MEMBER REVIEWS: Cleveland CBX 4 ZipCore Wedges Testing | See What Members Are Saying!

[GolfWRX_Official]

We have five GolfWRX members testing Cleveland's new CBX 4 ZipCore wedges. The members below will report back to the community about the things they noticed while testing this product. Please feel free to ask any questions that you might have, as the testers will be happy to answer them!

The testers are:

 @mikes919

 @ALTSean

 @awtryau89

 @vsabre

 @rbilramz

 

About the CBX 4 ZipCore Wedges

New CBX 4 ZipCore Wedges bring premium versatility and elite forgiveness together in a highly refined, sharp-looking design that blends perfectly in the bag with modern cavity back or hollow Iron sets. And now, these CBX series Wedges get all of Cleveland Golf’s latest tour caliber technologies to create our finest cavity back Wedge yet.

Learn more about the CBX 4 ZipCore wedges here.

Thank you to @Cleveland_Golffor putting on this member testing event!

[awtryau89]

Cannot wait to receive these wedges. Thanks to GolfWRX and @Cleveland_Golf for this opportunity.

[vsabre]

What a privilege and thanks to GolfWrx and @Cleveland_Golf for the opportunity to test these great wedges. Heading out of the country in the morning for two weeks but it will be the first item on the agenda when I get back once received. Can't wait!

Edited May 9 by vsabre

[ChrisATL]

Great group to testers! Looking forward to following this test in the coming weeks!

[awtryau89]

I’ll note that I’ve played Vokey wedges consistently all the way back to SM6. 50F, 55D and 60M are my grinds and I’ve used a LBK a good bit as well.  I’ve sprinkled some Ping in there but nothing like this game improvement type wedge. I went to a local shop to look at these wedges and I am intrigued. All the technology of the RTX 6 just with a cavity back. The most intriguing thing to me is the grinds. The 60 and 56 have a pre-worn leading edge. I’ve always wanted that but never went the full custom route. If these improve my short game I won’t have any issues swallowing my pride and keeping them in the bag. 

[mikes919]

Thank you @GolfWRX_Official and @Cleveland_Golf for the opportunity to try out the new CBX4 ZipCore wedges, I am super excited to test them out! I received my test wedges on Wednesday, and I’ve already practiced with them for a few hours.

 

About Me:

I’m 41 years old and was a 12 handicap the last time I was current. After my son was born, life took over and golf wasn’t a priority for a while. This winter I decided to knock off the rust, start practicing regularly, and really get back into the game for 2024. Glad to be back! In true WRX fashion, I have also been systematically replacing almost every old club in my bag. I recently picked up new driver, fairway, and ordered custom irons. Wedges were up next, so this was great timing!

 

Wedge play has always been the strongest part of my game (driver and putter, not so much). I carry a set of Vokey SM5’s with stock DG S200 shafts, which are due for replacement. My 50.12F gets everything full swings down to chips, depending on the rollout that I’m looking for. 54.10S is probably my most-used club inside 80 yards. I find an S grind to be super versatile for almost all types of lies, and I do a lot of face manipulation to get the flight and bounce I need for each shot. I’m glad to see the CBX4 54* grind is similar. Finally, I carry a 60.11K. It’s a bit of a one-trick pony: great for blasting out of sand and fluffy, deep rough.

 

While I love these clubs and grinds, I must accept that I’m not quite as consistent as I used to be. 10 years ago, I was rapidly improving and fighting to break 80. Today I’m just happy to be out there, and I’m taking more of a “whatever works” approach with my bag-building this time. I am hoping the CBX4 will give me some more forgiveness on half- and full-swing shots. Like most mid-cappers, my main miss is hitting towards the toe and leaving it a few yards short. This will be my first time ever trying a cavity-back wedge, having played with traditional/blade style wedges from Ping, Cleveland, Mizuno, and Titleist in the past. I’m a bit more of a picker/sweeper in general nowadays, but I will mix it up as needed.

 

First Impressions:

I ordered 48*, 54*, and 60* CBX4 ZipCore wedges for the demo. I stuck with my existing SW/LW lofts but went a little stronger in the GW, to keep the flight down and hopefully blend better with my new irons (JPX 923 HMP’s 1* weak = 43.5* PW). Wedges arrived well-packed and protected, with one Arccos sensor included. I don’t use Arccos yet but I’m definitely interested, and may give the free trial a spin.

