For close to 20 years, Srixon Golf has garnered my loyalty, respect, and appreciation for what they produce. I have been on professional staff with Srixon and Cleveland for many years, even before Srixon purchased and merged with Cleveland in 2007. Before that time, I was always a Cleveland wedge guy. I even had the 588s in high school and college back in the early and mid-90s.
The superior look, feel, and response I got from those old 588s can still be found today in much more sophisticated and advanced models of the Cleveland wedge.
Almost three years to the date, Cleveland introduced their RTX ZipCore line of wedges, and this year, in 2023, the RTX ZipCore 6 is the latest rendition of these unparalleled wedges.
“The RTX 6 ZipCore Wedge may have the classic look on the outside, but inside it’s packed with three technological breakthroughs that give the advantage to the golfer and not the conditions,” Pat Ripp, Tour Engineering Manager of Research and Development for Cleveland Srixon said when the new line launched in January.
I could not agree more with that statement. The look of the wedges is what has always initially drawn me to them. It is a classic look. I actually went with the RAW finish this go around for mine, which provides a “ready to rust” look. That’s pretty cool in my book.
A real close up of the grooves on the new @ClevelandGolf RTX6 ZipCore wedges.
I can thank my iPhone Macro lens for this. pic.twitter.com/wIw5D1M1g5
— Ryan Barath 🏌️♂️ (@RDSBarath) January 9, 2023
The technology, from the head design to the face, proved something special. They offer excellent stability, perfect launch, and fantastic spin. Combine these with the Srixon Z-Star XV DIVIDE golf ball I use, and I am confident beyond belief around the greens and on full wedge shots. I carry a 52 mid, 56 mid, and 60 mid; all bent 1 degree strong, because I’m weird that way.
The tech that is infused in each RTX ZipCore wedges includes ZipCore, HydraZip, and UltiZip.
ZipCore is Cleveland’s proprietary, low-density core technology. With it, the Center of Gravity sits right where you strike the ball, giving you more consistent performance and enhanced forgiveness. Additionally, by adding high/low and heel/toe MOI into every loft in the line, you enjoy increased spin, consistency, feel, and control. That is what you want in the head design of a wedge.
HydraZip is a laser-milled line system designed to maximize spin in wet or dry conditions and from anywhere around the green. Lower lofts receive a less rough blast, while higher lofts receive a fiercer blast and more laser lines for consistent dry and wet spin performance across the course.
UltiZip is pretty juicy. This tech equips RTX 6 ZipCore wedges with a specialized sequence of deep groove lines…Cleveland’s sharpest groove radii ever. The tighter grooves offer a more serious bite, while the deeper grooves create space for grass, sand, dirt, or water to evacuate the impact zone.
You can customize your bounce and sole grind, and what’s really cool is you can adjust the grind-specific to the leading edge so it can match your swing type better (that comes in Standard, Rounded, and Sharpened). That is pretty damn cool.
If you have never tried a Cleveland Wedge, all I can ask is this…what are you waiting for?
