46*-60*

Three finish options: Brushed Chrome, Black Shadow, Raw

Opus Platinum

Available in S and Z grinds

Loft options from 54*-60*

Platinum Chrome and Platinum Blue finishes

Dynamic Gold MID Gunmetal Shaft as stock

Both feature an offset groove-in-groove technology for 54*-60* options.

Please welcome and congratulate our testers

@GolfSpy_SHARK 

@Chux13 

@Chas c 

@injectedcutty

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

GolfSpy_Shark – Callaway OPUS Wedges (2024)

Introduction to The Shark:

For anyone that does not know me my name is Mark Lacasse, father of 2 children, a pup named Winston (name comes from the show New Girl), and husband to my wife of 7 years who puts up with my golf addiction, which of late has not been satisfied (only 5 rounds this year so far unfortunately) but God willing I will be ramping up coming into the most beautiful part of the season here in Massachusetts. The “Shark” reference comes from nieces and nephews calling me Uncle Shark.

I have been a part of MGS for a few years and have discussed a broad range of topics with so many folks here. Several I have met and others I look forward to meeting. Luckily had the chance end of 2023 to become a part of the moderator team which is truly enjoyable even though it has been hampered the past few months with work obligations.

@GolfSpy BOS and myself (I am not the short one)

My golf game I cannot complain about right now. The times I have been out I have my woes but with substantial time off I do not see a major setback in scoring, just a little more inconsistent from time to time. If I had to summarize my game as whole, I would say I rely heavily on feel during a round and tempo. I am not someone that goes to a range a lot, I prefer working on my game on course rather than smashing a bucket of balls. When I am on course I get out of sorts when my backswing is sped up and with that I tend to get very hosely on strikes, luckily the past few years that has been few and far between because I have learned to catch myself doing it and I can break the cycle.

For a long time my game was heavily reliant on being long off the tee, scrambling to the green (especially around the green) and then hopefully draining a putt. Now I am a little shorter off the tee, far better on approach shots and when I get close to the green am pretty consistent on hitting good wedge shots close and not 3 putting.

As far as my bag, I am a pretty committed person and do not like to change to much to often. I have not changed a single club in my bag this year. My current setup is in my signature and for these wedges to take a spot as my gamers there is going to need to be a few specific things they do.

The Callaway OPUS platinum wedges intrigued me because my golf journey started a long time ago but I did not get really serious until 2018. I was fitted a few around then in 2019 for Cleveland CBX2 wedges, I had a much steeper swing at that time so the intent with those was to counteract that chunky wedge. Fast forward to 2020 I made some substantial swing changes especially in my short game, with that the CBX just were not a fit and I graduated to Vokey SM7 which are still currently my gamers. They stood the test of time and I really elevated my wedge game during that time to now where I am extremely confident with a wedge in my hand.

I have been in the market this year but just really was not sure if I wanted a change. I enjoy using my wedges for a full range of shots but my 48* and 52* are weapons for a large range of yardages and I can play several types of shots with either but I have noticed I am definitely losing some spin into the green especially on shots I would expect to see a little zip on the ball with a bounce and check. This is where I am hoping the Opus Platinum wedges shine.

Pre-Test Thoughts:

I have said it before I will say it again, I am not a data junky, but I know when I hit a ball well, when I do not and with my swing I know what my general shop shape should be. With that said here is my testing plan for these wedges:

1) Lots of practice at the practice green. Like I said before I do not love the range, but the practice green is another story. I love hitting wedges and putting if I have the time. I can hit full shots with wedges I know that, it’s the touch shots that these wedges need to stand out on. Can I consistently get into a designated area from 30 yards and in (ideally I would like to see myself putting the ball to 10’ consistently). I will test this out by just designating an area on practice greens and seeing if I can get that check and stop shot.

2) Am I seeing an improvement on proximity to the hole from 90 yards and in with these wedges. I have seen my ball rolling out a little bit more then I am used to this year so on those shots 90 and in I am not able to snag those 1 putt birdie or par saves. I will accomplish this by tracking hole by hole when I play what my general distance is from the hole when I actually hit these wedges. This will be from all yardages.

I will have more as we continue on with this test but for now these are the key items for me. With that I cannot wait to get these in hand and get some rounds in with some easy knock in birdies!

[Chux13]

Callaway Opus Platinum Wedges – Official MGS Forum Review by Chux13

First off, I want to thank MGS and Callaway for this awesome testing opportunity. Been a long-time listener and finally dove in a while back and could not be more excited to contribute to this awesome community.

