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2020 Official Member Review: Cleveland RTX Zipcore wedges


StrokerAce

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I looks like the V sole grind is less prominent in the new zipcore vs the RTX 4's that I have from testing last year.  Are you guys seeing the same thing and do you think it's a help or hurt in terms of turf interaction? 


V sole not an issue for me, as I have gamed SCOR’s and Hogan Tk15’s, both designed by Terry Koehler.


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Tour Edge Exotics EXS(11.5*)w/ Mitsubishi Tense ck Blue Regular; 3W & 5W Cobra King F8 w/ Mitsubishi Tense ck Blue Regular shafts; Tour Edge CBX119 22* Hybrid w/Project X Evenflo Regular shaft; Wilson Staff D-7 5-PW + GW + SW w/UST Mamiya Recoil 460 Regular graphite shafts; Cleveland RTX Zipcore LW(58*) w/DG Spinner shaft. Putter: Bellum Winmore 707; Bag: Cobra Ultralight Cart bag, Peaccoat Blue.

Driver: image.png.6ba1c8a254ad57aa05e527b74c2e04ba.png0311 XF 10.5* w/Project X Cypher 40 gram Senior shaft or 0811 XF 12* w/Evenflo Riptide CB Senior shaft

Fairways:  image.png.80321f01fc46450b6f428c7daf7b3471.png0211 5W & 7W w/ Evenflo Riptide CB  regular shaft and Tour Edge E521 9W w/Fubuki HD50 regular shaft

Hybrid: None in bag at the moment

IronsTitleist T300 5-PW w/Fubuki MV Senior graphite shafts w/Golf Pride Tour

Wedges: Edison forged 49*, 53* and 57* wedges with KB PGI Senior shafts(80 grm).

Putter: 33” Evnroll ER6R or  ER2 or Bellum Winmore Model 707,   or Nike Method Core Drone  w/Evnroll Gravity Grip

Bag: Vice cart bag(Black/Lime). 

Ball: Snell MTB Prime X, Maxfli Tour/S/X CG, Titleist Pro V1x or Titleist TruFeel

Using Shot Scope X5 and Pinned Rangefinder

 

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I took my 58* Cleveland ZipCore out to the range for a very short lunch break 30 minute practice session.  I did only greenside chips.  Unfortuantely, I haven't been able to convert the .mov files to the appropriate formats to post here.  So here are some screenshots.

My initial assessment has me comparing feel and sound to my gamers of two years which are Callaway MD4 58*.Right off the bat I loved the muted sound of a hit.  The Callaway have a very hard, loud, almost obnoxious click.  The ZipCore sounded smooth, soft, flush.  

As for feeling, the Callaway sounded loud and felt loud. It was a feeling of hard against hard. Now, while that is off putting the feel and the sound got better as the wedges were used more, "broken in" and the raised protruding "grooves" wore away.  The more harsh feel did, in fact, provide feedback that I've grown used to.  

In sharp contrast a brand new ZipCore at impact feels muted, less harsh. This clearly provides the softer sound at impact.  However, mishits seemed to feel as soft and muted as a properly hit ball.  So in this preliminary practice session I was thinking to myself how sweet this wedge felt.  Then I started to consider that I was not, seemingly, getting the feedback that I've grown accustomed to.  I did not know at the moment of impact if it's was a good hit or not.  I don't want my wedge to feel numb.  Having that been said, as with any club I need time to adapt to how it looks, how it weighs, how it cuts through turf, how it imparts spin on the ball.   So, I'll put it play on the course next.  Over the next 6 weeks I plan to have a confident and thorough examination of the wedge's playability pros and cons.

 

06803333-3253-4D42-BF4F-B7450C63C595.png

5ADFF530-E4ED-467E-ACF7-6C89FEDCD2FF.png

2523E366-FCEF-4FF9-92BB-BE688254AC58.jpeg

:callaway-small: Epic Flash Sub Zero 9degree. Hosel set to -1degree/Nuetral. Aftermarket 10gram front weight and 6.5 gram sliding weight set to fade. Mitsubishi  Tensei AV Blue Stiff 67 “Tipped” half inch

Diablo 5 Wood Nuetral Stock shaft

:taylormade-small: M3 3 Hybrid Mitsubishi Tensei Blue Weight set to fade

:mizuno-small: JPX 850 Forged 4-GW KBS C Taper Stiff 1/2 inch longer 

:callaway-small: Mac Daddy 4 54, 58

:odyssey-small: Works Tank Cruiser 7              40 Grams in head and counterbalanced 30 grams inside Super Stroke Fatso Grip

:srixon-small: Z-Star

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On 8/9/2020 at 5:40 AM, fozcycle said:

 


V sole not an issue for me, as I have gamed SCOR’s and Hogan Tk15’s, both designed by Terry Koehler.


Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy
Tour Edge Exotics EXS(11.5*)w/ Mitsubishi Tense ck Blue Regular; 3W & 5W Cobra King F8 w/ Mitsubishi Tense ck Blue Regular shafts; Tour Edge CBX119 22* Hybrid w/Project X Evenflo Regular shaft; Wilson Staff D-7 5-PW + GW + SW w/UST Mamiya Recoil 460 Regular graphite shafts; Cleveland RTX Zipcore LW(58*) w/DG Spinner shaft. Putter: Bellum Winmore 707; Bag: Cobra Ultralight Cart bag, Peaccoat Blue.

 

This has me thinking... I read the posts in the Edison wedge thread. Is the “V-sole” on the Cleveland wedge REALLY beneficial on both sides??? Can that be quantified? I seem to remember a comment made that not all v-soles really work.

Driver: Ping G430 Max 9*, Ping Tour 70X

Fairway: Ping G425 15*, Ping Tour 70X

Hybrid: Ping G425 22*, Ping Tour 80X

Irons:  Ping i230 4-GW, TT DG X100

Wedges: :edel-golf-1: SMS 50D/54V/58D:Nippon:Modus 130 stiff, +1”

Putter:  :edel-golf-1: EAS 1.0

Ball: Titleist 2023 AVX

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6 minutes ago, artful_golfer said:

My new wedge actually came in last Thursday night but I couldn't play with it until we adjusted the shaft length. My husband helped me and we trimmed it down 1" Friday night. It took until today for me to figure out how to put my video snippets together and edit it all. We don't have fancy club equipment or special clamps to hold clubs but we made it work. If you're interested in how we did it, my video is below. We ran out of daylight before we finished so I couldn't show you installing a new grip with the air compressor - it wasn't as easy as the how-to YouTube videos make it. A couple of times the grip just flew off with a loud pop.

 

Nice! Have never trimmed clubs before but have done grips. I have found solvent and sliding them on is easier than the compressor, for me anyway. Can’t wait to see results on course

Check out my reviews:

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The morning after we trimmed my wedge shaft, I was scheduled to play in a tournament at 9am. @GolfSpy Stroker warned us not to play without practicing first, but I was anxious and excited to try it. So without ever hitting one shot with it, I left my PW behind, grabbed the new 46° instead and joined my playing partners.

Turns out the first couple of times I had the chance to use it, I was not the least bit confident so I switched to another club. That was a disaster because I was trying to make the wrong club work. When I finally used my new 46° ZipCore I was surprised and delighted with the result. I didn't know how much of a swing to take so it hit barely off the edge of the green . . . but it stopped immediately. I have a tendency to hit low to mid-high shots but this was high and soft. I laughed and thought how cool is that! No rolling past the hole or off the opposite side of the green. I know my playing partners were confused about why I was so happy.

The next day I played again but with more confidence. I had 3 opportunities to use my new wedge. Two shots were on the green and again just stopped! The third one was a little short but that was user error when I hit it fat while my ball in a soft muddy area.

I'm ready to now schedule some quality practice time.

PXG 0811 XF driver

:ping-small: Serene: 3 wood, 4 & 5 hybrid iron

:taylormade-small: r7 Draw, Flex L: 4, 6 - 9 irons

:cleveland-small: Wedges: RTX Zipcore 46 mid bounce; RTX-3: 52/10 wedge; and Tour Action 900 60* low bounce

:bettinardi-1: Armlock putter or  :edel-golf-1: E-2 Torque custom fit putter

:bridgestone-small: Tour B XS golf ball

:ShotScope:  V3

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28 minutes ago, Lacassem said:

Nice! Have never trimmed clubs before but have done grips. I have found solvent and sliding them on is easier than the compressor, for me anyway. Can’t wait to see results on course

The reason we decided to blow the grip on was because I'm not sure if 1 inch off is enough. We can remove this grip and reuse it. But we had so much trouble that my husband did plead with me to "just do it the normal way". We first tried a hacksaw on the shaft but it didn't even leave a scratch on that shiny steel. I was desperate to keep trying when my husband remembered our Dremmel tool. It got quite hot but worked.