 

 

 

 

Initial impression is that these wedges are very clean and high quality in appearance. They have a durable-looking satin finish, and the cavity back insert blends nicely with the steel; you barely notice that it’s an insert. Shafts and ferrules are pristine. The stock Lamkin Crossline grips are more rubbery than the tour velvets I’m used to, but the tread pattern gives a nice locked-in feel. The face milling is very pronounced, and the grooves feel ridiculously sharp. They are quite chunky from the back. The soles are big and wide, with a lot of leading and trailing edge relief. If you’re a digger with wedges, you are going to love these things. Comparing the soles and overall profile to my Vokeys, the difference is most obvious on the 54*. The CBX4 sole is much wider than anything I’ve played in this loft range before. While they’re both S-grinds, the CBX4 grind is much more pronounced on both the leading and trailing edge.

 

Vokey 50*F on left, CBX4 48* on right

 

Vokey 54*S on left, CBX4 54* on right

 

Vokey 54*S on left, CBX4 54* on right

 

Vokey 60*K on left, CBX4 60* on right

 

Flip the wedges over to the normal address position and it’s a totally different story. You would never know there’s so much sole and tech behind this club! While the topline is slightly thicker on the CBX4, I was pleasantly surprised that the appearance is much more “player” oriented than I would have thought. They don’t feel nearly as big here. The only thing I notice at address is that the CBX4 leading edge sits a little higher, because of that leading edge relief. Looks like it will be great in wet conditions or rough, not so sure for tighter lies. We’ll see!

 

CBX4 54* on left, Vokey 54*S on right

 

The other thing you’ll notice at address is the milling and groove pattern of the wedges. The HydraZip face technology is really cool to see and feel. Just rubbing your fingers across the face of the wedge, you know these are going to shred some ball covers! Zooming in on the grooves themselves is even more impressive, with a slightly different pattern between the low and high lofts:

 

CBX4 48* groove detail

 

CBX4 60* groove detail

 

I’ve already gotten a chance to take these wedges to my local short game practice area for a couple hours, hitting a variety of shots out to about 40 yards. I am reserving my first comments on performance until I get a little more playing time with them. I’m playing a round tomorrow and will report back with my initial thoughts.

Edited May 9 by mikes919

[hammergolf]

1 hour ago, mikes919 said:

Thank you @GolfWRX_Official and @Cleveland_Golf for the opportunity to try out the new CBX4 ZipCore wedges, I am super excited to test them out! I received my test wedges on Wednesday, and I’ve already practiced with them for a few hours.

 

About Me:

I’m 41 years old and was a 12 handicap the last time I was current. After my son was born, life took over and golf wasn’t a priority for a while. This winter I decided to knock off the rust, start practicing regularly, and really get back into the game for 2024. Glad to be back! In true WRX fashion, I have also been systematically replacing almost every old club in my bag. I recently picked up new driver, fairway, and ordered custom irons. Wedges were up next, so this was great timing!

 

Wedge play has always been the strongest part of my game (driver and putter, not so much). I carry a set of Vokey SM5’s with stock DG S200 shafts, which are due for replacement. My 50.12F gets everything full swings down to chips, depending on the rollout that I’m looking for. 54.10S is probably my most-used club inside 80 yards. I find an S grind to be super versatile for almost all types of lies, and I do a lot of face manipulation to get the flight and bounce I need for each shot. I’m glad to see the CBX4 54* grind is similar. Finally, I carry a 60.11K. It’s a bit of a one-trick pony: great for blasting out of sand and fluffy, deep rough.

 

While I love these clubs and grinds, I must accept that I’m not quite as consistent as I used to be. 10 years ago, I was rapidly improving and fighting to break 80. Today I’m just happy to be out there, and I’m taking more of a “whatever works” approach with my bag-building this time. I am hoping the CBX4 will give me some more forgiveness on half- and full-swing shots. Like most mid-cappers, my main miss is hitting towards the toe and leaving it a few yards short. This will be my first time ever trying a cavity-back wedge, having played with traditional/blade style wedges from Ping, Cleveland, Mizuno, and Titleist in the past. I’m a bit more of a picker/sweeper in general nowadays, but I will mix it up as needed.

 

First Impressions:

I ordered 48*, 54*, and 60* CBX4 ZipCore wedges for the demo. I stuck with my existing SW/LW lofts but went a little stronger in the GW, to keep the flight down and hopefully blend better with my new irons (JPX 923 HMP’s 1* weak = 43.5* PW). Wedges arrived well-packed and protected, with one Arccos sensor included. I don’t use Arccos yet but I’m definitely interested, and may give the free trial a spin.

