Cleveland Smart Sole 4 Wedge Review
Perhaps the most forgiving option among Cleveland’s comprehensive wedge range is the Smart Sole 4. As a 3 handicap index player and relatively confident chipper, this product is certainly not aimed at me but I was able to pass it on to the perfect candidate. A good friend of mine, let’s call him Mr H, who is clinging on to a single-figure handicap but struggles frustratingly with the chipping yips. I passed on a 50° sample for him to employ over multiple rounds. Here’s his story and how he got on with the Smart Sole 4 wedge...
Mr H: Whenever I play a foursomes format I always tell my partner “If you can’t reach the green then leave me a 100 yard shot” as I can’t handle anything shorter into and around the greens - it’s been that way for about six years now. In plain terms, I having the chipping yips. I get that deep anxiety even thinking about chipping never mind standing over the ball. I was at my wits end, condemned to an eternity of chunks or thins, or so it seemed.
Out of the blue a friend calls me and reckons he has the answer to all my problems The Cleveland Smart Sole 4 wedge. He has similar demons and claims it has turned his game around. This club comes in three loft options, 42°, 50° and 58°. It’s finished in a very appealing matte dark grey which gives it quite a premium, stealth-like look that stands out among the best golf wedges. I opted for the 50° as it seemed to offer the best of both worlds in terms of forgiveness and loft, plus I could swap it out for my regular 50° approach wedge without adding an extra club to the bag.
The wedge has quite a large face which is adorned with plenty of grooves, some in places you think would never meet with a golf ball but hey, they’re there if ever called into action. Looking down at address it looks just like a regular wedge but all the tech and help is going on out of sight underneath. The extra wide, three-tiered sole coupled with added leading edge bounce is the key to its design with the sole getting progressively wider as the lofts go up - making it one of the most forgiving wedges money can buy.
Testing it out initially on my artificial grass lawn the results were promising and I was clipping the ball nicely off the forgiving fake turf but the real test would come when I took it to the course. Golf coaches will tell you that the key to chipping is to get the bounce striking the ground rather than attempt to lift the ball off it and that’s where the Smart Sole 4 comes into its own - it's one of the best wedges for chipping. After a few practice swings without a ball I was brushing the short mown turf nicely without leaving a mark.
I placed a ball down and told myself “trust the sole”. I made the swing with only that thought in my head and “Hey Presto” - I watched in amazement as the ball flew gently through the air and even checked on landing. This was a feeling that I had been missing for so many years. I continued to clip balls with a renewed confidence that I wouldn’t duff the shot and after a short while noticed that the horrible anxiety that I usually felt was subsiding with each successful chip.
I’m not saying that I’ll never chunk or thin a chip ever again but I’m no longer standing over the ball thinking all the bad thoughts of the past. In short, it definitely does what it is intended to do and that is to instil the confidence back into those that lack it. I’m now more confident that I can get my eight handicap back down to the four or five of the not too distant past.
It's not completely one-dimensional but if confidence levels rise enough to the point that you want to get creative around the greens, you may need to switch to something with a narrower sole and a little more heel relief. But for basic chip shots, the Smart Sole 4 delivers consistency and confidence.