  

My name is Charlie, and my bank account has a golf problem! The game is too much fun and has been a great source of relief and therapy over the years. Golf had always been something interesting to me from watching Bob Barker play “Hole in One” to watching Tiger take over the PGA. It was not until my sophomore year in high school back in 1998 when I got to really start playing and never looked back. From playing in Texas and Arizona, to playing while stationed in Hawaii, I have been blessed to see many beautiful, and some not so lovely tracks.

I was primarily self-taught through my golf journey. 3 years ago, I finally decided to get a lesson as I had developed a wicked nasty banana hook. I thought it would be a simple fix, but the coach insisted I get a complete overhaul on my swing. I was gutted but knew this was for the better. Now, I am playing the best golf of my life!

Wedges are the last thing I have looked at when it came to improving my game. I have usually gone with what looks cool and what I could build. My prior set of wedges lasted 10 years before upgrading earlier this year to another trio of conventional 52/56/60-degree wedges. As much as I wanted to consider some CBX Full Face wedges, I still hesitated to consider spending on a more premium set when I felt I was “good enough” with the conventional build set.

  

Enter the Opus Platinum wedge by Callaway . The aesthetic alone of the platinum blue is enough to make me stop scrolling and read, but the idea that a higher center of gravity with the tungsten weighting bringing the flight down really piqued my interest. One of my main “problems” with my game is that I hit the ball very high. Same goes with my wedge shots both full and around the green.

I am excited to see if the promise of a lower launching wedge along with easy spin via SPIN-GEN face and new “face blast” processing holds true. It’s easy enough to say upgrading to these wedges from the already generic set I have will be a big difference, but how much more of a difference would they make, and would it justify the $230 price tag for those looking to make the switch? With the use of my Garmin R10, ProV1/ProV1X RCT’s, and some swings around the greens/sand/dirt/tree/anything the course throws at me, my hope is to bring you all the most honest and data backed review I can provide. I am expecting Callaway and the known success of the Jaws line along with their already impressive arsenal of clubs to deliver on what is promised; lower flight, easy spin, excellent feel, and envy inducing looks.

Let’s do this!!!!

 

 

Unboxing 

Box arrived in pretty good shape. No major concerns on the outside, and equally happy once opened up. For a pair of pricey wedges, I would hope they would be as protected as they were with this arrival. Club heads were wrapped in a bluish plastic and further surrounded with bubble wrap. Once removed I noticed the 54º wedge bent 1º strong did not have its plastic shrink wrap but the 58º did, more than likely due to the custom loft. Inside the box were a pair of custom wedge certifications along with the requested options for the order. Nothing too spectacular, but overall effective in protecting, delivering, and presenting the newest wedge offerings from Callaway. Here is a fun short showcasing the unboxing experience.

First Impressions 10 of 10

It is easy to instantly fall in love with a new shiny toy. My insatiable need for outside the box aesthetics is usually the main driver in selecting new clubs when the opportunity comes. Looking at my prior wedges mentioned earlier in this post, you can see I love to go outside the norm. Still, there is just something special about how the Opus Platinum Blue wedges greet the eye. Not only did the deep blue grab my attention, but the matte gunmetal True Temper wedge steel just completes the overall look in a way I have never seen before.

 

 

At address I really start to appreciate the contrast the face provides through the hitting area as the grooves do not get lost in the aesthetic, providing a clear targeted hitting area. The "face blast" processing as described by Callaway is definitely there as the face provides that tactile feedback that there are no smooth surfaces through the hitting area. Upon closer inspection, the offset groove-in-groove is visible which further drives home the "easy spin" as Callaway has promised with these wedges. My only concern at this point is if these wedges are going to absolutely RIP the face off my golf balls . 

 

After salivating at the mere sight of the Opus Platinum Blue wedges, it was time to start getting busy with how these clubs feel in hand. Afterall, the reason I opted for the Platinum line was because I knew I needed help lowering the flight of my wedges. The bonded tungsten insert which Callaway claims will help lower the flight of the ball through a higher center of gravity is felt upon taking a few casual swings. I wanted to make sure I was not alone in feeling the difference in the head weighting, so I had my wife take a few swings without her knowing about this technology. After taking a few swings, I offered her my current gamers. She noticed a stark difference in how the weighting feels too, which proves there IS something there in how the tungsten may interact at impact. The clubs do feel hefty yet stable and invoke thoughts of how much more control I will have over the generic graphite shafts on my current gamers. Oh yeah, that milled texture on the back side of the wedge is pretty sweet too! 