 

 

 

 

Initial impression is that these wedges are very clean and high quality in appearance. They have a durable-looking satin finish, and the cavity back insert blends nicely with the steel; you barely notice that it’s an insert. Shafts and ferrules are pristine. The stock Lamkin Crossline grips are more rubbery than the tour velvets I’m used to, but the tread pattern gives a nice locked-in feel. The face milling is very pronounced, and the grooves feel ridiculously sharp. They are quite chunky from the back. The soles are big and wide, with a lot of leading and trailing edge relief. If you’re a digger with wedges, you are going to love these things. Comparing the soles and overall profile to my Vokeys, the difference is most obvious on the 54*. The CBX4 sole is much wider than anything I’ve played in this loft range before. While they’re both S-grinds, the CBX4 grind is much more pronounced on both the leading and trailing edge.

 

Vokey 50*F on left, CBX4 48* on right

 

Vokey 54*S on left, CBX4 54* on right

 

Vokey 54*S on left, CBX4 54* on right

 

Vokey 60*K on left, CBX4 60* on right

 

Flip the wedges over to the normal address position and it’s a totally different story. You would never know there’s so much sole and tech behind this club! While the topline is slightly thicker on the CBX4, I was pleasantly surprised that the appearance is much more “player” oriented than I would have thought. They don’t feel nearly as big here. The only thing I notice at address is that the CBX4 leading edge sits a little higher, because of that leading edge relief. Looks like it will be great in wet conditions or rough, not so sure for tighter lies. We’ll see!

 

CBX4 54* on left, Vokey 54*S on right

 

The other thing you’ll notice at address is the milling and groove pattern of the wedges. The HydraZip face technology is really cool to see and feel. Just rubbing your fingers across the face of the wedge, you know these are going to shred some ball covers! Zooming in on the grooves themselves is even more impressive, with a slightly different pattern between the low and high lofts:

 

CBX4 48* groove detail

 

CBX4 60* groove detail

 

I’ve already gotten a chance to take these wedges to my local short game practice area for a couple hours, hitting a variety of shots out to about 40 yards. I am reserving my first comments on performance until I get a little more playing time with them. I’m playing a round tomorrow and will report back with my initial thoughts.

I have CBX Zipcore wedges, and they are some of, if not the best I’ve used. Very consistent distances, spin, and trajectory but still have a good softer feel. I’ll be very interested to hear your thoughts.

[xkilgorextroutx]

Definitely following this one, as someone who has CBX 2s in the bag that need to be replaced soon.

[awtryau89]

17 hours ago, mikes919 said:

Thank you @GolfWRX_Official and @Cleveland_Golf for the opportunity to try out the new CBX4 ZipCore wedges, I am super excited to test them out! I received my test wedges on Wednesday, and I’ve already practiced with them for a few hours.

 

About Me:

I’m 41 years old and was a 12 handicap the last time I was current. After my son was born, life took over and golf wasn’t a priority for a while. This winter I decided to knock off the rust, start practicing regularly, and really get back into the game for 2024. Glad to be back! In true WRX fashion, I have also been systematically replacing almost every old club in my bag. I recently picked up new driver, fairway, and ordered custom irons. Wedges were up next, so this was great timing!

 

Wedge play has always been the strongest part of my game (driver and putter, not so much). I carry a set of Vokey SM5’s with stock DG S200 shafts, which are due for replacement. My 50.12F gets everything full swings down to chips, depending on the rollout that I’m looking for. 54.10S is probably my most-used club inside 80 yards. I find an S grind to be super versatile for almost all types of lies, and I do a lot of face manipulation to get the flight and bounce I need for each shot. I’m glad to see the CBX4 54* grind is similar. Finally, I carry a 60.11K. It’s a bit of a one-trick pony: great for blasting out of sand and fluffy, deep rough.

 

While I love these clubs and grinds, I must accept that I’m not quite as consistent as I used to be. 10 years ago, I was rapidly improving and fighting to break 80. Today I’m just happy to be out there, and I’m taking more of a “whatever works” approach with my bag-building this time. I am hoping the CBX4 will give me some more forgiveness on half- and full-swing shots. Like most mid-cappers, my main miss is hitting towards the toe and leaving it a few yards short. This will be my first time ever trying a cavity-back wedge, having played with traditional/blade style wedges from Ping, Cleveland, Mizuno, and Titleist in the past. I’m a bit more of a picker/sweeper in general nowadays, but I will mix it up as needed.

