50 Words or Less
The Cleveland CBX 4 ZipCore wedge gives golfers help on mishits without taking anything away in spin. Soles designed for each loft. All the face technology of Cleveland’s Tour wedges.
Introduction
Cleveland was the first major OEM to put significant weight behind cavity back wedges, and they continue to do so with the new Cleveland CBX 4 ZipCore wedge. These offerings help higher handicap golfers survive the fat shots and the off-center contacts with less pain. The CBX 4 adds all the face technology from Cleveland’s RTX 6 [review HERE] to provide even more spin.
Looks
The Cleveland CBX 4 ZipCore wedge offers players a much cleaner look in the bag than its predecessor, the CBX ZipCore [review HERE]. While it’s still obviously a cavity back wedge, there are no visible TPU inserts. There are several interesting things happening in the cavity, but the spaced out branding and black and silver color scheme allow it to fly under the radar.
At address, the CBX 4 ZipCore wedge hints at its forgiveness with its enhanced size. The face is longer from heel to toe and rather tall. In terms of shape, it’s more round than teardrop, but I think the best description is “full.” The leading edge is gently rounded, which should appeal to most players.
Sound & Feel
Striking a premium, urethane-covered golf ball with the Cleveland CBX 4 ZipCore wedge produces a feel that’s solid and firm. They’re a touch louder than average. The sound is a best described as a “click,” but it’s a full sound, not thin or grating.
The feedback on strike quality is dialed down, as you might expect from a more forgiving club. The sound of impact is consistent across the face, changing only on thin strikes. Similarly, the feel barely changes in character, but you can sense the impact location through your hands.
Performance
With a cavity back wedge, there is one primary question: how much does it help on mishits? In the case of the Cleveland CBX 4 ZipCore wedge, the answer is “Significantly.” Comparing the CBX 4 to a traditional wedge, the ball speed and carry distance are more consistent. On a launch monitor, the differences are easy to see.
As I’ve noted in previous reviews of cavity back wedges, I would caution against expectations that these wedges will turn you into peak Tiger. Mishits are not going to miraculously end up in the cup. But in the area of the game where every inch matters, cavity back wedges can really help.
Turning back to the Cleveland CBX 4 ZipCore specifically, they’re loaded with all the face technology of the RTX 6. That includes HydraZip for more consistent spin in wet conditions and UtiliZip – deeper, more tightly packed grooves. The result is spin that’s at the high end of average across all wedges. You don’t have to give up any spin to get increased forgiveness.
Finally, Cleveland gives players three sole designs, pre-assigned by loft. In the lower lofts, 44 to 52 degrees, you get a V Sole. This is designed for hitting shots from a square position with a little relief on the leading and trailing edges. The S Sole at 54 and 56 degrees has more relief on the trailing edge and heel to allow some opening of the face in the bunker. Last, the 58 and 60 degree wedges get the C Sole which has more aggressive relief on the heel, toe, and trailing edge. It’s important to note that each sole still has a lot of bounce – 12 or 14 degrees – so they’re all quite good at resisting digging.
Conclusion
The Cleveland CBX 4 ZipCore wedges show the continued evolution of this important category. Cleveland has merged all their best spin-creating technology with measurable gains in forgiveness. If you want to see more of your shots end up closer to the flag, check these out with your fitter.
Buy the Cleveland CBX 4 Wedge HERE
Visit Cleveland Golf HERE
Cleveland CBX 4 ZipCore Wedge Price & Specs
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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17 Comments
Matt, you bring up interesting comments about a “game improvement” wedge. I’ve owned most of the common wedges over the years and recently fell in love with Bettinardi wedges. Their feel is exceptional but do wedges in that category lack those features that might help execution?
Thanks,
Tom
Tom,
I think there’s something to be gained from cavity back wedges in terms of consistency. That said, if you love what you have and they give you confidence, that’s worth something, too. Perhaps more.
Best,
Matt
Hi Matt,
Thoughts on the CBX4 vs Edison 2.0?
