BrownBearGolf

Good day, I got my ZipCore Wedge today!!! It’s a 58* Mid Grind with 10* Bounce. I’m very excited to test this out. I use my current 58* for sand shots, for chips from anywhere outside the fringe all the way up to full shots at 75 yards and mid shots inside 75. Depending on how initial testing goes with the 58* I’m tempted to pre-order a 54* Mid Grind and a 50* Full Grind to fill out the bag. I’m open to what the blog suggested by getting my Mizuno JPX-850 Forged Gap Wedge at 50* to be swapped out. But, alas, I’m getting ahead of myself. As usual. I plan on practicing with it today before putting in full play this weekend. I will be practicing with a variety of balls such as the Srixon Z-Star, Taylormade Tp5, and even the Callaway ERC Soft to determine feel and to check spin characteristics. For the past two years I’ve been gaming Srixon Z-Star or Z-Star XV. I’ve tried Callaway Chrome Soft and Tp5x. Despite playing Cleveland Wedges for 18 of the last 20 years and even their old TA3 irons way back when, I’ve been gaming Callaway Mac Daddy 4 Chrome finished wedges for the last two years. They are both “S” grind and I have 54* and 58*. One drawback is the chrome finish which has too much glare. I don’t love the Callaway for several reasons. The raised grooves on the Mac Daddy caused the sound and feel to be very “clicky.” I prefer a muted and softer sound and feel. However, as I’ve used them those inverted grooves or protrusions have worn down and it isn’t so loud a click anymore and the feel has softened. So, I’m super excited to get a Cleveland back in my hands. I plan on using practice sessions, full 18 hole rounds, some 9 hole Par 3 rounds, and even some launch monitor testing to get concrete numbers. Now, are their marketing claims true? Will I get the spin I need or will it be too much?. Will I get the consistency they claim? Will the feel and look inspire confidence? Let’s find out! A big thanks to MyGolfSpy for putting this together and for having me aboard.

Anyone else see Rickie plying a practice round with the F9? I thought I saw it in one of the earlier tournaments also, maybe in Detroit? any news on this? He is the face of Cobra and SpeedZone which I find surprising I don’t see more Bryson speedzone commercials.

Hey all, please take a listen to our fun PGA Championship predictions where I also give a shoutout to the ZipCore testing for MGS!

Visual tour of Troon North front and back nines on the Monument course. Miguel from Brown Bear golf shows you the legendary North Scottsdale course. Taking you into the elevations from the back nine to the back nine Miguel tries his best on a course he's never played before. He explains why the course is called "Monument" and marvels at the boulders and rock outcroppings. You'll see views of the valley and he shares his final thoughts on the course conditions, playability for beginners, and his overall ratings using the 4 paw scale. He even does a Happy Gilmore impersonation after one of his playing partners has a nice drive. "Harness in the good energy, Block out the bad!"

October 4th, 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. 4th 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!

A proper fitting should help

5-7 HM 8-GW Forged?

It’s merely speculation for the sake of speculation and community Banter. Is it not?

Perhaps there is a little less mass on the toe of the 921. But looks incredibly similar to me. So I’m just curious if there is enough of a positive change to warrant the new retail price. Sort of like with the Taylormade P790. Seemingly the new iteration of it was strictly cosmetic yet they raised prices.

I have JPX-850 Forged and love them. I’ve had them for 5 years considering a new set. But these look too similar to the 919 Forged. IMO Same toe mass Look, same stability frame with badge going into hosel, even the badge is not that different so the only major difference is the forged Chromoly. Yes chromoly is stronger than 1025 steel but so was the boron infused steel. Some grumblings that the boron made the steel too stiff and not as buttery as people expect mizunos to be. Unless the forged chromoly has a softer feel than the boron infused with the same distances don’t see why I should pay full price when I can now get a set of 919 forged sub $1000

They look like the 900s

Miguel at Brown Bear Golf. Can a laser rangefinder at this pricepoint compete with namebrand competitors that cost four times as much? Miguel took the Milessy rangefinder to five different courses and tested its accuracy against GPS as well as a Bushnell $400 rangefinder. This video explains the features of the device and confidently makes a conclusion of it it is the right device for golfer across the globe. Feel free to leave questions or thoughts in the comments section. Please like and subscribe and follow on instagram at brownbeargolf.

Come on and listen to us average golfers talking about phenomenal athletes! In this chat Miguel and Michael talk about Rahmbo's big win, the penalty shot, and his OWGR. Does he deserve to be called World #1? What about Bryson getting cut? He truly made an unforced error. What can courses do to mitigate the strength and length of the new generation of tour players? Ernie Els and Jack Nicklaus have ideas. What would you rather have, great round at a muni or a bad round at Pebble Beach or Augusta? Also they talk about there most recent rounds and where they played. Come on and listen to us average golfers talking about phenomenal athletes!

I can post some photos of used ones. I find they last longer than the old Callaway they sold. They are a little thicker so don’t get so crusty as quick.

Miguel from Brown Bear Golf plays an early bird back nine and shows you the Phoenix municipal course Cave Creek. He explains why this may not be a course to play for early beginners and gives you some course knowledge. While getting loud after making two consecutive birdies he misses some putts keeping him from going low. Enjoy the tour!

I don’t understand the emoji. What are you expressing?

Miguel from Brown Bear Golf reviews the Costco brand Kirkland Signature Golf Glove. Is it a poor quality glove at four gloves for $20? How can it compete with name brand gloves that cost more than $20 for just one glove? What's it made of? Will it last? Let Brown Bear Golf give you the breakdown!

This podcast has an average golfer and an abomination to the sport talking about phenomenal golfers and their lives. In this podcast, Brown Bear Golf welcomes, on its debut, Michael Schlossberg. One day after the Rocket Mortgage Classic we talk about Bryson Dechambeau, Matthew Wolff, Kevin Kisner, Brooks Koepka's little brother. We share how we as amateurs are currently playing and where we play with recommendations on where to play in and around Phoenix. We talk playing golf in 110+ degree summers and why there are benefits to that. We also ponder how other professional sports leagues are going to or not going to proceed with their seasons as opposed to the PGA Tour and how golf lends itself to social distancing. It's our first of hopefully many! Come listen and engage with us in the comments. Hope you enjoy!