2020 Official Member Review: Cleveland RTX Zipcore wedges

[StrokerAce]

Cleveland golf has stripped their flagship RTX wedge down to its core and rebuilt it from the inside out.

According to Cleveland Golf:
"The ZipCore is a low-density material at the heart of RTX. It’s an inside-to-out solution that’s elegant in form and function, with unprecedented results.
By replacing heavy steel with a lightweight core, ZipCore repositions mass for kid-in-a candy-shop levels of design freedom.
It’s how we pumped in a mountain of High-Low MOI that just wasn’t there before. And it’s how we repositioned the CG so more of your shots land on the sweet spot.
The result? More consistency across the board. Spin, distance, feel, control—better, better, BETTER. You just leveled up, friend."

Join us on this test to determine if the results match the marketing. 
These 10 forum members will be putting these claims to test and you can follow their updates here in this thread. Their overall review will be posted here:

@artful_golfer   REVIEW (46* mid)
@Shankster   REVIEW (46* mid)

@TBT   REVIEW (50* mid)

@tchat07   REVIEW (54* mid)
@GolfSpy Stroker   REVIEW (54* mid)

@Reesedw   REVIEW (58* mid)
@dhartmann34   REVIEW (58* mid)
@BrownBearGolf   REVIEW (58* mid)
@fozcycle   REVIEW (58* mid)

@mr.hicksta   REVIEW (60* full)

[artful_golfer]

Cleveland RTX ZipCore Wedge Review - October 2020

Hi fellow spies. I apologize that my review is behind the others. My first attempt was about ready to go when it disappeared so I needed to start all over. But here it is.

I would like to extend a huge thank you to MyGolfSpy and Cleveland Golf for taking a chance by including me (a female) in this opportunity to test and review the men’s RTX ZipCore wedge. I have learned over my short six years of golf that ladies should not feel like their only choice in equipment is that which is labeled ‘ladies’. The real determination should be whether something works. I also feel like we can all learn from each other as golfers irrespective of gender or skill level. I for one have learned so much from MyGolfSpy and it feels great and humbling to contribute. Rather than be repetitive, if you are interested in  a little background on my golf experience, here is a link to my 2019 Wilson D7 Challenge Review:

With a lot of determination, my handicap index has dropped to 17-18. My typical ball flight is low-to-mid and a little to the right for long shots but oddly a little left for short shots. The decision to develop a solid short game was made 3 weeks after I started playing and I continue to work toward that goal. My typically chipping practice is to play 9 holes by myself hitting only short shots. To not hold up other group play, I skip tee and fairway shots and head straight to the greens. I toss 6 balls around each green and hit chip shots from wherever they land. All attempts must finish on the green or I start over. Playing 9 holes under this system adds up to a lot of short game practice. Practice, practice and more practice but still not perfect.

It wasn’t until earlier this year that I began to understand bounce on a wedge and why a lot of it might not be a good fit for the typical turf conditions at my club. The Cleveland website states Low Bounce is for perfect for: 1) finesse and open face shots, 2) a neutral to shallow attack angle, and 3) medium or firm conditions. #2 and #3 describe me and my home course perfectly. I seldom leave a divot and typically play on hard, dry ground with some thin grass areas. I chose to test the 46° wedge which was only available with a mid-bounce.

Last year I was given two men’s Cleveland RTX-3 wedges (52° and 56°). My chipping/sand shots changed dramatically and the 56° quickly became my go-to wedge. Grinding out practice time I learned a full swing, half swing plus a bump and run all with the same club. This year a men’s Cleveland Tour Action 60° (Low Bounce) was added to my bag and immediately became my most successful club in the bunkers. When the ZipCore test came along, I was optimistic about adding another Cleveland to replace my current wide soled pitching wedge. I knew I would need to adjust the shaft length before I could play with my new wedge. Here is a link to my shaft trimming adventure I posted earlier in this review: https://youtu.be/3gum-EDLIPI

I didn’t know how I would respond to a heavier steel shaft since graphite was all I knew. One thing I wanted to find out is if I prefer a steel or graphite shaft for my wedges. I shouldn’t have fretted about it because I like them both.

For my review purposes I compared this ZipCore wedge to my TaylorMade R7 Pitching Wedge.

It was not going to take much to replace my R7 PW, but I am delighted with my ZipCore and have fondly renamed it “Zippy”.

Points

Looks: 9 out of 10

I like the Satin (matte) silver finish of this wedge. It has an understated smooth, classy look, no need for sassy flash. Cleveland now offers the ZipCore Tour Rack (raw) finish and an even classier Black Satin finish. I removed one point because I would like it better without the graphic on the shaft but understand the manufacturer’s marketing need to include it.

My personal preference is less fuss is better and let performance speak for itself. No one noticed a new club in my bag before I pulled it out for show and tell but I suspect that if I had an entire matching set of these wedges they would definitely get noticed.

Sound & Feel: 10 out of 10

Compared to my other clubs, this has a quieter, smooth sound as it glides through the grass. On shots where I try to hit with a wide open face there is almost no sound except the swish of grass – very pleasing, like I’m hitting marshmallows.

Even my mishits sound and feel ok.

I like the weight of this club. It is my heaviest club, but honestly, I do not notice the weight difference when I’m out on the course. What I have noticed is it seems to give me better control on my swing.

Basic Characteristics: 18 out of 20

I’ve always had difficulty with aiming accuracy. That being said, compared with my R7 PW, this wedge is an improvement. I have a special setup in my house that helps me practice my aim. I practiced many more shots with this wedge indoors than out. After this test began, a need arose that daily took me to another town to take care of family stuff. By the time I got home each day, either darkness, inclement weather or exhaustion hampered practice. Hence the indoor practice time. This video is of my indoor practice setup. Once we get in the groove, we average 4 balls a minute so I can easily hit 100 balls in 30 minutes. My ball retriever or demolished (chewed up) balls usually give out before I do.

I deleted 2 points in this section for distance control issues that I mentioned above. Even though I know that is user error it is still an issue I was looking forward to finally figuring out.

After the Golf Pro at my club showed me that I was hitting this club consistently in the center, I felt more confident with it. But . . . 

I must not always hit it in the center. This shot was actually a pretty good one so I give forgiveness a thumbs up!

When I counted my ShotScope rounds since receiving my Zippy I was surprised to find I played 16 rounds with it in my bag before this review. The problem was that I hadn't encountered many opportunities on the course to use it to know if I really like it. I would need to fix that. So for the last 3 weeks, I have been forcing myself to use only this 46° Zippy for all my wedge shots so I could provide a more informed review. Actually forcing is not a good descriptor because I enjoy using it. I used it for everything inside 65 yards (I don’t hit it as far as the guys, hence the 65 yds). Long, short, tall grass, plus bump and run. I’m pleased with the versatility.

On Course Performance: 27 out of 30

I didn't have regular access to a launch monitor for this review. I do play with a Shot Scope V3 watch. The GPS helps with distance during a round and the tracking stats after the round help me to learn where I’m actually hitting those shots. When I upgraded from Shot Scope V2 to V3 in July, all of my prior rounds of stats were lost – as in gone, nowhere to be found. So unfortunately I'm unable to provide specifics to compare with my TaylorMade PW, or Wilson D7 and Ping Serene before that, but I do feel like my Zippy is better. That means my old PWs will remain in the time-out bag.

I'm not very technical, so I'll quote directly from the Cleveland Golf website: “ZipCore is a unique, low-density core that sits at the heart of RTX. ZipCore shifts the center of gravity while raising MOI, adding spin, enhancing control, and boosting consistency on all your shots.” Cleveland also says that more grooves, deeper grooves and sharper grooves mean more edge contact on every shot. All sounds good, right? I can understand the grooves because I can see them. Just look at all of those crisp, pretty grooves!

To me the proof is that with my Zippy the ball usually flies a little higher and stops close to where it lands on the green. Sometimes my ball flies higher than expected and the energy used in that height seems to make it fall short of what I envisioned in distance leaving me a longer putt. I feel like the more I continue to use this club the better I will eventually get at feeling the correct amount of energy I need for various distances. I just need more time and practice. I removed another 3 points in this category for my distance control issues.

Miscellaneous: 5 out of 10

The packaging was great and the super quick arrival of the club was phenomenal. Even though we were only offered stocks options without any changes for this test, the Cleveland website is easy to navigate and helpful in selecting which club.

My issue, this is a big, personal one for me, is the grip. This is my first time to play with a Golf Pride grip and I simply don’t like it.

I wear two golf gloves because giving up soft hands was a deal breaker in getting me to play golf. My other wedges and short irons sport a soft, slightly tacky leather grip (The Grip Master) that I love. I like to remove my gloves for short shots and putting (especially in warmer weather) and that Grip Master is perfect. Comparatively, The Golf Pride grip is hard/stiff and the texture hurts the palm side of my fingers. When I practice with this club, my hands will be quite sore for a couple of days unless I wear gloves. Who wants to wear gloves to practice wedge shots in South Texas heat for an hour? I will be replacing the grip!

Play It or Trade it: 20 out of 20

I will play it. Even though I haven’t decided if I like the steel or the graphite shaft better for my wedges, I’m leaning toward graphite because I will need to only change one shaft. For now I will keep playing with them as they are but I think it will help me if my wedge weights are more consistent.

One of the best things this test did was make me realize what the grooves and bounce on a club do and what a difference they can make.

Several times I have looked at my older wedges wondering if I should seriously consider new ones or if I should be happy and content with what I have at my skill level. New is always a fun choice. If you are considering new wedges, I can’t imagine that you could be anything but happy with the Cleveland RTX ZipCore wedges. And ladies, don’t be afraid to try the men’s clubs, you’ll have more options.

Final Score: 89

Have a happy short game!

 

[Shankster]

Cleveland RTX ZipCore 46° Wedge Review

 

Date: October 4^th, 2020

  

Intro

Hello, as most of you know my background, I will just give you a quick recap.

·      Handicap (Currently 5.3 on Arccos)

·      Swing Tempo/Speed (Quick Tempo, currently averaging 117mph CHS with Driver)

·      I play in Maryland, same course usually, but I am trying a new one in 2 weeks.

·      Typical Ball Flight is a tiny draw, my miss is a block fade with long irons and woods.  A pull is my wedge miss.

·      Strength of my game: Putting, and Driving according to Arccos.

·      Weakness of my game: 150 and in. I am giving up 2.8 shots from the Fairway, 1.6 shots from 25-50, and .7  shots from 25 and in chipping. All in go zone range, costing me the most strokes… 

·      Current wedge set, T100•S PW, PING 52° Glide SS, PING 58° Glide WS.

·      With a 46°/47° club in my hand it is a full swing club, anywhere from 130–140 and beyond if needed. (Hindsight I wish I would have picked a 58° to test!)

·      100 yard shot club is either the 58° or the 52°, but I can and do use the PW from this range if I want lower flight. (Love that shot!)

·      The 58° gets the brunt of the workload around the greens, I don’t remember the last time I hit a chip shot with anything else.