 

First Impressions:

I ordered 48*, 54*, and 60* CBX4 ZipCore wedges for the demo. I stuck with my existing SW/LW lofts but went a little stronger in the GW, to keep the flight down and hopefully blend better with my new irons (JPX 923 HMP’s 1* weak = 43.5* PW). Wedges arrived well-packed and protected, with one Arccos sensor included. I don’t use Arccos yet but I’m definitely interested, and may give the free trial a spin.

 

 

 

 

Initial impression is that these wedges are very clean and high quality in appearance. They have a durable-looking satin finish, and the cavity back insert blends nicely with the steel; you barely notice that it’s an insert. Shafts and ferrules are pristine. The stock Lamkin Crossline grips are more rubbery than the tour velvets I’m used to, but the tread pattern gives a nice locked-in feel. The face milling is very pronounced, and the grooves feel ridiculously sharp. They are quite chunky from the back. The soles are big and wide, with a lot of leading and trailing edge relief. If you’re a digger with wedges, you are going to love these things. Comparing the soles and overall profile to my Vokeys, the difference is most obvious on the 54*. The CBX4 sole is much wider than anything I’ve played in this loft range before. While they’re both S-grinds, the CBX4 grind is much more pronounced on both the leading and trailing edge.

 

Vokey 50*F on left, CBX4 48* on right

 

Vokey 54*S on left, CBX4 54* on right

 

Vokey 54*S on left, CBX4 54* on right

 

Vokey 60*K on left, CBX4 60* on right

 

Flip the wedges over to the normal address position and it’s a totally different story. You would never know there’s so much sole and tech behind this club! While the topline is slightly thicker on the CBX4, I was pleasantly surprised that the appearance is much more “player” oriented than I would have thought. They don’t feel nearly as big here. The only thing I notice at address is that the CBX4 leading edge sits a little higher, because of that leading edge relief. Looks like it will be great in wet conditions or rough, not so sure for tighter lies. We’ll see!

 

CBX4 54* on left, Vokey 54*S on right

 

The other thing you’ll notice at address is the milling and groove pattern of the wedges. The HydraZip face technology is really cool to see and feel. Just rubbing your fingers across the face of the wedge, you know these are going to shred some ball covers! Zooming in on the grooves themselves is even more impressive, with a slightly different pattern between the low and high lofts:

 

CBX4 48* groove detail

 

CBX4 60* groove detail

 

I’ve already gotten a chance to take these wedges to my local short game practice area for a couple hours, hitting a variety of shots out to about 40 yards. I am reserving my first comments on performance until I get a little more playing time with them. I’m playing a round tomorrow and will report back with my initial thoughts.

Great review and much more detail than I'll probably give. I hope mine show up soon. Did they ship UPS or Fedex? 

[awtryau89]

Well my wedges did show up today and we played this afternoon after getting about 4 inches of rain yesterday and late night. It was soggy. These wedges are forgiving and the tagline “chunk a little less” is real. Today was a good day to have more forgiving wedges. Here are a few pics. 
 

 

As you can see, these wedges have some serious grinds. The pre-worn leading edge is on the 54 & 60. Even though these are larger than my Vokeys, they can be manipulated to hit any shot you like. 

Looks are subjective but these look great. No real offset and not to rounded. They are on the larger side but unless you put them next to a smaller wedge, you’d never know they are a bit on the large side. 
 

Feel is really good for cast and cavity back. They have a sharp click and aren’t muted but feel solid. The shafts are KBS Hi Rev 2.0. I play KBS C Taper Lite 110s in my irons so these mesh very well. Overall the pairing of the shafts and heads work very well. You won’t mistake them for soft forgings but overall they are softer feeling than my SM 9 KBS Tour 130 wedges. 
 

Spin is exceptional. My Vokeys aren’t old but these definitely have much more bite than the  SM 9s. The hydro treatment is real. We played very soggy fairways and the spin I saw was crazy. One hop and stop pitches from short distances were the norm. It will be interesting to see what they offer when our course drys out. 
 

Forgiveness is what these wedges are all about. I didn't have any bad misses today that the wedges saved me strokes but I did notice some shots that weren’t perfect ended up being a good bit closer to pin high than expected. 
 

Playing again on Sunday so I’ll report back if I have any new revalations. 

[rbilramz]

Place holder while the wedges get built to my specs.

