Testing Cleveland's CBZ Wedges: Game Improvement Technology Meets Short Game Performance
The Feel Revolution: Z-Alloy Material and New Forging
When Cleveland Golf reached out with information about their new CBZ wedges, one claim immediately caught my attention: a revolutionary new Z-alloy material combined with an advanced forging process designed to deliver exceptional feel. As someone who values feedback from every shot, I knew I had to put these wedges through their paces on the golf course to see if Cleveland's focus on feel would translate to real-world performance.
Cleveland has loaded these wedges with technology that extends well beyond their previous CBX series, incorporating lessons learned from their high-performing RTX wedges while adding new innovations specifically designed for the majority of golfers who play cavity back irons.
What Cleveland have to say about the Technology
The CBZ wedges showcase an impressive array of Cleveland's latest technologies, each serving a specific purpose in improving performance:
ZipCore Technology: The strategic repositioning of weight helps optimise performance from the centre of the club-face, ensuring maximum efficiency when you strike the ball in the sweet spot. This isn't just about distance – it's about consistent energy transfer that leads to predictable results.
UltiZip Groove Structure: These advanced grooves are engineered to actively remove debris from the club-face, maintaining consistency shot after shot. Clean grooves mean consistent spin, which is crucial for distance control around the greens.
HydraZip Technology: Perhaps most importantly for variable course conditions, this technology channels water away from the club-face, eliminating those dreaded "flyer" shots that can wreck your short game scoring. When you can trust your spin rates regardless of conditions, your distance control becomes remarkably more reliable.
Gelback TPU Insert: Cleveland has implemented a TPU gel insert in the cavity back that improves feel across 94% of the club-face and reduces vibrations at impact. This technology ensures the wedges don't sound or feel like traditional cavity backs, providing feedback that rivals blade-style wedges.
Real-World Testing: Feel Meets Function
After extensive testing on the course, my experience with the feel aspect was somewhat unique. The sensation at impact wasn't dramatically different from other quality wedges, but I noticed that ball choice plays a significant role in the overall feel experience. Softer golf balls definitely enhanced the sensation from the club-face, while firmer balls produced a correspondingly firmer feel – exactly what you'd expect from any well-designed wedge.
Cleveland's Game Improvement Philosophy
What truly sets the CBZ wedges apart is Cleveland's strategic approach to wedge design. Their research shows that 87% of golfers use game improvement irons, which raises an obvious question: why wouldn't you want game improvement wedges to match?
The cavity back design provides several tangible benefits:
Perimeter Weighting: The weight distribution around the club-head's perimeter significantly improves performance on off-centre strikes, providing the MOI (moment of inertia) benefits that help maintain distance and direction when your contact isn't perfect.
25% Larger Sweet Spot: Cleveland claims the sweet spot is 25% larger than traditional blade wedges, offering maximum forgiveness whether you're striking the ball cleanly or catching it slightly off-centre.
Consistent Flight Windows: The cavity back design helps maintain predictable ball flight characteristics, giving you reliable performance across various lie conditions and swing speeds. When testing I saw more of a higher ball flight window than I would expect to see from a more traditional wedge. I was not really surprised as I would expect to see this with game game improvement irons.
The Forgiveness Factor
After thorough testing, the forgiveness aspect truly impressed me. On those days when your swing timing isn't quite dialled in, these wedges provide a safety net that blade-style wedges simply can't match. The combination of perimeter weighting and the larger sweet spot means your mishits don't get punished as severely, helping you save shots when your technique isn't at its best.
Who Should Consider These Wedges?
For the majority of golfers, particularly those using cavity back or game improvement irons. The CBZ wedges represent a logical and performance-enhancing choice. The forgiveness and consistency they provide can genuinely improve your short game scoring, especially during rounds when your ball-striking isn't at its peak.
The Verdict
Cleveland's CBZ wedges successfully bridge the gap between forgiveness and performance. While they may not provide the workability that tour professionals demand, they offer something potentially more valuable for recreational golfers: consistency and confidence around the greens.
The technology isn't just marketing fluff – the ZipCore, UltiZip grooves, HydraZip, and Gelback systems work together to create wedges that perform reliably across various conditions and contact points. When you combine this with the game improvement design philosophy, you get wedges that can genuinely help lower your scores.
For golfers who prioritise consistency and forgiveness in their short game, the CBZ wedges deserve serious consideration. They prove that you don't need to sacrifice performance to gain forgiveness – you can have both.
Key Specifications:
- Z-alloy material with advanced forging process
- Cavity back design with perimeter weighting
- ZipCore, UltiZip, HydraZip, and Gelback technologies
- 25% larger sweet spot than traditional wedges
- Available in multiple loft and bounce options
- Designed to complement cavity back iron sets
Dan Hendriksen, PGA Professional