·      Less than full shots… all feel for me, no clock, nothing special, just calculate the distance and pull the trigger. For example, an easy knee high “chip” with the PW will travel around 42 yards, plus any roll.  I base my shots off of that, with a mixture of stance width, how much hands get involved, etc.

First Impression 

I think you all got a glimpse of how well I liked this wedge at first look.  It is so Cleveland, and so classic. The shape, the look in the bag, and the face give it a A+ in the looks department for me.  I was a bit worried that they would ruin the well received RTX4 with this rendition, but looks wise it is perfect.  Cleveland is a name that you think of when wedges come up. Top players from many era’s used them, Tiger, Seve, and Payne are names that come to mind… oh and that Vijay guy..  But can they handle the Taylormade and Titleist clubs out there with today’s market?  Yes, I think they fit into their market just perfect.  Curious about that shaft though, I don’t get along well with TT shafts.

 Looks

(9.5 out of 10)

These clubs look wonderful. As I described in the previous paragraph, they are classically shaped, well crafted, and put together well.  The famous 2 White Stripe Cleveland ferrule is what first comes to mind (besides the Cleveland script) when I think of this brand. It ties the whole look together.  The badging is typical of today’s market, the name ZipCore is on the club as you’d expect being that it is the name of it.

 Sound and Feel

(7 out of 10)

Overall this club sounded okay… the shaft makes a hollow weak sound that detracts from the club-head’s rather nice feel.  The club gives you a crisp contact with the ball, even with a softer version of it.  I hit the Z-Star, V1, -V1x, AVX, and TP5 with it, along with range balls of course. It is very authoritative, and easy to determine where a strike is on the club-head.  It sounds and feels very, very similar to the TM Hi-Toe Wedge the I used to have, which makes sense because the had similar shafts, and similar metal in the head.

 Basic Characteristics

(15 out of 20)

This wedge performs well, but it is determined by user input. 

·      Accuracy: A strong suit for this club, aim and fire with this thing. 

·      Distance Control: After shaking off the rust, I finally got my distance control back somewhat. My miss with the short irons is a slight pull in comparison to the longer irons and driver. I did get some pulls, but that is 100% me.

·      Trajectory: Probably my favorite characteristic of this club. As a normally high ball hitter, this thing flattened out my trajectory ever so slightly which was welcomed! 

·      Forgiveness: Yes, this blade style wedge offers a bit of forgiveness. As I reported earlier on, I missed them all over the face.  Generally, they were not overly punished for very poor strikes.

·      Control: With the stock flight of this club being what I would consider a mid/high flight I could go upstairs, or take it in low if needed. But this is mostly a full swing club, so the stock flight suits my game, and course conditions well.

·      Workability: After moving into this one-plane swing, I only hit shots that require a shape if they are required, but I was put in a few places were a little low cut pitch, or a chip draw was needed. Stellar in this department.

 On Course Performance 

(25.5 out of 30)

I usually hit the PW on several tee shots on Par 3’s, and depending on the wind the 135-150 yard range into greens. The tee shots perform well, I only missed two greens with this club during testing from the tee, and 3 from the fairway.  Oddly, I didn’t have a shot from the rough during play.  Most of my testing was done in play, with a crowd, to save time I really didn’t get a chance to take any on course shots like I normally do, I usually like to set up shop on a few holes and hit numerous shots into the green… anyways I didn’t get to this time. The sole was something I had to get used to, and because of that I chunked a few shots that I normally wouldn’t have.

·      Things to change: The shaft, I don’t like it at all.

·      Better my scores? Hard to say really, my game is ever evolving and club changes have taken place, but it didn’t hurt my game at all.

·      Features that rock! The face milling, and lack of super blinding glare!

·      That Ferrule though….  
 

 Miscellaneous 

(10 out of 10)

The fit and finish on this club are second to none.  The grip was applied perfectly in line, no glue by the fertile, and the club-head you can tell that some serious R&D went into it.  I do believe the Cleveland puts real world testing into their products, and they didn’t lack here.  The extra weight up top definitely does something to lower the flight. And that Ferrule… 10’s!!!

 Play it or Trade it?

(17 out of 20)

If…. If this club were to go in my bag it would keep it’s spot on lockdown I am sure. The few shots I compared it to the BluePrints it would have kicked the BP out of the bag.  Now that I am using the T100•S… I don’t have room for it. It overlaps too much with the 44° PW and doesn’t fill a gap to the 52°.

 Conclusion

A very versatile, high tech wedge that gets the job done in a classic looking package. That sums it up about as good as I can do. It’s a Modern Mustang that looks like N old one, but has fuel injection.

A Shankster wedge review would not be complete without a wedge from the beach video... enjoy!

 

 Total Score

84 out of 100

[TBT]

October 4, 2020

Cleveland RTX Zipcore Wedge – Official MGS Forum Review by TBT

Intro

 

First off let me give a tip of the cap to MGS and Cleveland Golf for allowing me the opportunity to put their new wedge to the test.

 

Hi gang it’s TBT (Tim to my friends), I was given the chance to test the new Cleveland RTX Zipcore wedge. For this review I will be playing a 50* Mid Bounce wedge.

 

Okay so a little about me, I am 56 (for another week anyway) and play to a 14.7 handicap which for me means I can go out and shoot a smooth 79 or 80 one day and then throw up a 95 the next. My swing speed is somewhere around 95-105 with the driver depending on how good my back feels that day and I have a pretty smooth tempo.

 

I live in Houston, Texas which means I am lucky enough to get to play all year and for that privilege we just have to put up with about 3 months of temperatures near or above 100 degrees….and oh yeah the occasional hurricane or tropical storm.

 

I used to play a big fade but took some lessons about 8 years ago and I started playing a draw but lately I have been struggling with a lot of pull hooks. The short game is my bread and butter, I tend to hook it off the tee, play my second shot out of the rough or trees to somewhere around 100 yards, hit a wedge to 15-20 feet and either drain a long par putt or 2 putt for bogey. It’s not as exciting as pounding a 300 yard drive but that’s not my game anymore.

 

For this review the RTX Zipcore Wedge will be going head to head with my 50* Cobra King Pur wedge which might be my favorite club in the bag so it’s got quite a bit of competition to find it’s way into my bag! As I mentioned about I end up around 100-75 yards from the green a lot, so my 50* wedge gets a workout and it’s the club I rely on to safe some pars.

 

I am a Dave Pelz short game disciple so I tend to play several different types of shots with my wedges. For my 50* wedge here are my typical shots:

• Full swing – 100-115 yards

• ¾ swing – 75-95 yards

• ½ swing – 50-70 yards

• Low spinning shot 40-50 yards

Most of those I can flight up or down a little depending on the situation and I also use it for bump and run shots around the green from time to time.

 

Ok, that’s enough about me, lets get to why you are actually reading this, let me welcome you inside the ultra exclusive Club ZIPPY!

 

 

(Don’t pay attention to the 9 members part…we need to get a new sign made)

 

First Impressions

 

When you first take a look at the Cleveland RTX Zipcore Wedge it’s a thing of beauty!

 

 

It has the classic shape that we have come to expect from a Cleveland wedge, that nice teardrop look in a stunning satin chrome finish, but then you flip it over and immediately you will notice a few distinct differences.

 

First, the grooves are closer together and it doesn’t take a math major to notice that there are 18 grooves on this wedge instead of the 17 that are on my Cobra (more on that later), then you notice the milling on the toe of the club, what’s that all about?

 

To finish off the wedge Cleveland has paired it with the newest version of the DG Spinner shaft which is supposed to increase spin for even players with slower swings speeds and they topped it off with a Golf Pride Tour Velvet grip.

 

So what is a RTX Zipcore wedge? According to Cleveland they took the standard RTX frame and stripped it all down and started building from the inside out.

 

They have shifted the center of gravity closer to the center to generate a higher MOI, more spin and better control. The new “UTILIZIP” grooves are sharper, deeper and feature a narrower channel, this was done to not only get the grooves to bite into the ball harder but by making them deeper and more narrow they were able to add 18 rows of grooves instead of 17 or sometimes 16 on other wedge models.

 

More grooves hitting the ball means more spin for better control. Then they also created a whole new heat treating process to make the grooves stay deeper and sharper longer.

 

Here are a few comparison pics to my Cobra King Pur wedge

 

 

From the back you can see they have very similar shape

 

 

But once you flip them over it becomes clear that there is something different about this wedge, more grooves and that lovely milling on the toe of the club.

 

 

At address you can see that the Cleveland has a little less offset than the Cobra, but those extra grooves just jump out at you and inspire confidence when you are standing over the ball.

 

It is important to note that for this test we were provided a stock Cleveland wedge, standard shaft, length, lie, loft and grip. No custom specs.

 

My Current 50* wedge is ¾” long, 2 degrees upright with a custom Recoil F4 graphite shaft and midsize grip.

 

Grading

 

Looks ( 9 out of 10 points) 

 

• The Classic Cleveland Teardrop shape in a nice satin chrome finish
• The graphics are crisp and clean, I like the Zipcore badging and the loft/bounce lettering on the top were easy to read (which is one of the complaints I have about the Cobra wedges)
• In the bag they are easier to find and just look nicer that the cobra wedges
• Cleveland has now added a new tour rack raw finish and a black finish to the Zipcore lineup.

 

Sound & Feel ( 8 out of 10 points)

 

This is one of the areas where I struggled a little bit with this wedge. The sound is very muted on certain balls. So much so that during my first range session with it I kept thinking I was mishitting it. It just didn’t have the same sound or feel off the clubface that I was used to, however when I got it out on the course with good tour quality balls the sound became more of an audible click. As I got used to the Zipcore wedge I was able to identify good pure stikes from toe or heel strikes.

 

Basic Characteristics ( 16 out of 20 points)

 

I spent quite a bit of practice time with the Zipcore wedge before going to the course. I had a couple of sessions at a course with a nice short game area where I really got to put it through it’s paces and hit all the shots that I like to use my 50* wedge for and I also took it to a new local range that had the new “Top Tracer” range technology that gives you stats on every shot and I was able to compare the Zipcore head to head against my Cobra.

 

This is where I need to through in an * Asterisk, all of my practice sessions came with the stock shaft and stock setup. As I mentioned above I play at +3/4, 2* upright, a much stiffer shaft and a midsize grip, so that fact that I am rating it this high says a lot for this wedge.

 

Using the stock setup I was still able to hit the ball fairly accurate with most of the finesse type shots but full swing shots all seem to be blocked 5-10 yards right. Distance control was pretty much dead on, it was slightly shorter than my Cobra but that due to the shaft differences both in flex and length. Trajectory of this wedge is HIGH…that’s right I said capital H-I-G-H…this wedge launches the ball…moon shots! Now I will say the trajectory came down some when I changed the shaft but it still is much higher than the Cobra was but it doesn’t seem to suffer in distance because of the height…I am going to assume this is because of the change in the center of gravity.

