2019 Official Forum Member Review-Cleveland RTX 4 Wedges

[Golfspy_CG2 16,468]

In the golf club world, where most companies insist on renaming or launching a new name after one or two iterations of a club, to see a company stick with  a name into the 4th generation....well that must say something about the winning formula they have.   Below is a video from Cleveland Golf on it's RTX4 wedge. 

Then  we have four members of our forum who are in the process of testing these wedges to see how they perform for their games. See their initial thoughts in the Stage 1 posts below, and follow their on course and on range experiences with them in this thread over the next 4 weeks or so.

The Four Member Testers are:

@goaliewales14                              Stage 1                                  Stage 2

@Apes44                                         Stage 1                                  Stage 2

@MDGolfHacker                              Stage 1                                  Stage 2

@Smellis745                                   Stage 1                                 Stage 2  

 

[goaliewales14 690]

It’s RTX 4 Review Day!!!

 Introduction:

 First, a huge thank you to MGS and Cleveland for this amazing opportunity to take part in this review!  For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Mike.  This year marks 30 years of age and my 6^th year of golfing.  Over those 6 years, I’ve completely became a huge golf nerd!  I’m blessed to have an amazing wife, and a corporate accounting job that lets me fuel the obsession.

This opportunity couldn’t have come at a better time for me.  This season I’ve really been exploring if my wedges are set up correctly in terms of gapping and the course conditions in Indiana.  One of the biggest things I noticed was that I have a 100-yard problem.  I have to take a lot off of my 50* set gap wedge to hit that distance, and my 56* maxes out at 90ish-yards.  It’s to the point where I’ll take less than driver off the tee to make sure to avoid that 100-yard distance. 

To determine if my wedges are set up for the course conditions, I’ve been exploring my grinds.  I am currently gaming the Ping Glide 2.0 WS wedges.  This grind is made for diggers and soft conditions.  While I can be known for taking a good divot, a lot of the courses I play are hard and fast.  This is extremely true for the bunkers as well!  I’ve been struggling with blading out of bunkers and always thinking it’s my swing rather than the bounce.

 Current Wedges:

 As I mentioned, I’m currently playing the Ping Glide 2.0 WS wedges in a 56* and 60*.  I bought these wedges in 2017 after going through a wedge fitting through a local course.  This was before I reviewed Martin Chuck’s Tour Striker Academy, so my swing needed serious help as you may have read.  The fitter suggested going with a wedge that has a lot of bounce to help me fight the chunk and trying to get out of the bunkers.  He didn’t care on the brand, just as long as I had a lot of bounce.  After hitting the Glide 2.0’s in thick rough, I knew those were the ones!

 Fast forward to a few weeks ago, a local pro shop was kind enough to lend me a demo Glide 2.0 wedge of the TS (low bounce option) grid to compare to my WS.  The bounce difference….6* vs. 14*.  We figured let’s play the extremes to see what I really like/need.  The first few hits with the TS grind and I realized this is what I’ve been missing!  These are all things I took into consideration when selecting the RTX 4 wedges.

 RTX 4 Wedges:

 If you haven’t read the MGS article on these wedges, you definitely need to check it out!

https://mygolfspy.com/first-look-cleveland-rtx-4-wedges/

To recap that article, what’s new about the RTX 4 wedges over RTX 3?  First, as you’d imagine, there’s a focus on getting more spin.  What did they do to give you that spin? 

The other difference between the generations, and I believe more significant difference, is offering grinds with these wedges.  With the RTX 3 wedges, all of the wedges had the v-sole.  You can see below that the bounce just determined the position of the V.

The RTX 4 wedges offer 4 different grinds, full, mid, low, and xlow. 

I think this makes them extremely more versatile in their offerings.  We saw a similar trend with the Bridgestone wedges in an earlier review this year.  They moved from a 1 grind option to 3 in their new wedges.

 I’ll be testing the “Mid” grind in the 54* and the “Xlow” grind in the 58*.  What are each of those grinds meant to do?

 The “Mid” Grind:

 This grind would compare very closely to the RTX 3 wedges by having the V-Shaped sole.  This is Cleveland’s all-around wedge grind.  At 54*, this is the only option in terms of grind.  I would have loved to see the “Low” grind in this wedge to cater more towards firmer conditions.  I’m assuming that Cleveland believes that this degree of wedge will be used for primarily for approach shots into the greens rather than around the green.  When looking at the options provided by Vokey and Ping at this degree, 1 grind seems a bit limiting. 