[ALTSean]

Thanks to @Cleveland_Golf and @GolfWRX for the opportunity to test the new CBX 4 Zip Core wedges!

 

I used to play the old Cleveland 588 and 900 series wedges, but then kind of moved away to a mix of Titleist, TaylorMade and Mizuno so I'm excited to come back to Cleveland for a test of their new wedges.  

 

The wedges arrived late on Friday and they look great:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately I did not get a chance to hit them this weekend, but am excited to try them next weekend.  

 

I did get a side by side with my current wedges. I'm currently playing TaylorMade 790s so my 50* is the wedge from the set and mostly use it for full and 3/4 shots and the occasional bump and run. The Cleveland is a little bigger and has a wider sole so I'm interested to compare them side by side:

 

 

 

 

 

My next wedge is an older Mizuno T20 at 55* so I got the CBX 4 at 54* bent 1* weak to play at 55* and keep 5 degree gaps from my PW to my LW. Again, the CBX 4 is a little bigger than the Mizuno with a wider sole:

 

 

 

Lastly is the 60* and I'm comparing a Titleist Vokey 60k against the CBX 4. These might be the closest as they both have a wide sole, which I really like in the Vokey out of the bunkers and around our softer Northern VA conditions. The size is pretty similar so I'm excited to test these two out side by side as the 60k has been one of my favorite wedges for years:

 

 

 

 

[awtryau89]

Played again today and basically learned these wedges are a cheat code out of bunkers. So easy to hit any shot. I hit it close 2-3 times green side but my best shot may have been from a fairway bunker 127 out, up against a lip, with the 50 degree. Hit it to about 12 feet and promptly 3 putted. Oh well. 
 

One minor complaint is the shaft in these wedges. It’s a bit on the light side and a little loose. You really have to wait on it during full swings and I just can’t feel the wedge as well on short pitches. I play a 130 gram KBS in my Vokeys so it’s definitely something I’m going to have to get used to or swap out for the heavier shafts. Leaning to the latter right now because I do like the forgiveness and bite I’m seeing. 

[hammergolf]

14 hours ago, ALTSean said:

Thanks to @Cleveland_Golf and @GolfWRX for the opportunity to test the new CBX 4 Zip Core wedges!

 

I used to play the old Cleveland 588 and 900 series wedges, but then kind of moved away to a mix of Titleist, TaylorMade and Mizuno so I'm excited to come back to Cleveland for a test of their new wedges.  

 

The wedges arrived late on Friday and they look great:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately I did not get a chance to hit them this weekend, but am excited to try them next weekend.  

 

I did get a side by side with my current wedges. I'm currently playing TaylorMade 790s so my 50* is the wedge from the set and mostly use it for full and 3/4 shots and the occasional bump and run. The Cleveland is a little bigger and has a wider sole so I'm interested to compare them side by side:

 

 

 

 

 

My next wedge is an older Mizuno T20 at 55* so I got the CBX 4 at 54* bent 1* weak to play at 55* and keep 5 degree gaps from my PW to my LW. Again, the CBX 4 is a little bigger than the Mizuno with a wider sole:

 

 

 

Lastly is the 60* and I'm comparing a Titleist Vokey 60k against the CBX 4. These might be the closest as they both have a wide sole, which I really like in the Vokey out of the bunkers and around our softer Northern VA conditions. The size is pretty similar so I'm excited to test these two out side by side as the 60k has been one of my favorite wedges for years:

 

 

 

 

I play the CBX Zipcore wedges and they have been great and some of the best I’ve ever played. One thing about these wedges is the unique sole design and grinds. Even though the sole looks very wide, the trailing edge has very heavy relief. The actual sole width is much more narrow and makes them very playable. 

[molecularman]

51 minutes ago, hammergolf said:

I play the CBX Zipcore wedges and they have been great and some of the best I’ve ever played. One thing about these wedges is the unique sole design and grinds. Even though the sole looks very wide, the trailing edge has very heavy relief. The actual sole width is much more narrow and makes them very playable. 

I was going to say,  I noticed they have quite a bit of chamber going on with a smaller ribbon in the middle.   Very interesting wedges, they look great in the address pictures.

[hammergolf]

35 minutes ago, molecularman said:

I was going to say,  I noticed they have quite a bit of chamber going on with a smaller ribbon in the middle.   Very interesting wedges, they look great in the address pictures.

Yeah, they are REALLY good. Cleveland has done a terrible job marketing these. They are so consistent and versatile. Basically you get the lower CG and forgiveness of a very wide sole, but the actual playable sole width is much more narrow. 