 

As far as forgiveness the Zipcore wedge is VERY forgiving, prior to changing the shaft most of my shots were out closer to the toe yet I was still able to get the distance I needed, there didn’t seem to be much drop off at all and I wonder of those aforementioned millings on the toe have anything to do with that?

 

 

 

With the Zipcore wedge I always felt like I could hit any shot I needed, high, low, and I can even turn it over and move it  slightly right to left when needed.

On-Course Performance ( 26 out of 30 points)

 

I might have rated it even higher if I was able to have the wedge custom built to my specs to begin with, but the first couple of rounds were played in the stock configuration.

 

During the testing of this wedge I laid up on every single par 5 I played (honestly it probably helped my scores doing this) a couple of the courses I play have some shorter par 5’s that are reachable even for an old dude like me, but as I said in one of my posts in this thread, I wasn’t testing fairway woods I am testing a wedge. I always tried to leave myself a nice full shot 105-115 yards.

 

Prior to having the shaft changed all of my full swing shot were being blocked right, far enough right that a few missed the green because of it. It was enough that I started aiming 10 yards left on full swing shots.

 

I didn’t really see the block on the finesse shots, probably because I normally choke down on the my Cobra wedge for those and the swing doesn’t have near the speed. With those shorter shots I was seeing lots of good things, plenty of spin and nice control. This wedge spins HARD when you want it too. I like to play a ½ swing shot from about 50 yards where I move the ball all the way back in my stance and really swing down trapping the ball, it produces a mid high shot that normally bounces 2-3 times and then checks up….with the Zipcore I never saw the 3^rd bounce…it was always 1…2…CHECK!

 

So then I took it to my local club guy and had him pull the Recoil F4 shaft from my Cobra wedge, drop it in the Cleveland and then bend it 2* upright to match my specs. Suddenly it was like somebody flipped a switch!

 

 

 

Boom, immediately I started hitting full shots right at the stick! And generating a ton of spin. Full swing shots were now a high 3-4 yard draw…a beautiful sight..its like the ball gets to the apex and then just falls left. I have come close to holing out from over 100 yards a couple of times since making the shaft change. (this just shows how important getting fit for every club really is)

 

 

Right now I have total confidence when I pull this wedge. I know that if put a good swing on the ball that I am going to love the results!

Final Performance Comments:

• Performance was a tale of 2 shafts..the DG spinner was too short and too whippy
• Cleveland makes outstanding wedges
• The new groove pattern really grabs the ball and provides plenty of stopping power even on touch shots
• My scores improved slightly during this test, I was able to stick a few really close and make a couple of birdies but an interesting side note is that my par 5 scoring went down about a half a stroke on average and I think that came from the fact that I laid up to a comfortable yardage on all of them for wedge testing instead of pulling a 3 wood or a hybrid and possibly hitting the ball in a hazard or other trouble. (this is a trend I think I am going to continue)

Miscellaneous ( 8 out of 10 points)

 

The packaging was just “run of the mill” no foam insert to keep the club from rattling around. All of my playing partners took a swing or 2 with it at sometime or another, 2 of them ordered their own Zipcore wedges.

 

Play it or Trade it? ( 20 out of 20 points)

 

Prior to the shaft change I was unsure whether or not this wedge was going to make the cut, but after getting it built to my specs that doubt went away very quickly. The RTX Zipcore has found a home in my bag and he will be inviting his friends the 54* and 58* to join him very soon!

 

Conclusion

 

So if you like hitting towering wedge shots that land and stop on a dime then you need to give the Cleveland RTX Zipcore wedges a try!

 

Final Score: ( 87 out of 100 points)

 

 

 

[tchat07]

The Review – September 28, 2020 

Cleveland Zipcore Wedge (54 degree) – Official MGS Forum Review by Thomas 

Intro 

Hello I am Thomas; I play off an 8.6 handicap.  I have a faster swing speed and my swing tempo is slow on the back swing and fast on the down swing. I have a steep angle of attack which leads to sizable divots with my wedges. I am from Maryland so for the months of August and September while testing I played a lot of dry, hard golf courses. I like to play a fade and very infrequently try to hit a draw.  My typical miss with a wedge is a chunk, directionally it is a slice. I use Taylormade myRoundPro for keeping my golf stats and the strongest portion of my game is my short game.  My current gamer is the Honma TW-W wedge (I purchased via eBay, I know, shame on me as a member of MGS for not only not getting fit and buying off eBay). Whenever I have a wedge in my hand the goal is to get it as close to the hole as physically possible, this is either to save a par or get an elusive birdie.  With wedges I have 3 “stock” shots that I like to play; club parallel, arm parallel and full swing.  The club and shot I play depends on what the distance I need.  I also play to the situation, if the ball needs to stop quick I play a higher lofted wedge and if the ball can trundle I play a lower lofted wedge.   

First Impressions 

 We all know there is nothing quite like getting a new golf club, the excitement of the box being at the door and opening it, the satisfaction of taking off the wrapping on the grip and the club face it is always a wonderful experience. The same and more can be said for the Cleveland Zipcore wedge. Grip first to find a Golf Pride Tour Velvet grip was wonderful, a huge upgrade on the stock Honma grips that I have. I was excited for the Spinner shaft, I really wanted to jump up the spin on my wedge shots.  Finally came the clubface which is truly is a work of art. The pictures do not do it justice, it has such a sharp look with the unique characteristic of looking like a fingerprint is etched into the entire face.  There also is a slight change in the grind on the bottom of the club that is just barely picked up by the picture but I believe will help with opening the clubface.  With a name like Zipcore obviously one of the big things that the OEM is telling us is how much it will spin.  Cleveland stated they added two extra groves for extra contact on every shot.  Cleveland also moved the weight around on the clubface in order add some High-Low MOI and repositioned the CG so more shots hit the sweet spot. Direct quote from the Cleveland website about the Zipcore, “The result? More consistency across the board. Spin, distance, feel, control—better, better, BETTER. You just leveled up, friend.”  Have I leveled up moving into the Cleveland Zipcore, we will find out.

Grading 

Looks (9 out of 10) 

This is a very good-looking wedge.  Every detail leads to a presentation of a clean package that is pleasing to the eye, the brushed steel with the accent chrome and the black wording is a great look. I love the brushed steel club face, leads to no glare when looking down at the clubface which has performance benefits.  The piece that makes it not a perfect score is the bumped-out area on the high toe, it looks goofy.  At address the club looks very nice, it is large enough to give confidence through the rough but is small enough to limit anxiety over a tight lie. 

Sound and Feel (9 out of 10) 

 I am not huge into sound but with a clean strike it does have a nice click like a crisp snap of your fingers.  Feel on the other hand is very important for me and the Zipcore has great feel. I can tell if I catch it thin or out of the heel and you can really feel whenever you get a pure strike. I love juggling the ball with this club, this does not really apply to the effectiveness, but I think it speaks to the great feel of the club.  The feel exudes a high level of confidence when coming to a shot.  

Basic Characteristics (17 out of 20) 

 I spent a lot of time practicing with this wedge prior to getting it to the course. As mentioned, I have 3 stock swings and I wanted to dial in to have a better understand of how I can get the most out of it. After about 250 shots over a few days I came to these conclusions; club parallel shot ranged from 30-35 yards, my arm parallel came to 55-65 yards and my full swing came to 80-90 yards.  I had very little trouble with right to left dispersion, able to keep everything within a 3-5 yard “bubble”. Distance dispersion was a more difficult to control but that is more user skill level versus club performance.  In some of my posts I mentioned that it flew high on full shots and I want to reiterate it flew very high on full shots.  A few times I was concerned that it would not travel the distance desired, it never failed me though on a good strike the ball flew very high but still came down at the distance expected. One area where I feel the club struggled is any strike that was towards the heel came off hot and left. I could feel every time that I did it and every time the ball traveled at least 5 yards further. One area Cleveland could improve is the ability to choose different stock shafts. The Spinner was too whippy for my liking and would have preferred a stiffer option.  

On-Course Performance (25 out of 30) 

 Overall, the performance was good but not great, I worry that I built the club up to more than it could accomplish.  With a name like Zipcore and how they marketed the wedge I expected far more actually zip.  It performed like any other wedge when it came to spin characteristics, around the greens it would bump and run and on full shots it would stop where it was. I expected going in to be able to get some "zip" back on shots but it only ever seems to just stop right where it lands. However, the other day I was able to get some zip back and almost holed it so the jury is still out.  One area that was a letdown was out of a firm bunker, I had a hard time being able to open the face and make a good strike out of a firm bunker.  My stats collected showed the real story though for the Zipcore.  During rounds I was able to get a +0.2 strokes gained per round from my Zipcore and hit 88% of my greens. This was an improvement from my Honma where I had a –0.1 strokes gained per round and hit 74% of my greens.   

Miscellaneous (9 out of 10) 

 I originally had this section graded out as a 5 out of 10. I felt the options that they gave were limited comparatively to the rest of the wedge market. Then just this past week they came out with two different finishes for the wedges with a black and a raw finish to boot.  Mainly now I am extremely jealous because I would have LOVED to test out those finishes especially the specialty grinds that come on the raw finish. Having multiple options makes it more difficult for OEMs but I think they hit the hottest choices in the game right now with black and raw clubface options. 

Play it or Trade it? (17 out of 20) 

 I mean the stats speak for themselves regarding whether to play it or trade it, I am playing it. (For now) It has been better but is it the best wedge for me? That has yet to be seen, I think I have only scratched the surface for this test and whether Zipcore will become my whole wedge set or just remain in the 54-degree spot. I think this is a great wedge for someone with a slower swing speed, I think someone with a faster swing speed would struggle with the shaft.  Once again, a big take away from an MGS test is you need to be fitted and buying stock will not lead to the largest possible improvement in your game.  

Conclusion  

 To paraphrase from former NFL coach Dennis Green, they were who we thought they were. Cleveland has once again provided us with a beautiful wedge that looks great at address and in the bag.  The Zipcore has a feel and sound that I think any player could appreciate.  They delivered us the ability to control our shots and forgiveness for those shots that aren’t exactly as you planned.  For me personally it outperformed my Honma TW-W and is now the 54-degree gamer.  With the recent release of the black and raw finish they have given us options to drool over and to make them competitive with the rest of the wedge market.  As with all things in the world of golf I highly advise you to get fit in order to achieve the greatest performance possible!      

Final Score (86 out of 100)

 

[Reesedw]

10/2/2020

Cleveland RTX Zipcore Wedge 58* Mid Bounce – Official MGS Forum Review by Reesedw

Intro

First off a huge thank you to My Golf Spy and Cleveland this is a great opportunity.

I started playing in 1997 and over the years became more and more obsessed, I do not have a “home” course but have a couple of courses I play with regularity. As someone living in Western Washington, we tend to see softer and wetter conditions then our brothers and Sisters to the east. I do play quite a bit in Eastern Washington where the conditions tend to be firmer during the summer.  I play to about a 16 hndcp, but was as low as a 12, and as high as a 24..