 The “Xlow” Grind:

 If I had to choose a favorite before we started this review, this would be the grind.  This grind has 3* of bounce.  This grind is designed for extremely tight lies and hard conditions.  My favorite wedge shot is to lay the face wide open and flop it.  This grind should give me the ability to do that off of any lie.

 First Impressions:

 So I may have been watching my home security cameras all day at work until I say these clubs delivered…at last the FedEx guy comes!!

Rushing home from work, I felt like a kid waking up on Christmas morning just waiting to tear into this box to see what’s inside.  It doesn’t matter if you know what’s in there, you still can’t wait to see it.  That anticipation didn’t disappoint by any means!  See for yourself!

These wedges look amazing!  From the shine of the tour satin finish to the grooves laid into the toe of the club.  Just looking at them makes you want to go out and swing them!

 I do have to say that I did a few practice swings and I noticed these feel heavier than Ping Glide 2.0’s.  That is something I actually really love with my clubs.  It allows me to keep track of the club head better during my swing.  I can’t wait to get this review underway!

 What do I really need out of a wedge?

• Ability to open the face
  • Flop it like it's hot!
  • Distance control/trajectory
• Play off hard surfaces
  • Both bunkers and fairways
• Confidence to get out of ROUGH
• Of course, stopping power

 Luckily, I have a great short game area at a nearby course that’ll be doing a lot of initial testing before I take them out on the course.

Let the testing begin!!!

Edited August 14 by goaliewales14

[goaliewales14 690]

Stage 2 Placeholder 

[Smellis745 163]

A bit of an informal introduction to myself, my name is Chris and I’m from the upstate of SC.  Most of my golf is also played in this area.  I lurked MGS for a while, reading site news and user reviews, then finally made the plunge to become a member and donor back in January because I believe in the mission this site pushes.  I’ve played golf for most of my life, but never more than 2-3 rounds, most of which were scramble tournaments and never practiced except for visiting the range the week before.  I just relied on athletic ability alone and could manage to keep my game in the bogey golf range.  About 1 1/2 years ago, I decided that I needed a new hobby, stepping out of competitive archery.  Since I could already hit a golf ball fairly strong, figured I’d try golf out.  I watched a lot of YouTube tutorials and would spend many hours on the range, trying to get the right “feels” for what I was after.  That got me pretty consistent mid 80 rounds, occasional breaking 80 but also not being able to break 90 some days.  I knew I had more in the tank and I wanted more.  I found a great coach based on the recommendation of my director at work (Todd Ellison @ TGM Golf Academy in Easley, SC) and started taking lessons over the past winter.  That’s helped get me to where I am now, though I’m still not where I want to be.  But, those of you with young children know, time is a very valuable thing and something more precious that a shot or two off a score card.  This is me and my oldest daughter, my youngest will start the First Tee program this fall and I’ll have both of my minions on the golf course with me.

 

In my game though, wedges and scoring irons are where I place the most emphasis during my range practice sessions.  Depending on the length of the hole, potential trouble, etc…  I’ll pick a target number off the tee and hit the club to get me where I want to be, whether it’s driver, 3w, or an iron.  I’ve spent a lot of time on the range this past year, dialing in distances from <150, but really focusing on <125 as that is my goal for most par 4s in our area.  Working on swings from 9-3, chest to chest, shoulder to shoulder, and ear to ear.  I stumbled on this video on Youtube one day…

 

…and took the thoughts to the range.  It’s not perfect and is still a work in progress, but what a game changer this has been for me in learning to control my distances.  I love the wedge game in golf.  I have always loved to watch Phil Mickelson play and his manipulation of the ball around the green.  When I see a video of Phil offering short game advice, I listen intently. 

 

Mmmmhmmm fresh grooves!!

 

We all know that golf is an incredible challenge, but it’s also a great way to meet other people.  Both of these are my top two reasons why I play this game.  I love the fact that I’ll never beat it and will constantly be striving to get better, but I’ve also made some really good friends.

 

Anyhow, on to the meat of why you’re all here.

In my bag, you’ll find…

Taylormade M3 8.5 with Project X Evenflow White 75 6.5

Callaway Rogue 15* 3w with Project X Evenflow Black 75 6.5

Srixon Z965 3-P irons with Nippon C10 X Prototype shafts

Titleist SM7 50.08 F (bent 1* weak) / 56.08 M / SM6 58.12 K with DG S400 shafts

Odyssey Black Series #3

I broke down this season and purchased new wedges.  I had noticed that I wasn’t getting near the spin on my wedges and knew it was time.  It was a night and day difference with the consistency in flight and holding on the greens.  My Vokeys are only a few months old, so hopefully the testing with the RTX 4 wedges will be able to provide some interesting comparisons.  I don’t have a huge gap difference in the last two wedges, but the main reason for this, for me, varying turf conditions and having versatility around the greens, whether chipping from the fairway, playing out of compacted or fluffy bunkers, tight lies, and early morning water run-off mushy lies.  I have 100% confidence in that 58K grind from a greenside bunker, which is going to be interesting to see how the RTX4 58 Mid grind will compare.  It doesn’t mean I always execute the shot, but I believe I can and that’s over half the battle.

