The new Cleveland ZipCore XL irons double down on Cleveland’s “XL” franchise. And in the case of these game-improvement irons, we don’t have to fiddle around.

These suckers are extra-large.

On the other hand, while most game-improvement irons might give you blatant offset or a topline you might find in the “Boy’s Husky” section, these new Cleveland irons stand out.

Or, more precisely, don’t stand out.

“They’re for players who should be playing game-improvement irons but don’t want to look at a lot of offset or massive topline,” says Cleveland Senior Product Manager Casey Schultz. “Even the 4- and 5-iron don’t have a massive, chunky sole but it is one of the larger irons in the category.”

And, not for nothing, the name of these irons should give you a not-so-subtle hint as to the headline technology. For the first time, Cleveland is bringing its unique wedge-centric ZipCore technology to an iron.

And (shocking in 2024, I know), the Cleveland ZipCore XL irons also have an AI-designed face.

Cleveland ZipCore XL Irons: Big and Bold

Two years ago, Cleveland gave us the Launcher XL irons. Like the new ZipCore XL irons, they were big and they featured an AI-designed face. They also had a surprisingly sweet feel for a game-improvement iron. Unfortunately for Cleveland, the Launcher XL irons finished 11th out of 11 in our 2022 game-improvement iron testing.

That, friends, is DFL.

Our testers found them neither long, accurate nor forgiving. To add insult to injury, they didn’t like the feel nearly as much as I did.

But, as we mentioned in our story on the Halo XL irons, Cleveland does know super game-improvement. And with both Srixon and XXIO performing well in game-improvement, surely Cleveland can join the party.

“These are cavity-back whereas the previous Launcher XL irons were hollow-body, at least in the long irons,” says Schultz. “The MainFrame AI-designed face is more similar to what you’ll find in the Srixon ZX5 irons. That should give us more ball speed than the past generation.”

Anything that makes an iron more like the Srixon ZX5 is a really good thing.

Specifically, Cleveland’s AI-created MainFrame face is a variable-thickness network of grooves, channels and cavities milled into the backside of the 4- through 7-iron faces. The purpose? All the better to flex the face and maximize ball speed in the long irons, my dear readers.

Additionally, Cleveland is leaning on AI to optimize internal weight pad locations for max MOI and CG locations. Based on Launcher XL’s performance, there’s a considerable amount of ball speed, forgiveness and accuracy to be made up.

Zip Code

You no doubt noticed “ZipCore” in the Cleveland ZipCore LX name.

If you’re not a Cleveland aficionado, you may very well be asking, “What, pray tell, is a ZipCore?”

Simply put, ZipCore is a lightweight, low-density material developed by Cleveland. It’s like a small to medium-sized glob that takes the place of heavier stainless steel where the hosel transitions to the main part of the clubhead. Since it’s so much lighter (but still strong), the center of gravity can shift more toward the center of the clubface.

“ZipCore is used in the 8-iron on up to your wedge lofts,” says Schultz. “Those irons have a little bit longer hosel and ZipCore is going to be more effective, given the amount of mass that’s being removed. The idea is to maximize spin consistency and forgiveness potential.”

Cleveland introduced ZipCore in its wedges back in 2020. While spin consistency and forgiveness did improve, the biggest benefit may very well have been in feel. Cleveland wedges went from being clicky and harsh to having a much more pleasing sound and feel.

“Since you’re moving the CG more toward the middle where you’re striking the ball, it’s going to feel better,” says Schultz. “If you have heel-biased CG, you’re going to get a harsher feel. And, secondarily, ZipCore is also a vibration-reducing material. It’ll reduce vibration even though it’s not forged.”

While I may have been one of the few who liked the feel of the Launcher XL irons, you will notice the ZipCore XL irons have a crisper feel. Again, that’s because it’s a full cavity-back set whereas the Launcher XLs featured hollow-body long irons and cavity-back scoring sticks.

Cleveland ZipCore XL and HydraZip

The new Cleveland ZipCore XL irons are getting another wedge-centric technology: HydraZip. Cleveland introduced HydraZip last year on its RTX 6 wedge line. It’s a spin-enhancing face blast to get balanced spin throughout the set, especially in wet conditions.

The 4- through 7-irons get a rougher HydraZip face blast with wider, flatter grooves. The increased friction reduces long-iron spin and boosts carry distance. The scoring irons get a smoother blast, with thinner, deeper grooves to get moisture out of the way and boost spin on approach shots. The pitching, gap and sand wedges have additional milling for even better short-game control.

While the Cleveland ZipCore XL irons are physically big, they don’t approach the “shovel” category. For the most part, the industry has done a good job of making game-improvement irons look more like golf clubs and less like gardening tools.

“The ZipCore XL blade length is similar to the previous model,” says Schultz. “But it is a little bit longer than the rest of the market. It’s a combination of confidence and forgiveness, without a lot of offset that the better player might find off-putting. And the weighting features make sure it won’t be a right-biased club.”

Cleveland has added a few other touches to the ZipCore XL irons to improve performance. First, you’ll find the signature Srixon V-Sole throughout the set. It’s a progressive sole that makes Srixon irons the kings of turf interaction. If it works in Srixon, why not Cleveland?

There’s also Action Mass CB, an eight-ounce counterweight in the butt end of each shaft. Counterweighting isn’t a new idea but Cleveland and XXIO make it standard in their irons and metalwoods. The idea is that the counterweight makes the club feel lighter, promoting an easier, more consistent swing.

Cleveland ZipCore XL Irons: Final Thoughts Plus Specs, Price and Availability

As my old pappy used to tell me, opinions are like a certain anatomical orifice: everybody has one. It says here that, at the very least, Cleveland has delivered a pretty nice-looking iron, albeit a somewhat busy-looking one. It should, however, blend nicely with Cleveland’s top-performing CBX wedges. The new chrome finish sparkles and shines compared to the Launcher XL’s dull brushed chrome.

And if you’re a loft purist, you’ll be thrilled to learn Cleveland is still putting the loft next to the iron number.

Performance, however, should be what matters so our testing will give us a better idea of how much, or even if, Cleveland’s AI machine has done its job.

The Cleveland ZipCore XL iron set will be available in men’s and women’s models. The men’s model features the KBS Tour Lite as the stock steel shaft and the UST Helium Nanocore 60 as stock graphite. The Lamkin Crossline 360 is the stock grip.

The women’s stock shaft is the lighter Nanocore 50 with the Lamkin ST Soft the stock grip.

Men’s seven-piece sets will be available for lefties and righties. Women’s sets will be right-handed only. Left-handed women will have to custom order.

Cleveland is also offering an optional Accuracy Build through its custom department. Each iron is a half-inch shorter and comes without the Action Mass CB counterweight.

The Cleveland ZipCore XL irons will retail for $899.99 in steel and $999.99 in graphite. They hit retail on Jan. 19.

For more information, visit the Cleveland Golf website.

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