PXG 0811 XF driver

:ping-small: Serene: 3 wood, 4 & 5 hybrid iron

:taylormade-small: r7 Draw, Flex L: 4, 6 - 9 irons

:cleveland-small: Wedges: RTX Zipcore 46 mid bounce; RTX-3: 52/10 wedge; and Tour Action 900 60* low bounce

:bettinardi-1: Armlock putter or  :edel-golf-1: E-2 Torque custom fit putter

:bridgestone-small: Tour B XS golf ball

:ShotScope:  V3

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Ok so I got paired with some speed golfers today so did not get to properly test the wedge as I had planned and wanted to just leave it in the bag instead. However something funny happened I accidentally grabbed it for a 92 yard shot on 18. I immediately felt it was a different club then my Honma 54. Boy did that thing launch high! Was a little deep with it but was overall a great shot in my mind. I am very excited to really dig in this week when I get back from vacation.

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22 hours ago, artful_golfer said:

My wedges (PW & SW) in my first set of Ping clubs; the PW in my next set Wilson D7 irons; and the PW in my current TaylorMade R7 irons all have wider soles that I can't seem to consistently hit well. They keep bouncing off the ground.

These photos are a comparison of my PWs in the order I've acquired and played them (L-R).

This first photo is of the soles. I don't know how much a difference a wider sole makes for most players but it sure seems to be a hindrance for me. Left to right: Ping Serene, Wilson D7, TaylorMade R7, and Cleveland ZipCore which plans to permanently send the others to the timeout bag. (Ping, Wilson and TaylorMade are each part of a full iron set. Wilson D7 is the 2nd best)

Sole_comparisons.jpg.25e08e1817b6b2cf2cd63da2f7c0e3f3.jpgThis

This next photo is a comparison of the faces and grooves. Cleveland claims the extra grooves are a plus and so far (even with what little I used it) my "Zippy" and I agree.

Left to Right: Ping, Wilson D7, TaylorMade R7 and Cleveland "Zippy" ZipCore

groove_comparisons.jpg.2919adc9552343959a404e149bda2b54.jpg

PXG 0811 XF driver

:ping-small: Serene: 3 wood, 4 & 5 hybrid iron

:taylormade-small: r7 Draw, Flex L: 4, 6 - 9 irons

:cleveland-small: Wedges: RTX Zipcore 46 mid bounce; RTX-3: 52/10 wedge; and Tour Action 900 60* low bounce

:bettinardi-1: Armlock putter or  :edel-golf-1: E-2 Torque custom fit putter

:bridgestone-small: Tour B XS golf ball

:ShotScope:  V3

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These photos are a comparison of my PWs in the order I've acquired and played them (L-R).
This first photo is of the soles. I don't know how much a difference a wider sole makes for most players but it sure seems to be a hindrance for me. Left to right: Ping Serene, Wilson D7, TaylorMade R7, and Cleveland ZipCore which plans to permanently send the others to the timeout bag. (Ping, Wilson and TaylorMade are each part of a full iron set. Wilson D7 is the 2nd best)
Sole_comparisons.jpg.25e08e1817b6b2cf2cd63da2f7c0e3f3.jpgThis
This next photo is a comparison of the faces and grooves. Cleveland claims the extra grooves are a plus and so far (even with what little I used it) my "Zippy" and I agree.
Left to Right: Ping, Wilson D7, TaylorMade R7 and Cleveland "Zippy" ZipCore
groove_comparisons.jpg.2919adc9552343959a404e149bda2b54.jpg
And I thought the sole is kinda big

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Driver:  :ping-small: G400 (8*) with Diamana Kai'li X-stiff

Fairway:   :ping-small: G400 (14.5*) with Diamana Kai'li X-stiff

Irons: :ping-small: Crossover 3 iron (19*) with TT Dynamic Gold 120 S400 shaft

            :titelist-small: AP3 (4/5) and AP2 (6-PW) with TT Dynamic Gold 120 S400 shafts

Wedges: Scor 50*, 54*, and 58* with TT Dynamic Gold 120 S400 shafts

Putter:  :cameron-small: Pro Platinum Newport 2 Midslant

Handicap: 3

Location: Illinois...until i can get my wife to move to a warmer climate

Right Handed: Although sometimes I wonder if left handed would suit me better :blink:

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1 minute ago, dhartmann34 said:

And I thought the sole is kinda big emoji23.png

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It may be, but not compared to my prior wedges. That's all I have to compare it with.