 

●      I have not kept an official handicap for a couple of years now but would say I based on stats and prior handicap I am in the 16 range.

●      My swing tempo is pretty fast, I also swing just over 100mph on driver.

●      I play out of the Seattle area with monthly trips to Eastern Washington, I get a chance to play varied conditions

●      My typical ball flight is middle (top of the bag) to high (low end of the bag). My misses can be any which way.

●      Strength of my game I would say is scrambling (I do a lot), Weakness would be around the green (50yds and in)

●      My current Gamer is the Cobra King Black, I was fit and at a local shop.

●      This club is to be used from 60yds and in and almost everything around the green. Not that I expect miracles, but I am hoping this club will allow me the get the Stopping power to allow me to be more aggressive.

 

First Impressions

Right out of the box this club is beautiful, the club is exactly what you want in a club. The First thing I noticed was the weight. This wedge feels heavier, swinging it you can feel that weight in the head. When placed side by side with the Cobra it was noticeably shorter. 

 

The engineers at Cleveland made the core of this wedge lighter so they could move weight to where it is needed most for better consistency across the entire clubface for increased Spin, Distance, Feel, And Control..

They have however added UltiZip Grooves, which are their sharpest and deepest groves yet. As well as adding 2 extra grooves per wedge face creating more contact on every shot.

 

Looks (9 out of 10 points)

This club is almost identical in shape and size to the Cobra.

 

 

 

All of the finishes were perfect. My only nitpick was the grip, it was a Golf Pride Tour Velvet, great grip my issue was that it said Golf Pride Not Cleveland anywhere. I just found it a little odd.

 

Sound & Feel (7out of 10 points)

This is where I noticed the biggest difference compared to my current gamer. This club felt heavier, holding it, pulling it out of the bag, and mostly swinging it. It was enough that I felt like it was not allowing me to generate the speed to create spin. Was I wrong, I am not someone who gets a ton of spin, I did with this club. Moving on from the weight, one thing stood out to me was the sound. I noticed it almost immediately, it had a click to it. Not Ping G30 driver loud, but loud enough to notice. Most noticeably on hits towards the toe. Which I did quite a bit.

 

Basic Characteristics (18 out of 20 points)

This is a 58* wedge, I use it all around the green and out to about 60 yds. The first range session the club felt good, strike location was a little higher then I like. It is a very solid club, and has great feel on well struck shots. I did some chipping, and noticed the ball landed softly and did not roll excessively. The distance was very consistent and predictable.  

On-Course Performance (27 out of 30 points)

This was a little tough for me. I fell in love with some aspects of this club but others hurt it. I did not get the same distance with this club, I came up short a few times where I should have been putting for birdies. Do I chalk that up to the heavier feel in the head or just me? Once or twice I would say me, but not when you flush it and still don’t get there. Dispersion was fantastic. Now onto on course intangibles, I was able to throw the ball into the green with a low spinner and watch it hop and stop. I watched this club launch balls to the sky and land in their ball mark. This club hits the mark for me, I think if I use it more and get a better feel this club could be money..

 
 

 

 

Miscellaneous (8 out of 10 points)

I did not fall in love with this club in the first few swings. It just felt off to me. Maybe the weight, maybe it was the length, not sure. The club is a great club, plays well, and creates a ton of spin for me. But is that enough to keep in it in the bag???
 

 

Play it or Trade it? (20 out of 20 points)

 

 

Play it. I get things from this club I have never gotten before. Incredible spin, Soft landings and more birdie opportunities. We have still have a few things to work out, but it is not going anywhere.

 

Conclusion

What can I say, this club is great. Took a little getting used to, and I’m still not sure it is perfect for me. But now that I have same rounds with it I like this club a lot. I still have to work with it on distances but beyond that I could score with this club. Now do I go get the matching club in 54* and get rid of my old ones???

 

Final Score: (89 out of 100 points)

Edited October 2, 2020 by Reesedw
Add Review.

[dhartmann34]

Cleveland RTX Zipcore Wedge – Official MGS Forum Review by Dhartmann34

Intro

Being able to test a new wedge is really quite interesting for me for a few reasons. First, I’ve been looking for new wedges. I currently use Scor wedges (yes I know they’re old) and I have for a long while now. I am actually on my 3rd set of heads because I picked some up off of eBay when I realized how much I loved them. I am a fairly low handicap, playing to about a 3. My swing temp is on the quick side, especially in the transition. Being in the midwest, we have conditions anywhere from soaking wet, to bone dry, and even icey as we will play in almost any conditions. I don’t think any of the precipitation bothers me, but I’m not a huge fan of the cold and I’ll admit I’m a bit weak when it comes to anything under 55*. 

As I said, my current wedges, 50, 54, and 58, are Scor wedges. I’ve had them a long time and while I’ve been fit at Club Champion a couple of times, they never suggested I change the wedge heads, just the shafts. I have been using the Zipcore 58* with the mid bounce on it and with my 58* wedge, I’m usually using it on most shots from about 105 yards and in. Pitches, chips, bunker. You name it and I reach for the 58. My current wedge I enjoy because I can hit the ball high, medium and low and have great success with it. I would say my wedge game, especially from 50 yards and in, is probably the second strongest part of my game, behind my putting. I tend to chip in once every other round or so. 

 

First Impressions

It’s always exciting pulling a new club out of a box. You want to get it in your hands and experience that awe moment. And I don’t think picking up a new club ever disappoints. With the Zipcore, it felt good. Weighting felt right. Grip was stock, which I replaced since I play an MCC Plus 4 midsize grip on all my irons...and interestingly enough, the swingweight didn’t seem to feel much different. I also changed the lie angle as I play everything 2* up.

Cleveland talks about their new technology, and while there’s a lot of lingo to it, it was all about making it easier for a player to hit the sweet spot more consistently, while adding in more distance and control. I think when you hear all this marketing speak from OEM’s, you have to feel a little bit cynical...at least I do. So I was definitely interested to see how it performed on good, bad and indifferent shots. 

I was also interested in the Zipcore because I’ve only owned one other Cleveland wedge in my life...and I hated it! The feel was hard. The performance was less than stellar. I kept it a long time as my dad bought it for me for my birthday, but I absolutely despised that club. And that had a long lasting effect on staying away from Cleveland products in general down the line. 

With this club, I had goals in my mind on how it must perform for me. First, I needed the club to look square at setup and not be oversized looking. Maybe I’m snobby or just strange, but I like small heads on wedges. Next, I wanted to be able to hit short chips around the green and have them consistently ending up near the hole. I have great success with my current wedge, and since those wedge shots are what help me stay in the handicap range I’m in, I need the chipping aspects of the club to perform. And last, I want my full shots to fly high and stop. My Scor wedge maxes out about 105. That’s a good distance for me and gaps well so I expect the same loft to perform the same. If it could hit these goals, I have an old score wedge that could retire and head to the decorative bag in my home office. 

And making that decision isn’t an easy one for me. I put this club through a LOT of different runs. I spent time at the range hitting partial wedge shots. I chipped, pitched, flopped all around both practice greens and real greens on the course. I found myself hitting bunker shots from a lot of spots and even took some swings out of bark where I tend to find myself fairly often as my home course has these areas very close to the greens. I think I found that as I ran the club through the different practice routines and full rounds that I played with it (I think it was around 30 rounds or so), I thought of more ways to try and use it...even once as my ball was half submerged on the edge of a pond. Spoiler alert, that wasn’t a shining moment for me, the ball, or the club. I wish someone had taken a video...but then again, I am kind of glad someone didn’t. 

Grading

Looks (9 out of 10 points) 

I give the Zipcore a 9 out of 10 for looks. The color is gorgeous. The face has beautiful grooves and wondering milling on the toe which really caught my eye and for some reason made me smile. It’s a simple club, but the back and bottom have a futuristic, curvy look, which is definitely appealing. More than one time someone saw it in my hand and asked what it was. Being covid times, I didn’t let anyone handle it. I found the head to appear small compared to other wedges out on the market, although still a tiny bit bigger and bulkier than my Scor wedge. 

Sound & Feel (6 out of 10 points)

Describe how the wedges sound and feel

This is one area where I had issues with the Zipcore. I am a feel player. Some might call me a feel snob. If it doesn’t feel good, I don’t want to play it. Is it in my head? Maybe. But I’ve always been a feel player on distance and on the type of shot I want to play. A lot of times I don’t even look at the distance as I just want to feel the swing and make it happen. 

The zipcore has a dull feel and click for me, like hitting a hard boiled egg with a bat. Ball seems to explode off the face, but doesn’t really give me the excellent feel and feedback on looking for. I’ve said it many times in my reviews through the thread, the club doesn’t give me the feel I expect from a wedge. When I hit a good shot, it feels meh. When I hit a bad shot, it feels meh. There’s never really a point where I could consistently tell how a shot was going to turn out from the feel off the clubface and that was a turn off for me.  With my current wedge I can tell at impact where that ball is going, how far off or on it is, and what my next shot is going to look like. That’s the type of instant feedback I love. With the zipcore I had shots I thought were great that were off target or the distance wasn’t even close. I never really had a moment where I said, “Oh yeah, that’s going to be good”... because I really couldn’t tell. 

Basic Characteristics (17 out of 20 points)

I took the wedge out a bunch of different times. While it was difficult to get much in terms of on course video because of how busy the courses have been, I did grab some video around the greens and I’ll include it here. Not only does it allow you to see how I’m using the club around the green, but it allows you to hear the strikes and interaction with the ground. I also talk about how I use the club and what I expect and try to do around the green. 

A few notes from the videos and use of the clubs, especially around the greens. I couldn’t control the trajectory very well. Everything was always high. Very rarely could I get the ball to stay low and run and that was frustrating. On full shots, I couldn’t ever get the ball to go more than 90 yards, which is far shorter than my current 58* wedge. I also had issues with it going right for whatever reason. Maybe ground interaction and shape of head? I don’t know. But what I do know is that I need to be able to count on a distance for a club and I haven’t had that with the Zipcore. 

 

On-Course Performance (23 out of 30 points)

Putting the club to use on the course was fun, frustrating, and in the case of one 9 hole round of 28, miraculous. As I said before, I’m obviously trying to use my wedges to score. If I can hit greens with them or get up and down well, I’m going to be around par or better. And honestly, my long game struggles, which is why I have to rely on my wedges so much.  

So where did the wedge stand out for me?

Bunkers -- I have to say I was more than pleasantly surprised with this club in the bunkers. I could get it out easily. Trajectory was high, but overall, the ball did what I expected it to do, and most importantly, there wasn’t 1 time that I can remember where I left it in the bunker for my next shot, or sent it flying across the green with a thin shot.  

Rough 50-80 yards -- Playing this wedge on partial shots out of the rough was a very strong spot for this wedge. While the feel wasn’t great in telling me anything, I feel like I always ended up on the green, and very close to the pin. When I shot my miraculous 28 during a league match, I hit this thing 4 times out of the rough into a green and they were all within 8 feet. For some reason the rough and the shape of this club work together well. 

