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This is a full review of the Callaway Mack Daddy CB wedge.
The Mack Daddy CB (which stands for cavity back) is designed to give golfers the performance of the tour-calibre Mack Daddy 5, but in a larger, more forgiving shape. It does this with a deep cavity back and thicker profile.
As one of Callaway’s most recent game improvement wedge offerings, the Mack Daddy CB is designed to “play easy but bite hard”. How does it actually perform when put to the test? How does it compare with other wedges like the JAWS Full Toe? Who is it best suited for?
Here’s what I’m going to be covering in the review:
- Ratings
- Features & Technologies
- Performance
- Look, Sound & Feel
- Where To Buy This Wedge Online
- Conclusion
Read on to find out what you need to know to make an informed purchase.
Note: Unless otherwise stated, stock shafts and stock grips are used when evaluating this club. In most cases, the golf clubs reviewed on Golfstead are acquired temporarily for testing purposes and are not purchased. The review that follows is based on the personal experience and research of the author. Because everyone’s swing and body are different, results with a particular club may differ from person to person.
What are the reviews like?
The Callaway Mack Daddy CB wedge has received extremely good ratings from consumers and professional critics. It has a 4.8/5 (88% recommended) score on the official Callaway store, a 4.9/5 on Global Golf, 5/5 on eBay, and 4.9/5 on PGA TOUR Superstore.
What People Like
- unbeatable performance out of thick rough and sand traps
- gives you a lot of confidence around the greens
- spin, forgiveness and distance are all superb
- feel is simply great
- extended grip is well-liked
What People Don’t Like
- wide sole limits shotmaking, particularly with full shots
What are the features?
Smooth Iron Transition
The Callaway Mack Daddy CB wedge is designed to deliver a smooth transition from cavity-back irons. It bears many similarities to an iron, with a full sole in the lower lofts, deep cavity back, thicker topline, and slightly larger head.
JAWS Grooves
JAWS grooves are special grooves that are milled at 37° wall angles, which is right at the USGA limit. This is designed to catch as much of the ball as possible at impact, thereby increasing spin.
From lofts 54° and up, the grooves of the Mack Daddy CB wedges extend over the entire face (like with the JAWS Full Toe), increasing forgiveness and increasing the chance that the ball will make contact with as much groove as possible.
Iron-Like Turf Interaction
From lofts 46°-52°, the Mack Daddy CB wedge features a full sole which gives it a very iron-like feel and turf interaction.
Modified W-Grind
The 54°-60° lofts of the Mack Daddy CB feature a modified W-grind which consists of a wider sole with more bounce. This grind is ideal for bunker shots, shots out of thick rough, and soft conditions. It’s best suited for golfers who come into the ball steeply.
Stock Info
The Mack Daddy CB wedge is offered in 46°, 48°, 50°, 52°, 54°, 56°, 58°, and 60° lofts with bounce angles of 10°-14°.
Also available are the women’s Mack Daddy CB wedges. These are the same as the men’s wedges but have stock shafts, stock grips, lengths and swing weights that are designed for women to maximize their performance.
The stock steel shaft is the KBS HI-REV 2.0 105, and the stock graphite shaft is the KBS HI-REV G. The stock grip is the Golf Pride Tour Velvet SG-1, which was created specifically for the Mack Daddy CB. Of course, custom shafts and grips are available if desired.
If you’re interested, full information on the wedge, shafts, grips and their specs can be found on the CGPO website.
Below are the specs of the Mack Daddy CB wedge. Click or zoom to enlarge.
How does the wedge perform?
The Mack Daddy CB wedges certainly offer a lot of forgiveness for a wedge. The full soles and W-grinds help prevent digging into the turf, and at the same time, low face performance is very good thanks to a lower center of gravity.
Moreover, the full-face grooves in the higher lofts make it easy to put spin on the ball even when you don’t catch the ball in the sweet spot. The wide sole also makes hitting shots from the bunker and rough super easy.
The Mack Daddy CB wedge doesn’t produce quite as much spin as the JAWS Full Toe or JAWS MD5 wedges, but it’s more than enough for most higher handicaps who want more forgiveness.
During my tests, I did appreciate the extra length of the stock Golf Pride grip because it allows you to choke down for a little more control without actually touching the shaft.
If the wedge has any weaknesses, they would be full shots and tight lies. While full shots are very forgiving, the ball tends to pop up a little and there is less controllability. The added bounce makes it more difficult to get clean, precise contact.
However, the Mack Daddy CB wedge makes those tricky chips and pitches around the green so much easier. True to its game improvement classification, its greatest strength appears to be improving your general strike rather than giving you the highest level of shotmaking precision around the greens, and that’s completely fine.
What about look, sound & feel?
The Look
As mentioned previously, the Mack Daddy CB is marked by a relatively thick top line (for a wedge) and slightly oversized footprint. At the same time, the rounded toe shape contributes to a traditional look at address.
The 46°-52° and 54°-60° loft groups have two distinct features. The 46°-52° wedges have a full sole and traditional grooves (i.e. lack of grooves in the toe area) while the 54°-60° wedges have a W-grind and full-face grooves.
The Mack Daddy CB wedge is unique in that it has an iron-like cavity back design, which contrasts with the blade design of most other wedges. In fact, at first glance, it might be mistaken for an iron in the bag.
The aesthetic is quite simple but pleasing to the eye, and I find the red accents to be a nice touch.
The Sound & Feel
During my test, I found it difficult to put the feel of the Mack Daddy CB wedge into words other than just saying “it’s great”. I didn’t know what to expect going into it because of the unusual cavity back.
The feel was surprisingly consistent from the lowest to the highest lofts. The best way I can describe it is that it’s decently soft with just the right amount of firmness to it. The sound at impact is generally quiet.
I have definitely played wedges that feel softer. However, I believe the solid feel and informative feedback (off-center strikes don’t feel as crisp) will appeal to a lot of players.
Where should you buy this wedge online?
The Mack Daddy CB is a few seasons old, so you can no longer order it custom directly from the Callaway store.
The best you can do now is look for it on Callaway Golf Pre-Owned or eBay. CGPO offers a 90-day buy-back policy and 12-month warranty. If you’re interested in the women’s variant, go here.
Alternatively, look at what’s available on Global Golf or on PGA TOUR Superstore. PGA TOUR Superstore offers a performance guarantee, financing payment plans, lessons, club fittings, and more.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, the Callaway Mack Daddy CB wedge does what it was meant to do: give players great game improvement performance around the greens, great consistency, and ample spin for stopping the ball close to the hole.
The Mack Daddy CB takes so much stress out of bunker shots and chips. But versatility on full shots is limited. It also would have been nice to have a few more grind and bounce options.
Playing the Mack Daddy CB is an excellent way for golfers who struggle with their short game to start getting better results fast. It might not have the raw spin potential of bladed wedges like the JAWS Full Toe or JAWS MD5, and it might not have the super slim profile that would enable maximum shotmaking precision, but it serves its target market beautifully.
Are you interested in the Mack Daddy CB wedge? Have you tried it yet? What have your results been? Let us know in the comments below.