 

One final aspect I have yet to truly experience is how different grinds feel and interact with the turf. Again, I have always opted for the cooler looking, self-built wedges that just get the job done with their standard soles and I move on. I felt right at home with the "S" grind on the 54º but was blown away at how easy the 58º with the Platinum only "Z" grind picked itself off the ground and avoided digging. Opened face and all, I had absolutely no problem feeling the club bounce and what would hopefully be a clean pick of the ball through the different test strokes I took.

 

Overall, these wedges just scream confidence in a portion of the bag I have often neglected. Jumping from a trio of self-built wedges that totaled just under $100 to a pair of wedges that MSRP at $230 each is a big ask for someone in my shoes. I look forward to seeing if the eye candy can deliver in the promises of the lower flight and easier spin I can benefit from. I have quite the gauntlet in mind for these wedges. From standard rounds to a dry, desolate muni I like to call the proving grounds, I want to experience for myself how much more these clubs can improve my wedge game, and if they will hold on to the looks that pulled me in so easily. Stay tuned, Spies!!! This is going to be a fun ride!

Edited 14 hours ago by Chux13
First Impressions Added

[Chas c]

Good afternoon everyone! I am currently sitting in an auto shop waiting to have new tires put on my truck, so now is as good a time as any to get this party kicked off.

My name is Chas, and I have a problem: I haven't been able to play a full round of golf in over a week! I started playing while I was in middle school, but growing up there were no courses near me that weren't private and EXPENSIVE, so I had to give it up when I started high school. I recently moved to Orlando for work, and my buddy suggested we start playing golf on the weekends since that's about the only time we can hang out. I bought a set of 2nd hand clubs in April and haven't looked back since. I've already replaced everything in that original set with something new/new-ish, as they were all 12-15 year old clubs. I've taken some lessons, and have been hitting the driving range regularly. I played my first real round of golf since I was a teenager on June 21st, and I've played 19 more rounds since then. It definitely helps that I have 2 very reasonably priced courses within 5 minutes of my house, and about 50 others within a 1 hour drive.

I'm currently sitting at about a 25-30 handicap, most of which is due to my downright garbage putting, but I'm working on it. Clubhead speed on my driver is about 105MPH, so when I get ahold of the ball well, it goes. At the moment I would say my approach/short game around the green is my biggest strength, so I'm super excited to test out these wedges. For the most part I generate plenty of spin and see very little roll out on well struck shots on my short irons, just a little hop n' stop when I'm playing well. I'm currently rocking a set of Taylormade MG4's (50°/56°/60°), but the gapping with my new iron set is less than ideal as my PW loft is 42° and has a carry of around 130 yards average while my 50° gets about 105 yards at absolute best. I had initially planned to stick with the 50°/56° Opus wedges for a real apples to apples comparison, but I may be switching it up with the testing and going for the 48°/54° combo. There is a very small likelihood I choose a lob wedge for testing, as most of the courses I play have very fluffy rough that is borderline unplayable for a lob wedge. Currently planning to get the lower bounce options, as I have a relatively shallow swing plane and take very little, if any, divot on a good shot, which means I have a tendency to thin the ball if the club has a lot of bounce. I have a fitting scheduled for Friday, so we'll see how it goes and I'll keep everyone updated with my choices.

Testing-wise, I'm going to ride these clubs hard and put em' away wet. I am lucky to have a job that I can leave around 4pm, so I play often in the late afternoon as long as it's not storming. My favorite close course has a really great chipping/pitching practice area, and I intend to give these Opus Wedges a good thrashing there at the first opportunity. The course also has Trackman range, so I can get some good data on distance/speed/height/etc. On the course, I've been playing from the 2nd closest tee box in an effort to work more on my accuracy and decision making. Playing from the farther tees, it's almost always driver unless you're on a par 3, but from the closer tees if I play driver I'll wind up in a bunker or the woods past the dogleg, so I've found myself hitting more long to medium wedge shots as an approach vs. a mid iron that's typical from the longer tees. I also have a week off coming up, and I plan to travel and play golf at some unfamiliar courses around the southeast, so it will be nice to see how confidence-inspiring the Opus wedges are when playing in unfamiliar territory where you might not you're about to make a mistake when you mis-hit the ball. I also partake in a Topgolf League at work which will be starting back up in early September, which will give me plenty of opportunity to test out the consistency of the wedges on shorter targets.

