2nd Swing Golf
Master fitters, Trackman-heavy testing
“Out of the rough, this felt amazing”
A forgiving cavity-back wedge that impressed from fairway and rough alike, cutting through thick grass with great spin retention and earning the tester's stamp of approval.
+ the facts · 7 pros · 1 cons− the facts
- +Wide sole and high bounce (nothing lower than 10 degrees) bail out fat and steep strikes
- +Cavity-back perimeter weighting retains ball speed on toe and heel misses
- +Excellent spin retention even on a dew-covered green, helped by HydraZip and UltiZip grooves
- −Off the fairway the tester would still prefer a traditional wedge look and feel
For: Golfers who struggle with chipping, play game improvement irons, or swing steep and take big divots
“screams massive green flags on the Cleveland CBZ”
The new Cleveland's huge bounce and forgiveness rescued every mediocre chip, making it the clear pick of the test for higher handicappers even against an old Cleveland he chipped in with twice.
+ the facts · 3 pros · 2 cons− the facts
- +Bounce saved duffed and thin chips, which still finished close
- +Very high forgiveness from the bigger face; his pick for high handicappers
- +Checked up quickly off the face for the co-tester, who preferred it to the old Cleveland
- −Head a little too big for the better player's taste
- −An old used Cleveland still performed remarkably well for a fraction of the cost
For: Beginners and higher handicappers who need help around the greens
Mark Crossfield
Coach, famously hard to impress
“I think this is quite exciting how good these feel”
Game improvement meets tour feel: the new Z-Alloy cavity-back wedge matched the bladed RTZ's spin and launch for him while blending with the cavity-back irons most golfers actually play.
+ the facts · 6 pros · 2 cons− the facts
- +Z-Alloy is 25% softer than the prior model and now genuinely feels like a players wedge
- +Matched the bladed RTZ on spin (~8,000 rpm) and launch at 60 yards
- +Cavity-back help on high-face and toe strikes where blades drop spin
- −Not cheap, priced up against the premium bladed wedges
- −The bladed version still absolutely looks better
For: The majority of golfers gaming cavity-back or game-improvement irons who still bag bladed wedges out of conditioning, especially for full-shot gap and sand wedges
Golf Monthly
UK magazine, season-long testing
A premium-looking oversized cavity-back wedge whose full-face grooves keep spin and flight consistent on off-center strikes.
+ the facts · 3 pros− the facts
- +Looks premium for a large forgiving wedge
- +Full-face HydraZip and UltiZip grooves cover heel and toe strikes
- +Wide sole with 12 degrees of bounce helps around the greens
For: Golfers who want confidence-inspiring size without a cheap look