PXG 0811 XF driver

:ping-small: Serene: 3 wood, 4 & 5 hybrid iron

:taylormade-small: r7 Draw, Flex L: 4, 6 - 9 irons

:cleveland-small: Wedges: RTX Zipcore 46 mid bounce; RTX-3: 52/10 wedge; and Tour Action 900 60* low bounce

:bettinardi-1: Armlock putter or  :edel-golf-1: E-2 Torque custom fit putter

:bridgestone-small: Tour B XS golf ball

:ShotScope:  V3

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It may be, but not compared to my prior wedges. That's all I have to compare it with.
Yeah, those others are quite large

But in reality, I'm just really picky about the size of a head on a wedge.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Driver:  :ping-small: G400 (8*) with Diamana Kai'li X-stiff

Fairway:   :ping-small: G400 (14.5*) with Diamana Kai'li X-stiff

Irons: :ping-small: Crossover 3 iron (19*) with TT Dynamic Gold 120 S400 shaft

            :titelist-small: AP3 (4/5) and AP2 (6-PW) with TT Dynamic Gold 120 S400 shafts

Wedges: Scor 50*, 54*, and 58* with TT Dynamic Gold 120 S400 shafts

Putter:  :cameron-small: Pro Platinum Newport 2 Midslant

Handicap: 3

Location: Illinois...until i can get my wife to move to a warmer climate

Right Handed: Although sometimes I wonder if left handed would suit me better :blink:

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4 hours ago, dhartmann34 said:

And I thought the sole is kinda big emoji23.png

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Are you saying you think the sole is big on the ZipCore?  I think it’s wider than my Callaway MD4.  I’m going to measure tomorrow. 

:callaway-small: Epic Flash Sub Zero 9degree. Hosel set to -1degree/Nuetral. Aftermarket 10gram front weight and 6.5 gram sliding weight set to fade. Mitsubishi  Tensei AV Blue Stiff 67 “Tipped” half inch

Diablo 5 Wood Nuetral Stock shaft

:taylormade-small: M3 3 Hybrid Mitsubishi Tensei Blue Weight set to fade

:mizuno-small: JPX 850 Forged 4-GW KBS C Taper Stiff 1/2 inch longer 

:callaway-small: Mac Daddy 4 54, 58

:odyssey-small: Works Tank Cruiser 7              40 Grams in head and counterbalanced 30 grams inside Super Stroke Fatso Grip

:srixon-small: Z-Star

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Are you saying you think the sole is big on the ZipCore?  I think it’s wider than my Callaway MD4.  I’m going to measure tomorrow. 
It's a little bigger than what I'm used to. But not ginormous.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Driver:  :ping-small: G400 (8*) with Diamana Kai'li X-stiff

Fairway:   :ping-small: G400 (14.5*) with Diamana Kai'li X-stiff

Irons: :ping-small: Crossover 3 iron (19*) with TT Dynamic Gold 120 S400 shaft

            :titelist-small: AP3 (4/5) and AP2 (6-PW) with TT Dynamic Gold 120 S400 shafts

Wedges: Scor 50*, 54*, and 58* with TT Dynamic Gold 120 S400 shafts

Putter:  :cameron-small: Pro Platinum Newport 2 Midslant

Handicap: 3

Location: Illinois...until i can get my wife to move to a warmer climate

Right Handed: Although sometimes I wonder if left handed would suit me better :blink:

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Groovy

Grooves on a wedge.  It seems to be the talk of the town since I can remember.  More with sharper edges, less with more face roughness, grooves in grooves, different grooves for different lofts… why so many different kinds of grooves? 

Cleveland claims that the UtiliZip Groove doesn’t only add spin, but consistency too. There is only one way I know how to test that. This weekend I am going to try to sneak out to the practice area and post up with 36 golf balls and hit from 130 yards out of the rough, and repeat until I have around 100 shots.  Then move to the fairway cut and do the same. This will do two things, first get a good idea of the consistency claims (I’ll not count my missed shots), and get a durability test in.

