Cleveland is back for 2024 with the latest edition in their CBX wedge range. The new Cleveland CBX 4 Zipcore wedge has the highest MOI to date but how does it perform? We put it to the test to find out.

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Cleveland CBX 4 Zipcore Wedge Review: NCG Summary

NCG SUMMARY

The Cleveland CBX 4 is designed for those mid to high-handicap golfers who require a little more forgiveness from a wedge without losing the premium quality and feel.

Upgraded from last year’s CBX Zipcore, the CBX 4 offers a 7% enhanced MOI from heel toe and a 5.8% increase in high/low MOI. Collectively, this makes it the most forgiving CBX wedge Cleveland has produced.

Over the ball, the slightly larger face provides an ample amount of confidence and in the bunkers, the wider sole helped the ball pop up effortlessly.

PROS

Provides visual confidence
Effortless to use
Sleek design for a wider-soled wedge
Great range of lofts

CONS

Only two bounce options

First Impressions

Cleveland is known for their great wedges and this starts with their aesthetics. The CBX 4 is no different and for a wedge designed to help mid to high handicappers, it certainly doesn’t lack that premium quality or feel.

Unlike standard wedges, the CBX range is known to have a much wider sole. With the CBX 4 Zipcore wedge, Cleveland has tried to create a design that blends seamlessly into your bag. There are three different sole grinds to choose from V, S or C-shaped, all feature a newly designed leading edge for a smoother interaction with the ground, whatever surface conditions that way be.

NCG Review

The Cleveland CBX 4 is designed to fit into a player’s bag set up by blending in with the rest of their set. Most mid-to-high handicap players use modern cavity back or hollow sets, and so the CBX 4 wedges aim to create a similar feeling. This is created through similar shaping and weighting which allows for a consistent feeling throughout a player’s bag which should hopefully then reflect in their game.

As per the name, the CBX 4 wedges use Cleveland’s Zipcore technology a feature found in many of their successful wedges. This technology repositions weight across the head. Zipcore can increase the club’s MOI by aligning the center of gravity to the point of impact. In the CBX 4, the MOI has increased by 7% in the heel/toe and by 5.8% in the high/low points. Altogether this makes for the highest MOI in a Cleveland CBX wedge to date.

The technology doesn’t stop there as Cleveland has used both their HydraZip and UltiZip technologies. HydraZip technology can be shown on the club face where you can see tiny laser-milled lines between and around the grooves. This creates a rougher surface to enhance friction, which helps maximise spin in wet or dry conditions as well as reducing glare from the clubface.

UltiZip on the other hand is Cleveland’s way of creating better spin control and consistency. This works by creating a network of tightly spaced grooves that are sharp and deep.

Now we’ve explored all the tech, how did they perform?

Having taken these wedges out in a couple of different conditions, I really liked how they performed. They have a slightly larger head than my current wedges which was nice visually to have a great surface area to work with. I used the 56˚ that had 14˚ bounce and a 52˚ with 12˚ bounce. Out of bunkers, the 56˚ felt so effortless to use thanks to the wider sole the head bounced off the sand well.

For wedges with a high amount of bounce and wider soles, they didn’t feel awfully ‘chunky’ but when on the occasion I wanted to hit a slightly higher shot around the green I found that how far I could open the club up was limited.

Overall, I think if you’re a player who needs a little extra forgiveness around the greens but still wants a high quality, premium-feeling wedge, this is the perfect option.