Where didn’t it stand out for me?

Chipping -- I’ve mentioned it in my other posts, but I struggled mightily chipping around the greens with this club. Especially with tight lies, my chipping was subpar. Those I usually play with that know my normal skill level on chips from 10-30 yards, mentioned how much I struggled and that is obviously the exact opposite of what I’m trying to do. I don’t know if it’s the different head shape or size, but for whatever reason it was a BIG weakness in the club for me. 

Distance -- I couldn’t get this club to the 105 yard mark that I’m used to with my current wedge. I don’t know if it’s the increased spin Cleveland mentions in their marketing, but the ball was just not flying for me. Not out of the rough. Not out of the fairway. It just wasn’t there for me whatsoever. 

I think overall, while I did enjoy the club out of the rough and bunkers, I struggled out of most tight lies, where I usually shine. I couldn’t get comfortable with the head shape or size. I don’t know if the ‘LOW’ bounce would have helped more. That’d certainly be interesting to compare though. 

Miscellaneous (10 out of 10 points)

I think in this section, I want to just mention how good the club looked and felt in my hands. I can’t get over how good the overall shape and weighting was. I really enjoyed the look of the face, and that fact that the milling on the toe kept the club from glaring in my face like my current wedges tend to do on sunny days. That’s an A+ for me and Cleveland really did a fantastic job in that aspect.
 

Play it or Trade it? (15  out of 20 points)

I’m really struggling with what to do with this wedge. The fact that I’m struggling so much around the greens with it is a big factor in me wanting to throw it in my ‘extras’ bag and let it go. But the performance, especially out of the rough, in almost any lie, is a strong suit. It’s great to have confidence on a ball 40 yards out, sitting down in the rough, that I can go up and be confident a smooth swing will easily pop this ball up and somewhere near my target. That’s a POWERFUL thing to have that type of confidence in those situations. Can be the difference between a par and a double bogey or more. I used the club at least 6 times in my round of 28 and I really did hit some good shots with it through all the rounds and practice I used it for. But that doubt when it comes to chipping and pitching, is strong and I’m not sure if I should continue to use it and fight through it, or throw in the towel. I’m not very good at throwing in the towel as I tend to keep my clubs for years, not months or days. 

So it’s honestly a big question mark of what I will end up doing with it. The season is winding down so I’ll probably continue to play it and then decide what to do in the off season. My Scor wedges are in need of replacement and it’d be great to find something, but I’m not 100% confident this would be that replacement. But because of the great aspects of the club, I’m not sold on kicking it to the curb either. 

Conclusion
The Zipcore wedge is supposed to give you more spin, distance and forgiveness. Obviously those are marketing terms we hear far too often with most wedges that hit the market. I will give it to Cleveland that the forgiveness is probably something they did well with this wedge. In my experience the distance is not. And I have never been one to spin the ball much with any previous wedges or irons and I have to say that didn’t change for me with the Zipcore. I thing the wedge and idea has promise. But for someone like me that likes a smaller head, less bounce, and the ability to work the ball with different trajectories, even with a 58* wedge, I’m not sure that it’s something that has a spot in the bag long term. 

Final Score: (80 out of 100 points) 
 

[BrownBearGolf]

October 4^th, 2020

Cleveland Golf ZipCore Wedge 58* Mid Bounce Official MGS Forum Review by BrownBearGolf

Have you ever had an eagerly anticipated and brand-new relationship?  Whether it be professional, romantic, friendly, or competitive you may have been chomping at the bit when you first started it.  For example, I had a boss whom was to retire and I just couldn’t wait for the new boss.  I didn’t go dance in the streets with my colleagues but I was excited.  The news of an easier day at work, the potential for a leader whom might make my job easier or teach me something new and valuable was a welcome thought. To have someone other than the micromanaging zealot with the personality of an iron fisted czar had to be grand.  Had to be.  Right? 

The new boss was younger than the literal and figuratively old boss and came from a field I respected. They were just starting their career in education administration.  I was told that the new person would bring new methodologies to our practice of education and most importantly would bring a positive sense of community if not familial culture to our campus.  Sounds worthy of welcome regard.  Right?

 After all that anticipation and all that hype and all the earnest eagerness… I can honestly say that they were the worst supervisor I’ve ever had.  Anticipation and Eagerness had quickly corrupted into anxiety and resentment. Almost three years went by in agonizingly slow motion with speed bumps in abundance. Yet, like the possibility for redemption after a horrid front nine we were told the administrator was not to have their contract renewed.  Hell yeah!

When told I was selected to test the Celeveland ZipCore wedge I felt full of giddy anticipation and Christmas in July boyhood glee when I received my wedge on the front doorstep.  Thank you, MyGolfSpy!! Thank you, Cleveland Golf. 

Oohs and aahs and moaning over how beautiful the wedge looks can be heard and seen in the coming video. Similar to the above-mentioned story I couldn’t wait to start building this relationship full of promise. I was told by Cleveland that this wedge would add feel, bring exacting control, and feature durability while the headliner of new tech would impart amazing amounts of spin in a newly engineered wedge design that could change the wedge manufacturing game. 

Two months later and here we are!   While not a catastrophic failure of epic proportions, will I be telling a story of love at first sight?  Or will that lust be tempered with time and experience?  Expectations can sometimes be the foundations to resentments and my expectations were quite high.  So, how do I feel now?  Will I pass this wedge on to another MGS member after an experiment that taught me to find another new wedge or keep my current gamer?  Will I love this wedge taking in all the endearing if not different qualities than my current gamer?  Let’s dive in and find out.  Oh, and please don’t expect a Pulitzer prize winning piece here.  You’ll just, for sure, be let down. 

Let me try and objectively explain my current game.  I started this project at a 9.5 USGA handicap.  Two months later and presently I’m an 8.8.  Boom!  There you go.  Was it the wedge?  Or was it the scrutiny of the short game?  Who knows?  But I’m going to say some of the credit does in fact go to the wedge and not perhaps for reasons you may theorize.

I have a strong swing speed and quick tempo.  I’m not smooth and I’m not out of my shoes when swinging.  I’m Goldilocks. I think.  I have a relatively steep down swing and could be considered a digger. I’ve been called worse. Obviously. I digress.  See my swing in action in various environments such as the launch monitor and courses in the upcoming video.  I have a tendency to be a mid-trajectory hitter with lots of backspin.

 Strengths of my game are Driving. I hit it relatively far with an ARCCOS caddie average of 280 yards and hitting fairways 50% of the time. 

 

I hit my irons relatively normal distances with a 5 iron average of 196yds., 7 iron 178yds., 9iron 152yds., and this wedge at 58* 75-85 yards on full swings. I have tendency to draw my short irons such as 9 iron down to gap wedge at 45*. I do like to take aggressive angles with my Driver as my length allows for that and at times with my irons below 7.  My 100 yard club is my 54* Callaway MD4 wedge.

 I currently play Callaway Mac Daddy 4 and I “fit” myself as I have a membership at a PGA Tour Store where I have unlimited launch monitor usage. I bought the current gamers approximately two and a half years ago. Competing against the MD4 were the Cleveland RTX 4 and the Vokey SM7 and the Mizuno S-18.

My 58* wedge is my go to club for chipping and pitching. That’s why this ZipCore is being scrutinized so intensely.  I need a consistent club that I can confidently stop at pins from within not only 70-85 yards but also within 50 yards in and even from just off the fringe.   What I needed vs. what I wanted in this wedge are two distinctly different things.   What I needed was consistency in green side flight distances and roll distances.  What I wanted was a club that would feel soft.  Needing a club to do so many different yardages is tricky if not ignorant.  I have focused recently with all this testing trying to manage different back swing lengths and speeds.  Sometime less hinge and more torso rotation. Sometimes open stances and open faces.  It’s been fun and frustrating as well.  Alas, the process has helped and this wedge has proven to be quite the tool to learn with.

First Impressions

My first impressions were how gorgeous this wedge is.  The lines flowed without sharp angles or bright reflections.  A major complaint of my MD4 is the massive amounts of glare. At address the ZipCore has a tear drop shape that fits nicely behind the ball with a roundish leading edge heading up to the toe. One thing I am a huge fan is their milling on the toe. This larger milling than on the scoring area diffracts the light and minimizes glare exceptionally.  In sharp contrast is the telescope grade mirror shine of the toe of my MD4 which I hate!  This wedge has brushed Nickle or a “satin” look that is cleverly and minimally accented with shiny chrome. It truly has the luxurious look of a finely hand-crafted sculpture. The Font and black infill of the RTX and ZipCore are of perfect proportion and placement high on the toe.  I really enjoy the large numbers on the sole for easy visibility.  Not sure the “Mid” and “10” need to be there though. I preferred the dot system of past Cleveland wedges designating bounce.

  Interestingly the tech of this wedge is almost all invisible. Present day golf club design is about hiding the tech inside the club and less about showcasing the advancements.  There are no inserts, no visible welds between carbon steel and Tungsten. There are no screws functional or ornamental. We can’t see the “low density” material inside.  We can’t see any remnants of the heat treatment to increase durability.  The Rotex milling and laser etching are hard to see in contrast to the face of the recent TaylorMade Wedge faces which look like an excel spreadsheet.  And, I guess that was the goal here.  They claim game changing performance with the classic preferred look.  Well they got the look just right which leaves the following questions.  How does it spin?  How is it controlled?  Will it last longer? Does it provide effective feedback while remaining soft?

            When I heard of the low-density material coupled with their marketing photos of this pinkish material in the hosel and heel I immediately considered it to be another “goo” such as in the Taylormade P790 and TwistFace drivers as well as the competitor Cobra and PXG irons.  I thought it would make the club face a bit more in flexible in the attempts of  making the club feel more like a forged wedge with the durability of a cast.  And, as I found out, something in this wedge does make it feel soft.  Can there be a too soft?  How can a club be soft and have a more durable face?  Seems like an oxymoron. I chose this 58* to be compared directly with my current gamer which is a 58 degree in the S grind.  I went with “Mid” grind here thinking it most closely resembled the S grind with 10* bounce.  I think offering three bounce/grinds is a solid game plan as so many consumers are confused by the loft offerings of Vokey and Callaway.

I play in and around Phoenix AZ.  I played classic parkland courses as well as true target and modern desert golf courses with forced carries and rocky, firm, and hard dirt in the off fairway areas.  I tested this wedge at courses ranging from Phoenix municipal courses that were dry and thin.  I took it to ultra-premium courses where the turf was sweet and manicured perfectly such as Troon North Monument Course, Quintero, and Verrado Founder’s Course. These were all middle of summer rounds. The heat during these two months ranged from 100-116 degrees. Conditions during these months mean greens and fairways being faster and sand traps dry and thin.  The heat does have an effect on the ball making it fly, seemingly, farther and certainly rolling farther.