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve worked hard on my game since the beginning of this year.  I’ve worked my handicap down to where my current trend is a 4.4.  Scoring for me really depends on how my driver cooperates and I’m getting off the tee.  If I can get off the tee and keep the ball between the stakes, it’s going to be a pretty good scoring day.  I’ve always been a pretty good scrambler and would say it’s a strength to my game.  I would describe my tempo as moderate to quick with an average swing speed with my driver 113.6 and 7 iron 93.2 mph from my last TrackMan session.  When I reach 100 yards, I’m grabbing my gap wedge and swinging my smooth shoulder to shoulder swing.  I can flight this shot high or low depending on the conditions, but my favorite is a lower trajectory, knock down that hops one time and stops on the green.  It’s a swing feel that I’ve really grooved in since winter.  My typical ball flight is a fade.  I chased trying to change my swing to work a draw, but I found the fade more consistent and easier to control.  My biggest miss with a driver is when I leave the face too open relative to my club path and hit a high, go nowhere, slice.  With my short game, my biggest miss is usually a blocked out, push to the right.  The strength of my game is definitely from 150 yards in to the green.  I have confidence that from that range, I’m going to be able to give myself a decent look at birdie.  My biggest weakness has nothing to do with my swing, but my ability to keep focused for a full 18 holes.

 

***INITITAL IMPRESSIONS***

Now to the dessert…  So with this testing opportunity, I opted to go with 52 and 58 mid grinds.  A good friend of mine, who’s also my club builder, asked what I thought and the best description I can give is they are a match made in heaven with my Srixon irons, especially the 52*.  The mid sole grind fits as if they’re a direct extension from irons.  The turf interaction is amazing.  If I miss slightly fat, I don’t lose much at all as they just don’t dig into the dirt.

I love a black finish on wedges as it helps reduce glare from the sun.  I will say though, I prefer the look of the flat black finish of my Vokeys vs the satin black finish on the RTX4, but the finish on the RTX4 wedges after two 18 hole rounds and three 9 hole rounds show no wear, except for some sand nicks on the face, but that’s going to happen. 

 

The RTX4 wedges frame the ball well and are pleasing to the eye at address. 

 

I haven’t had a chance to hit these wedges on a launch monitor yet to compare them to my Vokeys, but from my on course testing they definitely seem to spin more than my Vokeys did brand new.  With my Vokeys, on controlled swing shots from 50-100 yards, the best I ever got was the one hop stop and even a couple feet worth of roll out on some shorter shots where they weren’t picked as clean.  With the RTX4, that roll out has disappeared and on the longer range shots with each wedge, the ball will pull back to near the initial contact point on the green.  I hope to get on a monitor at some point so I can have some definitive numbers.

 

The biggest difference though that I have noticed thus far is bunker play between the Vokey 56M and 58K grinds vs the RTX4 58 Mid.  The Mid grind plays almost between these two.  In the past, if the bunker was compacted or shallow, I’d grab my 56M.  If it is soft and deeper sand, I’d grab the 58K.  I’ve found that the RTX4 58 Mid is workable in both situations, but it’s not near as consistent in soft/deeper sand.  It does tend to get caught up in those bunkers a bit more, but does fine in a bunker that’s shallow or compacted. 

 

There was one instance I was in a bunker where the sand was moderate, not super soft, but not compacted either.  I opened the face on the RTX4 58 Mid, and tried to launch the ball up high because the green was elevated about 6 foot from the base of the bunker and the pin was short-sided.  I’ve never had this happen before, but the wedge cut a ½” gash in the cover of my Srixon that went down beyond the urethane cover.  I wish I would have taken a picture of it, but I got rather aggravated in the heat of the moment and slung the ball in the woods after the hole because it was on the first hole and a brand new ball.  I’ll try to duplicate it again during my next practice opportunity to see if it was a one off thing or if this may be a problem with the combo.  It hasn’t happened since, but I’ve not had any other shots where I was trying to pull off that type shot.  Maybe it was just the super fresh grooves on the wedge which is where I lean towards being the cause.

