The new Cleveland CBX 4 ZipCore wedges are the fourth generation of a Cleveland grand experiment based on a bold statement.

The bold statement is simple: The 84 percent of you who play cavity-back game-improvement irons are probably playing the wrong wedges.

The grand experiment: Cleveland is betting you’d rather play the right ones.

And those right ones, according to Cleveland (and, if you’ve been paying attention, a growing number of OEMS), are the cavity-back game-improvement CBX 4 ZipCores.

This latest installment of the CBX family includes all of Cleveland’s latest wedge technologies along with refined shaping designed to flow seamlessly with Cleveland’s new ZipCore XL irons. But perhaps the biggest improvement is probably the smallest to the eye but could be a major contributor to any golfer’s sanity.

Or at least his ability to control rage.

Cleveland CBX 4 ZipCore Wedges: A History Lesson

Cleveland introduced the CBX wedge concept in 2017 with a simple message: Game-improvement golfers should use game-improvement wedges. And those original CBXs weren’t just a regurgitated cavity-back wedge option that Cleveland had sold for years. This was an all-new wedge designed for forgiveness while keeping all the requisite wedg-y-ness you’d want in a wedge.

Cleveland has continued to update the CBX line with its latest tech as well as offering the line in full-face options and different finishes. And CBX has scored admirably in MyGolfSpy’s wedge testing, consistently ranking among the top performers each year.

It has performed so well that OEMs such as COBRA and Callaway have released their own lines of game-improvement wedges.

“It’s the right amount of forgiveness and versatility for these players,” says Cleveland Senior Product Manager Casey Schultz. “And we want to focus on something that’s premium-looking. Just because you’re playing a cavity-back iron or wedge doesn’t mean you can’t have a really nice-looking club in your bag.”

While “nice-looking” is important, Cleveland isn’t forgetting why a golfer might want a game-improvement wedge in his or her bag. And that reason is summed up in Cleveland’s tagline for the new CBX 4:

“Chuck your blade wedge and chunk less.”

Chunks of Rage

Whether your handicap is 25 or plus-2, nothing spawns fits of rage faster than a chunked chip or pitch. Yeah, yeah, yeah … get lessons, practice more, blah blah blah. But put a wedge in my hands that makes that chunk a little less likely and you’ll turn me into one sweet, lovable and, dare I say, bubbly sexagenarian. (No, it’s not what you think.)

While it may be impossible to make a wedge “chunk-free,” Cleveland has done a remarkable job making the CBX family at the very least “chunk-resistant.” In this new CBX 4 ZipCore iteration, Cleveland’s upping the chunk resistance with a redesigned leading-edge bounce chamfer.

“Having that chamfer reduces digging on contact,” says Schultz. “That’s big for a player whose No. 1 fear is laying sod over the ball on any sort of shot around the green. And that’s not even taking into account all the other design features for this type of player: lighter components, wider soles and sole grinds to reduce chunking while still providing some versatility.”

The first CBX iteration was forgiving but wasn’t at all versatile. Grinds were limited and, if you wanted to open up the face a little, you couldn’t. Each subsequent iteration has gotten better to the point where you can get a little creative around the green.

“You can open up the sole with the 60-degree model,” says Schultz. “If you want to play a flop shot, you definitely can.”

The Zen of Zip

You can say this about Cleveland wedges: There’s no skimp on the Zip. 

ZipCore is the core technology in the Cleveland CBX 4 ZipCore wedges. It’s a proprietary, low-density compound pre-cast into the clubhead itself. ZipCore is part of the hosel and flows just a touch into the heel. And since ZipCore is lighter than the rest of the stainless-steel head, the center of gravity shifts away from the heel and more towards the center of the club face.

That also allows Cleveland to move some mass both low and high toward the toe. According to Cleveland’s player testing, mid to high handicappers tend to hit 55 percent of their wedge shots on the toe-side of the center, and another 25 percent in the center. Mathematically speaking, that can benefit 80 percent of your wedge shots.

The second and third levels of Zip are Cleveland’s other core wedge technologies, HydraZip and UltiZip. HydraZip was introduced last year in the new RTX 6 wedges. It’s a unique blend of laser lines and blast treatments to boost face friction, particularly in wet conditions. Lower-lofted wedges get a less aggressive treatment for modest friction to have controllable spin on full shots. The 50- and 52-degree models get a light rough and more aggressive treatment for a little more friction. And the highest lofts get the roughest treatments for maximum friction and spin.

UltiZip is Cleveland’s name for sharper, deeper and more tightly spaced grooves. The theory is the sharper grooves will cut through grass and other junk more effectively and the deeper grooves will channel it all out of the way.

The technology does work. Both the Cleveland CBX Full Face and RTX 6 ZipCore wedges finished in the top five in MyGolfSpy’s 2023 wedge testing.

Bumps and Grinds

As mentioned, what early CBX models gaveth in forgiveness, they tooketh away in versatility. The new Cleveland CBX 4 ZipCore wedges feature higher heel-toe and high-low MOI than the previous model. But you are getting enough sole grinds to make life around the green more interesting.

Specifically, the lower-lofted wedges typically used for full shots (44- through 52-degree models) feature the trademark Cleveland-Srixon-XXIO V-Sole. It’s made to minimize digging and we’ve hit shots that we swore were on the fat side that still flew like nothing happened.

The 54- and 56-degree models get an S-Sole. It features added bounce to get the ball out of the sand and for open-faced finesse shots from the rough or fairway.

And the 58- and 60-degree wedges get a C-Sole, perfect for lob shots with an open face. The C-Sole has extra heel and toe relief to go open face or toe down for various creative shots.

The new leading-edge chamfer mentioned earlier is designed to help get the wedge in and out of the turf from a variety of attack angles. That will be especially helpful in chunk-prevention, especially when you forward press the shaft.

Cleveland CBX 4 ZipCore Wedges: Specs, Price and Availability

The Cleveland CBX 4 ZipCore wedges will be available in men’s and women’s models. The men’s lineup is fuller, with lofts ranging from 44 to 60 degrees in two-degree increments. The 44- through 48-degree models will be available in right-handed only. The rest of the lineup is for righties and lefties.

The women’s lineup is available from 48 to 60 degrees. However, only the 52-, 56- and 60-degree wedges are available for lefties.

The men’s stock steel shaft is the KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 115. It’s light enough for the target market and, according to KBS, has an active tip for a higher trajectory with more spin. The stock graphite is the UST Recoil Dart 80 Wedge shaft. The stock men’s grip is the Lamkin Crossline 360.

The UST Recoil Dart 50 Wedge is the stock women’s shaft. The stock grip is the Lamkin ST Soft.

Shaft and grip options and upgrades are available through Cleveland’s custom department.

The new Cleveland CBX 4 ZipCore wedges will retail at $169.99 in steel and $179.99 in graphite. They hit the stores on Jan. 24.

For more information, visit the Cleveland Golf website.

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