 

 

 The total number of rounds I played was lucky 13 in two months. I also spent an hour each in three different Foresight GC2 launch monitor sessions comparing the ZipCore to new offerings such as the Vokey SM8 and directly against my Callaway MacDaddy 4.  In addition, I spent about 30-45 minutes in practice sessions outside at my local course practice area several times.  Don’t hate.  I’m a teacher. I have summers off. Golf is cheap in the summer. Golf is hot in the desert in the summer. Go hard and hot or not at all. Oh boy… All of the above mentioned are shown in my video review to come in the next 24-48 hours of this posting on Oct. 4^th

What I found in launch monitor sessions was that this wedge does not provide any more spin compared to my two and a half year old MD4 which has worn down grooves.  In fact it has less spin.  Although the MD4 has the raised inverted grooves which may counter the wear overall.

Average Metrics ZipCore:

Ball speed: 69.3mph  Carry=78yds  Launch Angle=33.4*  Descent=49.3* Backspin 10,985rpm

Peak Height: 20 yards

 Average Metrics Callaway MD4:

Ball speed: 69.3mph  Carry=78yds  Launch Angle=33.7*  Descent=49.* Backspin 11,369rpm

Peak Height: 19 yards

As you can see, the metrics are pretty damn close.  So much so that I would argue the differences are negligible.  Below I get a little more detailed with what I think the strengths and weaknesses of this wedge are.

 

Grading:

Looks (10 out of 10 points) 

As mentioned in detail earlier in the report I think this wedge looks amazing.  It is classic with modern touches like the satin finish and the fonts size and style. The extra milling on the toe reduces glare and the leading edge at address sits nicely behind the ball.  The scoring lines vertically and grooves horizontally frame the ball nicely when contrasted with the milled toe.  People have asked when they’ve seen it what it is and mentioned how nice it looks.

Sound & Feel (6 out of 10 points)

I don't know if I like the softer sound and feel of the ZipCore compared to the abrasive and almost offensive MD4.  The soft feeling of the ZipCore leads to less feedback, however.  After hitting full shots I feel that perhaps the shaft may have something to do with the lack of feedback.  Without question the head of this club feels softer than the head of the MD4. It is certainly quieter. The MD4 has a very hard and very pronounced click on the ball that I could hear and it annoyed me for the first year of playing the club and that is with Urethane Srixon Z-Star XV balls. The first few swings felt lighter than the MD4.  I wonder if the core material makes it feel that way.  Taking away metal from the hosel, heel, and sole no matter where they repositioned the metal mass has to have some effect on feel.

Initially the sound and feel were so quiet and so muted compared to the MD4 I was off put by it.  I mentioned several times in the thread this feeling.  I just didn’t have much feedback and I suppose I had gotten used to the harder and rougher feel of the MD4s.  Early on in testing I focused on green side chipping and pitching and there just wasn’t the feedback I needed.  I attributed that to it being new and looking and sounding so different that it was in my head.  But the numbness and muted sound did affect my play as I didn’t know how hard to hit the ball in short finesse shots.  Certainly the sound and feel did affect my performance early on in testing.  In the last three weeks however I am coming around to its feel.  The sound is still so muted I don’t know what the ball will do but I am getting a bit more sensitive to the feel and face impact.  On full swings it feels soft as well but I can tell quickly with the trajectory how the ball came out.  However, I would prefer sound and feel feedback prior to the visual. I’m still confused about feel and sound despite how off put I was early on by how numb and muted it was/is. 
Basic Characteristics (18 out of 20 points)

Something good that has come of using this wedge is the confidence I have when hitting between 75-85 yards.  I swing and it goes that distance.  Seemingly it is very consistent.  Now, I don’t exactly know if I hit it just right due to the lack of feedback but the net result is where I want it to be.  The trajectory for me is medium high.  20 yards peak average height is fine for me as here in the desert I don’t typically have to hit over trees higher than 20 yards.  I must say that while the feedback is muted it seems to be more consistently forgiving than my MD4.  Is that the tradeoff?  Forgiveness over feel like with irons?  I feel confident that if it is a straight line I can get the ball to the green within smaller circle of dispersion. And I’m coming around to the fact that I might prefer forgiveness and consistently hitting that target than I do feel.  With 58* I’m not really looking to control the shape of the ball flight.  Straight, high, and at the number I want is great and so far, this club is providing that for me.

The Mid bounce at 10* is the same as my MD4.  However, the V-grind of the ZipCore is helping me stay square at impact and therefore on line in flight to the target. I like that.

I've improved my G.I.R. Note for Picture below: I had to label this club as a 60* wedge in ARCCOS as not to delete my 2 years of data with my gamer 58*.

On-Course Performance (25.5 out of 30 points)           

The club works from the fairway, rough, and fringe.  Where it seems to struggle is the sand.  The V-grind doesn’t seem to open as much as my S grind on the MD4.  It looks like it needs more heel relief.  However, this isn’t the end of the world.  I could possibly get a 61* sand wedge.  I’m looking to get a new set of irons and if so, I may need a new set of wedges for gapping purposes and with loft jacking it could be a possibility.  I like the grind.  It helps me in full shots and keeping the face square in less than full shots like ¾ or ½ shots. This club seems to be strongest for me in full swings.  It has performed as most new clubs do for me.  It shows great promise and is ultimately just going to take a little time for me to get settled.  I had played Cleveland wedges for 18 years prior to the MD4.  The quality of the club overall is not a surprise to me in any way.  I’ve always had a strong regard for Cleveland golf from back when I played their TA3 Form Forged Irons and David Toms and Vijay Singh were their players.

If I had to change one thing absolutely it would be the Spinner shaft.

I like the shape and the look from address and wouldn’t mess with those at all.  If something is to change it may be the metal they use or a composition change in their “core” material to add back some feedback feel.  Too soft may be the problem.  In the end I believe the club made me a better putter. I do feel I got in my target circle more often and that the circle got smaller therefore making easier putts more frequent.

One thing to recall....according to launch monitor the ZipCore does not spin more than my two and a half year old Callaway MD4.  In actual playing conditions I found that to be true also.  The following pictures are of the results of two full swing shots approximately 80 yards out on the same day at the same course, albeit different holes.  Look at the disparity between the two!

  
 

Miscellaneous (7 out of 10 points)

The little things matter, and in this case  while I was fortunate to be selected, I was sent a stock club.  Something that has to change immediately is the shaft, yet I didn’t change it because I wanted to test it as is sold. It feels whippy and adds to the lack of feedback.  I don’t feel it brings any extra spin and therefore no tradeoff exists.  It’s numb and didn’t provide any performance benefits. 

One thing I did change was grip.  I’m not a Golf Pride guy.  I’m a Winn Grips guy and having this club with a Winn grip mid size is what I needed and had installed. I’ll probably have the shaft changed out as well. Not sure to what. At time of the start of this review there were no other finishes. I prefer a gunmetal finish.  The new black offering looks pretty sweet!  The raw finish doesn’t look as luxurious or clean.  It was shipped very fast and in a typical triangular box for a single club.  Their customizable options don’t look as clean or have as many options as the TaylorMade Milled Grind 2 offerings.

 Play it or Trade it? (18 out of 20 points)

I have to keep it.  My overall game and short game got better with it in this short two months. I’m going to change shafts and then I think I’ll be closer to absolute commitment.  If that doesn’t bring me better feedback and I find I just can’t be that numb regardless of the results I’ll send out to another MGS member.

Conclusion

The expectations are high. Cleveland has themselves and their marketing department to thank for that.  This club, I have found, is much like a new boss.  I don’t necessarily have to like the boss to benefit from their style and substance. Despite the fact that the new boss doesn’t check off everything on my “perfect boss” list doesn’t mean they are a bad boss.  If I am getting better at my job, have no resentments at the end of the day, and can sleep at night eager to go back to work the next day then I have to take the overall win and like this boss.

The Cleveland ZipCore wedge looks great and has great results with  forgiving and accurate performance.  It doesn’t sound right but it’s not offensive.  It doesn’t feel right but it’s not punishing.  This wedge works and over time with more work and with some changes in the shaft it might just end up being the perfect wedge.  I’ve gotten better with this club.  I suspect others will as well.  It’s not a “game improvement” wedge but it did that for me and seemingly for other testers as well.  The Vokey and new Callaway Jaws play more like a true blade iron giving lots of feedback when you miss the dime spot more often.  Sometimes, ignorance truly is bliss.  So if I can’t feel how flush I hit it, the green surely will when the ball lands in the target circle.  In the end, I’m happy I tried it and am eagerly anticipating a fruitful relationship.  I’ve gotten better because I’m more confident with what the end result will be.  That’s a great feeling.  A feeling that the wedge provides me.

Final Score: (84.5 out of 100 points)

Thank you, again, to My Golf Spy and to Cleveland Golf and to the other testers whom helped me as this was my first review for MGS.  Well done everyone!  

 

 

[fozcycle]

2020 Cleveland Zipcore Wedge Review

 

Intro

In 1959, my Grandfather wrapped my little hand around his Bag Boy pull cart and made me his Caddy.  He gave me a set of clubs that had hickory shafts and began to provide some instruction.  We lived next to the Capitol Grounds in front of the state capitol building(Frankfort, KY) so I buried some soup cans in the ground and made my very own practice area.  Today, I have one of the hickory shafted clubs left, the putter, which hangs on the wall in my home office.  I was 8 years old when my golf started and am almost 70 now.  I play with torn ligaments in my left ankle and a piece of steel, 13 screws & an inch of my hip in my left wrist, which was shattered over 20 years ago.  I have been retired for almost 4 years, playing 4 times a week.  So I guess you could say I have been around the game for awhile.

 

• My Handicap Index is 16.1, up from 14.7.
• My Swing Tempo is pretty smooth. I am not a fast takeaway guy.
• I live in West Central Florida, just north of Tampa.  We don’t have a change of seasons, but we do have Seasons, “Rainy” and “Not Rainy”.  Our Hurricane Season is from June 1 to Dec 1, which is our Rainy Season.  During this time the fairways tend to get a bit mushy therefore no roll.  That is when I adjust my Driver from 10.5* to 12* to get as much loft as possible.
• My ball flight is pretty much a line drive.  I can’t seem to get a decent amount of loft in my woods and irons.  However, my wedges can get high.
• Currently the strength of my game is my drive and fairway woods where my weakness is my irons and short game.
• My current irons are Wilson D-7’s which is why I have the D-7 Gap Wedge(50*), Sand Wedge(54*) and Cobra Lob Wedge(58*).
• My main goal when addressing the ball is to strike it square and get it up in the air.
• When my game is on, I will take chances.
• My PW is a 105Y shot so when I need 100 yards, it depends on where the flag is on the green as to whether I pull the PW(100-107Y) or the GW(90-95Y)
• I generally use my GW and SW for chipping and pitching to the Green.
• I can usually adjust my chipping/pitching distances by knowing how far I can go with 1/2, 3/4 and full swing.

