Cleveland CBX ZipCore wedges
Gear: Cleveland CBX ZipCore wedge
Price: $149 each with True Temper Dynamic Gold Spinner Wedge shafts and Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 grips. $159 each with Project X Catalyst 80 Spinner graphite shaft.
Specs: Multi-material steel wedges with polymer back pieces. Even lofts of 44 to 60 degrees
Available: Feb. 18
When it comes to irons, only the most consistent, accomplished golfers use muscleback blades because despite their outstanding feel, blades are the least forgiving style of clubs. Yet most wedges could be classified as musclebacks.
Cleveland’s wedge designers think that is a mistake and that any golfer who typically shoots in the 80s or higher should play a wedge that matches his or her irons. That means a wedge with perimeter weighting and game-improvement features such as those found on the new CBX ZipCore wedges.
Stability and forgiveness
ZipCore replaces heavier steel with a lighter material. (Cleveland)
This is the third generation of CBX wedges and the first to incorporate Cleveland’s ZipCore design. ZipCore removes some of the steel inside the head and replaces it with a lightweight but strong material. That helps create more perimeter weighting, increases the moment of inertia and boosts stability.
The black TPU Gelback piece on the back of the head reduces vibrations. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Cleveland also designed an empty chamber in the heel area and added more weight to the toe area to pull the ideal hitting location into the center of the face. To further enhance feel and reduce excessive vibrations, Cleveland added a thermoplastic polyurethane piece called Gelback, and it should make impact feel softer.
Spin and versatility
New UltiZip grooves are complimented by microgrooves. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
To help golfers generate more spin, Cleveland designed the CBX ZipCore wedges with an updated UltiZip groove. The company said the grooves are 11 percent sharper, 7 percent deeper and 7 percent closer together, which allowed Cleveland to add two more grooves to the face. The grooves are complemented by microgrooves between each of the main grooves and a circular milling in the toe area. All these features work to grab the cover of the ball and create spin for more control on chips, pitches and approach shots.
The Cleveland CBX ZipCore wedge at address (David Dusek)
Finally, the CBX ZipCore wedges are designed with three sole configurations, depending on loft of the club.
The pitching wedges and gap wedges (44-52 degrees) have an iron-like V-shaped sole ideally suited for full-swing shots with a square face. The sand wedges (54 and 56 degrees) have an S-shaped sole that is wider with more bounce (12 degrees) to help golfers maintain speed and avoid digging the club into bunkers.
The lob wedges have significant heel and toe relief. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Finally, the lob wedges (58 and 60 degrees) have a C-shaped sole with 10 degrees of bounce and significant heel and toe relief to help golfers hit a variety of short-game shots around the green.