I've done a little research, and it seems the Opus wedges fill a similar niche as my current MG4 as a top of the line wedge with only a smidge of forgiveness, vs. something like the CB series of wedges. I wouldn't say I'm a Callaway fanboy, but I do have a new Callaway bag, Smoke AI Irons, a Paradym X 3-wood and an Epic Max 5-wood, as well as an Odyssey Jailbird Cruiser putter, soooo... Ok, you got me, I like Callaway. I will say, I am pleased as punch that these wedges don't have any AI branding or camo on them, as I think it's kind of lame looking, but what I care about at the end of the day is performance. Luckily, with the Opus wedges I'm already smitten: I really like the smooth lines and minimal offset, and the plating looks... *chefs kiss* . In terms of actual results, my biggest issue with my current wedges is that I'm not super happy with the amount of spin I get on full shots, so what I really want to see out of the Opus wedges is a little more spin on full shots. I also like the fully coated face, as they should last longer and keep higher spin levels vs. the raw face of the MG4s I run with at the moment.

I figure I'll leave it at that for now, I don't think I need a novel for an introduction. If anyone has any questions tag me and I'll answer 'em as they come!

 

First Impressions!!!!

10/10 Score

Holy cow am I excited to get out and try these bad boys! I ended up going with the 50° and 56° S-Grind wedges, standard loft/lie/length with regular stiffness AMT Black shafts to match my irons since I do take full swings with both of these clubs currently.

Packaging was in good shape when I got it.

The clubs were well secured and protected with bubble wrap secured around the club heads and the plastic shrink wrap on the head itself was still intact. No nicks or scratches noted.

The first thing I noticed comparing these was the differences in the face texturing between the two clubs. A new feature that Callaway is using on these clubs is the Spin Gen Face Technology, which is a combo of more groves, a blasted face texturing, and and "offset groove-in-groove" on the 54-60° wedges which is a smaller secondary grooving cut at a 45° angle; all of these features combine to help generate more spin to keep the ball where it lands. I still lose enough balls that I am generally use something decent and cheap, currently Supersofts, and I can definitely tell I need all the help I can get to generate spin on wedge shots since I switched to these from TP5s.

The blasted face texturing is really evident on the 50° clubs: it looks smooth from a distance but has a very slight sand-papery feel.

You can see it on the 56° near the face edges where the secondary grooving isn't present, but it's not as evident to the touch. This is also a good closeup of how the groves are cut, they appear to be steeper on the "uphill" side of the club, which should give them a nice bite.

Here's a comparison shot: 

Nice Clean 56° Opus Face vs. Old Rusty 56° MG4 Face vs. 50° Opus Face:

I have definitely noticed a small decrease in spin on my MG4s which kind of makes sense after I took a loot at this closeup, the face texture is definitely starting to wear some from use on my current 56° wedge since the raw finish let's the surface rust. I'm hoping the coating on the Opus face is nice and hard so it holds up well and keeps spin up on the 56° after constant use. The wear is extremely evident on my current 50° shown in the back.

Another selling point of these clubs is the shaping of the head.  Callaway claims these are the "most Tour-tested, Tour-validated shapes in Callaway history", and after seeing them I can believe it. The shape of these wedges appears extremely forgiving, with nice rounded edges around the toe and heel, plenty of camber and a nicely rounded hosel transition to help you out when things don't go as planned, and with my current skill level, they often don't, so I am hoping for fewer mishits when things don't go my way.

The grind on these clubs looks extremely confidence inspiring as well: a very smooth transition from the leading edge with no noticeable transitions. In fact, from the side these wedges look nearly identical. My biggest gripe with my current wedges are the grind; I have a tendency of hitting it super thin due to the somewhat abrupt transitions on the grind. This nice smooth grind looks like it could be just the ticket I need to get more comfortable with my sand wedge again.

It started raining so I had to cut the photoshoot short, but I took a couple practice swings and I absolutely LOVE how these clubs feel. The balance on these clubs seems perfect, even really easy 50% swings felt effortless, and I will be extremely surprised if these clubs don't work out for me.

And, most importantly, these things look GOOD in my bag!

Unfortunately since I've been out of town I have "responsibilities around the house", and between that and the impending rain I can't get out to test these today, HOWEVER, my work-sponsored Topgolf league starts tomorrow, so the first few shots with these will likely be with golf balls that have more in common with rocks than what I normally use, but science sometimes requires sacrifices, and I am happy and willing to do my part! 