 

 

First Impressions

 

At first glance, the RTX Zipcore looks like a traditional wedge with the Cleveland proprietary Rotex grind on the face.  However, after you turn it over, you will notice a slight bulge about halfway up the back.  This is how Cleveland shifted the center of gravity on the new wedges, yielding a higher MOI, additional spin and control.  The grooves were changed to a sharper, deeper, narrower channel.  The wedge was blasted with a heat treatment that will help the grooves last longer.

 

 

What does all this “Zipcore” tech mean?  It means that you now have two more rows of grooves that will increase your control.  You have less weight at the base of the hosel that was added to the back of the club to raise the MOI yielding more control.

 

I recently added the Wilson D-7 GW(50*) & SW(54*) to my bag, so I looked at the oldest club to be replaced by the Zipcore. I selected a 58* mid bounce wedge to test that will replace my 58* Cobra King F8 wedge in my bag.

 

I am hoping to improve my short game with the Cleveland RTX Zipcore.  I am constantly losing strokes due to chunked or skulled chips.  If the 58* is successful, I will probably add a 50* and 54* to the bag.

 

I don’t have a good practice area at my club, and I regularly play 4 days a week so my testing of the Zipcore wedge will be from actual use on the course.  My 58* is my primary sand wedge whereas my 54* SW is used for short chips. I will use the 58* in more settings than normal, trying to see what, if any, benefit there is. Possibly I can throw it closer to the pin and it will check up.

 

Grading

 

Looks ( 9 out of 10 points) 

 

• Tear drop shape with crisp clean graphics,
• Even with four different fonts, the wedge appears neat
• The Zipcore looks like most other traditional wedges
• When special ordered, you can customize your colors
• Not flashy, they don’t pop when in your bag.

 

Sound & Feel ( 7  out of 10 points)

 

• There isn’t a particular loud sound from the wedge.  I guess it really depends on the type of ball that you use.  Crisp clean sound off a Pro V1 style ball and a muffled sound when using a low compression ball.

 

• The feel is harsher when struck on the toe or low on the sole. 

 

Basic Characteristics ( 17 out of 20 points)

 

As stated earlier, I play four times a week.  I also play in very wet conditions this time of the year(July-Oct).  I do not have a good place to practice but figure 18 holes, four times a week will give me a good idea how the RTX Zipcore plays.  In addition, I have been using it where I normally use my 50* & 54* to see what opportunities may be in the making.

 

Here is a brief description of the wedges attributes:

 

• Accuracy - Unbelievably awesome, within 5 yards of pin on green.
• Distance Control - Full shot - 60-70 yards; Half shot 40-50 yards
• Trajectory – High, especially for me.  
• Forgiveness – I am sure I have hit the ball all over the club face.  There is ample forgiveness, but when you skull a 58* it will run out across the green.
• Control – I have to work hard to hit the ball square.  It does not come easily.  I have to really focus to hit my target.
• Workability – I can change the shot shape, but why would I?  I want a high lob.

On-Course Performance (27 out of 30 points)

 

My review is primarily from the on course evaluation.  I use Shotscope V3 so the following data is derived from it.

 

The “LW” is my Cobra F8 58* wedge with a Recoil ES 460 graphite shaft.  The “58” is the 58* Zipcore.  The average distance for the Zipcore is just 2 yards longer than the Cobra.  That’s not much, but it is longer.

 

The Average proximity to the hole on Short Game is 24 Ft for the LW versus   22 Ft for the Zipcore.  Again, small difference but big gain. The Cobra  had only 15% inside 6 Ft whereas the Zipcore had 23% inside 6 Ft.  The Up & Down percentage for the Zipcore was 19% versus 13% for the Cobra F8.

 

The Approach shots taken with the “LW” versus the “58” produced the following:    

 

A 5% improvement using the Zipcore versus the Cobra F8.

 

While playing Champions Gate National a few weeks ago, I holed out a 10 yard chip from below the Green for a Birdie!  The lie was rather thin and the grass was wet, but the Zipcore grabbed the ball and set it on line to the hole.

 

Final Performance Comments:

• Even though this wedge was standard lie and not 2* flat like the Cobra F8 it performed very well.
• This was the first Cleveland wedge that I have any experience with and it definitely impressed me.
• I would change the Fonts so that they are compatible with each other….too busy on the looks.
• I like the higher MOI and definitely the Rotex grooves.
• If I could putt, the Zipcore definitely gives me a better chance to hole out.

Miscellaneous ( 8 out of 10 points)

While I know Cleveland is a very professional organization, I was not impressed by the packaging.  Just brown paper and a little plastic in a brown box.  I have received clubs from Cobra, Ben Hogan, Tour Edge & Wilson in recent years, all of whom did a much better job on the packaging.

 

Play it or Trade it? ( 20 out of 20 points)

I was very impressed by the Zipcore’s ability to stop the ball on the Green, whether a Urethane or an Ionomer cover, whether a two piece or a 3 piece ball.  I will definitely “Play it” and will probably add a couple more(50* & 54*).

 

Conclusion

If you change anything in your bag this year, make it your wedges and give the slot to the Cleveland RTX Zipcore.  Your game will be glad you did.

 

Final Score: (88 out of 100 points)

[mr.hicksta]

Cleveland RTX ZipCore Wedge – Official MGS Forum Review by mr.hicksta

Intro
Hello MGS, mr.hicksta here with my review of the new Cleveland RTX ZipCore wedges! My current handicap is 8 and I have what some would call a quick tempo ;). I’m not a super high speed player, but I get the club moving when I need to. I’m active duty in the Navy so I’m currently living in Chula Vista, CA and I play all over, from my neck of the woods to LA. I obviously don’t have to deal with a lot of crazy weather out this way, and weather-wise the biggest change is cooler temps in fall and winter. I hit the ball high and my miss is definitely the dreaded pull. 

I think my biggest strength is course management because I work hard to make smart decisions during my rounds. My biggest weakness is my approach game, which is why I was particularly excited about being selected to test the RTX ZipCore wedges. My current gamers are the excellent RTX 4s, which I was not fit for. I had gamed the RTX 4s before and recently switched back to them earlier this year. With a wedge in my hand, I like to feel like I can hit the green and with a wedge, knowing the ball is going to react a certain way consistently is very important to me. I don’t typically go pin hunting as my main focus is to get a GIR. Right now, my 100 yard club is my 54, but I’ll use my 60 every now and again if the conditions are right. And for this review, I chose the 60 because I use it so much 50 yards and in, which are typically less than full swing shots. 

First Impressions
Cleveland’s claims and technology updates for the ZipCore wedges are straight forward, and are certainly not a complete reinvention of the wedge.

• ZipCore: Raises MOI

• Ultipzip Grooves: Sharper, deeper and narrower grooves (most important update IMO).

• Heat treatment: Increase durability

None of the changes are too far fetched and I think the first two are the most important as it relates to performance. I certainly don’t feel like any of these items are technological breakthroughs, but more of improvements to an already excellent line of wedges. Having gamed Cleveland wedges on and off since the RTX 3s, I had, and still have, a very positive opinion of Cleveland wedges and was chomping at the bit to get my hands on the ZipCore line. 

I chose the 60 Full since I play the RTX 4 60 Full. Aside from the previously mentioned changes, the other notable change is the ZipCore 60 Full is 3* more bounce (12) than the RTX 4 60 Full (9*). Chips and pitches can be a struggle for me at times so I’m all about having wedges that allow me to execute a variety of shots around the green. The 60 is one club that I almost never use for full shots so it’s use is almost entirely dedicated to around 70 yards and in.

I did my testing at the range, the short game practice area and on the course. While using the wedge in practice areas was nice, I found the feedback I got on course to be much more useful. After all, I think most of us know what wedges are supposed to do so being able to see that on the course was helpful. I tried hitting my stock shots as well as shots I wouldn’t usually try to really see how the wedge performed. 

So what will it take for the ZipCore 60 Full to stay in my bag? Looks aside, I need to have confidence in the wedge, knowing that I can execute the right shot at the right time. It’s that simple!   

 

 

Grading

Looks (09 out of 10 points) 
The ZipCore has a traditional shape, but it looks a little bit chunkier at address than the RTX 4. I found the overall look to be clean, and oddly similar to the P790s and SM8s from a design perspective. Compared to other wedges, the ZipCores look as good, if not better. The face milling is particularly cool and sets the ZipCore wedges apart from the competitors. I believe clubs can get too busy, but the ZipCores definitely don't fall into that category.  

Sound & Feel (09 out of 10 points)
Nothing out of the ordinary on the sound front. They’re not loud at all, centered shots sound crisp and there’s a noticeable difference in sound towards the toe and heel, which is not a bad thing at all. The ZipCore doesn’t feel quite as solid as the RTX 4, and I feel like that has something to do with the redistribution of the weighting. But with feel being one of those fickle things, I certainly don’t think it’s anything that takes away from the performance. With that said, though I would put the ZipCores up there with some of the better feeling wedges I’ve used over the years.  

Basic Characteristics (18 out of 20 points)
Unfortunately I was not able to get on a launch monitor with my wedge so I don’t have any hard numbers for you all. That said, I found the ZipCore wedge to be quite accurate. At the range I was firing at a pin that was about 85 yards out and was consistently hitting shots close to the pin. This was reflected on the course as well, and it inspired confidence! During my time using the wedge I also noticed the distance was consistent along with the trajectory. Flighting shots is still something that’s hit or miss for me (likely a technique issue), but I worked to hit a variety of shots from high floppers to low spinners. I was able to hit both and just about everything in between with this wedge. I know wedges in this class aren’t typically known for their forgiveness, but that’s one area where the ZipCore really shines. Even on off center shots, I did not see a significant drop off in distance. Lastly, I’d put the ZipCore wedges solidly in the ‘point and shoot’ category. Any issues I had were a result of my erratic swing, NOT the wedge. 

On-Course Performance (27 out of 30 points)
Straight up, the RTX ZipCore wedges are excellent! While I do think I would’ve been better off with the 60 Mid, once I adjusted to the 60 Full I hit a number of quality shots. Notably, I didn’t seem to generate as much spin with the ZipCores, but to be fair, some of the spinny shots I hit with the RTX 4 were with a different ball then I’m currently using now. My main gripe is the higher bounce with the 60 Full. While I did adjust eventually, I should’ve gone with the 60 Mid with the 9* bounce. With the ZipCore 60 Full in the bag, I dropped around 2-3 strokes a round. While that’s not a huge amount, it’s certainly an improvement and I believe the RTX ZipCore helped my game. All in all, I like the direction Cleveland is going with the RTX line and I can see myself gaming ZipCord wedges for the foreseeable future!

Miscellaneous (10 out of 10 points)
Cleveland shipped my wedge quick, and being close to Huntington Beach helped my cause there. It would’ve been nice to be able to customize the wedge a bit, but I do understand with a review group it’s often easier to just send stock clubs out. My golf friends are a bunch of club ho’s so they enjoyed checking out the RTX ZipCore before it was available and I had several positive comments made about it on the course!

