Reader Review #1
Guy C, Handicap 11.3
Current Wedge: Cleveland RTX
CBX Loft Tested: 60
How did the CBX compare on full swings? The biggest difference I can see and feel is on slight mishits. The CBX didn’t lose more than a yard or two which gave me a lot of confidence on approach shots over water. It still landed on the green like a butterfly with sore feet.
How did the CBX compare on chips & pitches? Again the cavity back really shined on slight mishits. The trajectory and spin made it easy to hit my landing spot with confidence that it would end up where I would have a makeable par putt.
What did you think about the versatility of the CBX’s sole? Cleveland hit a home run! You can open it up and trust it to perform and hood it knowing it will come out on a lower trajectory and reach your target. It really is a game changer!
What else did you notice in your testing? Sand Sand Sand! If you fear the short sided or long bunker shot you can relax now. From either location it gets up quickly and easily and sits down where you want it to stop. I thought once or twice it might be illegal to be that good. Another important point: the more you hit the CBX you learn about how many different shots you can hit with full, half, chips and pitches. Distance control is phenomenal!
Will you be switching to the CBX wedge? Would you recommend it to a friend? Try and get it out of my bag. I’m going this weekend to add the 56*! Would I recommend it to a friend? Yes, but I did better than that. I let my entire foursome use it for every shot they would have hit with their own clubs of the same loft. It was unanimous that it was a must-have, stroke saving club in your bag.
Reader Review #2
Lee B, Handicap 15
Current Wedge: TaylorMade EF
CBX Loft Tested: 54
How did the CBX compare on full swings? Three things really stood out to me for full swing shots: forgiveness, feel, and spin. The CBX was noticeably more forgiving than the EF – no comparison really. As with other blade wedges, the EF design provides pretty much no assistance for full swing shots. The CBX performed like I was hitting an iron with higher MOI, perimeter weighting and face technology. I don’t think I’ve hit any pushes or pulls yet with the CBX, whereas I am prone to pulling blade wedges a few times out of 10.
The feel was great also. Maybe not as pure as a perfectly struck blade, but they seem to be onto something with the COG balancing for the feel. Or perhaps it’s the dampening badge in the back. Either way, it’s a really good feel that made me want to just keep hitting the wedge again and again.
Lastly, I was getting crazy spin from full shots. My local course’s range doesn’t always keep the landing area grass short, but every shot was stopping dead or spinning back a few feet. Pretty impressive with range balls on higher grass.
How did the CBX compare on chips & pitches? Similar performance. Spin was again very noticeable.
What did you think about the versatility of the CBX’s sole? I was slightly hesitant about this due to the width of the sole, but I had no issues with any type of shot. Really no difference compared to a blade wedge design as far as versatility. I didn’t try any flop shots, but that’s a shot I’d leave for my 60 degree wedge anyways.
What else did you notice in your testing? My initial reaction upon opening the box was that this was a larger head than I expected. Larger than my Taylormade EF (which isn’t a super small clubhead), and perhaps even slightly bigger than my G30 gap wedge. I am perfectly OK with the size, as I was looking for more forgiveness from full shots but it made me curious to how it would perform with shots around the green with varying lies that can require finesse. I would think a lower HC playing smaller iron heads could be turned off by the clubhead size.
Aesthetically the cavity badge/graphics and the satin finish look great, so the bag appeal is very good – makes me want to go check out the CBX iron set. Lastly the Lamkin grip is pretty nice, and seems a bit larger than standard size so I don’t need to replace to add extra wraps. I usually like +3 wraps, and it fits me perfectly.
Will you be switching to the CBX wedge? Would you recommend it to a friend? Most definitely it is in my bag for my 54 degree wedge. I use my 54 degree for nearly every shot 100 yards and in. Lots of full shots. All too often I’ve hit a great drive (or 2nd shot on a par 5) only to miss the green from 100 yards. So I had a ton of interest in this product for full shots and it really exceeded expectations.
