The story of Cleveland Golf goes back to 1979 when Roger Cleveland founded the company (then called Cleveland Classics). The company made a full set of clubs but was universally acknowledged for its wedges. Its most popular model was the 588 (introduced in 1988). It was so popular that the 588 is still one of the best-selling golf clubs of all time.
Cleveland Classics was sold to French ski manufacturer, Rossignol, in 1990. The company produced some unusual golf clubs in this era, the quirkiest of which was their VAS line of clubs. They might have been ridiculed for their looks, but it was hard to argue against their effectivity. They were in Corey Pavin’s bag when he won the 1995 US Open at Shinnecock Hills. His four-wood into the 18th green from 228-yards out was the stuff of legend.
The company changed hands again in 2008 when Dunlop Sports Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd., purchased Cleveland Golf and continues to own and operate it today.
Through the years, true to their heritage, Cleveland has continued to make innovative wedges as the company’s founder, Roger Cleveland, would have wanted.
For 2018 Cleveland has introduced the RTX 4 wedges, a product for the better player. The RTX 4 wedges have four different sole designs, all designed to provide the more accomplished golfer with the tools he needs to play the shots he sees around and into the greens.
RTX 4 represents the fourth generation of Cleveland’s unique Rotex face milling pattern, and Schielke says this iteration has the sharpest Tour Zip Grooves of any Cleveland wedge to date, largely due to a deepening understanding of tool wear during the cutting and milling processes.
Cleveland takes a unique—and proprietary—step to protect wedge grooves during manufacturing. After milling, Cleveland fills the grooves right up over the edge with a protective goop. This is particularly important during sandblasting, which can dull the edge and affect performance. When manufacturing is complete, it melts the goop out, leaving a shiny, pristine groove.
The care with which Cleveland manufactures their grooves is key when playing out of any kind of trouble. You’ll want as much purchase from the grooves as you can manage out of thick or wet lies to play the shot you see in your head. The RTX 4 should perform as well as any wedge on the market today.
But it is ultimately the sole grinds that determine a wedge’s effectivity and Cleveland has served up four distinct grinds for the RTX 4. They have continued with the full, mid and low bounce grinds as they did with the RTX 3 but have added and XLow bounce option in the RTX 4.
The full sole is basically the same sole grind as the 588 wedge; not much grind, a good amount of camber and it plays like a mid-bounce on full shots. But when you start to open it up, since there’s no grind, the leading-edge comes up off the ground, so it’s the best choice for fluffy bunkers, soft turf conditions or deep rough.
The mid bounce has a slightly modified V-Sole, with a bit less bounce in the leading edge for full shots and some trailing edge relief for the golfer who likes to open the face a little bit around the green. It’s very similar to Vokey’s S grind and should display the same versatility.
The low bounce option is a traditional C grind, with trailing edge and heel/toe relief for players who really like to open it up for shots around the green. It’s meant for tight lies and firm turf conditions, and is popular with Cleveland’s Tour pros.
The XLow has the lowest amount of bounce that Cleveland has ever put on a wedge. It’s only available in 58 and 60 degrees of loft and it’s for the player who has the confidence to really open up the face around the green as much as he wants and who hits high, soft, spinning shots.
The RTX 4 is more compact and features less offset than its predecessor, the RTX 3. This is in line with the preferences of Cleveland’s Tour staff. The lower lofted wedges feature a considerably more compact head and a straighter leading edge, while the higher lofts will have a rounder leading edge with progressively larger heads, although still more compact than RTX 3.
Feel Balancing Technology moves the CG closer to the center by shortening the hosel and milling a microcavity in the hosel. That weight can now be redistributed to move the CG closer to the center, which is kind of a trend in wedges: Callaway, Vokey and others have also taken steps over the years to shift CG toward the middle.
The Cleveland RTX 4 is cast from soft 8620 carbon steel. It’s soft enough to bend to suit the golfer’s playing style but its construction might disappoint those that prefer a forging. However, 8620 is a very soft steel and most golfers will not be able to tell if they’re playing a forging or not, making this a nonissue.
The Cleveland RTX 4 wedges are available in 2-degree increments from 46 degrees to 64 degrees, guaranteeing that they have a wedge for any need that the golfer might have.
The Cleveland RTX 4 wedges will retail for P8,950 and will be in stores in October.