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Cleveland CBX 2 Wedge Review

More Forgiveness and Spin

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Ryan Heiman
Founder and head author at Independent Golf Reviews

Cleveland CBX 2 Wedge

This is my Cleveland CBX 2 Wedge Review. 

I had a great time using these wedges and am very impressed. These are my thoughts on their performance and my experience compared to other options!

Cleveland CBX 2 Wedge
Cleveland CBX 2 Wedges – Overview
OVERALL
RATING
GOOD
BUY
Cavity back wedges aren’t common place in most golfers bags.  Why? Considering most golfers play cavity back irons, why haven’t they adopted cavity back wedges?  For most part, they don’t have many options.  There are very few companies that even make cavity back wedges so that plays a large part of the reason.  Another is that on shorter shots and slower swing speeds the need isn’t as great either because of the increased loft.  But I think that Cleveland is really on to something with these CBX 2 wedges.  They are the most forgiving and easiest to hit full shot wedges I’ve ever played.  Not only are they forgiving, they spin the ball like crazy.  If you want forgiveness and spin, the Cleveland CBX 2 is your best option.
Cleveland has been making really good wedges for a long time, so it is no surprise to see their innovation in this area.  The first Cleveland CBX wedges were really good, but the CBX 2 wedge are better.  It think it has to do with their sole grind, perimeter weighting, increased spin and even better feel.  This combo of features makes them a great option for a mid handicap golfer.  I think that lower handicap golfers might still prefer some of the sole grinds of the RTX 4 wedges but in terms of forgiveness, you can’t beat the CBX 2 wedges.  The increased forgiveness comes from removing mass at the hosel and pulling it toward the wider toe so that it is centered behind the ball.  This is a wedge theory I’ve talked about before in previous reviews.  It really helps square up the club at impact and keeps the heel area from digging as much.

The Cleveland CBX 2 is a cavity back wedge, but they fine tuned the feel to be very soft and forged like.  The hollow cavity with gelback insert works incredibly well to offer a soft feel as the ball pops off the face.  It works for both full shots, but also touch shots to give very good feedback that is just enough to feel right, but without a hint of harshness.

The Cleveland CBX 2 can spin the ball.  I was impressed by how much spin these wedges generate.  Cleveland describes it as “grooves on grooves on grooves.”  They have Tour Zip grooves to offer the most bite, the Rotex milling to rough up the space between the grooves and the laser milling to take the whole face right up the limit.  It was 8 years ago that the groove rules changed and spin numbers went down.  I find it fascinating how Cleveland is finding ways to crank up the spin almost back to what it used to be.  I think the weighting and cavity back design assists the grooves in imparting spin too.  Full shots liked to back up and touch shots were often bounce and stop.  I was almost always short of the hole with these wedges because they simply spin so much.

I went with a 54* and 58* in the Cleveland CBX 2 wedges which are my standard lofts.  On full shots I was very happy with the accurate and full distances they carried.  The 54* was right around 100 yards.  It hit the ball high with nice stopping power.  It plays more as a gap wedge than a sand wedge.  It is mostly used off the fairway and out of the rough.  I was impressed by the 54* wedge on full shots that always put me in a great scoring position.  The 54* wedge has a S-grind sole on it which works for deep rough and full shots perfectly.   The 58* wedge also plays exceptionally well on full shots out of the rough and fairway.  I didn’t have a chunk or a skull on full shots.  The large sole just slid right under the ball perfectly shot after shot.  It was a pin seeker at 85 yards.  Very consistent and very accurate.  If there is one area where the CBX 2 struggled for me was on the short creative pitches.  The wide sole didn’t allow me to get to creative around the greens.  I was running into some bounce issues from time to time.  While is has a C-grind sole on it, which does help, I sometimes like as little less sole mass.  With that said, if I just squared it up and took a simple “clip” swing, it worked out just fine.  So find a simple swing and hit all our wedge shots that way and these will be golden.

The Cleveland CBX 2 wedge was designed from top to bottom for forgiveness and spin, ideal for the golfer that is playing cavity back irons.  That is also why they went with a DG 115 wedge shaft.  It is super stable but just a few grams lighter.  This also pairs well with many of the new iron shafts which are going increasingly lighter too.  Nothing like going from a 90 gram or 105 gram shaft in your irons to a 120 or 130 gram shaft in your wedges.  The stock Lamkin 360 grip is a nice solid option off the rack too. 

Cleveland CBX 2 58 Wedge Stats

Data from Flightscope Xi Tour Launch Monitor

 Spin: 10,371 rpms

 Launch Angle: 52.3*

 Club Head Speed: 75.8 mph

Dispersion: 2.3 yds

 Ball Speed: 80.7 mph

 Total Distance: 87.8 yds

 Carry Distance: 86.4 yds

Summary

Want more forgiveness in your wedge game?  Check out the Cleveland CBX 2 wedges.  I’m impressed by their forgiveness, spin, and feel.  Their cavity back design works just like your cavity back irons.  While the options are limited, the sole grinds fit the ideal uses of each loft and rather than confuse you with too many choices, pick your preferred lofts and go.  You will hit some of the best full wedges you have ever hit in your life.  These things spin like crazy and go where you want them to go.  While you might think you need a “blade” style wedge, give these a try and watch the cavity back Cleveland CBX 2 impress you.

Check the price online here

For more information: www.clevelandgolf.com

Quick Hits

➕ Amazing forgiveness
➕ Tons of spin
➕ Great feel
➕ Nice shape
➕ Excellent weighting
➕ Lighter stock shaft

➖ Wide sole harder to hit creative shots

Photos

About The Author

Ryan Heiman – Founder and Head Author of Independent Golf Reviews
Ryan has over 10 years of experience testing and writing golf reviews of nearly every brand out there.
HCP: 3
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