2020 Official Member Review: Cleveland RTX Zipcore wedges

[mr.hicksta]

4 hours ago, josmi15 said:

How’d it handle?


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Overall it was pretty solid! I tied my personal best (76) as well so it was a good day!

My first shot with RTX ZipCore 60° was from 80 to a front pin over some water and the result is pictured. It was from the fairway so contact was solid and it hit the green, checked and rolled out a little. I was pleased with the result!

The second shot was from a green side bunker that I hit to about 7 feet. The wedge moved through the sand with ease and the ball came out at the desired height. It also checked up nicely, which I was happy with since it was a touch shot. 

The last time I used it, I damn near bladed my chip so it wasn’t all pretty!

At the moment, I’m still trying to decide what I think about the Spinner Tour Issue shaft. The Tour Issue S400, which I have in my RTX 4 50° and 54°, seems to feel better to me, but I’m going to keen working with it to see how it goes.  I do believe the additional bounce in the ZipCore 60° Full has helped me and I’m excited to keep working with the wedge so I can do a nice compare and contrast with my RTX 4 60° Full.

In my next post, I’ll take some detailed pics of the RTX ZipCore and RTX 4 to give everyone an idea of the slight differences between the two. 

[fozcycle]

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.

[mr.hicksta]

Here are a few side by side pics of the RTX 4 and RTX ZipCore. Very similar in many ways, with one exception being the longer hosel on the ZipCore. I also felt like the ZipCore was heavier so I weighed both wedges and surprise, they’re the same exact weight!
 

I’ll be doing a lot of short game practice this week and I’m planning on comparing them head to head with a variety of chips and pitches. 

[TBT]

I made a trip today to a new covered driving range that recently opened not too far from me. This range features Top Tracer Range technology in all 54 hitting bays.

It’s not quite a full launch monitor but for $20 an hour it’s not bad. It gives you quite a few stats and of course Top Tracer graphics on every shot..unfortunately it doesn’t give you clubhead speed or spin numbers...the later being really important when testing a new wedge

Anyway I made the best of it and gave the ZipCore wedge a full workout hitting a variety of shots...full, knockdown, 3/4 and 1/2 swings.

I put it up against my Cobra King PuR 50* wedge.

First let me start off with the fact that Cleveland provided these wedges to us completely stock...standard length, loft and lie with the stock DG Spinner shaft.

I saw that because my Cobra is built +3/4”, 1.5* UP and it has the same shaft as my iron set, a UST Mayima Recoil 680 F4.

So I would expect more distance and ball speed from my gamer purely based on specs. If the ZipCore performs well I will probably have the recoil shaft pulled from the Cobra and dropped into the Cleveland.

Here’s some stats from some shots hit with both wedges today. Top 4 are the Cobra, bottom 4 are the ZipCore.



You can throw out shots 4 and 5...4 was hit fat and 5 was the first full swing with the ZipCore and it being 3/4” shorter I bladed the hell out of it!

What I did notice from the ZipCore is better consistency in distance, launch, apex and landing angle. It seemed that once I made an adjustment to the shaft I was dropping all my shots with a few feet of each other.

The data doesn’t include spin rate but one of the the built in modes is a closest to the pin and you can set yardages.

When hitting the “virtual green” it was very obvious that the ZipCore had a lot more spin based on the reaction of the “ball”

All shots with the ZipCore stopped fairly quickly and a couple even backed up! So far I’m pleased with what I’m seeing so far.

Hoping to get to the actual course one evening early this week for a quick 9 and then a full 18 on the weekend.


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[BrownBearGolf]

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.

 

[PMookie]

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.


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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.

 

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.

[Reesedw]

Got out to the Range yesterday. Did a little Chipping and hit some Full shots.. Here it is compared the the Cobra King Black wedge both are in 58* Mid Bounce/Versatile.. 

It Seems to be slightly longer than the Cobra, whether that is do to the Arccos in the butt of the grip I'm not sure..

It Looks So great behind the ball Just instill confidence.. 

Here is the Strike pattern after 25 balls on the Range.  A little high and towards the toe. the one thing i did notice was weight, the Cleveland had the feel of more weight at the club head than the Cobra. Strikes Felt Solid, and the ball flight was slightly higher, Can't wait to see how that looks once I get on the course. Chipping, I noticed i was more consistent on dispersion, for about 20 yrds i had 3 of 4 within 3 ft of each other with the Cobra the dispersion was about 10 ft. from the same distance..  While Chipping I did notice a little more clicky sound off the Cleveland, not really off putting Just noticable.. 

