Out of all the clubs in the bag, wedges are used to execute the greatest range of shots out on the course.
There’s the controlled full-swing approach into the green that spins, and the knockdown stinger that flies low and checks on the second bounce.
There’s the open-faced flop that shoots up and over trouble before landing like a butterfly with sore feet.
And let’s not forget the rudimentary blasts out of greenside bunkers and the chips that track along the green.
In fact, the variety of shots you can play is really only limited by your imagination, provided the right wedge is in your hands.
Phil Mickelson knows the value of having a wedge that can keep pace with his artistic golfing intellect and has collaborated with designer extraordinaire Roger Cleveland to produce the new 2019 Callaway PM Grind wedge.
Cleveland, a legendary figure in golf club design, enjoyed working with Mickelson to create the new PM Grind wedges that now proudly sit in the left-hander’s Tour bag.
“Working with Phil on the PM grind wedges has been a fantastic experience,” said Cleveland.
“His insights are always spot-on, and implementing them to create something innovative like the PM Grind 2019 is incredibly satisfying.”
Mickelson has built an incredible career around his uncanny wedge play and the updated PM Grind looks poised to further enhance Phil’s reputation as an escape artist.
But will a wedge that was designed to complement Phil’s genius also be a success in less-gifted hands?
Roger Cleveland thinks so, with the design of the PM Grind focusing on three key wedge shots that Phil believes every golfer needs: a knockdown, short check shot, and a high flop shot.
“This wedge is going to help a lot of players hit shots they couldn’t hit before,” Cleveland said.
Fundamental to the PM Grind’s revised performance was Phil’s radical thinking in relation to the wedge’s microgrooves, with the new technology being machined across the face at a 20-degree angle to the leading edge.
The offset microgrooves produce 12 percent more spin when the clubface is opened up, which Phil reasoned will assist those precise flop shots that need to grip upon landing.
Phil and Roger also increased the PM Grind wedge’s offset (the angle between the shaft hosel and leading edge) and gave the toe more height, which shifted the center of gravity (CG) higher.
While a high CG is normally a killer in every other club in the bag, it actually gives the PM Grind a lower trajectory to play perfect knockdown shots; as does the increased offset, which allows the ball to be shifted back in your stance to punch the knockdown low and hard.
And the higher toe also creates more space on the face to play those high, soft flops out of tall grass and fluffy lies. So what grind does the PM Grind wedge actually have?
Well, here’s where it gets a little confusing because grinds are probably the least understood aspect of wedges. Wedges can assume different characteristics by altering something called the grind, which refers to the shaping of the sole, heel and toe areas. (click here for a definitive guide to grinds).
The PM Grind wedge actually has what’s called a C grind sole, which shapes material out of the heel and toe areas of the sole.
It allows the club face to be flared open or closed without the leading edge lifting off the ground, but also offers a crisp and solid strike when the face is square.
And it’s the grind that’s most kind in terms of versatility – it’ll handle just about every shot thrown at it with a distinction no matter if the course is hard or soft, which will suit a wide range of golfers.
A shiny chrome or Tour grey finish are finish options for the 2019 Callaway PM Grind wedge, which is equipped with a KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 steel wedge shaft and Lamkin UTX grip and comes in the following loft/bounce combinations: 54/14, 56/14, 58/12, 60/12 and 64/10.
So, will the PM Grind perform as well in the hands of a chopper as it does in Phil’s virtuoso palms?
To be clear, it’s no miracle worker.
If you’re thinking you’ll be transformed into Phil Mickelson Jr – hopefully minus the quaint long-sleeve, button-up dress shirt he is prone to wearing – you’ll be disappointed.
But the PM Grind will make essential wedge shots easier to play, thanks to the improvements Phil and Roger have come up with, and will no doubt be a welcome addition to every golfer’s wedge game.
Even Phil’s old nemesis Tiger might be keen to have a try.
