As a former collegiate and Mini-tour professional golfer, I have always gravitated towards a more blade-style wedge for the sleek looks, soft feel and spin on offer. But after some time away from the game caused by injury, my short game suffered upon my return and so I’m on a mission to get my chipping and pitching back to where it had been previously. I took one of the latest wedge releases, the Cleveland CBX 4 Zipcore, out on the course to see what performance was on offer.
First off it’s worth mentioning how good they look in the bag. Even though I lhave leaned towards more compact wedges in the past, such as the Titleist Vokey SM10 and TaylorMade MG4, the idea of a cavity back wedge actually makes sense. I think about some of the best wedges for beginners that typically have a large footprint and thicker topline to inspire confidence and the CBX 4 Zipcore has these traits too without screaming game improver, especially at address.
While the CBX 4 Zipcore wedges certainly don’t look small behind the ball, the rounded leading wedge allowed for versatility around the greens, meaning I could be creative and hit different shots with different flights and spins to access certain pins. This was something I wasn’t expecting and a feature that all the best golf wedges possess. The CBX 4 wedges feature some really clever face blasting technology, the brand is calling ‘Hydrazip’ - a laser milled line to enhance surface friction and promoting spin in dry or damp conditions.
The CBX 4 Zipcore wedges feature the same Zipcore technology found in some of the best Cleveland wedges that include the impressive RTX6 wedges. This allows for a heavier steel in the hosel to be replaced with a lightweight but strong vibration dampening material. The weight saved from the heel is then redistributed across the toe and higher on the face allowing 7.8 percent more MOI than in previous generations and optimum CG placement. I noticed this higher CG lowered my ball flight a little on fuller shots, which I feel actually gave me more control and therefore more confidence, especially on windy days. Mishits weren't punished half as bad as if I was using one of my older bladed wedges and saw my ball falling on or around my target more than not when hitting full shots with these wedges.
This cavity back wedge also felt great off the face and that’s probably due to a vibration dampening insert on the back of the head, but still allowing enough feel and feedback that the better player or more confident ball striker would look for. It felt a little firm when chipping, which some people may like, but I’m someone who prefers a slightly softer feel. These wedges did really help around the greens when it came to consistency of strike - the wide sole on these wedges really helped me gain some confidence thanks to a larger margin for error. These wedges are offered in three different grinds to help anyone, no matter their tendency of delivering the club slightly more steep or shallow into the ball.
The CBX 4 wedges are a really strong option for those looking to upgrade their wedges this season and provide really high levels of performance and forgiveness that golfers of all abilities will benefit from. I would say they are aimed slightly more towards the higher handicap golfer due to the feel and size of the head but low handicappers looking for more assistance around the greens should definitely look into testing the Cleveland CBX 4 Zipcore wedges given the spin performance on offer.
The Cleveland CBX 4 Zipcore wedges are available now in steel (£159) and graphite (£169) in lofts from 44° up to 60°, so you can build a full set of wedges to match the forgiveness of your irons.
