Cleveland CBX ZipCore Wedges – Key Takeaways
Cleveland adds ZipCore technology to its game-improvement CBX wedges. ZipCore improves MOI for a more forgiving wedge. $149.99 in steel, $159.99 in graphite. Available Feb. 18The new Cleveland CBX ZipCore wedges pull off a pretty neat trick. They are, concurrently, dramatically different and remarkably similar to their predecessor, the two-year-old CBX 2.
No matter how you feel about the whole idea of a game-improvement wedge, that’s quite an accomplishment.
The CBX line is Cleveland’s effort to redefine the wedge market for those of us with, shall we say, less than perfect ball-striking skills. It’s a large, forgiving, cavity-back wedge for golfers who game large, forgiving, cavity-back irons.
That’s not Brooks Koepka. But that is the vast majority of of us who play golf.
As the name suggests, the new Cleveland CBX ZipCore features Cleveland’s unique ZipCore technology, while maintaining—Cleveland says “enhancing”—the CBX signature forgiveness. Are these the wedges you’ve been looking for? There’s a lot to unpack here so let’s dive in.
Cleveland CBX ZipCore: Forgiveness for the Masses
First off, if you graduated from the Hogwarts School of Wedge-craftery and possess Phil-like levels of short-game skill, please do yourself a favor and skip this article. The CBX ZipCore should not be on your radar.
“These CBX ZipCore wedges are built for amateurs,” says Cleveland R&D Vice President Jeff Brunski. “The sole is more forgiving, the head is more stable, the sweet spot is closer to your impact location and the entire club is lighter weight.”
While the idea of a cavity-back wedge is nothing new, Cleveland upped the ante when it introduced the original CBX in 2017. Rather than basing the design off its standard blade-style wedge, Cleveland started from the ground up to make a wedge as forgiving as the cavity-back game-improvement irons the target golfer was playing.
The Cleveland CBX 2 model was not included in MyGolfSpy’s 2021 Most Wanted Wedge testing (not unusual, as it was up for replacement) but the full-face CBX model was (it did not fare well). CBX 2 did perform in the top 10 in 2019 and the original CBX excelled in pitching (second in Strokes Gained) and chipping (fifth in Strokes Gained) in 2018 testing. Oddly, given its design, it finished in the lower half of the pack in full shots.
For 2021, Cleveland is adding ZipCore and its groovy cousin UltiZip to the mix.
ZipCore: The CG Mover
Cleveland introduced ZipCore last year in its RTX ZipCore wedges. It’s a trite yet catchy nickname for a pretty interesting technology. ZipCore is an aluminum-silicate compound with an extremely high melting point that’s four times less dense than steel. Cleveland forms it into a hosel core and then casts the rest of the wedge around it.
The lighter core removes roughly 16 grams of material from the hosel, which moves the center of gravity closer to the center of the face. On top of that, the new CBX ZipCore features a hollow cavity near the heel and added weight in the toe, which pushes the CG and the sweet spot out toward where mere mortal golfers tend to hit it.
“We developed advanced simulation techniques that model thousands of typical amateur shots,” says Brunski. “We use this tool to test an enormous range of possible mass distribution options. Ultimately, we were able to increase heel-toe MOI by 10 percent (over CBX 2) and high-low MOI by 25 percent, all while keeping the sweet spot within one millimeter of the face center.”
What does all that mean for the likes of you and me? Increased heel-toe MOI means if (or when) you ever so slightly miss the sweet spot on that 100-yard approach shot, you might just wind up on the right front fringe instead of the right front bunker.
Increased high-low MOI is especially useful for golfers who miss high on the face. It provides better spin control as well as distance control and a similar trajectory.
Inserts, Grooves and Grinds
The original CBX wedge featured a hollow cavity. In CBX 2, Cleveland added a TPU insert it called Gelback. Well, Gelback is back in CBX ZipCore and Cleveland says it’s the Bad Vibe Police, so it won’t harsh your short game mellow.