 

Edited Monday at 01:33 AM by Chas c

[injectedcutty]

Hey spies, I just wanted to give a formal introduction for those who don't know me. My name is Scott and I'm 40 and getting gray lol. I was born and raised in Louisville, KY and still live here! I married my high school prom date, and we've been married for 15+ years now and have 2 beautiful girls. 

I was dragging around golf clubs before I could walk on my own, and subsequently have been playing on courses since 6 or 7 years old. I played junior golf, and high school golf, but didn't have the support needed to really take it serious past high school. I'm currently buzzing around a 2.5hcp, and luckily my house backs up to muni course that I get to play for free because I help them out quite a bit. 

In regards to this test, I want to thank the admins and staff for allowing us regular folks to be involved in such amazing opportunities! My current wedges are a 50° Titleist AP2 that matches my irons, and a 56° Cleveland 588 forged that I've had for 10ish years. Both have served me well, but tech has come quite a ways so I'm excited to get the Opus stuff ordered and start hitting them. The current plan is to get a 54° S grind, and a 58° or 60° C grind to have some versatility for this test. I intend on making some videos that I'll post here and on my YouTube under the same handle. I have some ideas in mind for testing, but I'm open to suggestions to broaden this out some. I WILL NOT, REPEAT, WILL NOT HIT OUT OF MY LOCAL BUNKERS!!!!!!! There is barely any sand in them and they're hard as a rock. Just the other day I hit a 5 wood into a par 5 from 220, the ball landed in the bunker and rolled up the edge and onto the green to give me an eagle putt, that's how hard they are! There is a course down the road with nice practice areas that I'll get to. Until then, I'll be on standby until I have the wedges in my hands. I hope yall have a great day, and go out and whack some balls around!

Scott

 

Sep. 3rd......

I just received the Opus wedges from the brown truck. On first look, these look absolutely amazing! Callaway did a great job on improving from the majorly successful Jaws lineup. These Opus units are crisp looking. Nice, sharp edges, the groove in groove tech is already showing it's tech as I was able to get out back for a few and hit some shots. The sound of the ball coming off is pleasant. Here are a few pics for now, I'll get some videos uploaded later.

Edited September 3 by injectedcutty
Update for test

[poprocksncoke]

Congrats all!

[sirchunksalot]

Congratulations! Great group of testers here and I hope they perform as good as they look. 

[bbreezy716]

Congratulations testers! Should be a fun one

[MattF]

Congratulations all.

["Mr. 72"]

Prediction: You'll love these wedges!  Congrats!

[Northern Monkey]

Congrats all

[TAGolf13]

Congrats y'all! I hope you enjoy the experience and actually like what you're testing.

[Rob Person]

Wooohoooo!    Congratulations all!  Have fun and grind em well!

[KC Golf]

Congratulations Opus Testing Team!

[rkj427]

Congratulations to this group of testers.

Looking forward to the comments and reviews, and how these compare to the others currently in the marketplace.

[bens197]

Congrats testers!

[JohnSmalls]

Congratulations testers!  Looking forward in seeing your reviews and comparing them to the Vokey reviews!

[TJ Hall]

Congratulations…excited to see the feedback on these!

[Bohnson]

Congrats testers! Never used a Callaway wedge before, but I have heard good things! 

[Lefty11]

Have fun testers!  Congrats!   

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

Really looking forward to getting some grass in these wedges. I have never played a callaway wedge so looking forward to seeing how not only a new brand for me plays out and the MIM technology with spin control. 

Cant wait to have a ball on a string!

[JeremyS]

Enjoy the test!   Looking to replace my 56°.  Wondering if one of these would be a good alternative to a new Vokey wedge.  

[Andrewxjordan]

Congratulations to the testers. I have 60 C grind in my bag currently and it feels very nice.

[Wib081]

Congrats all have fun! Can’t wait to read the reviews

[bens197]

17 minutes ago, GolfSpy_SHARK said:

Really looking forward to getting some grass in these wedges. I have never played a callaway wedge so looking forward to seeing how not only a new brand for me plays out and the MIM technology with spin control. 

Cant wait to have a ball on a string!

I hope they're a good fit for you.  Wedge tests are fun.

[BKervin]

Congratulations everyone!

Enjoy the experience 

[Josh Parker]

Congrats!  Really interested in seeing how these do.  Never played their wedges before and these look clean!

[ScramblinMan]

Congratulations to all selected. Looking forward to your feedback

[CFreddie]

Great set of testers! Good luck with the process everyone and can’t wait to see the results!

[3Putt4Double]

Congrats testers!!