[boggyman]

Thanks for the reviews……

[mikes919]

So far I’ve tried the CBX 4 Zipcore wedges for about 3 hours at my local short game practice area, and played a round with them on Friday. Starting to feel more comfortable and get an idea of how to play them.

 

Firstly, the spin on these wedges is excellent, as I expected from the face/groove pattern. They have noticeably more stopping power than my Vokeys, even out of wet conditions. They really grab the ball.

 

Second, the forgiveness is top-tier. In my round on Friday, I put forgiveness to the test because my short game was just absolutely awful! Hitting a lot of fat shots, toe shots, etc. To give you an idea of my ball striking, here is how my wedge looked after pre-round warmups and chipping (everything off the toe):

 

 

But the CBX4 works if you make solid contact just about anywhere on the face. As an example, I had this ~25 yard pitch, and this is where I made contact:

 

 

 

And this is where I ended up:

 

 

Obviously this is an extreme example, but I have found this to be pretty consistent. If you hit it pretty much anywhere on the grooves, you can expect a similar result.

 

One thing I was not really expecting, is how muted the feel would be. Along with all the forgiveness comes a much lower level of feedback. Most shots feel about the same to me; you can tell when you really hit one off the toe, or really thin, but otherwise everything has a nice, pleasant “thump” to it. You may or may not enjoy this kind of feel. When I switch back to my Vokeys in practice, the change in feel is a little jarring. Blade-style wedges have a much more direct “click” on impact, and it’s much easier to tell whether you caught it high, low, etc. This is actually why I started playing the Srixon Z-Star XV's this week; I normally play the Bridgestone B XS, and I wanted something firmer to make up for the muted feel with the new wedges. I think it worked, using a "clickier" ball brought some of the feel back.

 

In general, I have really enjoyed the feel and performance of these wedges on half- and full-swing shots. They have a ton of forgiveness as I mentioned, they feel extremely solid on impact, and flight is not too high. They have the right amount of bounce for full swings in various conditions, and I don’t have much trouble hitting them cleanly. There were a couple short Par 3 holes that I played on Friday around the 130 yard mark, where I would normally pull PW but decided to hit the 48* just to see what I could do with it. I was able to play the ball back in my stance, flight it down a bit, and push out to about 125. In both cases, I landed just barely short of the green and right on target.

 

Shorter pitches and chips are a little different story; I have struggled a bit with the higher bounce. Counterintuitively, I feel like the leading edge relief makes it a bit harder for me to pick the ball cleanly. Maybe it’s a mental thing, but I feel like I’m able to sweep under the ball much easier with my lower-bounce Vokeys. I have to really concentrate on keeping my hands forward and making clean contact; I’m rewarded with a nice flight and excellent spin, but I’m also chunking shots much more with these because I’m trying to hit down on the ball a little bit more. In my practice session this afternoon I was able to get the hang of it a little better, so I think this is just the learning curve with new wedges.

 

Sand play has been a mixed bag for me. I am definitely rusty when it comes to sand, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. I’m still able to hit my Vokey 60K pretty well by just squaring it up and swinging loosely. The Clevelands require a little more traditional approach with some face manipulation to use the bounce. So far, I’m having better results with the 54* than the 60*.

 

Finally, I’ll say that I’m not a huge fan of the stock shafts either. I have historically never gotten along with KBS shafts, there is something about the feel and flex profile that makes it hard for me to feel where the clubhead is. I find myself getting stuck behind my hips more often than usual on pitches. I need to really make an effort to consciously keep my arms linked with my lower body as I transition out of the backswing. I have some ingrained muscle memory of feeling the shaft load at the top of the backswing, and I’m not feeling that with the KBS. After another week or two I think I will likely swap out the shafts to match my new irons, with Modus 105 in the 48* and Modus 115 in the 54/60.

[ChrisATL]

Love to see these initial reviews rolling in - have never gamed Clevelands but I’m def going to add these to my list (my Jaws have maybe one more season at this point). Keep em coming!

[Lobbing Iron]

I am curious how the 58/60 performs on tighter/firmer lies.  That grind looks very versatile for that type of wedge.

[hammergolf]

25 minutes ago, Lobbing Iron said:

I am curious how the 58/60 performs on tighter/firmer lies.  That grind looks very versatile for that type of wedge.

It works great. With that beveled leading edge you can play it with your hands ahead without worrying about it digging. These wedges are so good and don’t get the play they should.

