Cleveland’s new CBX Full-Face Wedge joins the growing list of full-face options on the market and is designed to add forgiveness and versatility for golfers looking to improve their more lofted pitch shots.
If you’re somebody who worries about that shot from a tight lie, with a bunker to carry and not much green to work with, then this could be just the club for you.
That’s because Cleveland claim that the new CBX Full-Face will ‘take the fear out of flop shots’.
The Tech
The CBX Full-Face has a high toe shape which is ideal for sliding under the golf ball when you're looking to be more aggressive with your short-game shots.
There's a half-cavity design, with a cavity near the heel and a muscle back on the toe, which works to move the centre of gravity away from the heel and better in line with the usual strike patterns of golfers, improving consistency and feel.
Cleveland's Rotex Face Milling now stretches across the entire face to provide more spin and greater stopping power.
The wedge features a C-Shaped sole grind, helping to provide that extra relief on the heel and toe for more short game versatility.
The CBX Full-Face is available from 56 all the way up to 64 degrees, further backing up the theory that this wedge is designed to help you get the ball up in the air and stopping quickly with ease.
Cleveland CBX Full-Face Wedge Review
Looks and Feel
The moment that I picked up this wedge I knew that it would be forgiving, thanks to the generous face and the wide, friendly sole which should be versatile enough to help you out in the middle of the winter and on some firmer lies in the summer too.
It’s quite a big footprint down by the ball, and I actually think that this is a good thing. So many amateur golfers fall into the trap of thinking that they have to opt for a bladed wedge if they want to get the required levels of spin and versatility around the greens, even if they’ve got chunky game-improvement irons in the bag.
Why make life harder for yourself once you get down to the clubs which you need the most to save you?
The full-face grooves may be a bit of an acquired taste and when I first started testing wedges like this I did find it unusual to look down on.
I also find it a little harder to line the ball up as there is nothing framing the grooves like on a usual wedge, so bear that in mind when you set up to hit your shot.
Performance
As expected this wedge performed great around the green. I immediately felt very confident that I’d be able to strike the ball and would be helped out if I didn’t quite get it right.
This allowed me to be quite aggressive with the swing I was making, and the levels of spin produced were pretty good too.
Full-face wedges are designed to perform well from the rough because there are grooves covering the whole surface area of the face, helping to improve the consistency of the performance as golfers are more likely to suffer from strikes across the face from the longer grass.
The combination of these grooves and the sole shape helped to get the ball travelling through the grass with ease and kept spin rates up. Chipping from thick rough always involves a little bit of guesswork but this wedge did a good job of making it easier to get the ball out and on to the green.
The shape of the wedge makes it so easy to pop the ball up and out of bunkers with ease, and it felt very forgiving even when I caught the ball slightly heavy as the bunkers had quite a bit of sand in them.
I spent some time trying different bunker shots, both short and long, and tried different techniques from clipping the ball from the top, to chunk and runs with lots of sand. Each time the ball just popped out with ease thanks to the wide sole with plenty of spin from the full face grooves.
If you are struggling with your bunker play then this wedge could really help you out.
In all honesty I wasn’t a huge fan of the wedge on fuller shots and pitches, as the head looked quite big down by the ball and the wider sole made it hard to get the same type of turf interaction as I usually would.
Cleveland do say that this is a wedge for around the greens though and I’d agree – I’d probably only use it from within 50 yards.
Cleveland CBX Full Face Wedge Verdict
The CBX Full-Face did exactly as it said it would – made life easier around the green when you want to get the ball up in the air quickly and easily.
The wide sole is a great confidence boost and this allows you to swing a bit more freely without worrying about fats or thins, whilst the full face of grooves is there to help you out on those off-centre strikes.
I was really impressed with the performance from the bunkers and can certainly think of a couple of friends who struggle with this part of the game and could benefit from this wedge!
The black face did start to mark up after a couple of hours of testing, particularly after hitting bunker shots, so that’s something you’ll have to be prepared for if you do want to use this wedge as there is no chrome option.
At an RRP of £139 I think this is pretty good value for money for a club which is designed to help you out and save you shots.
Would I Use It?
I’d definitely be tempted, particularly if I was going through a rough patch with my chipping and wanted something that would give me more consistent results.
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