Cleveland CBX 4 ZipCore wedges: Everything you need to know

Cleveland’s latest CBX 4 ZipCore wedge (available Jan. 24) is a reminder that options exist in the wedge space for golfers who don’t consistently find the center of the face from inside 130 yards. Blade offerings, such as RTX ZipCore, remain a strong offering for those who know how to wield a wedge.

But as most golfers know, it’s always good to have options. The cavity-back design of CBX 4 is perimeter-weighted with mass positioned along the outer boundary to mitigate distance loss on mishits. Utilizing the same ZipCore technology found on RTX, Cleveland’s wedge team was able to replace heavy steel in the hosel and heel section of the head with a lightweight, vibration-dampening material that netted significant discretionary mass.

Cleveland CBX 4 ZipCore

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The mass was then repositioned in the heel and toe to improve the heel-toe and high-low Moment of Inertia (MOI) properties. In addition to enhancing stability, the mass placement helped align the center of gravity (CG) with the strike zone across all lofts. (In the 54- and 56-degree lofts, an extra 4.6 percent more ZipCore was added to the head to achieve the highest MOI ever recorded on a CBX wedge.)

Depending on the loft, Cleveland added a highly specialized HydraZip face technology to improve wet and dry performance. The three different blast media and laser line patterns consist of a less aggressive face blast and laser mill lines on the 44- through 48-degree lofts to maximize spin, regardless of conditions. The face blast roughness and laser milling are more prominent in the 50- through 52-degree lofts, and receive the most aggressive treatment in the 54- through 60-degree offerings to increase friction and improve consistency. Beyond the performance benefits, HydraZip also adds a matte-like finish across the face, reducing glare on days with full sun.

On the groove front, CBX 4 employs Cleveland’s UltiZip face technology — a sequence of sharp, deep and tight grooves designed to ramp up spin control and consistency in a meaningful way. The sharper groove is built to channel grass and debris away from the face at impact. The deeper groove also channels grass, dirt and sand and water away from the face on shots from myriad of shot situations.

Along with being sharper and tighter, the grooves have been packed in tighter for enhanced spin performance. Another benefit of going tighter is the addition of more grooves to the face.

The CBX 4 comes in three different grinds — a V-Grind, S-Grind and C-Grind. The V (44-52 degrees) is made for full swings and squared face shots with a cambered sole design that keeps the leading edge from digging into the turf at impact, even on poorly struck shots. The S-Grind (54-56 degrees) is ideal for bunkers and open-faced shots where the sole needs to glide efficiently through the ground. Rounding out the lineup is a C-Grind (58-60 degrees) that pairs well for open-face shots with heel-toe relief that allows for face manipulation.

Cleveland also considered how CBX 4 would blend with game-improvement sets. For example, the shaping and weighting of the 52-degree CBX 4 is more iron-like compared to the 56- and 60-degree which feature a classic wedge profile.

“What’s great about the new CBX 4 ZipCore is that they share similar shaping and weighting to modern forgiving irons, so the transition from your irons to your wedges is going to be consistent with what you’re used to,” said Jeff Brunski, VP of R&D at Cleveland Golf. “You’ll have that same swing feel and find more consistency around the greens.”

Cleveland CBX 4 comes in nine lofts (44-60 degrees) and retails for $169.99 (steel) and $179.99 (graphite).

Want to overhaul your bag for 2024? Find a fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.