Cleveland Smart Sole 4

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.