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Review: Cleveland CG15 Wedges

The Year of the Wedge
Cleveland has named 2010 the year of the wedge because this is the last year that any company is allowed to manufacture non-conforming grooves.  So companies have all year to stock pile products so that amateurs, like myself, can buy them for the next 14 years until the rule impacts all golfers.
The last version of the Cleveland super grooves is a combination of Zip-grooves and laser milled mini grooves on the GC15.  The combination is designed to impart maximum spin from ideal conditions as well as from the rough.  I think Cleveland offers the 3 most popular finish choices, satin, oil can, and black pearl.

I personally prefer the black pearl.  I ordered a set of the standard lofts that I play 52, 56, 60 with the two dot bounce specs; which would be Cleveland middle bounce numbers.  I play such variety of course conditions that I can’t go too low(one dot) or too high(three dot).   I went with just regular off the rack Cleveland traction shaft and Cleveland tour velvet grip all at standard lengths.  Everything came in just as the specs on their website said they would.

The CG15s have a little different shape than some of the wedges I have been playing.  The are a very round head shape.  The leading edge is blunted and radiused.  To me it looks almost as if the leading edge was in front of the hosel.  The sole is slightly wider than previous Cleveland wedges to keep them from digging.  If you like a more C-grind, the DSG CG15s will fit your needs.

My first round with these wedges I had very ideal conditions as I put them in play at one of the high-end public courses in our area.  I use a rangefinder to get exact distances to pins and front of greens.  Over the first 9 holes I had almost all full wedge shots in with these wedges.  As I was working at dialing in my distances, I found these wedges to be about ¾ of a club shorter than my other wedges.  I think the reason for this was extra spin I had with these wedges on full shots.  These things could really spin the ball on a full swing.  I often was sucking the ball back a few feet.  But what I did notice was all that spin on full shots was not destroying the golf balls.  Even right out of the box, there was very little shredding of the golf balls.

After the turn I found a few more opportunities to check the more delicate pitches and chips.  Here I found great control with moderate spin.  The laser milled mini-grooves are designed to catch the ball, create some friction and add spin to the ball.  I didn’t get as much as I had hoped, but that is not to say these don’t spin, they do.  Like always, when switching clubs there is an adjustment time to dial in the spin and distances. I used mostly the 60* for these and got a nice amount of launch.  Out of the sand, the 56* wedge did everything I could hope for.  Great spin and smoothly cut through the sand without digging.  Between the 52*, 56*, 60* I found the ideal amount of yardage separation.  It allowed me to play all the shots I am used to playing once I adjusted my yardages.

The Traction shaft(a Cleveland steel proprietary shaft) offered good feel and control off full shots.  It seemed a little on the soft tip side which aided in getting loft, and maximizing feel and touch with the short shots.

After 5+ rounds, I am amazed at how durable the black pearl finish is.  I was expecting it to  wear off like most of my other black wedges, but this didn’t.  It is more like a black chrome plating that really can withstand the abuse.  This great durability of the finish is paired with a cast head that feel very nice, not forged, but not harsh either.

I’ve found that the amount of spin imparted by a wedges also dictates the amount of ball destruction as well.  These wedges are probably the highest spinning wedges that don’t destroy urethane covers.  I do have a few wedges that spin more, but that also means I have to change balls every few holes.  That is not the case with the Cleveland CG15s.  These are much gentler on golf balls, and coincidentally your wallet since one ball will easily make it 18 or 36 holes without fins, gills or shred marks.

2010 is the year of the wedge.  Get them now before it is too late.  Whether you agree or disagree with the USGA, the wedges with super-aggressive grooves are in their final year of production, the CG15s are the last and best that Cleveland has to offer before they convert over to the new lesser grooves.  Get some before the “Year of the Wedge” ends.

Check the price online here

For more information: http://www.clevelandgolf.com/US_wedges.html
The year of the wedge: http://yearofthewedge.com/

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