Rain-X?

Something I noticed from last night’s golf club cleaning session; this wedge seems to have some water repellent qualities to the finish.  Not quite as rain-x(y) as the BP’s, but it didn’t stick around much.  I could not find anything written about this on the website.  5A2F0116-FF41-44AF-BC3A-3A6553694727.jpeg.d9ae8958cb4925c71c84698ce8b22126.jpeg

 

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I was able to get a new grip put (MCC Plus 4 midsize) on and play 9 holes yesterday. The ball definitely stops a lot sooner than I'm used to. I had a couple chips/pitches that normally would have rolled up near the hole, that were 4-5 ft short. So that will take some getting used to.

I use my 58* from 105 yards in... although I didn't have the opportunity for any complete full swings with it yesterday, so I'll have to get those in this weekend.

I am a little concerned as the sole and head size is a little larger than I'm used to. But I am looking forward to trying it in bunkers and around the green more. 20200813_104332.jpg.5ed8f1b4597ff0a291e02ac9dee6be11.jpg20200813_104257.jpg.964827568e71c7431b466f51429980ee.jpg

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Thanks for that comparison - does it stop sooner on all shots? Just full shots?


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Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

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Thanks for that comparison - does it stop sooner on all shots? Just full shots?

 

 

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It was stopping quicker on pitches and chips... All under 30 yards. I didn't really get any full swings to evaluate on.

 

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

 

 

Driver:  :ping-small: G400 (8*) with Diamana Kai'li X-stiff

Fairway:   :ping-small: G400 (14.5*) with Diamana Kai'li X-stiff

Irons: :ping-small: Crossover 3 iron (19*) with TT Dynamic Gold 120 S400 shaft

            :titelist-small: AP3 (4/5) and AP2 (6-PW) with TT Dynamic Gold 120 S400 shafts

Wedges: Scor 50*, 54*, and 58* with TT Dynamic Gold 120 S400 shafts

Putter:  :cameron-small: Pro Platinum Newport 2 Midslant

Handicap: 3

Location: Illinois...until i can get my wife to move to a warmer climate

Right Handed: Although sometimes I wonder if left handed would suit me better :blink:

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I find the milling out on the toe interesting. 20200813_104400.jpg20200813_104409.jpg

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Driver:  :ping-small: G400 (8*) with Diamana Kai'li X-stiff

Fairway:   :ping-small: G400 (14.5*) with Diamana Kai'li X-stiff

Irons: :ping-small: Crossover 3 iron (19*) with TT Dynamic Gold 120 S400 shaft

            :titelist-small: AP3 (4/5) and AP2 (6-PW) with TT Dynamic Gold 120 S400 shafts

Wedges: Scor 50*, 54*, and 58* with TT Dynamic Gold 120 S400 shafts

Putter:  :cameron-small: Pro Platinum Newport 2 Midslant

Handicap: 3

Location: Illinois...until i can get my wife to move to a warmer climate

Right Handed: Although sometimes I wonder if left handed would suit me better :blink:

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1 hour ago, dhartmann34 said:

I find the milling out on the toe interesting. 20200813_104400.jpg20200813_104409.jpg

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 

I agree. It’s purely for cosmetic purposes. The milling underneath the laser etchings is finer and at a different angle.  While they may not be functional in terms of imparting spin they are effective at reducing glare. My Callaway MD4 are relatively polished and reflect massive amounts of sun and it’s glare can be prohibitive to me taking the face angle I want. 

:callaway-small: Epic Flash Sub Zero 9degree. Hosel set to -1degree/Nuetral. Aftermarket 10gram front weight and 6.5 gram sliding weight set to fade. Mitsubishi  Tensei AV Blue Stiff 67 “Tipped” half inch

Diablo 5 Wood Nuetral Stock shaft

:taylormade-small: M3 3 Hybrid Mitsubishi Tensei Blue Weight set to fade

:mizuno-small: JPX 850 Forged 4-GW KBS C Taper Stiff 1/2 inch longer 

:callaway-small: Mac Daddy 4 54, 58

:odyssey-small: Works Tank Cruiser 7              40 Grams in head and counterbalanced 30 grams inside Super Stroke Fatso Grip

:srixon-small: Z-Star

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