Play it or Trade it? (18 out of 20 points)
For this section, consider that all things are equal and you’re choosing whether or not you would put this shaft in play for a big tournament. Does it help you play your best? Or is it just another spoke in the revolving door? Do you think the asking price is fair for the product? If you could change some of your spec choices, would you? Finally, what type of golfer do you think this product would fit the best? If it’s not you, explain why.

Bottom line is I will have RTX ZipCore wedges in my bag, just not the one I tested. I went with the Tour Rack version and customized the grind so I’m excited about getting them in the bag. Cleveland already had an excellent wedge in the RTX 4s so the ZipCore line isn’t a huge upgrade in my opinion, but is certainly an improvement. As I previously mentioned, if I was able to, I would’ve gone with the 60 Mid with the Tour Issue S400 as that combo is similar to what I have with the RTX 4. I believe this particular wedge would work well for a player who likes higher bounce, so if any of my fellow Spies are interested, let me know and I’ll send it your way! 

Conclusion
The RTX ZipCore line is fantastic, and will work for a wide variety of golfers. With the other customization options available now, there is literally a grind and finish available for EVERY golfer. Check them out and watch your short game improve! 

Final Score: (91 out of 100 points)

[Shankster]

Pretty excited about getting started with this wedge.

Normally, I avoid anything that reminds me of Ohio... but being that this is someone’s Surname, I will let it slide... just this once.

Growinf up, my dad always played Cleveland wedges, and still has them in the bag now. 
 

The RTX 4 that I tried out at a demo day was interesting.  Hopefully this one is nearly the same, because it was a good wedge.

 

I chose the 46° for a similar reason to what the new blog post is about. Replacing the set wedge with a specialty wedge.  

[mr.hicksta]

Well it looks like my RTX ZipCore 60 Full will be here today or tomorrow (hooray for fast shipping from Huntington Beach to San Diego) and I'm really excited about testing Cleveland's latest wedge offering. I recently switched back to the RTX 4s and was quickly reminded just how good those wedges are. If what I've read and watched is true, I expect the ZipCore to build on what is already a PHENOMENAL wedge in the RTX 4. Initially I plan on doing a side by side comparison of my two 60s, which will be followed by a variety of range/practice area and course testing. I use my 60 exclusively from about 60 yards and in, never full swing. The one difference I'm particularly interested in is the fact the ZipCore 60 Full has 3* more bounce than it's RTX counterpart. All I know is I am hyped about getting some ZipCore goodness in my hands and I can't wait to share my thoughts with MGS!

[StrokerAce]

Officially I'll be testing the 54 degree mid bounce; I use this for both full shots (around 100 yards and in) as well as bump and runs around the green.
My current 54 is a Vokey SM6 and it will be interesting to see how moving the CG away from the heel effects things. Also looking forward to the amount of spin I can impart on these.

I like to have my wedges match so I personally pre-ordered a 58 degree low bounce Zipcore. I tend not to use my 58 for full shots but I might try it with this. I'd rather take a full swing with the 58 than try to "finesse" it with a 54. Most of my chips and pitches around the green are with my Vokey SM6 58. I always use the 58 out of the bunkers around the green. 

My iron set has an "A" wedge that is 51 degrees and - contrary to the article in the blog - I like both my P and A wedges to match my set as I rarely chip/pitch with them and 95% of the time use them exclusively for full shots.

Curious what the distance and launch is going to be like with the zippers.... looking forward to it. Who knows, maybe I'll back one up into the hole. 

[tchat07]

I will also be testing the 54 mid. I choose the 54 because it lines up with my current set. I play a 50, 54, 58 of Honma TW-W. I am very varied with how I use my wedges, i very infrequently hit them full but hit lots of half and 3/4 swings. I have never perfected the bounce-bounce-stop so i am super excited to see if Cleveland has really come through with the Zip!

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[mr.hicksta]

56 minutes ago, mr.hicksta said:

Well it looks like my RTX ZipCore 60 Full will be here today or tomorrow (hooray for fast shipping from Huntington Beach to San Diego) and I'm really excited about testing Cleveland's latest wedge offering. I recently switched back to the RTX 4s and was quickly reminded just how good those wedges are. If what I've read and watched is true, I expect the ZipCore to build on what is already a PHENOMENAL wedge in the RTX 4. Initially I plan on doing a side by side comparison of my two 60s, which will be followed by a variety of range/practice area and course testing. I use my 60 exclusively from about 60 yards and in, never full swing. The one difference I'm particularly interested in is the fact the ZipCore 60 Full has 3* more bounce than it's RTX counterpart. All I know is I am hyped about getting some ZipCore goodness in my hands and I can't wait to share my thoughts with MGS!

Here are two shots from last weekend with my RTX 4 50°. I may need to switch golf balls with the ZipCore .

[StrokerAce]

WHOA!  Those will ZIP all the way back to where you hit them if your not careful. 

 

[tchat07]

Here are two shots from last weekend with my RTX 4 50°. I may need to switch golf balls with the ZipCore .

What distance was that from?

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[mr.hicksta]

26 minutes ago, tchat07 said:

What distance was that from?

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Top shot was from 118, bottom shot was from 113. 

[artful_golfer]

I'm so very excited to get started with this that I'm having trouble concentrating on my work projects today!

I chose the 46° wedge mid bounce (only bounce available for this loft) anticipating doing exactly what was discussed in the new MGS blog today - replace my PW with a specialty wedge. My current 44° PW is part of my iron set and has a little wider sole. I don't seem to do as well with wider soles and ditched my Sand Wedges altogether about 2 1/2 years ago. When my new ZipCore arrives, my PW is going into the timeout box.

I currently play with men's Cleveland wedges - 52°/10, 56°/11 and most recently 60° low bounce. All have a graphite shaft. This new ZipCore will have a steel shaft and with the exception of my putter will be the only steel shaft that's ever been in my bag. I've read that it can be difficult to switch from a graphite to steel shaft and back, but I don't intend to pay attention to that negative thought. I've already been practicing with my husband's Cleveland 56° with a steel shaft to get a preliminary feel for the difference.

Thank you MyGolfSpy and Cleveland for the confidence and opportunity. And since they have enough confidence in me to try it, I commit to work hard for them and you to make it work.

[artful_golfer]

1 hour ago, GolfSpy Stroker said:

WHOA!  Those will ZIP all the way back to where you hit them if your not careful. 

 

I can hit a lob shot that stops. But I don't know how to make my golf ball roll back after it hits a green. Any tips on how I learn that skill?

[StrokerAce]

17 minutes ago, artful_golfer said:

I can hit a lob shot that stops. But I don't know how to make my golf ball roll back after it hits a green. Any tips on how I learn that skill?

Not from me.

Maybe hit onto a sloped green and hit it on the slope so it rolls back down the hill?  

 

[sirchunksalot]

Great starts, everyone! I love how each of you chose your wedge for different reasons and it'll be interesting to see how they work for each of you. The ZipCore is high on my list of wedges when I finally pull the trigger on a new set. 

[Reesedw]

I will be testing the 58* Mid bounce Zipcore. As someone who typically does not get a ball to stop quickly, this gives me a chance to put it through it paces up against another top notch wedge, the King Black from Cobra. Granted the Cobra has a few miles on it but it is far from retirement age. But then again maybe not we will see. 

[Shankster]

1 hour ago, sirchunksalot said:

Great starts, everyone! I love how each of you chose your wedge for different reasons and it'll be interesting to see how they work for each of you. The ZipCore is high on my list of wedges when I finally pull the trigger on a new set. 

What are you looking for?  Anything specific you would like us to look for?

[sirchunksalot]

2 minutes ago, Shankster said:

What are you looking for?  Anything specific you would like us to look for?

For me, versatility around the green is something I look for. I like knowing I can open it up and play either a high, soft lob or a low spinny shot. 

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

17 minutes ago, Shankster said:

What are you looking for?  Anything specific you would like us to look for?

I am just curious is it really going to increase spin and how much? Also if that is the case how effective is it in the wet conditions

[TBT]

I am honored to be chosen to test the new Cleveland RTX ZipCore wedge. The ZipCore wedges were already high on my list of clubs I wanted to try based on some early rumblings I have been hearing from some of the Cleveland reps.

I will be testing the 50* Mid bounce model, I chose the 50* wedge because it’s one of the most used clubs in my bag.

I’m a Dave Pelz “Short game bible” disciple so I use my wedges with many different swings for different distances and trajectories. Full swing it’s my 100-110 yard club, 3/4 it’s my 80-85 yard club and 1/2 swing produces a low checking 50 yard shot.

I have a ton of confidence in those shots and if I’m out of position or playing a long par 5 I look to layup to a distance that puts my 50* wedge in my hand.

My current gamer is a satin King Cobra wedge, it’s one of my favorite clubs but is a couple of seasons old and ready to retire.

I’ll compare the 2 side by side comparing sound, feel, distance and stopping power.
I may also add a 54* ZipCore wedge to my bag as well and I’ll test it along side of my 54* Cobra wedge.


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[Shankster]

1 hour ago, sirchunksalot said:

For me, versatility around the green is something I look for. I like knowing I can open it up and play either a high, soft lob or a low spinny shot. 

Not sure I’ll be of much help with getting the 46° wedge.  But I have been using my PW for the 65-100 yard knock down’s if need be.  And it sees some chipping, and light pitching work. 
 

Probably going to order the 52 and 58 as long as the shape of the 46 fits my eye. I was contemplating going 46, 50, 54, 58, 62... don’t think I have the need or the skill for the many wedges.  I am using the PW(47), 52, 58 set up right now and it is working rather well. Just have to get more creative with the 52.

[Shankster]

54 minutes ago, Lacassem said:

I am just curious is it really going to increase spin and how much? Also if that is the case how effective is it in the wet conditions

Like you mentioned in the initial thread... do we really need more spin?  Well according to Cleveland staffer Graham McDowell we do.  Sometimes I think I need less... but maybe I just need more skill.  I did see an uptick in spin from the B-Stones to the PING’s, but that was just fresh grooves vs sand blasted grooves.

 

PING’s are fairly new and should compare well, even being a CB wedge... although I will not have a direct comparison with the PING 46, they didn’t have any when I bought the 52 and 58.

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

15 minutes ago, Shankster said:

Like you mentioned in the initial thread... do we really need more spin?  Well according to Cleveland staffer Graham McDowell we do.  Sometimes I think I need less... but maybe I just need more skill.  I did see an uptick in spin from the B-Stones to the PING’s, but that was just fresh grooves vs sand blasted grooves.

 

PING’s are fairly new and should compare well, even being a CB wedge... although I will not have a direct comparison with the PING 46, they didn’t have any when I bought the 52 and 58.

I think it’s interesting because could a “spin club” be your specialty club? I had a Mizuno with a spinner shaft and I was getting 5 digit spin ratings (that’s not a typo) not that anyone needs that kind of spin but nonetheless a little extra zip never hurt and for those that need the control this could be a really good club