Cleveland · Wedge · 2020
Smart Sole 4
CaddyIndex™ breakdown: what our research found across each of the six performance dimensions, with cited sources.
You're a high-handicapper or beginner who dreads chipping and bunker shots and wants the simplest, most forgiving short-game club going - around £80-100.
You want feel, spin or the ability to shape greenside shots - any RTX, RTZ or CBX wedge is far better.
Pros
- Among the most forgiving wedges money can buy - the wide three-tiered sole makes it almost impossible to fat or thin
- Excellent out of bunkers - the sole shape makes it hard to leave the ball in the sand
- The 42-degree chipper turns greenside chips into a simple putting-style stroke
- Three models (42 chipper, 50 gap, 58 sand) cover the short-game shots high-handicappers fear most
Cons
- A big, chunky head with little of the feel or precision of a bladed wedge
- Very limited shotmaking - the wide sole removes any ability to open the face and shape shots
- Only three widely-spaced lofts - not a full gapping set
By dimension
Forgiveness
Best-in-class - among the most forgiving wedges made. The extra-wide, three-tiered sole with added leading-edge bounce and a very low CG makes it one of the most forgiving wedges money can buy, almost impossible to fat or thin, with Feel Balancing Technology centring the CG and steadying contact. Purpose-built to rescue short-game strugglers.
Distance
Consistent contact over outright spin - the aggressive milled grooves generate respectable spin and shed moisture for consistent short-game control, but the club is built around dependable contact rather than tour-level spin and distance control. Solid for its audience, well short of a tour wedge's spin numbers.
Workability
Low by design - the extra-wide sole and chunky head deliberately remove the need to manipulate the face, prioritising simple, repeatable contact over shotmaking, and you do not get the shot-shaping of a bladed wedge. Intentionally one-dimensional - it takes skill out rather than rewarding it.
Feel
Functional, not refined - Feel Balancing Technology redistributes hosel weight for better feedback than the chunky head suggests, but you do not get the feel and precision of a bladed wedge. Acceptable for a game-improvement head, a clear step below players' wedges.
Sound
Firm and unremarkable - the cast game-improvement head produces a firm, solid impact note rather than a soft click, nothing distracting but nothing premium either. A functional acoustic befitting the category.
Looks at address
Chunky but reassuring - the head is big and chunky (the opposite of a precision wedge), though the rounded shape and soft leading edge frame the ball nicely and reduce the fear of fatting or thinning for its target player. Off-putting to better players, confidence-inspiring to its audience.
Sources
Some of the reviews, lab tests and head-to-head comparisons we read while grading this club.