[mikes919]

Had some more opportunities to try out the wedges on-course again today. I can definitely say I am much more comfortable on 3/4 and full swings with these wedges than my Vokeys. The sweet spot is significantly larger, and the extra sole width and bounce on the 54* really helps to avoid digging too much on the fuller shots. I stand by my statement that these are excellent for diggers or anyone regularly playing in wet/soft conditions. The stock shafts are growing on me, they like to be swung hard.

 

I am still not totally comfortable with these in sand or tighter lies, it’s like I can’t figure out the correct attack angle to cleanly pick the ball. If I go harder at the ball and try to take a divot then it works pretty well, but I just don’t have that swing ingrained for half shots and pitches. I’m ok out of the rough, and I really like the extra spin I’m able to generate from there.

 

I can see a setup where I would carry something like 48/52 degree CBX’s and 56/60 degree RTX. That might suit my game better.

[mikes919]

Another mixed bag round for me today with the CBX4 Zipcore wedges. I played like hot garbage on the front 9 and then everything clicked in the back 9, probably because storms were rolling in and we started really hustling! Funny how sometimes your game comes together when you stop thinking, just run up there and hit the ball.

 

I am getting more and more comfortable with them on full-swing shots, especially the 48*. I did pretty well today on everything from about 30 yards out with the CBX4's. I had several opportunities in the 100-110yd range today where I put it fairly close and had just the right amount of spin. Hit and stick. At this point, I am feeling good enough with the stock shafts that I'm holding off on my original plan to swap them.

 

Here is a shot I had today where I ended up dropping a handful of balls to see which wedge would work best for me: about 85 yards over water to a small, protected pin.

 

 

My gut instinct was to go full-send with the 60 degree to really drop it down onto the green. But, I caught the 60* a bit thin both times I tried, and bounced off the green. The 54* did better, I was able to hit it cleanly and land where I was targeting but actually spun off the front. Maybe need to re-calibrate my target a bit! The 48* was perfect from here with a nice smooth half-swing, the ball one-hopped and stopped.

 

I'm finding that the 48* is my favorite in general. I seem to be the most consistent with it for chipping too. It rolls out less than my Vokey 50*, probably because the fresh grooves and texture are giving me some extra bite. But it seems to be predictable, so it's working well.

 

On the 54* and 60* I am still struggling to make clean contact on shorter shots. I caught it thin several times today on short pitches and chips. Not completely bladed across the green, but pretty close. My game under 20 yards definitely cost me some shots. When I go back to my old wedges, the problem with thin contact disappears. So there's something about the grind/bounce that's making it tougher for me to slide under the ball (with my existing setup & swing). Will continue practicing with them, and see if I can work it out.

[hammergolf]

2 hours ago, mikes919 said:

Another mixed bag round for me today with the CBX4 Zipcore wedges. I played like hot garbage on the front 9 and then everything clicked in the back 9, probably because storms were rolling in and we started really hustling! Funny how sometimes your game comes together when you stop thinking, just run up there and hit the ball.

 

I am getting more and more comfortable with them on full-swing shots, especially the 48*. I did pretty well today on everything from about 30 yards out with the CBX4's. I had several opportunities in the 100-110yd range today where I put it fairly close and had just the right amount of spin. Hit and stick. At this point, I am feeling good enough with the stock shafts that I'm holding off on my original plan to swap them.

 

Here is a shot I had today where I ended up dropping a handful of balls to see which wedge would work best for me: about 85 yards over water to a small, protected pin.

 

 

My gut instinct was to go full-send with the 60 degree to really drop it down onto the green. But, I caught the 60* a bit thin both times I tried, and bounced off the green. The 54* did better, I was able to hit it cleanly and land where I was targeting but actually spun off the front. Maybe need to re-calibrate my target a bit! The 48* was perfect from here with a nice smooth half-swing, the ball one-hopped and stopped.

 

I'm finding that the 48* is my favorite in general. I seem to be the most consistent with it for chipping too. It rolls out less than my Vokey 50*, probably because the fresh grooves and texture are giving me some extra bite. But it seems to be predictable, so it's working well.

 

On the 54* and 60* I am still struggling to make clean contact on shorter shots. I caught it thin several times today on short pitches and chips. Not completely bladed across the green, but pretty close. My game under 20 yards definitely cost me some shots. When I go back to my old wedges, the problem with thin contact disappears. So there's something about the grind/bounce that's making it tougher for me to slide under the ball (with my existing setup & swing). Will continue practicing with them, and see if I can work it out.