“The footprint is a little larger (compared to the CBX 2 insert),” says Brunski. “This allows us to design a larger cavity beneath it to move more mass to improve the CG and MOI.”
CBX ZipCore features Cleveland’s signature circular Rotex face milling to whisk away moisture as well as Cleveland’s UltiZip grooves. It’s the same groove technology used in the RTX ZipCore wedges with grooves that are 11 percent sharper, 7.3 percent deeper and 7.4 percent closer together than previous models. That means Cleveland can add two more grooves to each face for a little more, uhhh, zip.
If you tend to geek out over wedge grind options, CBX ZipCore won’t do much for you. Like its predecessor, CBX ZipCore offers three basic sole grinds for three basic types of wedges.
The 44- through 52-degree wedges, most commonly used for full shots, have a V-sole for full swings and other square-faced shots. The S-shaped sole in the 54- and 56-degree models is optimized for bunker shots and other open-faced rough or fairway shots. The lob wedge options—58 and 60 degrees—feature a C-shaped sole and allow you to open the face even more.
That may sound limited but Cleveland is pretty sure your typical CBX golfer isn’t thinking about grinds and probably doesn’t have the tight lie flop shot in his or her repertoire.
The Pitching Wedge Conundrum
Should you ditch your set-matching pitching wedge for something that’s a little more wedge-y? We’ve discussed that question before but Cleveland is putting the issue front and center by adding a 44-degree CBX ZipCore to the lineup.
“ZipCore technology creates a much higher MOI compared to set-matching wedges,” says Brunski. “Second, the spin performance is not even close between the CBX ZipCore and a set-matching wedge, especially on shots hit from the rough.”
Again, CBX ZipCore is targeted to golfers gaming game-improvement irons. The pitching wedges in those sets are in the 40- to 44-degree range and are often designed more for distance than spin and versatility. Does the target golfer want his or her pitching wedge to be more wedge-y? It’s an open question and Cleveland’s not the first to ask it but CBX ZipCore does provide an intriguing option.
As far as gapping is concerned, the CBX ZipCore lineup allows for four-degree increments no matter what your pitching wedge loft might be.
“Larger gaps typically mean learning how to hit partial swing shots consistently,” says Brunski. “That’s a challenge that mid- to high-handicappers can avoid.”
And while it’s no substitute for Most Wanted testing, we can offer a few observations from a couple of late-season rounds. First off, we can say the ZipCore effect on mishits is noticeable. The overall forgiveness of CBX is as advertised and distance loss on those mishits is minimal. If you want more versatility in a wedge, however, CBX ZipCore won’t offer much. But, then again, they do offer enough versatility for the target golfer.
If you want to hit a flop shot, well …
Cleveland CBX ZipCore Wedges: Specs, Price and Availability
The Cleveland CBX Zipcore wedges will be available in both men’s and women’s models. The men’s lofts range from 44 through 60 degrees in two-degree increments. The 44-, 46- and 48-degree models are right-handed only. The rest will be available for both lefties and righties.
Women’s models will come in 48 through 60 degrees for righties. Only the 52-, 56- and 60-degree models will be available for lefties.
The Dynamic Gold 115 Spinner Tour Issue is the stock steel shaft. True Temper says the more active tip improves spin compared to the standard DG 115. The 84-gram Project X Catalyst 80 Spinner is the stock graphite shaft. The Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 is the stock grip.
The women’s model features the 59-gram Cleveland Actionultralite 50 shaft. The stock grip is an undersized, 41-gram Golf Pride Tour Wrap Microsuede.
Cleveland’s customization program remains the best deal going. For as little as $10, you can color-customize three different areas of the clubhead: the Cleveland logo, the loft/bounce and the CBX logo. You can also add up to five engraved letters and characters.
The new Cleveland CBX ZipCore will retail for $149.99 in steel and $159.99 in graphite. The U.S. launch date is Feb. 18.
For more information, visit www.clevelandgolf.com.
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