I could use a little more forgiveness than the RTX Zipcore I’ve got. I know your default answer is to try them out, but that’s impossible to do with the Edison from here in Australia.
Clark,
I prefer the Edisons. The sole is more versatile for me, and I find the higher CG to be better.
-Matt
How do you rate these vs the Edisons?
Greg,
I have a full review of the Edison 2.0 here: https://pluggedingolf.com/edison-2-0-wedge-review/
The Edisons are not leaving my bag any time soon.
Best,
Matt
Matt, thanks for another great review. I know you are a fan of the Edison wedges for their ball flight and spin. I believe you have stated they have more of an iron profile. These new CBX4 wedges appear to have quite a bit larger profile and a different look from the Edisons. All that said how similar or dissimilar in spin and ball flight and forgiveness would you say the CBX4’s are compared to the Edisons? Frankly, my wedge game suffers a lot from the fairway, much more so than from around the green and I am looking at making some equipment changes to help me there. Edison and CBX are the two I’m most interested in that I think might benefit me the most. Your reviews have been very helpful in narrowing down the choices. Thanks again.
Mark,
I think they’re pretty similar in forgiveness but no wedge has a CG as high as Edison, so I won’t be changing. If you’re interested in Edison, take advantage of their demo program where you can try custom wedges on your course without any risk.
Best,
Matt
Matt I keep forgetting to ask you this: where in the bag do you start your Edison wedges and how many do you carry? PW? GW? SW? LW? My conundrum is whether to start at the PW or GW. Thanks again.
Mark,
When I carried the Blueprints, I carried the Blueprint PW and the Edison 2.0 GW at 51 bent to 50. With the PXGs, I will probably do the same, though I do have a 47 degree Edison ready if needed.
Best,
Matt
Thanks Matt. I’ve been thinking starting at the GW probably makes the most sense. So many choices!
Just purchased the 54 & 58 degree wedges. Waiting on the weather to put them in play.
Matt, thank you for this excellent review, as have been many of yours. My question has to do with trajectory. The cavity back and large sole give rise to this question.
Do these clubs launch higher than the RTX models? Are there differences in elevation, carry, descent, and stopping power? Did you try the v-sole clubs from various lies, right, bare lies, grain, Bermuda grass, bunkers (fairway or greenside)? Thanks.
Bill,
Thank you.
In my experience, the CBX wedges will launch a bit higher than the RTX because of the lower CG. As far as how that lower CG affects distance and stopping power, that will depend on the individual.
I hit the V-Sole primarily off mats and bare lies as the grass is all dead here in Chicago. I’ve tested many clubs with V-Soles and generally find it to be a versatile design, but, again, it depends on the individual and how they interact with the width of the given sole.
Best,
Matt
Matt thanks for another knowledgeably thorough review. As a now retired in Florida mid handicapper working with a local pro to improve a fundamentally good but at times inconsistent short game I’ve demoed quite a few wedges over the last several weeks. While I had my heart set on a forged set of tour wedges it was undeniable looking at my Foresight launch monitor data and results at my clubs practice area that the CBX4’s were the wedges for me. Not sure if the many years with Ping wedges ISI, i3 O-Size and G425 had something to do with this but with the CBX4s I’m longer, more consistent, more accurate and hitting the ball (Maxfli Tour) with more spin control resulting in better scoring opportunities. I’d highly recommend anyone on the fence between forged and cavity back to try the CBX4s. My four wedge set… 44/12, 50/12, 54/14 and 58/12 with all clubs having regular flex KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 Wedge shafts. Finally, I’ve got to say on top of everything else the CBX4s are a very good looking set of wedges too!
Matt,
Thank you for this excellent review. Would you say that the 56 degree S sole or the 58 degree C sole is better out of the bunker? I’m in Florida where we often have medium to firm bunkers.
Larry,
Out of the sand, I wouldn’t get too hung up on the difference; I’d opt for the loft that made more sense for distance gapping.
Best,
Matt