On the thin shots you’re hitting is there any contact with ground or divot? I’m just wondering if it may be the preworn leading edge that may be the issue. If it was the thickness of the sole, or too high a bounce it would cause all of your fwy length shots to be thin as well. I have the CBX Zips and they have been great and very versatile, but they don’t have the preworn leading edge. Have you tried putting your hands a bit more forward on the shorter shots? That would lower the leading edge and should eliminate the thin shots but still have the security of the wider sole to prevent digging. 

[mikes919]

1 minute ago, hammergolf said:

On the thin shots you’re hitting is there any contact with ground or divot? I’m just wondering if it may be the preworn leading edge that may be the issue. If it was the thickness of the sole, or too high a bounce it would cause all of your fwy length shots to be thin as well. I have the CBX Zips and they have been great and very versatile, but they don’t have the preworn leading edge. Have you tried putting your hands a bit more forward on the shorter shots? That would lower the leading edge and should eliminate the thin shots but still have the security of the wider sole to prevent digging. 

I’m definitely hitting the ground, but not taking much of a divot. I’m sure you’re correct that I’m just not getting my hands forward enough; I’m coming in really shallow and sweeping the ball. I subscribe more to the Day/Stricker method of chips and pitches, like this video:

 

So I don’t use much wrist hinge, and my hands are pretty far back at impact. Actually, I actively try to avoid wrist manipulation. Right away when I got these wedges I was skeptical of that leading edge relief because it really favors a more aggressive move down into the ball with hands forward. That’s probably why I am liking them so much on full swings, where I am getting much more hands-forward at impact. Definitely better than my Vokeys from about 75 yards and out.

 

Now I’m wishing I would have ordered 48-52-56, haha. The lower lofts are really great gap wedges for my swing.

 

[hammergolf]

29 minutes ago, mikes919 said:

I’m definitely hitting the ground, but not taking much of a divot. I’m sure you’re correct that I’m just not getting my hands forward enough; I’m coming in really shallow and sweeping the ball. I subscribe more to the Day/Stricker method of chips and pitches, like this video:

 

So I don’t use much wrist hinge, and my hands are pretty far back at impact. Actually, I actively try to avoid wrist manipulation. Right away when I got these wedges I was skeptical of that leading edge relief because it really favors a more aggressive move down into the ball with hands forward. That’s probably why I am liking them so much on full swings, where I am getting much more hands-forward at impact. Definitely better than my Vokeys from about 75 yards and out.

 

Now I’m wishing I would have ordered 48-52-56, haha. The lower lofts are really great gap wedges for my swing.

 

Yeah, my technique is very similar to yours, that's why pre-worn leading edges don’t work for me. It makes the leading edge sit too high off the turf and leads to thin contact. An interesting experiment would be to bend your 60* 2 degrees strong to make the lead edge sit lower, and see if that eliminates the thin issue. 

[mikes919]

17 minutes ago, hammergolf said:

Yeah, my technique is very similar to yours, that's why pre-worn leading edges don’t work for me. It makes the leading edge sit too high off the turf and leads to thin contact. An interesting experiment would be to bend your 60* 2 degrees strong to make the lead edge sit lower, and see if that eliminates the thin issue. 

Not a bad idea, I might bend both the 54 and 60 strong and see how it goes.

[hammergolf]

1 minute ago, mikes919 said:

Not a bad idea, I might bend both the 54 and 60 strong and see how it goes.

I’d be interested to hear how it works out. The good news is if that works you can pick up some CBX Zips in 54* and 60* since they don’t have the preworn leading edge but the rest of the sole is the same. I can’t say enough good things about them. 

[ChrisATL]

On 5/24/2024 at 5:45 PM, hammergolf said:

Yeah, my technique is very similar to yours, that's why pre-worn leading edges don’t work for me. It makes the leading edge sit too high off the turf and leads to thin contact. An interesting experiment would be to bend your 60* 2 degrees strong to make the lead edge sit lower, and see if that eliminates the thin issue. 

Interesting feedback- didn’t realize they had pre-worn leading edges. My technique is the same, so I’m curious if you are able to bend them some to address. 

[hammergolf]

2 hours ago, ChrisATL said:

Interesting feedback- didn’t realize they had pre-worn leading edges. My technique is the same, so I’m curious if you are able to bend them some to address. 

Yes, they are easy to adjust for loft and lie.