One thing that’s crossed my mind recently is why many amateur golfers accept the fact that they are not consistent enough to use bladed irons, yet persist in using bladed wedges. The fact is, most amateur golfers would be far better off using one of the most forgiving wedges on the market due to the larger head and margin for error they serve up on strike.
The new Cleveland CBZ wedges ($179/£159) are the latest in the forgiving wedge market and I recently took them to the golf course to put them through their paces and analyse their performance.
While many of the best wedges on the market offer different bounce and grind options to suit various attack angles, most golfers don’t get the chance to practice and become consistent with their wedges. The larger, rounded profile of the Cleveland CBZ will allow even those lacking confidence to feel good when laying the head behind the ball around the greens.
Due to the slightly rounded leading edge, I still felt as though I could play some more creative shots around the green, closing the toe in or opening up the face, however, the extra-wide sole with 12° bounce did make sliding the club under the ball a little difficult, particularly on firmer turf.
There are three grinds available offering slightly different playing characteristics, along with the option of a full-face groove design, which is the model I tested. The C grind, 54° wedge I tested, excelled when hitting fuller shots. The CBZ wedges feature a larger sweet spot that is positioned more towards the toe - the location Cleveland found the majority of mid-high handicapper golfers strike the ball from.
The larger sweet spot was noticeable throughout my testing, with the ball rarely falling more than five yards short of my target, even on what I would consider miss-struck shots. This is also largely due to the clever cavity-back design, which features a new Gelback TPU insert to help dampen vibrations. The head really does feel much like a forged blade wedge thanks to this insert and the Z-Alloy metal the head is made from - the same used in the premium Cleveland RTZ wedges.
The CBZ did launch a little higher than some other wedges I have tested recently, which is something those struggling with their short game will love. Despite testing these wedges on firmer turf, the ball launched easily with decent levels of spin and saw the ball landing softly on the green. This was backed up by the data I captured using my Foresight Sports GC3 Launch Monitor, as you can see below.
As I mentioned earlier, the CBZ wedges are made from the same material as the RTZ wedges, but they also feature the same Hydrazip technology to help manage moisture on the face. This face-blasting and laser-milled cross-line design changes throughout the lofts on the CBZ wedges. The higher lofts feature a rougher face blast with more laser lines than the lower lofts to improve spin consistency throughout each club.
Throughout my testing, the CBZ wedge proved to offer the exceptional feel you would expect from a premium bladed wedge, but with the ease and forgiveness of some of the best wedges for mid handicappers. If you’re prone to inconsistency with strike and attack angle with your wedges, the Cleveland CBZ wedges are certainly worth considering to sharpen up your short game.