With short finesse shots there was no loss in versatility or control compared to a blade, and the high spin was obvious. I would 100% recommend for the right golfer and the right application. I won’t be considering it for my 60, but it has me thinking about my 50 degree gap wedge. The full shot forgiveness is fantastic and the extra spin would provide more functionality than my current gap wedge around the greens.
Reader Review #3
Thomas D, Handicap 21
Current Wedge: Wilson Staff PMP Wide Sole
CBX Loft Tested: 56
How did the CBX compare on full swings? Based on past results with blade wedges, I stopped full swinging wedges about two years ago. The results were simply too inconsistent. The last club in my bag that I full swung was my C200 GW, which was my 110 yard club. That meant that anything inside that range was left up to me trying to finesse a shortened swing until I entered a reasonably safe pitching range. That never went very well, particularly given my high handicap.
The cavity and Cleveland’s talk about how this club would perform on full swings really caught my attention. I figured the 56* would add another full swing club in the 80-90 yard range, cutting fdown on those ill-fated “less than full swing” shots. I’m happy to report that the CBX played extremely well on full swings.
Over three rounds, I had to take numerous full swings and had excellent results with the majority of them. I became very confident using the CBX wedge in that “just under 100 yards” range and hit the green more often than not. Shots on the toe – a typical iron miss for me – resulted in a slight loss of distance, but they did a very good job staying on line. Shots towards the heel, often combined with my other miss – a pull – would leak left but again maintained pretty good distance. Overall, the CBX provided me a better option in that sub-100 yard range than any blade wedge I’ve gamed in the past (and I’ve gamed plenty of them).
Also, the ball flight was tremendous. As a low ball hitter, I was impressed with the height I gained with this wedge. A nice arcing ball flight that would land, bounce, and stop. While I tend to have an accuracy issue (as a high handicapper), I could count on these wedges not exacerbating my miss by coming to low, off target, and then rolling. With the CBX, I would hit, bounce, and generally stay within a few feet of my landing area (which was often the green).
How did the CBX compare on chips & pitches? It took a bit of getting used to, but I found the CBX wedge to give me a high flight that landed and stopped fairly quickly. I didn’t spin any back, but this wedge did a good job of getting the ball to check up quickly. I’m used to a bit more roll out, so this put me at a disadvantage early on the greens, but I eventually leanred to be a bit more aggressive. I remember one round I had a chip over a green side bunker into a very narrow green with a bunker on the opposite side. I was able to chip over the bunker, have the ball check and come to rest close to the cup for an easy tap in. I don’t think I could have pulled that shot off with my old wedges.
What did you think about the versatility of the CBX’s sole? I thought I would have an issue on tighter lies, particularly with the high bounce of this club, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. I had no problems using this club in the fairway, hard pan, pine needles off the beaten path, fairway bunkers with very little sand, and green side bunkers with varying degrees of packed sand. This club performed well in every scenario I placed it in. It was even possible to open this club up and chase balls in fluffy sand where there wasn’t much room to play with on the green.
I’m not an individual who generally opens up a club, so I was happy to see that the CBX wedge performed well in all testing phases without me having to rely on opening the club up. The V-Sole truly provided a versatility that has been unmatched in any other wedge I’ve played to date.
What else did you notice in your testing? First, I love the satin finish. No glare when looking down at this wedge, and the top line was similar to a blade wedge. When looking at the back of the wedge, one might suspect a thick top line, but that wasn’t the case at all. I imagine a majority of your typical weekend warriors would have a hard time distinguishing the CBX from the RTX-3 just based on the top line. This was the first time I’ve ever played a Cleveland wedge, though I have played their drivers, hybrids, and irons in the past, so I wasn’t surprised by the quality of the build. They know how to make a solid club.
Will you be switching to the CBX wedge? I already have, and I purchased a 60* wedge to go along with the 56* which replace my two PMP wedges. I will more than likely grab 52* to finish up the set, which would give me a 4* gap from my C200 GW. They would up gapping very well into my existing set, which I am very comfortable with, and I already feel as if my scoring around the green has improved in the handful of rounds I’ve had with them.