 

One last thought, so far there are things that I prefer with each wedge vs the other.  I’ll expand on that more in the stage two portion of my review, but my initial thoughts are that you can’t go wrong with either one.  The versatility in stock grind options from Vokey are what really separates them from the pack in my opinion, but the Cleveland RTX4 lineup is more than able to hold it’s own.  Also, you can’t go wrong with a DG Tour Issue S400 as the stock option!  It is a nit-pick complaint, but I do prefer solid black ferrules rather than the white rings.

 

Please feel free to ask any questions or things you’d like to know!!  Thanks again MGS and Cleveland for this opportunity.

[Smellis745 163]

Stage 2

[Apes44 828]

Intro

 First off, have to say thank you to MGS and Cleveland for trusting me to test and review these new wedges. I have been golfing since I was about 12 years old (I’m 34 now) but up until about 3 years ago never put a lot of time or effort in to it. I would say I’ve been an avid golfer for 3 years.  I live in southwest Pennsylvania and if anyone has played here you know how rarely you get to hit off a flat lie due to the hills! I am excited to test these out because wedges are not only one of my stronger parts to my game but also one of my favorites to hit with. My friends always laugh when we get paired up with people and I get to within 50 yards because they know as bad as I can be off the tee that I will make up many strokes there!

 

Currently my bag is made up of Ping G30 driver, woods, hybrids, Titleist AP1 718’s, Scotty Golo 5 and the Cleveland CBX wedges 52* and 56* wedges. I picked the same lofts to be able to compare directly to what I am used to and good with. I got fitted for everything but the Scotty (I just wanted a Scotty).  My handicap is my ability to get off the tee in to the fairway, well really my handicap is roughly 17, per the Swing U app (used to be Swing x Swing). I have a faster swing tempo, however when it comes to my wedges, it’s a very deliberate slower tempo to focus on impact. Distance isn’t an issue for me as the 52* club is my go-to 100 yd shot. Typical ball flight is left to right, mid trajectory and when I miss it is a bad slice.  I have always been a Cleveland wedge guy, way back to the CG14 that were later deemed illegal.

 

 

First Impressions
The highlights of the upgraded wedges Cleveland promotes are:
Tour Zip Grooves - Sharper, deeper grooves slice through grass, sand and water for more consistent spin on every shot.

More Durable Laser Milling - Longer-lasting laser milling brings face roughness right to the conforming limit for more friction and more spin on all shots.
Centerd Rotex Face Milling - Milling that’s in-line with your strike pattern increases backspin on all full, pitch, and chip shots.
Progressive Feel Balancing Technology - New Muscle shaping on the back of each loft progressively adjusts the center of gravity on both the vertical and horizontal axes, enhancing feel and distance control, even when you don't strike the face center.

What does this mean to me? Well it sounds like the little bit of spin I can currently put on the ball will be increased and the face will last much longer.  I would be interested in the durability over long term because I don’t play enough that the durability will be put to the test in the short time for this review. Usually get new wedges 3 years or so. Hopefully the feel balancing will mean fewer crazy mishits or blading the wedge off the fairway.

The specs I picked most closely match what I have now in the CBX version, same lofts, shafts and grips. I am hoping that this newer upgraded version will allow me to have better control around the greens.

My first impressions when I opened the box is these things are sturdy.  Personally, I like a heavier wedge, feels like I have more control, and these meet my needs!  The balance on them is great, they grooves feel deep and sharp. Really digging the look of the black satin. If you’re someone who needs things to look perfect don’t go with the black satin, it finger prints very easy. (Not a big deal to me but I know there are some people out there like that.)

 

I have played a few rounds so far and am liking what I am seeing. My plan to test is to put them in the bag and see how they score. I also plan on going to the local range that has a green and chipping on to them. I really want to see how these compare to the original CBX that I am lights out with from 50 and in.

[Apes44 828]

Stage 2 Placeholder 

[MDGolfHacker 5,992]

SPIN

CONTROL and a

HOLEOUT CHIP SHOT!

Did that get your attention?!

 

Before I start writing about the Cleveland RTX 4 wedges, I first need to acknowledge Cleveland Golf for supplying the RTX 4 wedges and to MyGolfSpy for making the testing opportunity available!

 

My past story can be found here:

from the testing I did for the 2018 Cobra Connect Challenge.  The current wedges in my bag consist of the Cobra One Length wedges in 52* and 58* lofts.  Not much has changed since last year.  My game can be hot one week and colder than ice the next. 

