Cleveland’s New Wedges are Good for the Sole

Cleveland Golf’s new Smart Sole 4 wedges are designed to eliminate fear from short game shots while the CBX Full-Face should, likewise, inspire confidence.

By Tony Dear

Smart Sole

It’s a playful term that will never evoke the same fear and disgust as the “s” word, but an ugly, look-away chili-dip can be every bit as aggravating as a shank.

Chipping should be simple–you’re hitting the ball a few feet on to the putting surface and watching it roll out to the hole. It’s a nudge, a bump, a prod. Set up to the ball correctly and an almost effortless rock of the shoulders is all you need. And yet a moment of indecision causes the deceleration that leaves the clubhead in the grass. Without any forward momentum, the club barely reaches the ball. And even if it does make it, so little energy is transferred to the dratted pill that it rolls a few dimples at best.

Cleveland Golf’s Smart Sole wedges have been preventing chili-dips and duffed chips since 2013, and now the fourth incarnation comes complete with a new model–”G” for Gap Wedge.

Each of the three wedges–”C” for Chipper, “S” for Sand and “G” for Gap comes with the familiar extra-wide sole and leading-edge bounce that prevent any digging and enable the sole to glide smoothly over the ground. The clubface then makes contact with the ball in, or close to, the desired location. Sharp-edged, CNC-milled grooves on all three models optimize spin.

The 42˚ “C” Wedge is obviously designed for low(ish) bump-and-runs from just off the green. It has the loft of most 9-irons but, at 34”, is about the same length as your putter.

The 58˚ “S” Wedge has the most loft of the three, the widest sole and the most bounce making it ideal for those uncomfortable bunker shots.

The “G” Wedge, meanwhile, has 50˚ of loft and can handle longer pitch shots.

CBX

The new CBX Full-Face wedge, available starting Friday February 28, is a high-toe design with ten degrees of bounce and grooves extending across the entire face. Being able to see more of the hitting area should ease tension, especially on flop shots.

Between each of the Tour Zip Grooves are four laser-milled grooves as well as the Rotex milling pattern. The result is a significantly rougher surface that causes increased friction and, ultimately more spin and control.

The face doesn’t possess all the shot-saving technology, however. The back features a cavity positioned low and in the heel to shift the Center of Gravity (CG) toward the center-toe end of the club where higher-handicappers are prone to make contact. This, Cleveland says, helps improve the golfer’s feel and consistency.

Smart Sole 4
$120 (steel), $130 (graphite)
Lofts–42˚, 50˚, 58˚
Left and right-hand
Shafts–Cleveland’s Smart Sole shaft
Available–Now

CBX Full-Face
$150 (steel), $160 (graphite)
Lofts–56˚, 58˚, 60˚, 64˚
Left and right-hand
Shafts–Dynamic Gold 115 (steel), Rotex Precision Graphite Wedge Flex (graphite)
Available–2/28/20

clevelandgolf.com

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