I am someone who often struggles around the green, and these wedges have opened up my game from 100 yards and in. I can now take more familiar full shots inside 110 yards, and I’m able to be a bit more aggressive around the green, which keeps me from making the typical mistake of pulling up and out of a shot that so often leads to horrible results. They’re forgiving enough to work with my swing so that I’m not penalized around the green, where even the slightest mistakes can really negatively impact your score. Even if my handicap drops thanks to these clubs, I can’t imagine them leaving the bag simply because I’ve improved. I see very little upside to moving back to a blade wedge, as this club can do all the blade wedge can do and more.
Would you recommend it to a friend? I already have. I’ve talked this wedge up to everyone I’ve golfed with. Everyone has talked about how well crafted this club looks, and how you can’t really tell it’s a cavity back at address. Some have taken swings with it and talked about how smooth and effortless this club gets the ball in the air and how long it goes.
Reader Review #4
Richard O, Handicap 15
Current Wedge: Edel
CBX Loft Tested: 60
How did the CBX compare on full swings? The CBX was more forgiving than my Edel. I found distance control to be an issue with the CBX. I personally didn’t care for the lack of feel off the face of the CBX.
How did the CBX compare on chips & pitches? I found it hard to control the distance due to the lack of feel off of the trampoline like face of the CBX. Spin, on the other hand, was not an issue.
What did you think about the versatility of the CBX’s sole? I found the wide sole to be very versatile on chips, pithes, and sand shots, but not as versatile on flop shots. I noticed I wasn’t skulling the ball as frequently as I would with my current Edel wedge.
What else did you notice in your testing? The main thing that stuck out to me was the overall size and chunky looks of the CBX wedge. I do get that it’s a game improvement cavity back wedge. So if you can get past it’s non-conventional looks for a wedge and are a higher handicap this might be the wedge for you.
Will you be switching to the CBX wedge? Would you recommend it to a friend? No, but I would definitely recommend it to a higher handicap friend that’s struggling with his/her wedge game.
Reader Review #5
Aaron B, Handicap 12
Current Wedge: Callaway Mack Daddy Forged 54
CBX Loft Tested: 54
How did the CBX compare on full swings? This was where I felt most comfortable using this wedge. The weight made it feel like my irons set PW or GW. Through the swing I felt very confident. The contact felt smooth and I was sticking greens from 110+ yards out.
How did the CBX compare on chips & pitches? For these types of shots, I definitely felt less confident with this wedge over my current SW. It took a few swings to get used to chipping green side, but it did perform. The sole went through the grass with ease and helped pop the ball up.
What did you think about the versatility of the CBX’s sole? To me, it definitely felt like it could be used for all types of shots. It felt better on shots off the grass than from the sand, but I could still get the ball out.
What else did you notice in your testing? I liked the ball flight on mishits. There were a few shots where I expected to miss the green but it stuck! It won’t do everything for you, but it provides much needed help to amateur golfers with inconsistent wedge swings. This wedge could help save a couple strokes per round.
Will you be switching to the CBX wedge? I’d have to use it more to really understand the full capabilities and versatility of this wedge and how it could affect my game, but I’d think about swapping my 54 out for this one for at least full wedge shots and tee shots on shorter par 3s. For chips and green side shots, I’ll be sticking with my thinner blade SW.
Would you recommend it to a friend? Depends on the friend. If it’s someone I play with for money, then no, I would not. But if I wanted to help someone get better, more consistent results with a sand wedge, then this is the wedge I’d recommend.
Matt Saternus
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Thank you again for the testing opportunity. I really fell in love with this wedge! So much so that I added the 52* to go with the 56* I received from testing, and the 60* I purchased as well!
I haven’t tried the GBX Wedge yet, I am willing to try it, I subscribe to the newsletter
Plugged in Golf is the best @SecretGiveaway.
I love my CBX wedges…yeah got carried away 52, 54, 56, 60. Depending on where I play I might carry all 4 but always at least 3.
Great feel, cant emphasize that enough. Short sided bunkers doesn’t matter. 11 HCP