I have never been a strong wedge player since I’ve never been one of those guys that could hop and stop an approach  or control the roll out on a chip, but with the short time I’ve spent with the Cleveland RTX 4’s, I can already tell this will be changing!  I play to an approximate handicap of a 12 or 13 with a medium fast take away and a quick return to impact on the ball.  Lately, I’ve been using a gap wedge for 100 yard approaches but started to use the sand wedge for those shots if needed.  My typical miss for wedges are, well a shank. 

I didn’t want to type that word for fear it might spread – HA HA HA!

Hopefully, the Cleveland RTX 4 wedges will help me in an area where I have never been particularly good at - approach and chip shots.

First impressions are important, whether meeting people or unboxing wedges.  Cleveland packaged the wedges for maximum protection of the heads and the shafts. 

There wasn’t a scratch or imperfection on the wedge heads, shafts or grips!  The wedges look nice and clean with little to distract at address or looking at the back.

 

When I picked up the RTX 4’s, the first thing I noticed was the heavier weight of the wedges.

  I ordered the 52* and 56* lofts and the default weights are D4 and D5 respectively while my previous Cobra F8 One length wedges had D1 swing weights.  I won’t go in depth about the technology Cleveland Golf packs into the RTX 4 wedges.  You can find that information here: https://www.clevelandgolf.com/us/rtx4-wedges.html  I didn’t think that RTX4 would be any different than the myriad of wedges that I’ve played before…from the original Titleist SM wedges to the Nike VR wedges.  Boy, was I wrong about that!  The 4^th generation of the rotex face is incredible!

It generated more spin to the point I could actually see the backspin on the ball on chips!  I was able to generate spin whether from the fairway or deeper rough!  On only my second hole using the wedge, I was able to control the chip from 10 yards out, land it where I was aiming and hole out for a birdie!

More to come in my stage 2 report, but suffice to say, I’m pretty impressed so far with how the RTX 4 wedges are performing.  If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask me!

A few more photos of the Cleveland RTX 4:

 

 

[MDGolfHacker 5,992]

Stage 2 Placeholder 

[Smellis745 163]

 

My stage 1 review of the Cleveland RTX 4 wedges is up!!!

[GolfSpy Stroker 7,036]

2 minutes ago, Smellis745 said:

 

My stage 1 review of the Cleveland RTX 4 wedges is up!!!

Great start and even nicer that you already have the Srixons too!

I'll be curious to see how these compare to the Vokeys.  Looks like the wedges have grooves out on the toe too?

[Shankster 17,771]

Closely monitoring this thread...

[goaliewales14 690]

My stage 1 is up!! 

 

[Apes44 828]

My stage 1 is up https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/32907-2019-official-forum-member-review-cleveland-rtx-4-wedges/?do=findComment&comment=565059

[Smellis745 163]

1 hour ago, GolfSpy Stroker said:

Great start and even nicer that you already have the Srixons too!

I'll be curious to see how these compare to the Vokeys.  Looks like the wedges have grooves out on the toe too?

I wouldn't call them grooves, but definitely face milling where you can feel some textural difference.  I guess something I need to add to my list of things to test...how a toe shot affects spin on green side chips with the RTX4 and the milled face vs my Vokeys where it's slick on the toe..  That is definitely something I'd be interested in finding out myself.  I don't look for it to be that substantial but it'll be interesting to see.

[MDGolfHacker 5,992]

My stage 1 is up.  

 

[goaliewales14 690]

I went out and did quick session in the the short game area.  Here's a quick video of a ~20 yard pitch shot.  I tried to get it to hit as close to the camera as possible.

 

[yungkory 5,352]

Nice job so far guys. I'm paying close attention as I have been contemplating switching up the lofts to help gap the bottom of my bag better. I love the shaft options that Cleveland offers as well -- especially the Modus 115 wedge shafts. I've seen a lot of LPGA players who game the Modus 105's are playing the 115's in their wedges.

[Apes44 828]

Was also able to play around with the wedges more yesterday, absolutely in love!

I have always been good with my wedges, but these I've able to drop shots in and stick a lot better. The 56* is perfect for that off the green drop it between the pin that's 5 feet in. I am seeing a little loss in distance from the CBX gen 1 wedges I normally use. Its nominal, may 8-15 yds.

The impact picture is from a slowmo video of the club hitting the ball!

The picture with the ball mark on the green was from about 70 out with the 56*, I was actually able to put a lot of backspin on it.  

 

 

 

 

[Shankster 17,771]

No tour raw?

Why not?