 

More to come Stay tuned.. 

[Shankster]

Busy week, but looking to get to the practice area at some point.  Round scheduled for next Wednesday. Looks to be thunderstorms in the forecast for the foreseeable future... 

After the first practice session, I noticed that the side to side dispersion was pretty darn good. My distance control is off due to lack of play.  
 

 

[artful_golfer]

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.

 

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

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

[artful_golfer]

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.

[artful_golfer]

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.

[Shankster]

On Range Brief August 12^th 2020

Made it to the range today, and I must say I am glad I did. The weather ahead looks absolutely terrible. At address this club gives confidence, the shape is right in the middle of the other two PW’s I am comparing it against. But compare to my Glide wedges, this this is a butter knife.

 

Distance

Had a little headwind today, probably around 5-8mph at times. Nothing too breezy.  The distance is right on par with a set wedge, with range balls I was carrying them all around 135-140 yards. Again, the dispersion shinned here; I have been hitting little draws (1-2 yards) with the irons and wedge as of late. Not hitting intentional fades or any shot shape for that matter unless absolutely necessary.  These were all pretty tight.

 

Forgiveness 

Yep, it has it!  I caught one super fat and up near where the Zipcore wording is, I would have been shaken off the course with the BP wedge with a shot there.  It still carried a good distance.  I also caught one on groove one at the bottom, definitely could tell that I thinned it, but it held up its end of the deal and made the distance, just at a much lower trajectory.

 

Odds and Ends

The SW is much lighter than the other two PW’s, or maybe the whole club is lighter.  This throws me off significantly, as I lose the club in the middle of my backswing. I think this is why the S word showed up last week on the short game area. I may have to re-shaft this with something a bit stouter and huskier.

 

A plus for this wedge is sticking to their guns, that black ferrule with the two white rings is so classic, and so Cleveland it looks perfect.  I have always enjoyed that ferrule; it’s the small things.

[artful_golfer]

My Wedge Quest

Shortly after I completed a series of group lessons to learn the basics of how to play golf, an elderly gentleman at my club (Claud) asked our golf pro to recommend a tournament partner who was new to golf and fun to play with. He suggested me! So I participated in my first scramble only 3 weeks into playing. I learned a lot that day. I came home and told my husband that my golf goal is to play like Claud. He has a phenomenal short game. My husband explained that I would need to become a good wedge player. I have been progressing toward that ever since. Getting wedges I can hit well has been a journey.

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 and the Ping SW just didn't have enough loft. Then @downlowkey came to my rescue a couple of years ago. He gifted me a Cleveland RTX-3 52°/10 and 56°/11 that he no longer played with. I have learned to hit and like them. In the last couple of weeks he gave me another wedge from his past arsenal, 60° Cleveland Tour Action 900 which I intend to make my SW.  

With the addition of this new 46° ZipCore, I feel like I finally have a realistic opportunity to develop a full range short game like Claud. And all with Cleveland Wedges

[dhartmann34]

Well after a vacation, wedding weekend, and my mother in law's funeral... I'm ready to get this wedge out of this box, in my bag and ready to go. Sorry if I'm delayed at all. I'll catch up!

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[StrokerAce]

had so much fun first time out with the 54 I had to get it's sibling!

[tchat07]

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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[artful_golfer]

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)

This

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

[dhartmann34]

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)
This
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

And I thought the sole is kinda big

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[artful_golfer]

1 minute ago, dhartmann34 said:

And I thought the sole is kinda big

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

[dhartmann34]

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.

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[BrownBearGolf]

4 hours ago, dhartmann34 said:

And I thought the sole is kinda big

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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. 

[revkev]

Yeah, those others are quite large

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

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For years I’ve been bothered by the size of the blade on GI pitching wedges. Living in Florida, I generally play in wet conditions so I don’t mind more bounce on my irons and with a shallow AoA I benefit from a bigger foot print in my middle irons. But as a player those bigger footprint short irons drive me nuts.

The Cleveland’s look pretty sweet from above.


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[dhartmann34]

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.

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[dhartmann34]

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.

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[Shankster]

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.  

 

[revkev]

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.

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


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[dhartmann34]

 

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.

 

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[dhartmann34]

I find the milling out on the toe interesting.

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[BrownBearGolf]

1 hour ago, dhartmann34 said:

I find the milling out on the toe interesting.

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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.